This was a really interesting book! I loved the way it combined historical events such as the Great London Exhibition of 1851 with fae fantasy and a murder mystery, and the characters were so charming (pun not intended).

"That's how I feel - that impossibilities are only temporary obstacles... as ephemeral and wondrous as the flowers of the Amazonian giant water lily."

I found the writing style really lyrical - with the combination of an 1800's setting and the author's writing style, it was consistently flowy and poetic. The characters backed up this writing style, as they were careful and gentle, rarely brusque or brash. I do have to say that this perhaps led to a lack of connection between myself and the characters, as I couldn't fully empathise with them, and was therefore less invested in the story or the romance (though I did adore some of the budding friendships).

"I am yours with every agonising beat of my heart.
With every ounce of my soul."

Nonetheless, the romance was extremely adorable at times, and the MMC certainly adored the FMC very dearly, which I always appreciate. The plot was also strong and intriguing, with some shocking plot-twists (always a win) and the occasional dash of action.

All in all, this was an enjoyable and really pleasant read! Thank you to the author, publisher & NetGalley for the ARC copy provided :).

To jest książka z gatunku okej: nie jest czymś, czym mogę się zachwycać i szeroko polecać, ale czytanie nie sprawiało mi bólu. Trochę żałuję, że "The Charmed" mnie nie zachwyciło, bo fae w historycznych ramach zapowiadały się na coś rewelacyjnego, a wyszło... minimalnie nijak.
Cyan nie ma w sobie zbyt wielu cech odróżniających go od człowieka. Przez to miałam wrażenie, że czytam zwykły romans historyczny z kryminalną nutą. Dlatego też ciut rozbawiło mnie porównanie w opisie tej książki do Dworów. Otóż - ten tytuł ani w promieniu kilku kilometrów nie ociera się o spiczastouchych Maas. Świat fae najwyraźniej jest ultranowoczesny, zważywszy na to, że mają coś na kształt ekranów telewizora/laptopa, na którym mogą puszczać obrazy. Opis fae za każdym razem wtrącał mnie z rytmu czytania, nie mogłam wczuć się w typową Anglię i niby magiczne fae. Autorka nie połączyła tych dwóch światów w sposób, który łyka się bez chwili wątpliwości.
Sama Alice, jako główna protagonistka, jest trochę typową, niewinną dziewczyną z wiktoriańskiej Anglii, ale ma swojego pazura. Chociaż czytanie o takich bohaterkach zawsze cieszy, to niestety wielokrotnie widzieliśmy już takie postacie. Alice swoim usposobieniem kompletnie niczym się nie wyróżnia, po prostu ma być, na tle innych dziewcząt, charakterna i ciekawa nauki. Pozostałych cech praktycznie nie znaleziono. O żadnym z bohaterów nie mogę powiedzieć, że jest godnx zapamiętania.
Romans enemies to lovers jest, ale również z nóg nie zbija. Sam początek fabuły był wybitnie nieciekawy, pomimo trupa na Wystawie kusiło mnie porzucenie lektury.
Reasumując takie 2,5/5 ⭐, pewnie szybko zapomnę o tym tytule.

To be perfectly honest I did not expect to enjoy this book so much - but I loved it! It's an amazing story that mixes different genres perfectly, there's something in there for everyone. Setting the story around the Great Exibition in 1851, around the amazing Crystal Palace and involving real life events and people, but still making this a fantasy novel about fae - it’s just perfect. And when you sprinkle some romance in there - what more can you ask for?
I will definitely read the second novel in this series and my next read will be a short story, The Pledge, which is a perquel for this novel and introduction to this universe.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Victory editing for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this novel.

This was such a good historical fantasy book. I enjoyed it so much. The magic system was very well done. I would highly recommend!

What a brilliant and cozy novel! It was such fun learning about the history of the Great Exhibition while also getting to know the FMC, Alice. The love story was gorgeous and the mystery was unveiled beautifully.

I received this novel as an ARC in return for my voluntary review. Thank you so much to Kylie Fennell for allowing me to delve into such an enchanting story!

Enter the underworld of fae magic, unlock the secrets of this spellbinding romantic fantasy, set in Victorian England. A spirited young women quests for the extraordinary entangles her in a deadly investigation, where she must unravel murder and a forbidden love that transcends realms. She must do this to save all that she holds dear. Unravelling the mystery behind the. Murder, she will discover a whole new realm of terrifying possibilities that lead her to an all-powerful and vengeful fae who threatens everything.

A mesmerising blend of romance, fantasy and intrigue with a hint of medium level spice. This novel is a spellbinding tale of love, magic and he chance to choose ones destiny, instead of letting others choose your fate for you. A heart-stilling journey where the characters will discover that even on the darkest of shadows, love can illuminate the ay and potentially conquer what they once deemed impossible.

Thank you to Lorikeet Ink for an advanced reader copy via NetGalley of The Charmed: Fae of the Crystal Palace by Kylie Fennell

Overall, I felt like this was a solid book. Well-written, good pacing, and a pretty decent plot, although the twist was predictable. I really enjoyed the Victorian setting, especially the Crystal palace and would have enjoyed more scene setting describing it.

I feel like this book was better suited to the YA or NA genres instead of Adult Fiction for a couple reasons: there is only one spicy scene, and it is pretty "vanilla", the main character is young and virginal, and I think most importantly, the overall tone of the book in regard to the relationship is pretty naïve and everyone gets a happy ending. I think that makes it a little too fluffy for adult readers, but would make it enjoyable for a younger audience, around ages 15-17.

My only critique is that there could have been more character development - George is described as being a kind, gentle man but we never actually see it, so we're not attached to him at all or find his behavior out of place. The fae characters have almost know characterization besides Rowan and Cyan to the point they all just blended together for me. I don't feel anything for them when they're in peril because I don't know them.

TLDR Review: Slow introduction, but overall a good book

Spoiler-Free Review: When this book was advertised as a combination of “the romance of Bridgerton, the mystery of Sherlock Holmes, and the magic of ACOTAR” I immediately had to read it. When I started reading the book, I could not get into it at all. I felt no connection to the main character, Alice, and I considered abandoning the book. However, I am a stubborn person and even though I wasn’t loving the story, I had to stick it out to figure out who the killer was. I already had hunches about some of the side characters of the book, so I had to find out if I was right. Eventually, the story started including more of the secondary character, Cyan. Once that dynamic was added into the mix, it became more intriguing. The story seemed to take shape a little and I suddenly found myself very interested. It really snuck up on me. Now that I have finished the book, I am very pleased with the overall story. While the ending seemed a bit rushed, I really enjoyed how everything played out. All of the loose ends were perfectly wrapped up and I was glad that I stuck it out.

The book is written in a third-person point of view, which is different from what I normally prefer. I believe this is why I was having trouble getting into the story at the beginning. The author does a fantastic job of finishing up the story in a way that there is no cliffhanger, but there is a setup for the next book in the series, which is advertised to be focused on one of the side characters. The prequel story is also advertised as a free ebook as well, which would further set up the world in which the characters live.

This was not a perfect read, but I ended up really enjoying it! I recommend this if you are looking for a light read without a lot of intense pressure.

Review with Spoilers:

I’m not going to lie: at first, Alice (the main character) was very dull to me. The book is written from a narrator’s point of view, and I wasn’t connecting to her at all. The first thing that made her really appeal to me was about thirty pages in. However, I really suggest you stick with the book. The narrator will shift focus to following Cyan, a cranky character that Alice meets early in the story. Cyan, who will eventually become the love interest, is fascinating. His mood constantly changes and you never quite know what he is going to do next. I grew to like him more than Alice, but Alice really did grow on me. She is more dynamic than I originally thought.

The suspense and mystery of the book are not so intense that you can’t sleep until you find out what happened - it’s a light mystery that will keep you guessing, and then lead you in a direction that you didn’t really expect. I had suspicions, but I wasn’t sure until it happened. I was impressed. Also, there is not a cliffhanger ending - a secret is revealed that has major future implications, but no immediate threat. The characters have a happy ending while the reader knows there is more coming. The second book in the series is advertised to be released in 2024, focusing on a different set of characters in the same storyline.

Overall, I recommend the book to anyone who wants an easy read that is not too stressful!

Thank you Netgalley, Lorikeet Ink, and author Kylie Fennell for providing an ARC in exchange for a review! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

The Charmed takes place in Victorian England and recounts the story of our young and spirited protagonist, Lady Alice Hyde, who finds herself tangled up in a murder investigation, mysterious creatures and a newfound forbidden love. I was instantly drawn by the premise and the setting of this book (especially The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace), but I have to admit I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. 


It definitely was a fun and enjoyable read, but it fell rather fat. The fae characters didn’t feel like fae at all, and maybe it’s because I’ve read too much fantasy/romance fantasy and I already have a preconceived idea of how they ought to be, but I was expecting them to be devious, cunning and playful; however, we are faced with very much human-like individuals (except for the magic, of course). I also have to add that Alice’s and Cyan’s relationship felt a bit hollow, they barely knew each other, and they were already head over heels for one another (again, not a very fae-like behavior). 

But not everything is negative, I enjoyed reading The Charmed and being submerged in Victorian Times. The mentions of The Great Exhibition and the Koh-i-Noor were very interesting.

This is the perfect book for fans of other historical fantasy romance series like The Infernal Devices or Stalking Jack the Ripper!

A murder mystery with fae in Victorian London. This combination made me interested and it turned out to be a great combination!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The writer really sets the scene throughout the whole book by writing what the characters see, hear and smell and she writes it beautifully. It felt like I was in Hyde Park in the Chrystal palace.

I really loved Alice as main character. She is a smart woman, tries to live by the society (the ton) rules but has her own strong opinion and curiosity and I loved that for her. Cyan really is the good guy in this story. It's fun that they don't like each other in the beginning. But you see them growing on each other. It also helps that its dual pov, more chapters from Alice than Cyan. I really like dual pov.

I did mis a little bit more explanation about how the Fae came in this world and how there magic system works. Because you read most of the book in Alice's pov, you as reader are just as clueless about Fae as she is. Bits and pieces become more clear when the plot develops, but I still wanted more info.

All in all a great story!
Thanks to Lorikeet Ink and netgalley for this ARC.

"The Charmed: Fae of the Crystal Palace" is an enjoyable read with intonations of the ACOTAR series and Bridgerton. The pacing is steady and the tension between Cyan and Alice is quite delightful. Recommended for fantasy and romance fans. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Fantasy, murder mystery, story set in and around The Great Exhibition. Who can Lady Alice trust as she finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery? Can she even trust herself as she finds answers to question she didn’t even know she had? First in a series; good start. Thank you to Lorikeet Ink and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I received this ARC for free via Netgalley.

I KNEW IIIIIIT. Not the full extent of it, but I knew that one was suspicious. An excellent twist to the story.

We love a possessive fae male. Nothing better. Add in a bit of a brooding and "no we shouldn't" and you've got the perfect character.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I did feel, however, we could've gotten where we were going a bit sooner.

I loved how Alice was always very firm and confident in her beliefs and knowledge, and I enjoyed how the males eventually learned to feel the same.

This book is perfect for readers of CL Polk or Freya Marske, it is a mystery with fantasy elements set in Victorian London. It is the perfect first book in a fantasy romance series, it gives you enough lore to keep you curious and develops the secondary characters in a way that has you interested in their story arc.
Lady Alice our female protagonist visits the crystal palace for Prince Albert's Great Exhibition of inventions and cultural artefacts one of her passions with her guardian and her not so beloved fiance. Her excitement at the intellectual stimulation turns to horror in a gruesome set of events and she is drawn into an investigation that treads the fine line between Victorian london and a pocket dimension full of fantastical sights and magical people.
Alice and Mr Symonds, the magical being at the helm of the investigation, fall for each other despite their misgivings and tragic histories.
The book is careful while it highlights through the Koh-i-noor diamond, the bloodshed that follows colonialism and conquests. The author draws from real historical events and characters while seamlessly weaving them into an exciting story

Alice Hyde, a smart intelligent woman in a world where women are just meant for marriage, is swept up in a murder investigation with the Fae. Cyan and Alice are heading the investigation to protect the Fae and human lands to find the murderer and a stolen artifact. When the danger ramps up, they both must decide what they are willing to lose to protect each other and both worlds.

“The Charmed: Fae of the Crystal Palace” by Kylie Fennell is a cute Fae story that gives Bridgerton vibes. I loved the tension between Cyan and Alice. I did see some of the story ahead of time but was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I cannot wait to read book 2 when it comes out. 4 out of 5 stars.

A magical historical fantasy and murder mystery set in Victorian England.. with a slow burn romance.

'In any case, Alice was a threat to everything he'd vowed to defend - but he couldn't be rid of her'.

Lady Alice's future is destined to be a dutiful wife to her husband, but she longs for something more - she has a curious mind and a thirst for knowledge.

Visiting the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace, everything changes - Alice stumbles across a body. A body of an old friend. We follow Alice as she sets out to discover who murdered this girl, discovering further secrets along the way.

Thoughts
I love how this was multiple genres in one - historical fiction, fantasy, murder mystery and romance. It all tied together so well! I also enjoyed how it's set around The Great Exhibition in the Victorian era.

Following Alice along on her adventure to discover the killer, we also see a simmering romance form between Alice and Cyan. Feelings are denied for a while, for one, Alice is engaged, and how you looked in society was a big deal in the Victorian era. Eventually, we do see their connection form further, and I couldn't be happier for the two of them!

Overall, this was a really enjoyable, magical read! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this copy. This review is voluntary.

I enjoyed this book and found it easy to read, I read it in one sitting as it did keep me gripped from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the chance to read this ARC and provide an unbiased review.

This was a fun premise but the book itself fell flat for me, and I really struggled to find the interest to finish it. The characters did not have any personality and there was no levity or depth to carry the characters or story forward. The mystery felt very low-stakes and the romance was lackluster. They went from enemies to deeply in love with very little interaction. There was much telling and little showing with regard to the relationship development - the MCs somehow sensed some deep connection and suddenly the FMC, a well-bred member of the nobility with a fiance, was ready to jump in bed with a virtual stranger. It is a light read which will appeal to some readers, but it lacked magic.

I feel terrible leaving negative reviews, because I know so much effort and heart goes into writing, but I am also compelled to review honestly. Rounding up from 2.5 to 3 stars.

This was a fun, quick read! I liked the story and the characters were enjoyable, though I do wish there had been a little more depth to them. Alice and Cyan were cute, but I never felt like we really got to know them that well. The fae also weren't quite what I was expecting, and didn't feel all that much like the fae, but that didn't hurt the story, and it was still an interesting and fun time overall.

A good read if you like a quick book about murder mysteries, birds, and some discussion of Victorian era science and natural history. I'll look forward to reading the related books.