Allison Saft’s writing is always lovely and a joy to read.

A Far Wilder Magic was one of my favorite reads of 2022—so magical, atmospheric, character-driven and romantic.

This one had magic and romance, but those elements didn't quite come together for me. The hero and heroine both fell a bit flat in this one. It was a grumpyxsunshine pairing, but despite the characters talking a lot about their problems and some good chronic pain rep in the heroine, neither the hero nor heroine read as particularly nuanced or memorable.

There were lots of things solved and resolved with ~the power of love~ type speeches and sentiments. It definitely made this book seem on the younger side of YA and a bit pollyanna-ish, despite the characters being in their late teens.

I think it's a matter of taste, however. I found this to be a soothing and relaxing read, a nice low-stakes fantasy that I would enjoy reading on a lazy Sunday. I prefer more drama and intensity in books I wind up loving, but I know there are plenty of readers who prefer more soothing, calming fare—and that's exactly what this book is. So your mileage will vary, depending on the type of reader you are.

I'll still pick up Saft's next book.

A Fragile Enchantment is a regency, fantasy, capital R Romance novel. It has all the best of period fiction we've come to look forward to; the worst first impressions, repressed longing, witty banter between friends and meddlesome relatives.

Niamh (pronounced Neeve) is a seamstress gifted, by the soft magic system of this world, with the ability to imbue her stitchings with emotion and memory. Perhaps not the most powerful magical trait of a main character in history but the descriptions of the crafting of each piece and what it specifically invoked in an individual were lush and moving.

Kit was very typically your broody love interest with a secret and soft heart of gold. I enjoyed their romance and its slower build though it did feel slightly contrived that a foreign seamstress would be seen as an appropriate social company for two royals. By the end, I felt they had found a common ground all their own and did understand each other on the deepest of levels. I swooned.

The one place this book falters, and I'm sorry but it does, is the political B plot. The Machlish from Machland, of whom Niamh is part, are underpaid and oppressed in Avaland and are currently striking for reparations and fair treatment after a recent monarch destroyed their livelihoods and homeland after years of plundering it. This plotline seemed to have obvious similarities to Irish History and their conflict with England.
While Niamh is an empathic person she seemed to only occasionally relate to her countrymen. And in fact, refuses to help their cause but later does tangentially do so to help Kit. Even at the climax she chooses to free Kit at what could, obviously, be at the cost of both nations and her friendship with Princessa Rosa. I found this emotional distance baffling. Perhaps I focused too hard on this plot when it was meant to add a lightly intriguing atmosphere, but it was never given the gravitas I thought it deserved and was even wrapped up off-page with the audience being unsure of the solution ultimately. Making this plot so large and close to home ended up being at the cost of Niamh's character unfortunately, as I became increasingly frustrated at her association with the royal family. She barely spares a thought as to how her mother and grandmother would feel about a romance involving the family who oppressed her people.

Ultimately when I finished 'A Fragile Enchantment' I was left with the warm glow of contentment from hours well spent reading about love and friendship and found- family. I was taken back to moments in other novels that I loved such as Pride and Prejudice and Gaskell's North and South. And in doing so, like Niamh, Allison Saft wove me a fragile enchantment all her own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

When I first started reading A Fragile Enchantment, I really liked the concept of it. The book is about a Machlish commoner named Niamh who has been hired by the royal family to design and tailor the wedding outfits of Prince Cristopher of Avaland (or Kit) and Her Royal Highness Rosa of Castilia. I liked the idea that Niamh had the power to sew enchantments into garments, while other “divine-blooded” families could manipulate plants or the weather.

Niamh is a clumsy, selfless tailor who is talented in her sewing arts and comes to Avaland, despite the prejudices between the two lands, so she can provide for her family. She meets the abrasive Kit who she at first despises, but then begins to see is really a softy inside and is merely doing his royal duty by agreeing to the arranged marriage with Rosa to form alliances for the betterment of the kingdom. This is an enemies-to-lovers YA, romance fairytale-esque novel. The persistent theme of the book seemed to be that one should choose to pursue love and happiness, and to not always be so sacrificial and selfless at the cost of one’s own self.

While I initially liked the book, I unfortunately can’t say the same for the rest of the book. I think the book tried to do too much and things kind of got lost. First, there is supposed to be conflict between Machland and Avaland and I was looking forward to some political drama, social unrest with labor disputes, and something more with the protest mobs. However, that storyline seemed to be a minor background idea that was not fully developed and, thus, felt like a lost opportunity. Second, there is a columnist named “Lovelace” (who is a bit reminiscent of Bridgerton’s Lady Whistledown), who writes scandal sheets with a bit of a political flair. However, again, the political agenda was pretty insignificant, as well as the gossip in the scandal sheet. Third, Niamh mentions a few times that she has a strand of silver in her hair, which apparently means she has some sort of fatal illness, but the significance of the silver hair/illness is barely explained and then it seems to be entirely forgotten by the end. I thought her “illness” was going to come into play (like doomed love), but after one or two mentions, it did not bear on the plot in any way. Maybe there will be a sequel that will go deeper into the political aspects of the lands and Niamh’s illness, but who knows?

Overall, I wanted to love this book, but I think it fell a bit flat for me.

Thank you @netgalley for this eARC. A Fragile Enchantment comes out on January 30, 2024.

Wow, I was not expecting to absolutely love this as much as I did. The characters and plot moved at a comfortable pace and I loved the setting and this romance of manners - it felt like a callback to Jane Austen and "proper romances" but still had a contemporary edge. Definitely has cross-over to adult appeal with some of the romance being a bit spicy for a traditional YA audience.

Definitely recommend.

A Fragile Enchantment is one of my most anticipated reads for 2024. I’m so grateful to have received an ARC of this. I have read Allison Saft’s other books and enjoyed them a lot. This one might be my favorite! I AM OBSESSED! It was a perfect historical fantasy romance, and I would definitely recommend. A must read.

Longer REVIEW TO COME

If you like:
🌸 Historical Fantasy
🌸 Forbidden Romance
🌸 Grumpy/Sunshine
🌸 Enemies to Lovers
🌸 Political Intrigue
consider reading A Fragile Enchantment!

This Bridgerton-esque fantasy is a delightful story of an enchanted seamstress and a wayward prince, betrothed to another. I loved the court intrigue, the mysterious columnist, the beautiful story-telling, and the reluctant romance. The pure enjoyment, coziness, and atmospheric writing will have you longing to turn the next page. I adored this one and I want a million more books like it!

Thank you Allison Saft for this beautiful story. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A Fragile Enchantment is Bridgerton meets fantasy, with divine blooded individuals that hold magical enchantments. This book focuses on Niamh, a divine blooded individual that has the ability to incorporate emotions and memories into the garments she sews. The one catch, this power whittles away slowly at her life, accelerating the rate and age at which she will pass. With her garments catching the attention of the Prince Regent of Avaland, she is commissioned to create garments for his younger brother, Prince Christopher....going by Kit to those close to him. Kit recently came back after being sent away by his older brother with the new task of marrying to create an alliance with Castilla. Kit is grumpy and snarky, with insults hurled at Niamh upon their first meeting, Tasked with making her garments, she finds herself spending more and more time with this unapproachable prince.

As the two find themselves spending more time with each other, Niamh starts to see there's more to Kit than meets the eye. As they find themselves getting closer then enters Lovelace. Lovelace is an anonymous writer that shares the latest gossip of what's happening during this season with a column in their newspaper distributed to all. With Lovelace hinting at a possible fling between the prince and a mystery girl weeks leading to his marriage the two find themselves trying to put a stop to this story.

This book includes forced proximity and grumpy/sunshine tropes that I enjoyed. Minimal spice since it's a YA book. But I did enjoy this book, I found it to be a light and easy read, nothing too complex for a fantasy book. It focused more on the romance aspect with a hint of fantasy in my opinion. I would rate this book 3.5 stars. I liked the idea and plot of this story and enjoyed the slow burn between the characters.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Bridgerton vibes with a bit of magic. This is a standalone YA romantic fantasy.

This was an enjoyable read with interesting characters, political intrigue, and a different type of magic (but easy to understand) from other worlds. This author does a great job of creating the atmosphere within the story. It was easy to root for Niamh, the main character, who puts her literal life into the dresses and clothing she makes.

Read if you want a YA Bridgerton romance, grumpy/sunshine couple.

This is the second book I have read from this author (A Far Wilder Magic being the other) and will continue to follow her work.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a free ARC from NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.
4.25/5
Minor spoilers below

Wow. I truly love how Allison Saft creates beautiful worlds with vibrant characters. I fell in love with Niamh and Kit so quickly and was so happy for their happy ending. All the side characters were wonderful, and had nice growth through their side stories. And I applaud the LGBT representation and love in the book. I love how the magic system is not overly complicated, though I do wish there was a bit more of an explanation of which of the Saints had which powers. It feels as though it was briefly mentioned and then not spoken of again. I still thought it was a clever was to incorporate it through.

Now I will say that the ending did feel a bit more rushed than her other books. Everything seemed to wrap up nicely, and I wish I could have seen more from Jack's meetings with the Machlandish people and how he intends to rebuild the country from what his father left it in. I would love to see a book about him and his wife, Sofia, and how they tackle their marriage and the country. All of that being said, I throughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it alongside of her other books. I am her for the Allison Saft world domination and cannot wait to continue reading her wonderful stories.

For my first standalone romantic fantasy novel, I thought this story was pretty good! Niamh is a magical dressmaker who, despite her divine blood, is a commoner from a working class group of people called the Machlish. She is hired by the prince regent of the domineering neighboring kingdom, Avaland, to design the wardrobe for his brother's wedding. The brother is the standoffish Kit Carmine who is not terribly happy about his upcoming arranged marriage nuptials. The resulting plot is a mixture of a Grumpy/Sunshine romance trope, the royal gossip of Bridgerton (with a far milder spice content), and the political drama of high society Downton Abbey. Since I love all three of those, this one was definitely for me. I only give 5 stars to books that absolutely blow me away. This one lost out for a few reasons. I thought the story started off a bit slow but it for sure picked up the pace from the middle to the end. I think one thing in particular that slowed me down was the Gaelic names that I couldn't pronounce. Once I learned how to pronounce "Niamh" I was ok. Otherwise I felt like I had lost the plot a little in the middle, but that was soon resolved when the action picked up! Overall, a worthwhile read!

Well, this book is truly captivating, providing us with a dreamy fantasy romance plotline that combines the charm of the Bridgerton series with the essence of Elizabeth Kim's "Blood of the Stars" duology, featuring well-developed characters.

The representation of chronic illness and mental health issues within a tense political atmosphere, where the labor class rises against the monarchy to defend their rights and fair wages, was a great addition to the overall execution of the story.

The forbidden love story between a noble prince and a labor girl from a lower class, who have been financially and morally taken advantage of by the aristocracy, is an intriguing idea that embellishes my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and grumpy meets sunshine.

The main character, Niamh, with her magical hands creating marvelous dresses, is hired to work at a highly anticipated royal wedding. She's a little naive and self-sacrificing, putting others' needs first and pushing herself too hard to take care of her sick parents, even though she also suffers from a chronic illness. It's so easy to care for this character, but on the other hand, the prickly and aggressive groom, Kit Carmen, has every intention to make her job harder with his pretentious manners and mean comments that rub her the wrong way. Thankfully, she never hesitates to defend her talent, even when talking with a Prince.

As the story unfolds, Niamh realizes that the royal wedding between two kingdoms is a political maneuver, and Kit is dragged into a marriage by his ambitious brother as the Macklish people and supporters rebel against the kingdom. Amidst this intense political atmosphere, a columnist nicknamed Lovelace (reminiscent of Lady Whistledown) lurks around, implying that Prince and Niamh have chemistry. To keep her name clear, she wants Niamh's help to delve into the royal family's secrets.

Niamh finds herself in the middle of a forbidden love, increasing political tension, and a growing royal scandal as she gets closer to Rosa, the princess who is meant to marry the man Niamh is falling in love with.
The book effortlessly transports readers into a regency-inspired setting, complete with opulent ballrooms, lush gardens, and elaborate gowns, creating a vivid backdrop for the unfolding romance and political intrigue. The author skillfully weaves in elements of LGBTQ representation, highlighting the complexities of relationships and the challenges faced by marginalized communities within the kingdom.

One of the highlights of the story is the dynamic supporting cast, each with their own intriguing stories and compelling personalities. Princess Rosa, a character who deserves her own narrative, captured my heart with her strength and determination to challenge the confines of royalty. Sinclair and Princess Sofia brought depth and warmth to the story, adding layers to the interconnected relationships.

The fantasy world created by Allison Saft is both magical and believable, beautifully blending enchanting elements with the harsh realities of the political landscape. The tension between the labor class and the monarchy reflects real-world issues, making the story all the more relevant and thought-provoking.

As Niamh delves deeper into the secrets of the royal family, the plot thickens, and the stakes are raised, making it impossible to put the book down. The romance between Niamh and Kit Carmen is a delightful mix of passion, conflict, and vulnerability, drawing readers into their tumultuous journey of love and self-discovery.

Throughout the book, themes of sacrifice, loyalty, and the pursuit of truth resonate strongly, prompting introspection and sparking discussions on societal norms and injustices. Saft's writing style effortlessly captures emotions, creating a strong emotional connection between the reader and the characters.

In conclusion, this book is a captivating tapestry of romance, fantasy, and political intrigue, masterfully written to keep readers hooked until the very last page. It offers an enchanting escape into a world of magic and love while also addressing relevant and pressing issues. I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone seeking an immersive and thought-provoking reading experience.

Once again, I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with the opportunity to dive into this mesmerizing tale and share my honest thoughts. It was truly a delightful journey, and I eagerly await more works from the talented author, Allison Saft. Happy reading!

Ok, so this was a major miss for me. I had a lot of grand expectations because I loved A Far Wilder Magic so much and some of the same themes were present there, but this book tried to tackle two major themes and a bunch of smaller ones and just ended up a tangled mess in my opinion.

I think Saft needed to cut some of these side themes to really dig into the historical significance she wanted to accomplish with pulling from Irish history. Unfortunately, I know too much about Irish history to find any of what I read charming.

I also didn’t love Niamh’s character motivations. They felt very half-baked to me and I would have liked more depth all around.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A warm and delicate, lyrically written fantasy historical YA romance that made me smile and swoon and even almost cry.

I admit it, I do judge books by their covers. I did not know Allison Saft or her books beforehand, and I only wanted to read this story because I fell for the magnificent cover. A book with a glorious cover must contain a fantastic story, right? And conversely, if the cover is ugly, the story must be terrible, right? So, what you see is what you get. Or …? Are we too prejudiced to see what more there is? A beautiful outside can have an ugly inside and the other way around.

Niamh makes beautiful clothes in which she even incorporates enchantments. And then she’s been summoned to make clothes for a royal wedding. But Kit, the prince and groom, doesn’t want beautiful clothes because beauty is nothing worth dedicating your life to.

At the start of this story, Kit is unsociable, hostile and sarcastic. But there’s so much more to him than one might think. Beneath all those prickly thorns is a kind and loyal boy. Slowly Niamh strips away layer by layer, torn by torn. Kit’s anger and aggression are only there to hide his fear. Niamh knows fear so well. She’s sick and might not live long. She’s working so hard but is still afraid to let everyone down. And those two beautiful people meet and fall in love, but Kit has to marry someone else.

The main theme of this book might be beauty and all its layers, but there’s far more. It’s also about oppression, about pressure, about mental health issues. And the writing is beautiful!

4.5/5 🌟

Thank you Netgalley and Allison Saft for the ARC!

I loved this book. I read it one sitting because I could not put it down! I highly recommend it!

Let's start with what I think truly made this book special. The characters. Niamh is an emotional and stubborn main character. As a stubborn and emotional person I loved her so much. Her unwillingness to submit to her disease feels very real to me. It isn't quite the same thing but as someone who suffers from chronic pain it was an incredible representation of the unwillingness to let it control every part of your life. And then there's the amazing Kit. I'm so in love with that stubborn and grumpy man. He is probably my favorite Allison Saft love interest!

I thought the war and xenophobia element was very interesting. Niamh's battle with her identity vs. her family's needs was really well written. I liked the way her families past controlled her future.

Overall, a wonderful and emotional book that I will 100% read again! I've already pre-ordered!

This was so fun and lighthearted! A great read. I enjoyed it. The writing was easy to follow. It was a great historical romantic fantasy! It reminded me of bridgerton.

A tailor who sews emotions and memories into clothes goes off to outfit a prince for his arranged royal marriage and they fall in love. The prose here was gorgeous; the magic in this book was amazing and I loved how personal it was to Niamh. I also really appreciated the story’s depiction of chronic illness and pain—by the symptoms it read like a type of autoimmune disease with secondary Raynaud’s—including how doing what you must and what you enjoy takes its toll on your health when this is your reality. I think a lot of teens will identify with Niamh in that regard. And Rosa, the princess the hero was meant to marry, was incredibly interesting and deserves her own story :) The politics of this book gave me pause, however, and I’m interested to learn how others readers react. I assume the nations were stand-ins for England (Avaland) and Ireland (Machland). It was odd to read about what the blurb calls a “Regency England-inspired fantasy world” where reparations and colonialism are major plot points, but slavery and racism was not part of the story world as far as I could tell. I hope that an author’s note putting this story in the context of the reparations movement is included for teen readers. Content notes for alcoholism, abuse, homophobia, discrimination, and on-page intimacy.

allison's writing has never failed— it's very sweet, and lyrical. however, it took me until the 40% mark to feel like things were picking up. kit was mean (for a ya book) and niamh was cute. i think allison made a good job writing niamh as the nice girl, but not in such a way where i rolled my eyes every time she came onto screen. my only issue was the pacing. other than THAT, the ending, and the blooming friendships AHHHH: so adorable.

A Fragile Enchantment is a low stakes regency fantasy romance, with a unique magic system and a hint of mystery!

What worked for me in this book was the world building & magic system. I liked the world Allison created, it’s obviously regency influenced and that fully come across in the setting. I really liked the magic systems, linked to the characters emotions (and heritage too) is always interesting to see, but I especially loved Niamh’s magic, maybe because it was more of a developed idea, but something about someone embroidering their emotions onto the fabric and that influencing the wearer or people around them is just so fascinating to me, such a wonderfully unique idea!

What didn’t work for me though was plot and characters. There wasn’t really a plot, which is fine if you like the characters, but I also didn’t really like the characters. I think this is somewhat quite a me problem, but I found them to be one dimensional and annoying. Usually I love a grumpy x sunshine/“enemies” to lovers trope, but here it just didn’t work for me, really it ended up being more of an “instalove” trope. The twist of the scandal sheet columnist was easy to guess and overall just a predictable story.

There was a lot going on at the beginning of the story and everything towards the end felt rushed and everything fell conveniently into place. I think this is marketed as a YA title too, but for me it read towards the younger end of YA, yet there was also a not fade-to-black scene which I found quite weird to be shoehorned in? It just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Allison Saft has done it again. A Fragile Enchantment is the whimsical, tender, regency romance sprinkled with magic that you have been waiting for. The story follows Naihm, a seamstress who weaves emotions into the garments she makes, and is summoned to make clothes for the royal wedding. However, working with the groom, Kit, proves difficult as he is hostile, brooding, and prickly. Yet as they spend time together, Naihm strips away his anger and uncovers a softer and more vulnerable side filled with pain and trauma. Still, Kit is set to marry another and the kingdom is bursting with political unrest and tension. A decision between what’s expected of them and what their hearts desire must be made.

This story is filled with warmth and angst. It was heartfelt and honestly just made me smile. There are some wonderful found family aspects, a diverse lgbtqia cast, chronic illness representation, and lots of themes surrounding mental health and addiction.

4.5/5 ⭐️

Read if you like:
- whimsical, cozy fantasies
- forbidden love
- regency romance
- grumpy x sunshine

do you like the sound of a forbidden love, grumpy x sunshine, regency romantasy with lgbtqia+ rep and set a in a bridgerton-esque world??

if so, definitely add A Fragile Enchantment to your tbr!

Niamh is a seamstress who weaves magic and emotion into everything she creates.
much to her surprise, she is invited to the palace to work for the royal family as they prepare for the prince’s wedding. there she meets Kit, the capricious, difficult prince in question who seems about as excited for his wedding as he is to meet her, which isn’t saying much. he gets under her skin like no other. as she navigates the court dynamics she quickly realizes that the kingdom of avaland is not quite the fairytale she once believed it to be. Niamh must decide whether to follow her heart or continue to pour her life away for the sake of others.

Niamh is so special to me. She is a soft, sensitive character who often catches herself daydreaming. she feels a deep empathy and understanding for others while also having a headstrong and self-sacrificial nature. emotionally, she is an open book and doesn’t shy away from what she or others feel. also the fact that she cries whenever she’s stressed or angry is sooooo relatable.

and Kit—bless him. a broody, prince who tries to keep everything locked inside. he reminds me of a combination of Mr. Darcy and Anthony Bridgerton. there are so many layers to him and I loved being able to better understand him as the book progressed.

the romance is swoon-worthy! I also love how connected and invested I became in not only the main characters lives, but also the side characters. I was rooting for all of them and I loved being able to see all the friendships and romantic relationship unfold!

brb, got to go devour all of Allison Saft’s books now.🫶🏻

thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.