Wasn’t a fan of the ending (rushed/sloppy decisions made by the characters, not sure how it really solved things), and I wanted more magic, but I adored the romance. It’s swoony and cutesy and gives me butterflies. I love the way Saft writes relationships!

Beautiful writing with an enchanting story. I enjoyed both the plot and the characters in this novel. The blending of Regency England with a fantasy world was seamless and lovely (not something I feel many books released recently are able pull off successfully). I loved all of the character arcs and the plot twists. This was my second Allison Saft book and cemented her addition to my must read list.

I received an e-arc of A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Once again, Allison Saft doesn't disappoint. NiamhKit has my whole heart.
The tension and longing between them and the Regency-inspired setting was giving big Bridgerton energy. I was giggling and kicking my feet, I love them so much.
4.5 stars.

As of today the St. Martin's Press boycott is still ongoing as SMP has chosen to still not address islamaphobic and racist remarks made by a member of their team.

The boycott of St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and other related imprints is a direct response to the publisher’s lack of accountability regarding statements made by an employee in their marketing department and their failure to respond to concerns about possible systemic issues within the department.

I will post my review as soon as the boycott ends and SMP speaks up regarding this issue.

I really enjoyed this book and the magic system in it! The progression of the characters and the way that we gradually learned more about their backstories was well done and I especially loved how Kit, Niamh, Sinclair, Rosa and Miriam interacted within their little group. I thought that the kingdoms could have been modelled a bit more subtly off of England and Ireland, but the palace intrigue was interesting and I wanted to learn more about what the characters were going to do to solve the many governmental and social problems. I will definitely read another Allison Saft book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 rounded down. Let’s start with what I did love in this book which was some of the side characters and the magic battles! Rosa and Miriam were by far my favorite characters and I loved Rosa’s sassy attitude and weather magic. I would read an entire book about Rosa and Miriam’s back story! I also love that Saft is inspired by real historic events and incorporates them into her fantasy worlds. In A Fragile Enchantment, she was clearly inspired by the historic subjugation of the Irish by English government and the prejudice of the English people towards them as well as the 1845-52 potato famine in Ireland.

In the end though this book was just ok for me. And that may be a mostly me thing. This book definitely suffered from its proximity in time to my reading A Far Wilder Magic which became an all time favorite of mine. I also tend to be put off by books that are set in a time period, in this case it was billed as a Regency Romance, where the characters use very modern vernacular. The modern language really took me out of the setting. I did not care for the FMC or the MMC and found the MMC to be borderline abusive in the way he spoke to the FMC at times. It felt as if she was in her “He is really good underneath but acts this way because he’s hurting and I can change him” era. Consequently the love story fell flat for me. I also either don’t remember or it was never mentioned why the main character’s magic was killing her. Did I forget? It was a major open loop in my brain when I finished this book.

In the end this book just wan’t my cup of tea. Your mileage may vary. If you are looking for something like Bridgerton, you may love this one!

I am a sucker for enemies to lovers and broody boys paired with fierce, optimistic girls. I thoroughly enjoyed sinking into the pages of this sweet, romantic fantasy. I've seen some reviewers comp this to a magical Bridgerton, but I think this one is more along the lines of a magical Jane Austen/Pride and Prejudice. This is absolutely a book you'll want to read under cozy blankets with a hot cup of tea.

"A Fragile Enchantment" by Allison Saft offers a refreshing blend of romance and political intrigue that kept me engrossed from start to finish. Saft skillfully balances these elements, creating a story that is both unique and thoroughly enjoyable. What struck me most was the seamless integration of themes surrounding chronic illness and mental health, which were portrayed with sensitivity and depth. As a talented dressmaker grappling with her own mortality while navigating a forbidden love affair, Niamh's journey resonated with me on a profound level.

The relationship between Niamh and Kit Carmine, the groom of the royal wedding, is a captivating one, filled with emotional depth. Their love story unfolds against a backdrop of societal unrest and hidden secrets within the royal family, adding layers of tension and intrigue to the narrative. Saft's exploration of their connection, along with larger themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the pursuit of truth, is a testament to her storytelling prowess.

Overall, "A Fragile Enchantment" is a compelling read that seamlessly combines romance, fantasy, and political drama. Saft's adept storytelling and well-crafted characters create an immersive experience that will linger with readers long after turning the final page. It is highly recommended for fans of intricate world-building and nuanced relationships.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!

This one is for lovers of classic fairy tales and believers of magic.

I loved the magic system used here with our FMC literally infusing clothing with enchantments that illicit emotion.

I loved the banter, the forbidden love, the real stakes for our two MC and I so, so enjoyed it!

This one is YA so the spice is light but it was so sweetly done and I loved it!

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!

This YA novel felt very whimsical and light. It was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. I loved the light magical elements presented from the seamstress FMC. Overall a delight to read. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy on this one!

I am slightly conflicted. I had high hopes for this book and the tropes were there, but it was a little too trope-y for my liking. I had a difficult time finishing it, but wanted to review that it was a well created world, it's just the romance aspect that seemed to struggle the most.

This book was not for me. I'm not sure who it's for honestly. I really hate when a main character is so incredibly naive to their own world. I know it's a way to world build without being as info dumping but in my opinion it comes off so poorly and makes the main character seem stupid. For this reason the female main character was unreadable for me.

I enjoyed it! A light fantastical romance that also touches on colonialism and class struggles. The magic system was unique and left me wanting more. It's also nice to see a m/w pairing in a definitely queer book.

ugh this book was so stinking cute. it was definitely slow going in the beginning which is why it gets 4 stars but i honestly loved the dynamic and relationship between Kit and Niamh. their banter was hilarious and i found myself laughing and chuckling to myself so often. i enjoyed the magical aspects and i wish there was more of it! i loved the brooding demeanor of kit mixed with the sweet sunshine of niamhe. it definitely reminded me of Bridgerton which made me enjoy it even more. i thought the writing was beautiful and the way Niamhe thought and spoke about kit made my heart swell. her love for him was so pure and heartwarming, but more spice plz. overall, i really enjoyed it! 4/5
thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this e arc in exchange for my honest review!

I feel so conflicted about this review, I thought the concept had so much potential but it didn't live up to that.

Let's get into the troupes and plot points that drew me to this book.

-Enemies to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Regency Romantasy (Forbidden)
-Bridgeton with Magic
-Lower stakes
-Loosely based on the Irish Potato Famine

These ideas were so exciting to me, it's everything I love about a book. It just fell flat. The plot is that Niamh, a Machlish woman with divine blood, has a unique talent to sew feelings and emotions into garments but at the cost of it slowly draining the life out of her. She has been picked by the Prince Regent of Avaland to provide the wedding garments for his brother, Kit's soon to be wedding. She chooses to go to support her family, even though they don't like Avaland and its royal family.

I was bored for the first part of the book, I was trying to figure out the magic system and world building but this was where it was lacking. I wanted more. Why did Niamh have magic? Why does her magic have to do with memories and feelings while others are plants, and weather. I thought the writing was almost all over the place with a ton of ideas but none of them really fleshed out deeply.

Once the book got going after about 100 pages it was much better. Once we figured out what was actually going on in Avaland, things moved quickly but again I wished there was more There was gossip column that was basically Lady Whistledown's Society Papers from Bridgerton. Which was a fun add to everything but again it didn't feel full fleshed out, it could have almost been added more into the plot.

I thought the romance was pretty good. The enemies to lovers transtion was pretty good. it and Niamh had some really sweet moments but I wanted more from Kit, I felt like there was a lot of movement on Niamh but not as much from Kit. In the third act I was actually confused on the coldest that was occurring, maybe I just needed some more of the inner monologue on why.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Allison Saft, and St.Martin's Press for sending me an ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.*

A Fragile Enchantment follows a girl who can stitch emotions into the clothing that she makes and she's caught the attention of the Royal family who wants her to make the wedding outfits for the Prince. Now, mind you, the kingdom she'll be making the outfits for is the conquering kingdom of her own, so her mother and grandmother aren't thrilled about this, which is something we're repeatedly told, but don't ever really see. Anyway, N, our main character, goes to this other kingdom, and has an interaction with the Prince that has her deciding he's terrible. So right away, we've got a great set up for an enemies to lovers situation. However, there is somehow no tension. Like, of any kind, throughout the entire book. There's conflict in this book and there are things that had me like, "seriously?" But... honestly, this book just never became compulsively readable. I could have set it down a page before the end and been fine with never finishing. It's completely fine. And I want to tell you that I'm not the target audience and all that while putting myself in teenage me's shoes, but honestly, if there's no tension? It's hard to blame myself for that. Anyway, it's a beautiful cover, beautiful book. The narration was lovely. I just ultimately found the inside to be a bit of a let down.

The cover of this book is absolutely stunning! I love how whimsical it is and you can feel the longing between the two characters truly. For some reason this book just didn't work for me - I think it fell flat right away and didn't keep my interest. There's so many great tropes and I love a good romantasy and the cultural origins are so interesting to me. I will have to revisit this at another time and give Kit and Niamh another chance to tell me their story.

A really good YA fantasy novel, and the cover is very pretty!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book had so much promise but I just didn't love it. It was ok in parts but overall, just a miss for me. The cover is pretty though.

[First, I’d like to say, thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.]

I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this story. There was this weird vibe of a little too YA that I kept feeling in the beginning. I will say that some of the characters were a bit immature but again, if I’m not mistaken (which I could be) this is catered to YA. That being said, I didn’t let it effect my enjoyment of the book which turned out to be a fun albeit drawn out read. There were times I felt it could have been trimmed down and the story not so long to get to the point however, I think the author may have been trying to give a bit of a profile to each character (as there is a bit of mystery throughout the plot) to help give the reader chances of guessing

Overall, I did enjoy this and the characters. I had fun watching them as they came to realizations and declarations. The vibes were there and the cuteness as well. The main character honestly gave me an impression of a certain character in the manga/anime Fruits Basket.

My Rating: 4 Stars