2.75 ⭐️

I’m honestly so sad about this rating. I’d heard really good things about this book and was so excited when I received a copy! And look at that cover!! I thought the writing was really pretty but it just missed the mark for me.

Things started off pretty slowly and I kept waiting for myself to connect to the characters or the story but I just never did. I found Niamh and Kit to be extremely childish and their relationship felt very toxic and not in a fun or exciting way. I know Kit had ✨trauma✨ but I feel like I have whiplash from how quickly his moods would change. I’m also just really not a fan of Insta attraction and there’s a good bit of that here (at least from Niamh since this is only from her POV.)

I was actually way more interested in some of the side characters but we don’t get to see a whole lot of them. I LOVED Rosa and Miriam and their dynamic was so much fun. Sofie was very intriguing to me as well and I wish we got to know more about her. I did appreciate that Niamh made friends with these other women instead of the author making them into rivals or enemies like so many books do when it comes to female side characters.

Overall, I do think that many people will enjoy this as so many already have. It just didn’t suit me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press/Wednesday books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and such and easy read for me. I thought it flowed well and I cannot wait to read the next book! What happens next? My emotions definitely went all over the place with this book. Will I be buying a physical copy? Yes. 100% Yes!

3 ⭐️

First off, there are so many words, to the point that it drove me a little nuts. So many paragraphs could be condensed with less words, which would make the book shorter.

I felt that the storyline was boring and never really held my attention. It definitely gives a little bit of a Bridgeton vibe and I’m not the biggest fan of that part of the story. Also, nothing really happened before the 50% mark.

The characters were adorable, the found family was perfect. This aspect really held the book together for me. The main couple, though, had no chemistry. I don’t think they ever really connected one on one before they became a couple. I honestly could have seen this story as just being a found family and maybe a super slow burn romance.

To be honest, I already forgot the majority of this book.

This much anticipated YA Regency England-inspired romantasy was such a fun read!

Niamh Ó Conchobhair is a seamstress filled with a magic that allows her to stitch emotions and memories into her pieces. However, this magic will also drain her vitality the more she uses it. When she’s invited to be the official tailor for the upcoming royal wedding, she leaps at the chance to secure a brighter future for her elderly family. This neighboring country she’d only been told stories about is as glamorous as it is cruel and the groom, Kit Carmine, is much the same. When a gossip columnist catches on to their growing closeness, Niamh has the opportunity to uncover the royal family’s secrets and get justice for her people, but at the expense of her own feelings.

Niamh was such a sweetheart. My younger self identified a lot with her boundless optimism and people-pleasing tendencies. She was always willing to help and sacrifice for others to her own detriment, which is a big aspect of her character arc. Her limitations kept her from living life for herself and it was heart warming to watch her grow and accept that she deserved happiness and love. I did not find Kit to be a redeeming love interest. That’s not to say his struggles didn’t have some merit; but in my opinion, they paled in comparison to what Niamh and her family endured at the hands of Kit’s father.

I was sucked in to the whimsy and political intrigue really quickly. After the first few pages, I was hooked and it wasn’t until about halfway through that some of the details started to lose continuity. Some characters were monotheistic, while others referenced many gods or saints. Since this could also be considered historical fiction, I pieced together the religions and what they represented but that aspect didn’t feel fully grounded in the world building. All the mystery and intrigue that was built up didn’t unfold as I’d expected and it was pretty dull from a plot perspective. All that said, I do believe the main attraction was the romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for granting my request for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Did Allison Saft thread enchantments into the pages of this book! It was so good. Full of many emotions. I loved the build of the relationship between Kit and Niamh. I loved the way he teased her. How he would tease her for being clumsy “Another high-gravity day?”. I felt like I was able to connect with Niamh. She took on so many things for her family but never lived for herself until Kit came along. Reminded me of my husband and myself.

I also loved that Rosa and Miriam were able to tell each other how they felt. I do wish there would have been more about them after their feelings were expressed. However, it still was beautiful to see that they were happy at the end walking arm and arm.

Oh Sinclair…I had a feeling he was up to something. But I loved him! One of my favorite characters. He is the type of friend everyone hopes to have in their life. So loyal in all aspects of his life.

I loved this book! I felt many emotions and connected to characters, which is exactly how it should be when reading a good book. This was my first read by Allison Saft but it is definitely not my last! Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of A Fragile Enchantment.

I really loved this book! It has a great ensemble cast of well-developed characters full of flaws and challenges that made me love them and root for their happiness. The fantasy world is vivid and the magic woven throughout seamless and fascinating. I really appreciate the queer representation as well. I can already tell that these characters and this story will stay with me. A heart-warming and enchanting book! I will definitely recommend this to readers of fantasy and romance.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love the magical atmosphere of this book, but I think that’s the only thing I really loved. I enjoyed Sinclair and thought he was a really fun character, but Naimh and Kit bored me. Because of that, the romance was hard to buy. It took me a few weeks to read this because I never got attached to any of the characters and it was very easy to put down. There was no urgency for me to finish the story or find out what would happen next.
I’d be interested in reading something else from Allison Saft because I’ve heard her other books are amazing.

The cover? Stunning. Absolutely beautiful. The blurb? Intriguing. Regency romance with a splash of magic? Sign me up! Unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me.

While I liked the overall plot and world building, and the writing was very good, the romance just wasn't there. I felt zero chemistry between the two leads.

A beautiful and cozy romance full of equally beautiful writing and characters. The historical elements of this book were well crafted, too, showing the amount of research Saft puts into her work. An overall stunning book, and I'll be looking forward to more Allison Saft releases in the future.

In A Fragile Enchantment, Niamh uses her magic to weave emotions into the clothes she makes. When she is invited to the capitol to make clothes for the prince's upcoming marriage, she looks forward to making enough money to take care of her family. But the political situation in the palace is more complicated that imaginable and Niamh place there may be in jeopardy.

This was a strange blend of magical fantasy and historical romance. Although the story was rich and flowing, I don't know how I feel about Niamh and Kit's relationship development. Other readers may disagree, but I am uncomfortable with the shift from queer to heteronormative as the story reached the conclusion.

What a lovely book! Sweet and swoony. Grumpy/sunshine trope, some delightful magic, and very captivating side characters.

4.25 - 4.5 stars

This was a cozy (to me) sort of romantasy book. I enjoyed the characters and the romance and the magic system. But everything was a bit blurred at the edges. The high stakes mostly didn't feel that dire, the magic system wasn't fully fleshed out, etc. Everything seemed a bit muted. I think this was a function of the author's writing style because you can see a few places where she tried to interject bits of social commentary, but thankfully, it didn't overwhelm the story.

Will definitely read more by this author.

Allison Saft never disappoints! This book was just as good as Down Goes the Night. I loved the characters, the setting, the romance. All of it!

The only thing more fragile than the enchantment was the king's ego.

Niamh is a seamstress with the ability to weave enchantments into her creations, but her gift is also a curse. When she is commissioned to make the clothes for the royal wedding, she must overcome gossip columnists, royal secrets, and her own mortality, all with the help of a prince who harbors his own secrets.

Pros: I really liked the magic system in this book. It was very unique and I would have liked to see it explored even more. I also liked the duality of Lovelace the gossip columnist and enjoyed that big reveal.

Cons: I didn't feel much of a connection to most of the characters and would've liked them to be more fleshed out. While there were big plot points, I would've liked to feel more engaged.

Overall, this was an intriguing concept with a unique magic system that left me wanting more. I would recommend this book for fans of Bridgerton and fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

🧵🧵🧵🧷
3.5/5 enchanted threads (rounded up)

AUUUUGH I’m so upset I didn’t like this very much, because I LOVE Saft’s other books 💔 I think my biggest problem was the main characters. I didn’t really like them, and I didn’t buy their romance. And I HATE that I feel that way 😭😭😭 BUT, this one, like Saft’s other books, is incredibly atmospheric and magical. She does a great job at creating unique, whimsical worlds, and I liked the fairytale aspect of this one. I won’t reread it, but I am incredibly grateful to NetGalley for the ARC 🫶 And trust I will be reading Saft’s next book, because hopefully I’ll like it more than this one lol

I have avoided writing my review of A Fragile Enchantment for a while, not because I didn’t love this book, but because I love it so much that I wasn’t ready to part with it yet. Of course it will always be there for me, ready to sweep me away whenever I need an escape, but I’ll never get to experience this beautiful book for the first time ever again. I recently discovered Saft’s books while searching for standalone YA fantasy - I was looking for books but I found treasure. A Fragile Enchantment is a stunning story of love of all kinds, against all odds. It inspires words like longing, wistful, hopeful, & dreamy. I smiled, I laughed, & I definitely cried more than once. In my mind, this story is a period piece produced by Focus Features, right alongside Pride & Prejudice (2005) & Emma (2020).

A Fragile Enchantment is a story of found family & good trouble. It’s a story that reminds the reader of all the ways that we are human & complicated & well beyond a simple binary of good & bad. To put it simply, this book is like a love letter to all our faults that makes us beautifully human.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books & NetGalley for sending me an advanced digital copy of this book for review. (No…seriously…THANK YOU.) All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

This was a really cute enemies to lovers story. I thought that the setting and characters were unique and compelling, and I enjoyed/understood the magic system well. Overall, this isn't anything out of this world crazy but it is a fun, pretty lighthearted story that was really enjoyable to read!

This was my first time reading an Allison Saft book, and I have come out the other side a complete fan!

The blurb alone caught my interest. This is a lovely romantic fantasy set in a society with regency vibes. It has fun cozy worldbuilding for the magic system and political factions, and I never felt overwhelmed with all the lore and information you gradually pick up as a reader.

The first half of the book is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, with SO MUCH pining. The second half spirals into hurt/comfort, mystery and political intrigue, with a satisfying love-conquers-all kinda ending. The plot twists were somewhat predictable, but that fell in line with the cozy vibes of the book.

I was extremely surprised and so happy to see how queer several characters were! Both main characters are bi, with many more queer side characters. There is also mentions of past-alcoholism for a character, and how that's affected them in the current day, which I thought was tastefully done.

I highly recommend this book!

What a cute and cozy romance fantasy read! It was a full of all my favourite tropes - enemies to lovers, grumpy vs. sunshine, forbidden romance, royal politics, found family, and magic.

What I loved about this book:
- Niamh was such a sweetheart character and Kit was perfectly grumpy and sarcastic.
- The chapter following the "rain storm" was just perfection and had my heart swooning.
- It was refreshing to read a character like Niamh who had a big heart and the best intentions, but who lacked finesse in her scheme executions lol. It added some humour and fun to the storyline. She felt so real in how she approached things instead of turning into some devious mastermind the second she joins the court like character's in other books.
- Interesting and unique magic abilities for the main characters of the story.
- Sinclair was such a fun character! When he was first introduced I was worried about a love triangle, but he was the perfect comedic addition to the story.

What I didn't love about this book:
- The world building took a bit of a backseat in this book to focus on the plot and character exploration. I found myself a bit lost with the conflicts between kingdoms and some of the royal drama due to this.
- I was happy with the book conclusion, but wish there had been an epilogue or something to tie up all the loose ends. Especially related to Niamh's illness. I feel like this wasn't fully explained or wrapped up.
- I definitely prefer dual POV in romance books, especially the enemies to lovers since it really gives the reader the perspective of when the hate turns to love. In this book, I felt like the romance was a bit one sided at times since we didn't get to delve into Kit's inner thoughts and only got to really set Niamh do the fighting for them. And a POV from Kit this would've been a trip I'm sure with all his quirks and sass.
- The third act break-up was weak in my opinion and this is just a pet peeve of mine.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

<i>a fragile enchantment</i> is my third allison saft book in four days, which alone says a lot since i'm not necessarily in a reading slump, but i feel like i was going towards one. i like that saft's characters are almost always just idiots who are trying to do the right thing. in this one's case, it's trying to do the right thing policy wise, but there's also trying to do the right thing relationship wise and i just wanted to read about people finally do the selfish thing to be happy for once.