Romantic fantasy fans will devour this tale of a dressmaker gifted with magic and chosen to design the wedding wardrobe for the royal family of Avaland. But things go awry when she and the groom, unhappily forced to wed, become close. Enchanting!

All right, let's get this disclaimer out of the way: It's not you, it's me. I don't like you. (Dang, I need to rewatch Farscape.)

Anyway, this book was well-written (to a point, obviously I don't think it was perfect, see below), had competent prose, a good structure, clear themes, and held together as a whole. It just didn't work for me. I'm giving it three stars because I would feel like a dick giving it two. Please, ARC gods, don't punish me for this review, but I think this is a one and done author for me, which will be good for both me and the author, because there is CLEARLY an audience for this one, judging by all the five star ARC reviews. Hopefully this review will be helpful to people on the fence. Maybe it will convince you to read it! Who knows.

Anyway, so briefly, the plot here is that on an alternate earth where magic exists and where all the countries have eyeroll-worthy new names, Niamh is a Macklish (read: Irish) seamstress who has been hired to make the wedding clothes of the youngest prince and his Castilian* bride the infanta Rosa. Her magical gift (which is slowly killing her, of course) is that she can weave emotions and intent into her clothes, giving the wearer memories or feelings, making others feel things when looking at them, even make them hard to perceive. She and the prince, Kit, clash right away, but of course it turns out that under his terrible behavior is a wounded soul. (Sigh.) And they fall in love. There is also some stuff involving fake Ireland having been devastated by Kit's father's magic, which caused a blight on the land, which in turn caused a rebellion. Now IrishMacklish servants are walking out of Avaland (seriously) houses and fighting for their rights. They are helped along by a gossip columnist who is using their fame to promote the Macklish cause. But the Prince Regent is ignoring all of this.

*fake Spain

So that's the setup. Here's what didn't work for me:

- The book takes itself SO SERIOUSLY. This is the complaint that has the most to do with personal preference. This kind of writing makes me want to rip out my hairs. No one is this serious ALL THE TIME. But these characters are. And even when they are "having fun", the writing itself describing the "fun" insists on being all poetical and overly descriptive, not an irreverent bone in its body. Just the same tone all throughout, no matter what is happening. I did not like it. This is the thing that most makes me think that this is just not an author for me.

- The author has the unfortunate tendency to rely heavily on well-worn phrases. This book is chock full of sentences and clauses and expressions that thousands of other writers have previously beaten to death.

- The main character, partly due to design and partly due to the author's style, just felt like an non-entity to me. She was basically a vessel for the reader to inhabit, a cypher, and the real show were all the characters around her. I can't help but feel that this needed a second POV point from Kit (the prince) or to be told from an entirely different point of view entirely (Rosa and Kit's friend Sinclair would have been extremely interesting). It reallly didn't help that her character arc was "selfless person learns to be selfish".

- This is going to sound very stupid considering this is a young adult book, but the way the ending wrapped everything up, including stating outright the themes of the book and What Everybody Learned, was geared way too young for me. Or rather, geared towards what someone thinks young people's books should be. We can have Kit doing something explicit to Niamh on page but we can't have subtlety when it comes to the resolution of the book?

- Again, why couldn't this have just been set in an alternate England/Ireland? The fake names felt way too try-hard to me.

So yeah, this was all right but it could have been great. I wish that I could have five-star loved it the way so many other people have, but now I know this author isn't for me, and I can spend my time on other books instead.

I was provided both a digital and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a cute romantic fantasy set in a regency type of setting. Niamh is a talented tailor and dressmaker, who is able to enchant the items she makes with emotions and memories. She is one of the last of her line with her abilities, and her abilities have caught the eye of the aristocracy. She is surprised and thrilled when the Prince Regent calls on her to make the wedding wardrobe for his younger brother Kit and his bride to be. Determined to make a name for herself and support her family, Niamh is going to do her very best to make the young prince and his new wife look spectacular, unfortunately when she arrives the estate and city are not at all what she expected. She is thrown into a city full of unrest, all while trying to fit the prince for wedding garments he is not thrilled about. As she spends more time with Kit, she slowly peels back the layers of his unhappiness and a tentative friendship begins to blossom and eventually turn into something more. As their relationship develops, so does their desire to fix what is broken in their country and help the Prince Regent see the light.

This was cute, but Kit and Niamh were a little too "woe as me" at times. Both of them willing to sacrifice themselves at every turn "because it is their duty" and was a bit overdone throughout the book, especially since they were both fairly hypocritical about it. I feel like the author had a real opportunity to talk about social issues here but only just touched the surface of the very real historic issues and the very real current issues with class, privilege, and race/heritage. The social issues were glossed over for the sake of the other plot elements of which I felt there were too many.

I thought the audio narrator did a wonderful job with the narration of the book. She did different voices and accents for the various characters which was important seeing as how their was civil unrest based on class and heritage/race. I believe in this case this was a take on the disdain the English had for the Irish which was a very real issue.

This was a FANTASTIC opposites attract, forbidden historical fiction/fantasy romance that sees a magically gifted tailor, Niamh commissioned to help make a recently engaged Prince's wedding wardrobe. Right from the start Kit and Niamh get off to the wrong foot.

Kit is disgruntled about being forced into a political marriage of convenience but is determined to go through with it in order to help make up for his past mistakes and make his brother happy. However, the sparks fly between these two who couldn't have been from more opposite worlds and in no way make sense.

Full of action, adventure and the swooniest romance. I fell in love with these characters right from the start and absolutely devoured this story. Allison Saft was a new to me author and I can't wait to gobble up anything else she writes next!! Good on audio and highly recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover, which I think captures the mood of the book perfectly. I loved the magic system and how the different characters’ abilities were incorporated into the story. The story emphasizes the importance of family and friendship while also featuring a grumpy-sunshine forbidden romance. Although the main romance is MF, there is lots of queer representation, with gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters.

The story is told entirely from the perspective of Niamh, who is hired to design and sew wedding garments for a royal couple in a neighboring country because of her magical ability to imbue emotions into the garments she creates. Niamh is a commoner, clumsy, awkward, and impulsive, very much out of her element at court. Her choices sometimes disappointed me, but it was interesting to see her repeatedly get herself into trouble. She succeeds because of the strong relationships she forms with other members of the court, and I enjoyed getting to know these other characters.

The story works very well as an audiobook. The audiobook production was excellent, and I loved the narration by Fran Burgoyne, which definitely added to my enjoyment of the story. She has a pleasant voice and accent, good pacing and pronunciation, distinctive voices and speech patterns to suit each character, and she is able to convey mood and emotion effectively.

I recommend this story to lovers of historical fantasy, fantasy romance, forbidden romance, grumpy-sunshine pairings, and fish out of water stories.

I received a free advanced review copy of the ebook and audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners from Wednesday Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this audiobook narrated by Fran Burgoyne. A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft is a young adult regency Romantasy set in a world with magic and strife.

Niamh is a skilled seamstress, whose magical abilities sew emotions into her garments. She become highly successful and invited to make the garments for the upcoming wedding for the Avaland Prince.

Theres a nod toward historical elements, Irish potato famine, of political strife between the MFC Niamh home country of Maclish and the MMC Kits country of Avaland. I wasn’t expecting the political plot line to be as heavily involved with the story but I throughly enjoyed it as it played into the world building. Along with the political plot, there’s forbidden romance, chronic illness, regency gossip, a nod towards substance abuse and recovery.

I did feel as if the pacing was slightly off at times and that there were a few plot lines that made me feel lost at times. Theres a fair amount of LGBTQ+ character representation. Regency stories are not typically my thing but overall I enjoyed this one and looked forward to picking it up daily.

I am in shock at how much I enjoyed this book. I chose this book because of the cover. It is stunning. However, I was wary, as I am not your typical romantasy fan. Most of the time, the genre does nothing but frustrate me. I typically find that the characterization, worldbuilding, and plot suffer significantly with romantasy, and thus, my enjoyment of the book suffers. Yet, A Fragile Enchantment led me to believe there is hope for me with the subgenre. Seriously, Allison Saft, where have you been all my life? This book was an utter delight.

Saft manages to create a wonderfully atmospheric world with an intriguing magic system, all while seemlessly exploring mental and chronic illness, classism, racism, and homophobia. Her writing is lyrical and lush. The romance made me swoon. I loved their banter and undeniable chemistry. Saft's side characters are fully developed and add much to the story. They were fantastic. This book was such a lovely surprise. Excuse me while I go and read Saft's entire backlist.

I listened to this via audio. Fran Burgoyne's narration is spectacular. She brings each character to life.

Perfect for fans of:
Young Adult
Enemies to lovers
Banter
Found Families
grumpy x sunshine
political intrigue
Bridgerton Season 2

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Fragile Enchantment unfolds as a sweet, gentle narrative with profound lessons in self-love and selflessness. The spotlight is on our protagonist, Niamh, who possesses a captivating form of magic—she can weave emotions into her clothing. Summoned for the royal wedding, she anticipates that this opportunity will secure her family's future, even if it means sacrificing her own life. However, complications arise as she develops feelings for the Prince, and revelations unfurl, putting the entire kingdom at risk.

This book is incredibly charming! The enchanting magic and the delicate character of Niamh create a heartwarming experience. I don't know how I fell for Kit Carmine but I did! He is witty and tender while carrying genuine pain. Both main characters embark on a journey of discovering that they deserve love.

The story does drag out a bit, it’s quite repetitive since the characters need constant push to learn self-love. For those familiar with Allison Saft's pacing, they'll understand what I mean, but it's notably swifter than her other popular book I read last year, (A Far Wilder Magic). This improved pacing made me enjoy my overall reading experience.

Above all, I couldn't help but yearn to wear one of Niamh’s creations. Imagining emotions woven into garments—dresses of longing, coats of nostalgia, and the embodiment of love—evoked a sweet longing. I want my own Niahm creation!

If you love enchanting, fairytale-esque narratives, this book is a must-read!

I did not finish this book but the parts that I read I absolutely adore. I do not like that narrator though, she was kind of ruining the experience a little so I am definitely going to pick up a physical copy of this and finish it because the story so far is wonderful

NetGalley provided Audiobook ARC in exchange for honest review.

Allison Saft created a Bridgerton-like story for teens while weaving magical elements into this fantasy world. Niamh is a lovable main character who is determined to use the life she has left to secure a future for her family by using her magical talents to stitch emotions into fabric for a royal wedding. But a friendship develops with the groom, Kit Carmine, who is much like a weed with thorns. Tension grows, while rumors take off, family secrets are uncovered, and a wedding is to be had. A Fragile Enchantment is a romance with many twists and turns.

I absolutely loved this listen! The story is great, the characters are amazing and the world building is good. The pace is perfection and the narrator was an overall joy to listen to. I will be recommending this audiobook with everyone I can! Great book!

I loved everything about this book and hope there are more books. The way the magic worked was so interesting and made me love Niamh even more. Don't even get me started on the romance aspect of this book, I swooned. The ending was perfect and it gave the perfect, happily-ever-after ending.

When Niamh Ó Conchobhair is hired to make the prince of Avaland’s attire for the celebrations surrounding his royal wedding, she sees it as a chance to make a difference in the lives of herself and her family. She doesn’t expect the prince, Kit Carmine, to be grumpy, sullen, and even prickly about the entire experience, but as she soon discovers, the marriage is not a love match. The wedding is a political union.

Still, Niamh is there to focus on her work, on using her magical gift to imbue the garments she creates with emotions and memories. And as she grows closer to Kit, she’s able to tailor his garments more and more to what he needs.

But there’s political unrest in Avaland, and Niamh finds herself being used as a pawn in more ways than one.

The world-building at the beginning was a bit slow for me, but I was impressed by the world Allison Saft creates using the framework of Regency England. She uses this fantasy world to explore political and social unrest, discrepancies between classes, colonization, and what that cost the coffers of the monarchies.

I loved deeply-feeling Kit and how what he creates with his magic reflects what he is feeling. And the love story between Kit and Niamh is tender and sweet.

I also appreciated the queer representation interwoven into the story.

I found Fran Burgoyne’s narration to be very soothing. I especially enjoyed how she captures all of the different accents in play.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This is my first read from this author and I very much enjoyed it. I liked the characters and the setting. It was just the right amount of fantasy & enchantment mixed with magic and romance. I’m glad I listened to the audio book because I would not have figured out how to pronounce Niamh. I thought the quasi enemies to lovers plot line was well paced and kept me listening. I was very happy for all the characters at the end & thought the ending of the story was well thought out and enjoyable. This isn’t a genre I usually choose but I’m so glad I listened to this story. It was lovely!

I enjoyed the narrator’s voice and pace but the accents were distracting since they seemed to turn on and off even within a paragraph. All in all this book was great!

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMiillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook.

Thank you NetGally and Macmillan for an audio ARC of this wonderful book!

Trigger warnings: alcohol addiction, passing of parent (in past, discussed), avoidant parents, parentification, LGBTQ+ discrimination, forced marriage, and xenophobia.

Listening to this book was a dream. Fran Burgoyne has a clear, soothing voice, with perfect replications of accents and distinct character voices. Her performance contributed to my love of this book so heavily.

Allison Saft created the most wonderful regency-fantasy I have read in a long time. Kit and Niamh are like Simon and Daphne from Bridgerton. A clear dislike at first, but followed by a slow burn romance.
I loved Kit’s character. The addition of him recovering of an alcohol addiction gave him great depth. The little details contributing to this part of his character were clever.
Niamh was the best. She was unapologetic, level-headed and a true artist. I loved that her end goal was to not do things to please others or because it’s easy, but instead doing it so she lives her life to the fullest. Aka, anti-people pleasing!
The supporting cast was wonderful as well, Rosa was one of my favorites.

The. World. Building. Omg. I loved it. The names are beautiful, the mix of Scottish, British, and Spanish cultures was perfectly done, and the magic system was beautiful. The relationships between the nations in Saft’s world felt strained and tense, which lended greatly to her story.

Overall, I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book, and it’s easily going to become one of my all time favorites. I ordered the physical edition, and I am beyond excited to receive it and annotate asap!

“Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own”

This book!!! THIS BOOK!!! it was one of the coziests reads i could have read in the year, i mean i have read a few others but this is very much up there with those other books. I don't want to make this a long review cause i may spoil for you because GUYS!!! i want to gush about this.

While being not even half way though reading i was already adding most to all Allison Saft other work to my collection of books i would like to read. I have found to really love her writing and now need to read more.

The one thing i love to read in books is enemies to lovers and this certainly gave me what i wanted, with some grumpy sunshine characters excuse me... what more can you ask for??? BUT WAIT the key point of the story is MAGIC. I mean there is so much more inside that will get you giggling maybe even oohing and aahing. It also has a bit of a bridgerton feel to it which i also loved p.s. i still need to finish the show but also shhh!! i have not read the books.

However, i am so happy i got the chance to read this and can not wait to read more in the future.

This book was so dreamy, whimsical and lush that it felt like a big warm hug by the end of the story! If you’re a Bridgerton fan but more of a YA Fanatsy reader.. I felt like you’d enjoy this so much! I’m sad it was a standalone because I would have loved to seen the magic system built up a bit more but honestly that’s my only complaint.

I’ve always wanted to get into the Regencey Era/Bridgertson-esque kinds of books but found they were obviously missing the fantasy element that I wanted and needed which is why I knew I’d enjoy this one since it’s a blend of the two!!

A Fragile Enchantment is about a Kingdom on the brink of losing it all. The young prince must marry in order to try and help save his brother’s kingdom (unknowingly). But the burdens of his life way heavy on him so of course he’s a grumpy 😉 prince and we all love a good grump from time to time 😂.

But besides the subplot of this kingdom destined to ruin, we have Niamh. A girl who travels to a place that dislikes her people, in hopes of making a better life for her family. She’s magical and whimsical and I just adore her! She’s the type who always finds herself in trouble and has a mouth she doesn’t know when or how to keep quiet lol.

I’m going on and on in my usual fashion of reviews that are all over the place lol. If you like the sound of a YA Bridgerton with a dash of magic or books that feel like warm hugs— pick up A Fragile Enchantment!

It’s also worth mentioning that the narrator of this book did a stellar job at telling the story!!

A solid 4-star read! It felt like Bridgerton world mixed with magic and beautiful prose.

What a whimsical, enchanting story! A Fragile Enchantment follows Niamh, a seamstress tasked with all the fittings for the Avlish prince, Kit. Niamh, a Machlish, struggles to fit into the Avlish court due to the Avlish/Machlish tensions and must navigate a Bridgerton/Pride and Prejudice society.

The romance was filled with yearning and moments that will tug at your heartstrings. The tension between Nimah and Kit reminded me of Divine Rivals. I loved that the characters were not perfect people-their flaws made the story so much better. Although the storyline was predictable, there were no complaints as I was rooting for Niamh and Kit from the very start.

I would have loved to hear more about Niamh and have some of her personal struggles explained more in the story. It felt a bit unfinished as we're left with questions at the end of the book about Niamh's family, and some of the other countries that fit into the picture.

Overall it's a great read with loveable characters and beautiful writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Out of all the gaslamp and regency-adjacent fantasies I’ve ever read, A Fragile Enchantment easily tops the list. Its delicate politics, Whistledown-like gossip column, and romance intertwined with magic and thorns make for an unputdownable story.

There’s an incredibly complicated prince, a lovely seamstress with unique magical powers, and a diverse supporting cast of characters. There are political machinations, kingdom politics, and threats of revolution. On top of all this, there’s an interesting set of magical powers at play. While the romance is central to the story, there’s so much more to A Fragile Enchantment.

I loved that A Fragile Enchantment adopted many of the themes prevalent in Austen’s writing and modern regency romances; however, it didn’t use many of the tropes we see so frequently in fantasy. There is no shiny bow that ties every loose end up nicely. There are no easy solutions in this book. The ending is hard-fought by all involved. While there is a happily-ever-after, it feels incredibly realistic.

Audiobook:

I highly recommend the audiobook for A Fragile Enchantment. With names like Niamh Ó Conchobhair, I was thankful for the audiobook so my brain wasn’t constantly glitching at each difficult name. The narrator, Fran Burgoyne, was incredible. Not only did she do wonderfully with Niamh’s voice, but she also nailed every single supporting character’s voice, including Kit, Rosa, Sinclair, and Jack. This audiobook was an absolute joy to listen to, and I’m so glad I picked up that format.

Tropes:

Bi Hero & Bi Heroine
Enemies to Lovers
Chronic Illness Representation
Male MC with LOTS of feelings
Grumpy/Sunshine Romance 🙂
Bridgerton & Austen Vibes
Lady Whistledown-like Gossip Sheet
Recovering/recovered alcoholic
Lots of Diverse Queer Rep

Final Thoughts:

A Fragile Enchantment is unbelievably beautiful. It is soft, delicate, and full of fierce longing. I loved this book immensely and hope the author pursues sequels or additional standalone books in this world.

Rating: 5/5! What a way to ring in the new year!

I adored this standalone fantasy - it had a fairly simple but intriguing plot, multiple romances, and a Bridgerton/Lady Whistledown-esque element that added to the story. Allison Saft does a great job of crafting interesting fantasy plots in immersive worlds, but her real talent lies in her ability to craft characters that feel real. I slowly but surely fell in love with this group of uncommunicative idiots.

I am super excited to pick up more of Allison Saft's novels!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!