I enjoyed this book. Regency romance isn't common for YA books so this was a breath of fresh air in a way. I also liked the touch of magical realism and mental health issues that bring depth to the characters and storyline.

I listened to the audiobook and it was very well done.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this cozy fantasy romance. Kit and Miami's chemistry was so fun, and I loved watching their relationship grow. The narrator did a great job! I can definitely see myself buying a physical copy of this book soon.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

I enjoyed this one and thought the narration was great. My only issue is that there was 1 detail that felt unnecessary and like it didn't bring anything to the story (the negative affect of her gift). Otherwise, I liked the story and the characters. Lots of LGBTQ+ rep!

This was the second book I have read by this author and while the writing was stronger in this story I just at times felt the flow of the story was weighed down by unnecessary details. A very romantic story of forbidden love.

I really enjoyed this! Fantasy is not usually my cup of tea but this book kept just the right amount of magic for me not to be overwhelmed with those elements while still very much enjoying the story. A great step into fantasy!

This book was surprisingly sweet and I loved every minute of it. I was not able to guess who the tattler was and I enjoyed that part a lot. I like that I experienced the shock of the discovery at the same time as our heroine. If you are a fan of Bridgerton but want more magic and more political intrigue, then this is the book for you! It is YA and there's little to no spice! I loved the narrator for this book as well and their accents were great! I definitely recommend this one, Allison Saft is awesome!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC! ♥

Looking for an enchanting Bridgerton-esque book with magic? Look no further. This story is simply beautiful. Niamh has the magic to sew enchantments into whatever she crafts and is hired to craft ensembles for a princes wedding. Then she meets the rather rude prince and decides to needle him every chance she gets. They, of course, end up falling for each other, and now she's crafting a wedding gown for his betrothed. Can't get much worse than that, can it? Oh, but it does... Serious Bridgerton vibes, and I am here for it!

This was an interesting novel but overall I think the plot was weak and it was just too YA for me. I liked the setting though and thought it was interesting!

Niamh is a seamstress who can sew emotions in fabric. When she's asked to make all the clothes for an upcoming royal wedding in a nearby kingdom, she knows that this opportunity will allow her to take care of her family. The groom, Kit Carmine, is immediately unlikable. He's harsh and unkind, and Niamh can't stand him, but after time, the two grow closer despite the fact that Kit will be married soon.

I loved Allison Saft's previous book set in this same world, A Far Wilder Magic, and I had such high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I had a hard time with this book. For starters Niamh is unbelievably whiny and spends most of the book in a perpetual state of "woe is me." Kit is equally unlikable, treating Niamh like trash for too much of the book to bear. So if I didn't like both of the mains, who's left? A minor character? Not really. In the end, I decided that this just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Though this book was not to my liking I did enjoy Fran Burgoyne's narration.

This was a delightful fantasy with an endearing narrator. The world building was interesting and paced well, the political intrigue felt interesting and approachable, and the characters were enjoyable.

If you’re looking for an enchantingly romantic regency fantasy with cosy vibes and a vivid magic system, A Fragile Enchantment is for you!

Niamh is a dressmaker from a family with a gift; some of them are able to stitch memories and magic into their creations. When someone wears one of Niamh’s dresses to Avaland it gets noticed by the Crown Prince, who commissions Niamh to make his brother’s wedding outfit, as well as his bride’s wedding dress. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, but there are many politics at play, and Niamh soon finds herself embroiled in the royal couple’s lives… and the gossip pages.

I absolutely loved Niamh from the beginning, she has that ‘country mouse’ kind of character arc which allows you to experience the city with her, but her character develops through the narrative in a way that I adored. Seeing her learn to go after what she wants was magical, and it’s something I particularly love seeing in YA fantasy which is likely to be picked up by younger readers.

The way the relationships developed through the story felt organic and believable. Not everyone is always who you think, and everyone has secrets - especially in the upper echelons of regency society.

I enjoyed the way the various plot lines developed and came together through the book; they were fairly simple at the beginning, but as Niamh’s understanding of the city, political climate, and everyone’s struggles develops, there are a number of interconnecting threads which were woven beautifully.

Despite having some fairly heavy themes, A Fragile Enchantment had those cosy, lighthearted vibes which just make me smile, and I genuinely enjoyed and was excited to come back to it each and every time.

The narrator was wonderful and really brought the story to life. She felt like the perfect choice for this book.

Overall, I absolutely adored A Fragile Enchantment and will absolutely read more by Allison Saft in the future

This has been touted as a fantasy Bridgerton story and that's an accurate comparison. The writing is lovely and lyrical and full of sweeping graceful language. I was swept into the story and loved the romantic tension. It's certainly a super slow burn that focuses on the love story's journey and not the destination, but the journey is full of banter and fun. My issues came in with the ending....which didn't clear up any problems in their lives except their relationship. I enjoyed the themes of layers of society and layers of beauty. But what was solved in the end for anyone except our main characters? Maybe I was looking for more than I should. Maybe I should have just enjoyed the mind candy that this book is. Perhaps that's true. But in the end, this wasn't a favorite. The narration was very airy and breathy - which certainly added to the feeling of the fantasy story. As the story went on, that breathy tone did wear on me. This isn't a short book, and I might have liked more variation and a few characters who sounded less airy. That's a minor point in an overall enjoyable narration, full of emotional and meaningful pauses and inflection.

After reading this as a paperback, I was happy to revisit the story as an audiobook. Let me start by saying, the narrator was wonderful. I greatly enjoyed the Scottish-like accent she was attempting. My issue this time around was Kit. I don't know what it is about Kit, but I found him insufferable in audio-format. Now, granted, he's supposed to be a little insufferable at first, but I guess it took listening to his personality in audio format that there is something "not right" at first. Niamh is like a 10. I don't want to spoil anything, but Kit could have not done what he did and we would have been chill. Thank goodness for HEA.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the Audio ARC.

A Fragile Enchantment kept me intrigued for most of the story. A working-class girl gets hired for a job at the palace. She forms some unlikely friendships and learns more about herself along the way. It is a delightful fantasy story full of love, figuring out how to honor your family and how to stay true to yourself.

I liked this book but it wasn’t perfect. I liked Niamh and Kit and wanted to see things work out for them. I thought that Niamh’s ability to magically weave emotions and memories into the clothes that she makes was incredibly interesting and I really would have liked to learn more about it, and the rest of the magic system than we are given. The romance between Niamh and Kit was my favorite part of the story but it was not without its challenges since Kit is a prince and happens to already be betrothed.

I loved the fact that Kit was a bit of a grouch for much of the story. It took a bit for Niamh and Kit to fall for each other and it was fun to see them get to know one another. But this story was more than just a romance. There were a lot of things going on in the kingdom which left the story feeling overly busy at times and I felt that it bogged down a bit in the middle. I found the secondary characters to be interesting and thought that they added a lot to the story.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Fran Burgoyne did a wonderful job with the story. I found her voice to be very pleasant and I had no problem listening for hours at a time. I liked the various voices that she used, which helped to bring the story to life. I believe that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of this story. I think that a lot of readers will like this one even more than I did. I do hope to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio.

I truly loved this audio book such a wholesome fun fantasy so much mystery and questions I love the romance and how much he was obsessed with her I think if u are looking for a quick fun read with a new world this is for u ❤️

This cover is just so pretty. I loved the narration. It helped bring the story alive. I enjoyed the story with the court politics and forbidden romance. Niamh is such an awesome character. She is the sunshine to Kit's grump. I love their magic it's so cool. I would love to read more in this world. Like a book about one of the side characters. That would be so fun! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Allison Saft, and Fran Burgoyne for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of A Fragile Enchantment.

Saft does it again! Her stand-alone novels are diverse amongst her own writing and are always full of magic, mystery, and romance. So far, her debut, Down Comes the Night, is my favorite work of hers, with A Fragile Enchantment a close second, as A Far Wilder Magic should not be shunned.

Niamh is cursed with a special magic, one that will bring her to her death sooner, rather than later. She has the ability to stitch memories and emotions into fabric. She can even sway the viewer of one's wardrobe, depending on how she plays the threads. Considered to be from the working class and viewed as lesser, Niamh is invited to design a wardrobe for a royal wedding. Taking the offer means a sooner demise and ridicule from the nobles surrounding her, but stability for her family and their well-being.

Enter Kit, the second prince, engaged to be married. As royal weddings go, it is neither party's ideal choice, rather one of political advantage. Tasked with designing Kit's wedding outfit, Niamh finds Kit to be abrasive and standoffish. But the more time they spend together, the more she sees it's a front, and they start to get to know each other in a way Niamh did not expect.

Despite the looming wedding, the two take risks that could ruin everything for Kit's reputation. When a local gossip columnist starts writing about their actions when together, Niamh will do anything to find out who the anonymous writer is and save Kit's reputation, all for the sake of a romance she never expected possible.

Yet another beautifully crafted novel that is alluring and impossible to put down. Shoutout to the narrator, Fran Burgoyne, for bringing Niamh to life with a fun accent and adding to the Regency feel of the fantasy setting. A must-read for lovers of young adult romance. With Saft's craft for excellent romantic circumstances, I am more than trilled to see what her next novel, A Dark and Drowning Tide, will bring.

4.25 ⭐️

This is the first I have read from Allison Saft and she has definitely won me over! I loved this YA magical fantasy twist inspired by Regency England.

A Fragile Enchantment is a cozy, atmospheric romantic fantasy following Niamh Ó Conchobhair, a magical seamstress tasked to design the wardrobe for the royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland. Though Niamh is a talented magical seamstress, able to imbue magic and emotion into each of her stitches, she finds herself unable to navigate court politics easily during her time at the palace leading up to the royal wedding.

The groom, and youngest prince, Kit, is a brooding, standoffish fellow who wants nothing to do with this wedding. He is doing his duty to help secure relationships his brother, the Regent has orchestrated. As Niamh spends more time around Kit finishing his portion of her duties to creating the royal attire, the icy exterior around Kit's demeanor starts to melt. The romance is fluid and feels vulnerable and good - particularly as we learned more about the internal demons each main character had to fight. The romance was entirely swoon-worthy. I was truly entranced the entire story, waiting for the happily ever after. ❤️

The tensions between countries in this world are inspired greatly by the historical power imbalances between England and Ireland. This little touch truly added to some amazing world building of the tensions between those from the different countries - particularly when it came to the prejudice and inequality that Niamh was shown during her time at court.

Magical Bridgerton vibes
Royal x commoner
Forbidden romance
Rags to Riches
Opposites attract
Banter & tension
Inequality & prejudice
Chronic illness, LGBTQ+ & mental health rep !!

You will adore this if you loved Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater or Bridgerton with a dash more magic. The audiobook is a phenomenal listen and helped me - Fran Burgoyne was an amazing narrator and I felt the emotion through her tone.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio and Allison Saft for the eARC & ALC of A Fragile Enchantment.

This was really pretty. Pretty narrator, pretty romantic fantasy, pretty magic systems, and lovely banter. It wasn't ground breaking and didn't have epic stakes, but it was just a fun, lovely read that was a good time. I saw a lot of other people call it dreamy, which definitely fits. It has chronic illness and mental health representation, which I adore. The supporting characters are almost better than the main character at points, which is both a pro and a con to me. Some of the themes are a bit on the nose, but this was beautiful and very much worth the listen.