I found A fragile Entanglement to be an absolutely lovely read. The author’s writing style draws you in and makes it hard to put the book down. I do wish there had been more concerning the world itself rather than just the romance but I could see it being a nice side story or jumping off point for more in depth storylines. I found the emotional turmoil to be beautifully written.

This book was pure magic! This book hit the spot itching for some whimsy.
This story did have some Spin the Dawn vibes, which I also really enjoyed. So, if you did too, then here’s a new one for you. Niamh can imbue thread - she threads her creations with enchantments. She is summoned to the kingdom of Avaland to make the wedding gown and cloak for the upcoming wedding. Neither bride nor groom is particularly keen on their upcoming nuptials, but they are going through the motions. Kit is the very reluctant prince, but bound by duty. There is much chemistry between him and Niamh, their forbidden relationship grows in secret. Not only is he royalty and she a commoner, but she is from a neighbouring kingdom where the people are considered lesser people. There is a good amount of political intrigue here, with one kingdom trying to forge an alliance through marriage and the other kingdom trying to get reconciliation for its people for current and past wrongs. The reluctant bride, Rosa, has aspirations and secrets of her own as well.
This is an enjoyable grumpy/sunshine, forbidden romance - I could also throw in that it probably falls under forced proximity, since they can’t really avoid each other either. I hope this book can provide your reading experience with the magic that this book gave mine.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a digital arc of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

This was such a cozy, warm and intricate historical YA romantasy. The story follows Niamh, a seamstress who can enchant clothing as she makes them & Prince Kit, who’s following his duty to follow through on a marriage his brother has arranged for politics and status. Niamh is hired to design the clothing for the wedding between Kit and Rosa, but Niamh is immediately annoyed by Kit’s grumpy attitude towards her. However, as the time passes they are continuously thrown together, and a connection begins to grow and bloom into feelings.

Niamh and Kit give off vibes of Anthony and Kate in Bridgerton and I was so here for it. They have a rough start with arguing, witty banter, and animosity but slowly begin to catch feelings and fall in love and everyone can obviously see it except them. And one of them is gonna go through with an arranged marriage even though they don’t want to because they feel they have a duty to do so. Now add in a gossip column, magic, loveable side characters, lgbtq rep, and chronic illness rep and you get A Fragile Enchantment.

I wish there had been a little more world building as some parts felt like they lacked the required explanation. I also would have loved to see more moments of Kit being gentle and soft with Niamh but that’s just selfish of me because I loved those moments between them.

This is my first Allison Saft book, and I was enchanted by her vivid and whimsical writing. It felt hopeful and like springtime personified. And the cover is by far one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

If you like:
⟡ bridgerton like setting
⟡ grumpy x sunshine
⟡ hates everyone but her
⟡ forbidden love (royal x commoner)
⟡ anonymous gossip in a column in the paper
⟡ enemies to lovers-ish
⟡ magic in a regency inspired world

This book, simply put is delightfully wonderful.

I fell in love with Allison Saft's writing in Down Comes The Night so it's no surprise that I ADORED A Fragile Enchantment.
I find it hard nowadays to find auto-buy authors (at least for me) and yet, I have found just that.
The world building is whimsical, the enemies to lovers is incredibly well done, and the side characters are just as interesting as our main characters. The dialogue, the chemistry it was all just so perfect, If a Fragile Enchantment doesn't become the new Divine Rivals of 2024 then just lock me up and throw away the key!
An all around 5 stars from me! I cannot wait for her next book. Because yes I checked and she has another one coming next year as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
A Fragile Enchantment comes out on Jan 2 2024 so go pre-order a copy RIGHT NOW! I know I have!

A Fragile Enchantment is a YA romantasy that is as sweet and enchanting as this cover. 😍
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I enjoyed the magic system. I love Niamh’s magic, she is able to stitch emotions and feelings into fabric. It also has a gossip column, much like Bridgerton.
This book has all the favorite tropes.
🧵regency-era romance
🧵grumpy x sunshine
🧵royalty
🧵forbidden love
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I think this book will appeal to YA romance fans.
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Thank you netgalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read this book!
3.5 stars

I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of this book. However, I am participating in the review boycott of St. Martin's Press (and their imprints) due to the remarks made by their employee in regards to the genocide of Palestinian people currently taking place. Therefore, I will not be posting my review of A Fragile Enchantment at this time.

This story was absolutely wonderful. I was hooked from the very beginning to the very end. I found myself loving all the characters, and even the side characters had depth to them. The pacing was perfect, tense at times but overall relaxing and fun to follow. Easily a five-star read for me.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves regency stories with a touch of magic and watching characters overcome challenges. The romance is grumpy-sunshine vibes, which is always a fun read.

Allison Saft’s A Fragile Enchantment wasn’t quite what I expected. Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the chance to read and review this book via gifted eARC.

I really wanted to love this book so much. It has my favorite tropes, royalty and forbidden love, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my high expectations.

Let’s start with what I enjoyed. I did enjoy the romance. Kit and Niamh are such loyal and caring people. I felt their passion and vulnerability were well-balanced.

I also enjoyed the magic system. It felt very seamless and believable.

Now for what I didn’t like. I found the beginning very slow and boring. I actually skimmed most of the beginning, I was that bored. However, this did pick up and I found myself getting into around 55%.

Overall, this was a 3.5 star read. Did I like this book? Yes. Did I love it? No.

A Fragile Enchantment is a very lovely regency-like era romance with a hint of magic woven in. If you like stories like the Bridgerton tales this will be right up your alley with forbidden romance and beautiful imagery in both scenery and clothing. The writing style is very reminiscent of Garber's in the way they paint pictures and I mean that as a compliment as both Saft and Garber have a unique way of making the beauty in their books stand out.

This book has a lot of your usual romance tropes in it and can be easily predictable at times but it doesnt take away from the enjoyment of the story at all. It was soft, romantic, magical and pretty all in one and very nice to read! I enjoyed the characters and will look forward to Saft's next story!

A sweet fantasy romance with overtones of the best kind of fairy tales.

Niamh, a magical dressmaker, who can fill her creations with memories, feelings and emotions, is delighted that she has been commissioned to create the wedding outfit for a royal wedding, creating clothing for Prince Kit Carmine. Coming from an impoverished family, she is hopeful this will be her ticket to a better life, not only for herself but also her family. Whisked away to the royal castle in Avaland, however, she finds that all is not light and grace within the royal household. Dark times loom for the prince and his brother, as their country sits on the edge of war and the nation's coffers sit empty. Add to that, Kit has no desire to wed the bride his brother has selected for him, and despite his best efforts, he and Niamh find each other falling in love.

An entertaining and fun read, with different types of creative magics sprinkled throughout. I loved that this felt like an old-story fairy tale with enough updates to make it feel contemporary. The slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance between Kit and Niamh unfolded with a nice tempo, and I appreciated the addition of good supporting characters like the Infanta and Kit's boyhood friend. The vibe for me on this was kind of a Bridgerton with magic, and I thoroughly enjoyed that!

If I had a criticism, I felt that the inclusion of some mentions of diverse sexual orientation was kind of forced. I liked that the author included that, but it didn't feel organically integrated into the story and was felt more like an afterthought.

Other than that, a very entertaining read and a perfect way to close out my reading year.

"A Fragile Enchantment" is a 5-star gem that will leave readers spellbound. Allison Saft's evocative prose, memorable characters, and the seamless blending of romance and fantasy make this novel an absolute delight. For those who crave a magical journey filled with love, intrigue, and unforgettable characters, this enchanting read is an absolute must.

I really enjoyed this and found it to be a delightful romantic romp. However, in solidarity with the St. Martin’s Press boycott, I will be withholding a full review at this time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm utterly enchanted by this story. Niamh and Kit, you were what I had been yearning for and didn't even know it. Reading this book was like watching the lighthearted & super charming k-drama (or comedy, whatever is your thing) that you didn't know you needed! This is my first novel by this author, and I'm captivated by her emotional storytelling that delves into deep waters of heartbreak yet remains hopeful. The fact that her next book is a dark academia is intriguing and speaks to the author's variety in taste and writing style. But until then, I welcome you to this fragile but heart-warming enchantment....

Niamh was a lovely heroine. Resourceful, kind, and righteous without being annoying. I also liked the character's nuances: she was righteous but practical enough to take the smart road and not sit on her high horse, kind and loving of her family but brutally smart and logical to choose wealth and a financially stable future even though her grandmother didn't approve. I loved her sense of humor and how charmingly and clumsily she adapted to the new society in Avaland. I loved how she didn't bow to the royal family, neither of fear, awe or hate, and how she challenged everyone around her to be and do better. And I loved how she didn't judge anyone for the faults and mistakes of their parents. She saw the people who stood before her, and not the horrible people who did horrible deeds. But what resonated with me was her need to help her family without caring for her own well-being. All she ever wanted was to contribute to her family and provide them with a financially stable future by using her powers, not caring about how her magic deteriorated her health. The selfnessness was so pure that it shone brightly, and a bit sadly, in the book.

And I LOVED HOW SHE BICKERED WITH KIT!

Kit, being the love interest with the personality of a wet cat, like the author wrote on her Instagram. Kit is a character who has suffered a lot, due to his horrible family but also due to his self-judgment. To alleviate that pain, he went to drinking and some self-destructive behavior, but he got out of it on his own. It takes a lot of strength to see the darkness around you and stepping onto the light again and it takes more strength to remain on the right path. There was a scene of a party at a pub of sorts, and he remained so strong. Well, strong and broody, which is his default mode really. I love broody characters, and Kit was amazing. He had a grimace for everyone and a sarcastic thought for everything, and I had such a great time with him!

Niamh and Kit bickered like a married couple ALMOST from the first time they met. But it wasn't a case of instant love. Instant attraction, sure, but the love came afterwards like a nicely wrapped present. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED THE ROMANCE!!! They complement and compliment each other perfectly. Niamh is like the passionate but warm and nice fire for Kit's broody, calm reasoning, both being way too self-deprecating for their own good. I loved them separately and I loved them together so much. Stunning romance for a stunning romantic fantasy!

I enjoyed the side characters, as well. Sinclair was a marvel, and he felt like the funny best friend we need in our lives. I also felt for the prince regent who is a control freak unable to realize he could use some help lmao and his wife, Sofia, who felt like the calm in all the storms in the story. Miriam and Rosa were a delight!!! All side characters were fully fleshed out with unique traits and quirks, which made this charming worldbuilding feel grander than it really was.

Did I mention that this is a queer romantic fantasy with some serious and glorious bisexual belongingness????? There are numerous LGBTQIA+ characters, and I loved how their /romantic/ storylines were seamlessly weaved into the story without it being the center-point of their whole existence.

The worldbuilding was nice, truly inspired by regency-England. It's not usually my thing, but the characters were too good for me not to fall in love with the story. Niamh's power to put emotions into clothes was unique and original, and it added to the emotional resonance of the story.

The plot was well-paced, with lots of breathing room and yet full of splendor, witty comebacks, and lots of small things that cumulate to some epic chaos towards the end.

The one thing I could say that I'm not sure how YA this story is. I'd say that it's more new adult as in upper, upper YA. Also, the very fact that Niamh chose to work in the land that had been at war with her people left me wondering the moral of it all, but desperate, poor people will look at all avenues to secure a financially stable future. It was about survival and a young girl's need to make sure her family lives on well.

I absolutely loved this story! Political intrigue, discussion on the need of a monarchy and how they rule, heart-wrenching insecurities and traumas, delightful banter, and relatable, rootable characters! It had it all, and I'm so glad I've read this book. It was exactly what I needed when I needed it.

I'm forever enchanted by it! It's the most beautiful romantic fantasy you'll read.

My polite summary: This is a book that's great for lovers of YA romantasy and the related popular tropes.

My unfiltered summary: This is regurgitated drivel.

I knew going into this book that it may follow the most basic and overused formula and tropes, but I had hopes it would provide some inspired creativity. Instead, it is simply the very most common romantasy framework overlaid with new names and settings. Aside from some funny parts strewn throughout, the vast majority of this book was not worth my time reading it as it offered nothing new in the form of entertainment. I've read and watched the exact same plot over and over again already, and don't need yet another retelling of the same story.

𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: 𝐴 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝐸𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 by Allison Saft

4 stars ☆

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Niamh Ó Conchobhair has divine blood. The magic that runs through her allows her to enchant fabric with emotions and memories. But the magic that grants her this gift is also killing her. Niamh is determined to use the time she has left to scrape out a better living for her family. So when she is summoned to the neighboring kingdom of Avaland to become the seamstress for the upcoming royal wedding, she can’t possibly refuse.

However, things within the court are not what they seem. Everyone seems to wear a mask of propriety, keeping secrets that could spell ruin for a kingdom already holding on by a thread. Unrest brews within the working class and the Prince Regent, Jack Carmine, seems to be doing everything in his power to avoid his problems, his only focus getting through Kit’s wedding. Prince Kit Carmine is Jack’s abrasive and troubled younger brother, resigned to his fate as a political pawn. Niamh is unprepared to reside within the polite society of kingdom that doesn’t seem to want her. But she’s even more unprepared to face the feelings for Kit that are starting to bloom and the heartbreak she knows will come.
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This story is everything soft and delicate. It’s full of tender moments in jasmine-laced gardens and sunny days spent under parasols. I had so many mixed feelings throughout this book! The world is whimsical, full beautiful magic and reminiscent of a fairytale. I LOVED the diversity and representation within 𝛢 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝛦𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝘵𝑚𝑒𝑛𝘵.

The romance portion wasn’t my favorite at times, maybe because I didn’t connect very well with Kit as our love interest. Some of his responses were just a little too abrasive for me. I do also wish there was more magic shown throughout the book. Reading about the unique magic of the divine blooded was one of my parts, but I feel like that aspect faded into the background a little bit too much.

Pick up 𝛢 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝛦𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝘵𝑚𝑒𝑛𝘵 if you love:

LGBTQ+ rep
Chronic Illness rep
Grumpy/Sunshine
Royalty
Regency Romance

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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy!

4.5 stars
This was such a cute fantasy romance! I read the ebook and listened to the audio. I definitely recommend the experience either/both way(s)! There wasn’t a lot of world building in the story, which made it very accessible to just pick up and enjoy the story without worrying about having to keep track of something complicated or overrun with too many characters. The chemistry between the main characters was spot on. The storyline was top notch from start to finish. I hope there are more stories in this universe!!
*Thanks to MacMillan and NetGalley for the advance copy

This book was so good! Dreamy, captivating, full of fantasy, magic and romance! My brain had issues pronouncing the main characters name... so I googled it... then my brain just saw the English translation instead of the Irish/ Celtic pronunciation. I couldn't put this book down!!!

A sweet, fun, cozy, and adventurous read. Would absolutely recommend it to all Romantacy fans. I haven't read the Bridgerton series, but I think fans of that series would love this book. I am definitely interested in more from Allison Saft.

3.25/5 - A Fragile Enchantment is considered to be a Young Adult Fantasy Romance novel, though I consider it a YA romance with elements of magic because their is no substantial presence of fantasy in the story arc. It’s in a Regency-esque setting. The storyline is said to be reminiscent of Bridgerton and Howl’s Castle, I only saw faint traces of similarities between this story and those two.

Overall, this was decent. I liked the magical elements in the story especially Niamh’s abilities as a tailor and learning about the different dresses she’d worked on. The writing itself was good and I enjoyed the descriptions; the pacing of the plot was perfect.

I think the main drawback of this novel is that the author rarely explored or elaborated on any aspect of the story - keeping everything very surface level. The plot was simplistic, there were different (fictional) countries and kingdoms involved but we don’t delve too much into the history of them. I would’ve loved to learn more but it was understandable if the author chose not to in order to avoid diverging too far from the main story. Same goes for certain side characters who seemed interesting but ended up being quite flat due to the lack of characterization.

With regards to Kit and Niamh, I think more attention should have been given to their backstories along with their evolving relationship especially given the history of where they both came from etc. The author seemed to fall back on the cliches of a specific trope to explain their dynamic. Most of their scenes together seemed to be a pattern of banter and hyper-analyzing facial expressions. As a result, I found it hard to believe in their relationship or get invested in their story.

This story seems to be for a younger demographic but can be a cozy romance for older readers. I wasn’t the intended audience for this novel since I typically do not read Young Adult or Romance but I did not dislike this book. If you’re into either of those genres and are looking to read something that is quick and light then this is a great choice. Going into it with minimal expectations will also help. Once I accepted how simple this story intended to be, it was a satisfactory read. After reading more complex novels with heavier subjects and themes, this was a nice change.

For those who enjoy reading YA Romance, Romantasy or Regency-inspired romance then you will like this...perhaps even love it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me an ARC of this novel.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the novel as much as I hoped. The premise of a seamstress able to weave magic and memory into her work and, of course, a regency romance is what interested me in the first place.

However, the story only touches on the surface of the process of bringing designs to life. I get that it might be boring to some people, but when sowing and creating together an outfit from scratch is basically a main part of Niamh’s identity, I want to see her work her magic, her entire creative process. But there’s no montage or anything, we start from the designs and skip directly to the end results. This greatly disappointed me.

Furthermore, in the first 20 pages of the novel, there was so much info dump that even halfway through the novel, I was still confused about the world building.

Moreover, the romance in the book feels random and forced. I feel like Kit being prickly for the sake of the “mean but soft on the inside” troupe. Also, Niamh, I understand she’s from Machland and so manners would be culturally different from Avaland, but she acts out of line too much. The opportunity to create outfits for Kit is one she desperately needs to take her family out of poverty and live a good life. It’s everything to her. Yet, she acts too friendly, and sometimes rude, to the royal family and it’s justify that since Kit is rude to her, she can be rude back. It makes me feel that despite the importance of the opportunity, Niamh doesn’t take it seriously enough.

One last thing, the conversation feels awkward. The main trio, Niamh, Kit and Gabriel, talk like they’re teenagers instead of adults. The bickering between Niamh and Kit feels like they’re ten years old fighting on the playground over a toy. Then there’re parts of the stories where I get thrown back into the modern era and it feels weird.

Overall, the premise of the book was really interesting. However, the execution was lacking in many ways.