Naemh's magic is a gift and a curse. It allows her to imbue emotions and memories into the clothing she creates, but at the cost of her own life force. When her designs garner the attention of the royal wedding, she thinks this might the chance to help her family. It isn't until she meets the rude, but handsome, prince that she realizes this job might make or break her.

I loved this book. It read like poetry and prose, mesmerizing with its details and its delight. Naemh and Kit were a couple that came together organically and beautifully. I loved the magic system and the stunning setting.

❤️‍🩹 A Fragile Enchantment ❤️‍🩹

The perfect slow-burn with modest worldbuilding that would draw in a strictly romance reader despite the fantasy elements! I loved the LGBTQ+ representation in this novel and absolutely adored Rosa's subtle relationship with her maid as I did NOT expect her to be willing to date and love across classes. This novel is underscored by a time of significant political upheaval and the relationships in the novel reflect this well.

I hate to give any negative feedback on this novel because I loved it so much but I think some readers are going to be thrown off that both the FMC and MMC both state they have been in relationships of the same gender and don't specifically define their sexual identities then end up in a cishet relationship. It wasn't a deal-breaker for me at all and I thought they had a great relationship but it was a curveball. I wish we could have seen more of the relationship between the FMC and her ex-girlfriend.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

Niamh is a seamstress with the magical ability to thread emotions and memories into fabric. Hired to create the wedding wardrobe of a prince and princess, she moves to Avaland with the hopes of finding a better life for her family. She is quickly swept into the royal family drama and the political unrest in the country.

This was a lovely romance, with the right amount of magic and drama. I really liked the style of writing which was whimsical and romantic. However the storyline itself could have been better. It was a bit repetitive and all the twists and dramatic events didn’t seem all that unique or surprising so overall I ended up feeling like it was too long of a story.

I listened to and read this one and the audio was my preferred choice (especially to speed up those repetitive parts). Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for my copies! This one is out January 2nd!

#netgalley #macmillanaudio #stmartinspress #audiobook #ebook #kindle #reading #bookthoughts #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookish #audiobookreview

As much as I enjoyed this book, I will be withholding my review in solidarity with Readers Want Accountability.

Nyaim is a magical seamstress who can sew in feelings to any material she cultivates. Sub when a wealthy woman from Mageland went to a ball in Avalon wearing one of her dresses not only was it a big hit but the Prince Regent sent for this seamstress to do the wedding wardrobe for his brother Kit and the princess of Castillo Rose. At first everyone from the head made to the intended bride and groom treat her like an outsider butsoon she will start to form friendships especially with the intended groom kit. While all this is going on throughout the book we hear from a gossip columnist Mrs. E who sends a letter to Nyaim at first asking her to spy for gossip on the royal family but when she refuses and Mrs.E says she has the dirt on the seamstress she insist she do it. Besides getting everyone to like her she also has the added pressure of having to support her poor family back in majeland not to mention she now wants to protect the royal family who she started really caring about… Especially kit. That was way too much to the story to do a great summary this is the main plot but they have many subplots that are just as interesting especially with princess rose let me just say I loved this book it was really well done and oh so interesting. I have recently started reading magical realism and I am loving it in this book is definitely at the top of that list a great story a great romance and so worth reading! If you love fairytale type stories then you’ll definitely love A Fragile Enchantment, I certainly did! I want to thank Saint Martin’s press and net Galley for my free art copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

What a cozy and magical story!

A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT follows Niamh, a magic-wielding dressmaker who’s hired to create the wardrobe for the royal wedding, the payment from which will give her family a better life. But the job immediately proves to be difficult when Niamh meets the prince, Kit, who is less than pleased with her abilities or her presence at all.

The writing in this story was absolutely dreamy. The descriptions were so immersive and breathtaking—they not only cemented the scene around you, but they also enhanced Niamh’s character’s voice, which I adored.

And the entire cast of characters has my whole heart! Not only Niamh and Kit, but Sinclair, Infanta Rosa, and Miriam were all so unique and wonderful. The dynamics between all of them felt so real and added to their characterization. The romance between Niamh and Kit was a delightful slow-burn for the majority of the story, but at the end, it felt like it picked up a bit quickly so it could wrap up nicely, but I didn’t mind much because I loved their relationship so much.

My only critique with this story was the ending. Most of the book was spent discussing the reasons Niamh and Kit couldn’t be together for the sake of the kingdom, but in the end, there were no real repercussions to them being together, which made me wonder why anyone was worried about it in the first place.

I do also wish we’d focused a bit more on Niamh’s health. Her condition was so interesting, how it’s tied to the use of her magic and runs in her family, but she exhibits some negative symptoms and a character even mentions that there are ways to manage her condition, but that conversation was never revisited.

But overall, this was an absolutely dreamy story with beautiful prose and a swoon-worthy romance that I’d absolutely recommend picking up when it comes out in January! And I look forward to picking up more of Allison Saft’s books in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book, it was diferent than anything else l've read this month which was a breath of fresh air because it got me out of my reading slump! Of course I couldn't stop looking at the cover of the book, it perfectly encapsulates the cozy vibes of this romantasy! I will be recommending this to my students and my book club members! Might also check out other works by the author 💙

Fun idea tying magic and sewing together, anyone who's interested in fashion will enjoy those moments. Could have gone into all the different magic abilities a lot more, it did feel as if some depth was lacking, but on the other hand it was an easy romantic fantasy to read.

Niamh‘s and Kit’s first encounter in the book is totally different than the ending. Niamh is one of the last of their kind, a magical dressmaker. While Kit is the prince to a kingdom that isn’t doing so well. Both are stubborn and hard headed, but maybe that’s what draws them to each other. Their lives aren’t as it seems. As they spend more time with each other, they come to realize that they’re both living for the expectations of other. Not being true to themselves, but rather doing what others expect of them.

This was a great storyline in my option. There was a balance of magic, love, and drama.

3⭐️

We'll call this one: Magical Bridgerton.

This is a very cozy-esk, enchanting book set in regency era. Our main character is Niamh and she can embus emotion into the clothing she works on which is a pretty neat power. I think I might give the audiobook a go in the future before I draw a complete conclusion on the book overall.

This book was magical (pun intended). I loved the world building, the characters, a new take on magic and it had some of my favorite tropes (forbidden love, grumpy x sunshine). I also really enjoyed that there was no big bad guy. The conflict and tension was just royal duty, politics, and real life challenges. The book was delicate and emotional. I really enjoyed it.

AND there’s a part where she collapses and he carries her through the rain to safety…I will swoon EVERY TIME that happens in a book. EVERY TIME!

This is my second Allison Saft book and I’ve been pleasantly surprised both times. Somehow I missed A Far Wilder Magic, but I’m going back to read it now and adding her to the auto-buy list.

A wonderful regency-esque fantasy romance between a surly prince and the tailor hired to create his wedding wardrobe.

I really appreciated the Ireland-England allegory as well as the messaging around duty and sacrifice. I will definitely add to my library's collection--I can see it being popular with students who enjoy Elizabeth Lim's books or The Girl from the Sea.

➵ 4.5 ⭐️
This story is beautiful, Bridgerton meets An Enchantment of ravens in this cozy, whimsical fantasy romance.
Allison Saft's writing is as always truly captivating and she creates a novel that is fast-paced and enchanting featuring characters who are complex and well developed.

The romance definitely takes precedence in this book but the plot happening in the background is also pretty interesting - the conflict between Avaland's nobles and Machland's working class created tension between Niamh and Kit who try to navigate it aware that they find themselves on the opposite sides of it.
The focus is on everything Niamh and Kit need to overcome in order to be together, and forbidden romance just happens to be one of my fav tropes.

While Niamh was good and kind and self-sacrificing, Kit was all thorns. I love the way he softened only for her but I wish we'd seen it more often. He definitely kept her at arm's length most of the time but their relationship would only have been strengthened with more scenes where he’s softer.
Regardless, their romance still made me giddy, it was "brimming with longing" indeed.

The magic system was very interesting and pretty cool though I feel like it could've been explained just a little more even though it was soft.
The side characters were also great, I love how by the end they were a tightly knit group (except for Jack i guess 😂).
I was able to guess who The Tattler was pretty much immediately but that didn't take from the reveal when Niamh finally figured it out.

If you love whimsical historical fantasy books with forbidden romance, grumpy/sunshine, magic and cozy vibes you should definitely check AFE out!
Allison Saft has become an auto-buy author for me.

3.5 rounded to 4 for this read! I was lucky enough to get this as an ARC from NetGalley and it was such a fun romantic read!

The start was a little slower paced for me but the slow pace was short lived and from that point on I was hooked. While the trope wasn’t something new to me, the characters were and they kept me on my toes. I loved loved the concept of the divine blooded and what I wouldn’t GIVE to be able to do what Niamh does with her sewing! Brb while I daydream about that possibility for the rest of the month if not longer.

Honestly this book checked off everything for me - romance, magic, real emotions (people actually showing they’re feeling betrayed/hurt/tired/etc instead of just rushing to the forgiving part), little bit of spice, and even a couple of little twists as well. A fun, quick read that makes me definitely look into reading more by Allison Saft!

What a beautiful story!

I was not expecting to love this as much as I did! The world, the history, the magic, and the characters had me falling in love over and over.

One of the things I loved most about of this book was the history woven into the story in such a delicate and intricate manor. It was so whimsical and subtle, but yet still there. The magic was also super unique and fun! The characters were also interesting and worth following. I enjoyed the love story and the dynamic between the two main characters.

My one minor issue with this book was the elusive illness the MC seemed to have. Like it made sense, but I feel like in the end there was no real solution or answer to it. Just a minor thing, but it still bothered me slightly.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for access to this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

4.8 / 5.0

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft is a masterpiece of beauty, intrigue, and love. I thoroughly enjoyed this at every moment of reading it. The characters are superb, the world building is exquisite, and the plot will leave everyone satisfied.

Overall, if you like A Far Wilder Magic (also by Saft) or Sorcery of Thorns (by Margaret Rogerson), you will enjoy the magic, mystery, and romance of this too.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for access to this eARC.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A Fragile Enchantment was so fun! It is a regency inspired fantasy romance that was very whimsical and dreamy. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a fun quick read. The atmosphere is very cozy, while still covering topics like oppression, addiction, and chronic illness. I enjoyed the characters and their banter and I think they made the book really fun. The magic is sprinkled into this book, but not a very large element. At times the book was a bit slow, but overall I would recommend this to anyone who likes regency vibes or a cozy romance.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair lands the job of a lifetime stitching the wardrobe for the royal wedding, but winds up in over her head.

Oh man, I was really let down by this one. This book feels very much Bridgerton but add magic. The season, the romance with an ulterior motive plot. Not a bad thing, but just not quite what I expected, I guess. The book was okay.

The setting of the book was pretty standard. Kingdom with smaller outer lying territories in strife with the kingdom. The disparity between this places made sense in the grand scheme of things, setting up how Niamh was treated by those within royal society. I wish there was something more unique about the setting, other than standard but add magic. Getting into the plot of the book, it had a lot of potential. The story itself is good, well written and I enjoyed it. But it just didn’t stand out. Again, very Bridgerton but make it YA.

My biggest pet peeve was the characters. Niamh is somehow meek but also strong, I was confused by her growth to where she ended up. Kit was just downright mean through the book and their relationship felt borderline toxic. I didn’t quite catch the cute, fluffy relationship that I expected. Loved the queer representation though.

I wanted to really like this one, but it just wasn’t for me. Neutral 3 stars.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
Spice level:1/5-fade to black
I thoroughly enjoyed the books. It is a very beautiful magically world. I enjoyed the world building and the magic systems. The characters are very relatable. The main relationship was very beautifully written. It's a very nice and sweet romance. I'd love to see another book set in the same world.

Review withheld until Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press responds to the reasonable demands of the boycott. Even though as a bookseller, I still will suggest to customers, as an influencer, I feel it important that the boycott works.