This book was lovely and delightfully queer! From main characters to side characters! I really liked the magic system as well as the politics, though I could have used a little more detail about the politics in general.

I think standalone fantasies are hard to do in terms of world building and plot/resolution but I was really satisfied by this book!

It did get a bit YA-dramatic in the third act but I loved the ending - there are a couple of times in the last act that you wonder how our characters are going to get their happy endings, but rest assured that they do!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was initially interested in this book for a few reasons: 1) the cover is beautiful (yes, I judged the book by its cover); 2) the plot sounded interesting; 3) it's fairy tale-like. I'm usually a fan of YA fantasy, but unfortunately, I couldn't really get into this one. It was a did not finish for me. Considering what I read though, I appreciate the details in the fantasy elements.

Just because this wasn't for me, doesn't mean that other readers will not enjoy it. Maybe I'll try to give it another read in the future.

(4.5 stars)
thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sending this book for me to review. all opinions are my own!

this is a cozy, whimsical, and low stakes political fantasy stand-alone, with a grump x sunshine romance AND bisexual rep! (we love to see it) and i would definitely recommend to fans of Stephanie Garber and Margaret Rogerson

the romance is quite slowburn, and it's very character based! if you love Stephanie Garbers' writing in ouabh, and adore Evangeline Fox, the heroine in this book reminds me a lot of her.
our main girl can stitch memories and feelings into fabric, which is something i have never read before, and it added a lot to the story! the magic system is not very thoroughly described, especially our heros' but it's not complicated magic so it works out.

like i said above, this fantasy romance is VERY character based. it's more focused on the romance rather than the "fantasy" aspect of things. our hero is a very grumpy and awkward prince, and our heroine is a hopeless romantic trying to keep her family well and taken care of.. and their banter was perfect. this book was so so cozy, and the characters our heroine meets along the way are all very unique and intriguing. it's also very descriptive which leads to a very vivid read (which are the best kind)

this is my second book by this author and both of the books i've read have given such a cozy warm feeling <3

Bridgerton with magic. It drew me in, twirled me around in strong arms and ended with all the warm fuzzies I needed. A great romantasy story!

A sweeping fantasy full of magic and romance! I loved the world building, and can't wait to see more from this author! Will absolutely add to my list of recommendations.

This was a sweet story full of all kinds of love and romance, balanced by hardships, secrets, and a kingdom on the edge of ruin. I really liked Niamh with her magical seamstress gifts. I would love to be able to see one of her creations and feel the emotion she put into it. I liked that there were no real villains, just people who didn't always make the best choices. That is part of what made this a nice cozy fantasy love story. I got to see the characters learn to rely on each other and see love blossom with a sweet and happy ending.

This was a fun read and I am thankful NetGalley and the publisher gave me a chance to savor this story!

3.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book. It felt enchanted, the writing was lyrical and beautiful, I loved the Irish names. The general premise is what hooked me and had me request the arc, because what a predicament to be in! Though I deducted stars because it felt very, very slow at times and I was often bored while reading. But still, it was interesting enough that it kept my attention.

Kit Carmine is our main attraction here. He is grumpy! But I thought the progression of his meanness/grumpiness toward Niamh turning into affection was done phenomenally. By halfway through the book, Niamh is only beginning to consider him somewhat of a friend. I thought the pacing with that was great. His lore was most interesting to me. they're only like, what, eighteen? And he had alcoholism issues? The conflict between him and Jack added a lot of tension to the story. The scene when they're in jack's study??? please my heart was racing. Also "You're incredible" like ??? HELLO

Niamh is a bobblehead if I'm honest. She's clumsy, she startles easily. She's like a deer in the headlights constantly... And while she's kind and nice and brings out the light in people as Sofia said, I really feel like the author hated her character to make her so bland. She works works works, which is great and I understood why, and she has a chronic illness (maybe?) which is turning her hair gray (or was that from all the enchantments?) but other than that, I don't know much about her and I've finished the whole book. Her character arc was learning to do things for herself and not others so it makes sense that for majority of the book she is not focused on herself. However, that makes for a boring main character especially when her POV is the only POV we get.

The wedding felt rushed, though I understood they already had all of the arrangements made, it would have been a waste otherwise. But one minute they're about to duel, then they're getting married... With how trudgingly long the first 60% of the book is, this particular part felt rushed. And then it slogged on for another four or five chapters afterwards before the epilogue.

The politics were basic of a fantasy novel. The conflict it added to everyone's relationships was intruiging. The magic was fun and whimsical. Kit being able to grow flowers in his wake or wilt them, or being able to summon vines just out of nowhere?? It was cool. Rosa's magic affected the weather which I liked. she was honestly a fun character too. A black wedding dress, she hates the sunlight, hates colors. Like this girl is just like me! I'm happy that the author decided NOT to make Rosa have a problem with Kit and Niamh because that would have been overkill. I think my favorite part was when Kit put on his wedding jacket and all of Niamh's enchantments and emotions and memories that she stitched into it hit him like a bus. The ability to watch those memories flood Kit was so special. It really felt so magical! And of course she falls again (because why the hell not?)

Overall, I did really enjoy this book but I would say that it can be quite slow. But it was a cozy read.

I really enjoyed this! It’s like Bridgerton but with magic and a ton of politics. Avaland is definitely a stand-in for England with Machland as Ireland. It reimagines the great Irish potato blight as magically caused by an evil Avalish king and shows the fallout years later for both countries. You’ve also got a lovely slow burn grumpy sunshine/class difference romance. Kit is honestly hard to like for a large portion of the book. But the more you learn about his past, the more you feel for him despite how much he lashes out at those around him. Niamh is self-sacrificing to a fault so her journey to be a little more selfish was also rewarding. The side characters are all great too with their own hidden agendas and tribulations.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced look at the book to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an eARC of A Fragile Enchantment!

Allison Saft creates a dreamy romantasy setting with Bridgerton vibes in A Fragile Enchantment. I love a good enemies to lovers romance and, with a dash of magic, I was pleasantly sated while reading this book. The characters are easy to fall in love with and the worldbuilding is done very seamlessly.

This book was the absolute perfect balance of whimsical storytelling, magic, forbidden romance, and enemies to lovers. I loved the Bridgerton vibes featured in this story so much, and the magic system was so unique and intriguing.

I loved the characters so much. Niamh and Kit’s story from start to finish was so captivating. It was so special to watch their relationship blossom. In addition, Sinclair, Rosa, and Miriam were such incredible side characters and truly added so much to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! This was my first Allison Saft book but it definitely won’t be my last! Thank you so much to the author, Netgalley, and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC!

I liked that this book had a new spin on magic. It was very subtle and not the major piece of making this fantasy and it played a minor role in the story, but it was so unique and interesting that it really made this book memorable.

The ability to weave emotions and feelings into clothing is something I find to be incredibly interesting! I love fashion and I think being able to evoke emotion on top of the incredible clothing itself is something I wish I could have in real life!

I loved Kit! I loved how he fought so hard to protect others and was ok with making himself seem like the bad guy. I loved his relationship with Niamh and how he truly saw and understood her and was able to push back and make her want to love herself more.

I didn’t really care for the side friendships all that much with Rosa and Miriam but I did enjoy Sinclair and his surprise role at the end!

Overall definitely enjoyed this book and the character development and would recommend.

Thank you for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. This is my first read by Allison Saft and I look forward to checking out more of her work. Niamh's ability to sew feelings into her garments is really interesting. It's very reminiscent of how a writer puts their thoughts and emotions into their story. I was really surprised to find out who Lady Lovelace was. I had two theories of who it could be, but they both proved to be wrong. Rosa reminded me a lot of Catherine of Aragon, though I wouldn't say the story is reminiscent of that time period. The story has elements of Bridgerton to it, with magic weaved into it.

“Determination burned up all of her fear, and all that remained, smoldering within her, was the need not only to prove herself—but to prove Kit wrong.”

Thank you so much to Allison Saft for including me on the Avlish Court, the street team for this beautiful book. From the chronically ill protagonist to the prickly withdrawn prince, I felt each character’s pain so deeply, especially their tendency to live for others/duty. The slow burn romance swept me away, and the mysterious identity of the columnist kept me guessing! I teared up quite a few times, with quotes like these:

“She had always believed life was what slipped through her fingers while she was idle. That life was something she wasted, not something she had.”

This story was very sweet! The story is set in a regency-style fantasy world where the main character can sew emotions into the clothes she designs and is swept into court intrigue when she agrees to make the prince's wedding clothes. The anonymous gossip columnist terrorizing the court, and later exposing the growing tension between the main character and the prince, reminded me of Lady Whistledown from Bridgerton if she was focused more on politics. I really enjoyed the tension between the characters and the political intrigue. The LGBTQ rep was also great and I was really enjoying the first half of the book. Most of the second half of the book's pacing felt odd, and it dragged until everything was quickly wrapped up at the very end of the story. It was a little anti-climactic and felt like the author was trying to do too much social commentary and lost the plot a bit at the end. But, overall, I enjoyed the story, and it was a quick and sweet read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you're looking to add a whimsical forbidden romance, with magic, and Bridgerton vibes look no further.

A Fragile Enchantment is a perfect slow burn romance with political unrest, found family, and the incredibly heart wrenching task of weighing your duty to your family and country to your own personal desires. Both Kit Carmine and Niamh O Conchobhair are struggling behind the weight of doing what is best for their respective families and countries but when they are forced into each others lives both of them realize there is more to life then living for those around you.

The way Saft is able to build such immersive worlds and complex characters in stand-alone novels is an enchantment in itself. If you haven't read her other novels, A Far Wilder Magic or Down Comes The Night I highly recommend both of those as well.

Fantastical! Enchanting! Swoonworthy! Throughout the novel we are enchanted by the budding, forbidden romance with a side of rebellion and intrigue.

*Received as a free ARC*
Extremely fabulous! I came for the magic and left delighted by the representation. While not a queer normative setting, it's discussed as very present and the main pairing is casually bi4bi. Additionally, our heroine has a magical autoimmune disorder which is portrayed accurately and thoughtfully. And of course the magic system was innovative and wonderful. Hands down, would recommend.

When I saw that this book was a regency romantasy, I was immediately intrigued. The beginning of the book was very promising! I liked the magical elements and the banter between Kit and Niamh. Unfortunately, the book started to go downhill for me. I thought the pacing was inconsistent and the magical elements were underdeveloped. I also had a problem with the writing. Some passages would read historically while others felt modern. Overall, this story fell flat for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Kit and Niamh, wow! I love them so much. This book was like a warm cup of tea on a gloomy rainy day, next to a crackling fire. It was truly captivating. I am a total swiftie and I kept finding myself imagining the folklore and evermore albums while reading The Fragile Enchantment.

I loved the influence of Irish words and names. I did have to look them up and the pronunciation, but I felt like it was really well done. The character were well-developed. The plot was built fabulously. I never felt like I lost information. It was beautiful and balanced. Tremendous!!

As for the romance, I usually read smut. I LOVED this book. It was tasteful and so delicious!! Thank you for this ARC. This was my first Allison Saft novel and I basically just put all her books on my TBR.

Allison Saft has such a magical, comforting style of writing that immediately captivates you and makes you want to never leave her world.

After reading A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night, I was in awe of the author’s ability to write such well rounded characters and love stories. A Fragile Enchantment exceeded all of my expectations!

Niamh is a dressmaker of divine blood that can magic various enchantments into her client’s pieces. All her life she’s aimed to please the people around her and support her mother and grandmother. So, when she is invited to the kingdom of Avaland to design the prince’s wardrobe for his royal wedding, she jumps at the opportunity.

Prince Kit is not what she expected - he is abrasive, and prickly, and seems to hate her work. Yet, the more time they spend together, the more they realize how much they have in common. As their friendship blossoms into something more ahead of the royal wedding, Niamh fears what she could be missing out on. Would a future be possible for a commoner and a prince? Especially when there is so much political unrest in the kingdom?

I absolutely loved all the friendships that were forged in this book between Niamh and Kit, Sinclair, Miriam and Rosa. They were all such exceptional characters with backstory and heart, I almost wanted this to be a series so we can learn more about them.

The bond between Niamh and Kit was so lovely and the best parts were when they let down their walls and allowed themselves to be vulnerable with each other. They both struggled with the idea that they were allowed to find happiness and kept wanting to push each other away. This made their relationship so much more special to me when they did find their happy ending.

Things I loved:

👑 Regency-England Inspired Fantasy
👑 YA Fantasy
👑 Political Intrigue & Gossip Columns
👑 Balls, Gowns & Magic
👑 Enemies to Friends to Lovers
👑 LGBTQ Representation
👑 Grumpy X Sunshine
👑 Forbidden Love

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.