A Fragile Enchantment

I'm so sad that this book was so disappointing. The premise sounded so great on paper and I was so sad it did not deliver. The premise ended up being so weak, the characters were unlikable and lacked growth, it wanted to be deep but failed on all accounts. This book lacked any original thought and was a completely bland story.

I knew Miss Allison Saft was not going to disappoint with this book!! My heart is fluttering, crying, and aching all at the same time over this book!!

I have to begin with the sheer fact that this is a fantasy regency romance book like what a blend of genres!! You might be thinking “How does that all work together?” But I promise you it just does!! The world building is so gradual and develops so nicely that it all just makes sense and blends with the story. Also the issues that the kingdom of Avaland is facing are issues that we see in real life and it's handled with much care and purpose—marginalized groups, aftermath of war/famine, the fight for fair treatment/compensation, amongst many other sub categories. Not the mention, the topic of queerness and chronic illness; all these subjects are woven in the book beautifully.

Onto the characters which are my favorite especially if they're written by Allison Saft because let me tell you something, she knows how to write amazing characters. Niamh is one of those characters that you sympathize with because she's so relatable that it kind of hurts. Niamh is a people pleaser, she does what she does out of duty to her family and seeing her progression out of that mentality is so nice to see. Kit is another great character and has a steady progression from being the grumpy in this grumpy x sunshine pairing to being someone Niamh confides in. The buildup of their relationship was so rewarding and it was tactfully done.

All the other sub-plots are getting a small mention because a lot does happen in this book! The Gossip Girl-esque column that is used to lay pressure on Jack, Kit's brother and prince regent was so hard not to read in Kristen Bell's iconic voice. Also just the sheer dramatics of this wedding and all the secrets that get unraveled throughout the story?? Absolutely was so in and along for the ride with it!

I definitely recommend this book if you ever thought to yourself “I want to read Bridgerton but fantasy” this is it and so much more!!

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

4.5 rounded up; this was really cute! I suppose it's a more romance book so the fantasy/magic components/world building were very shallow but still enjoyable. I think the con is the background story behind Niamh's illness? I feel like it was so quickly brushed on despite its severity -- I need an epilogue about it or something