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A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

15 reviews

littleflowerly's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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mbomersheim's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

ARC Review: I don’t know why I had such high hopes going into this book, but I was thoroughly disappointed.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft is a hate-to-love romance story following Niamh, a magical seamstress from a different country who can imbue her projects with emotions, who gets brought to the palace for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create the garments for the prince and his betrothed for their upcoming wedding. However, when she slowly falls for the prince her feelings become more complicated. Simply put, I had issues with this book. I think this book was trying to do a bit too much, and the anonymous gossip writer gave me too much Lady Whistledown vibes. It was attempting to comment on racism and homophobia with the underlying political plot in addition to providing the actual romance plot line and because of that, the love aspects fell a little bit flat. Much of the in-between times and mundane tasks that could’ve been elaborated on (like working on the clothing, growing flowers, etc.) were skipped over, which I think was a missed opportunity for character development. Also, there were a few times when the plot was a little bit messy to the point that I was confused about the ordering of events. Ultimately, the main thing for me is that I wanted more of the cozy romance with a hint of magic vibes and instead got politics.

Spoilers ahead, tread with caution:

One of the biggest issues I had with the book is that nothing really gets resolved besides the main romance plot. The country is still homophobic and racist. There is still an economic crisis going on. And the country’s international relations are by no means promising. I feel like it was just kind of a sloppy ending. Also, the prince and the protagonist don’t spend that much quality time with one another; it just seems fast. Unrelated, but I am not a fan of the fade-to-black scenes in this book. I’m not opposed to them as a concept, but I don’t understand why the author would choose to show fingering in detail and her *climaxing* but not the intercourse. It just seemed funky. Needless to say, I wouldn’t recommend spending your time on this book.

This ARC was received courtesy of NetGalley and was published on January 2, 2024.

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srivalli's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.5

2.5 Stars

One Liner: Disjointed and scattered

Niamh Ó Conchobhair is a commoner but a gifted seamstress who can weave enchantments into the dresses she makes. This gets her an invitation to make dresses for the royal wedding in the kingdom of Avaland, a neighbor who has been oppressing her country for generations. Still, Niamh is not willing to let go of the chance to earn money and give her mother and gran a better life.

Soon, Niamh realizes things aren’t great in Avaland. The groom, Prince Kit (Christopher) is rude and is nothing more than a pawn in a political wedding. As Kit and Niamh spend time together, friendship and love bloom. However, someone knows or suspects it and is now blackmailing them to reveal some crucial secrets.

What will Niamh and Kit do? Fight for love, sacrifice for the kingdom, or find a way out to solve all problems?

The story comes in Niamh’s third-person POV.

What I Like:

The cover of this edition is beautiful. It is whimsical and has an other-worldly feel, which suits the premise.

The bare bones (intentions) are good, be it the conflict between the oppressor and oppressed countries, rich vs. poor, or a magical setting.

Kit’s magic is well done. It’s the only part of the magical system that was detailed. Niamh’s talents show promise, but that’s it.

Some descriptions are beautiful and paint a vivid picture of the setting.

Infanta Rosa, Miriam, Sofia, and Sinclair have great potential.

What Could Have Been Better for Me:

Yes, I know this is YA romance. However, I can’t help but feel that the premise has been wasted and diluted. The book could have been more intricate and compact if it was written for an adult audience. (On that note, I’m not sure if Kit’s excessive smoking and the beginning of the love scene are suitable for younger YA readers.)

Niamh reminds me of Bella from Twilight. A comparison I would have liked in my early 20s but not now. Despite the narration not being her first-person POV (thank god!), there’s a lot of rambling. We need Kit’s POV to balance the narrative.

The political conflict and all that is so messy! Even if the conflict is meant for the lead couple to ‘overcome’ the obstacles, it should be streamlined. It’s apparently a fantasy take on England vs. Ireland history, not that it would make any difference. There isn’t a proper resolution, either.

The side characters are way better than the main ones. They should have been more fleshed out.

The romance between Niamh and Kit is okayish. We don’t really know what Kit thinks. We only know what others tell Niamh what Kit thinks/ feels. Convincing? Nope.

I wish we had seen Niamh work. I mean work-work like the seamstress she is- delegating jobs to the staff the prince gave her, choosing between different materials, etc. However, we are told she is overworked and killing herself in the process coz she is so selfless and needs to learn to be selfish. She spends more time with her ‘friends’ and poking her nose into the internal matters. (Yes, there are scenes of her sewing, but I want her to do more than stitch and hurt herself with the stupid needle coz she is overworked.)

The book has themes like class differences, political conflicts, civil unrest, political marriage, parental abuse, alcoholism, forbidden romance, a chronic, life-threatening illness (very vague stuff), etc. But none manages to make an impact.

And… why do we have so many adverbs? 5-6 per Kindle page are too many for my poor brain to ignore. Lots of ‘golden’ light too. *sob*

To summarize, A Fragile Enchantment has a fantastic premise but flatters in execution. Even for a YA read, it could have been better. It is just too disjointed to make an impact.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s (Wednesday Books), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

#NetGalley

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readwithria's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A Fragile Enchantment was a sweet, lovely book about love, duty, and putting oneself first. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Niamh and Kit are so adorable, and I love their friends as well. They all complement each other so wonderfully, and I loved seeing not only the romantic dynamic between our two leads but also their blossoming friendships as well.

I think that the balance of romance and political intrigue was done quite well! That can be a struggle for me with historical romance, but Saft did a great job. She also balanced the obvious inspirations of Ireland, England, and Spain with the fantastical worldbuilding of Machland, Avaland, and Castilia. I could easily tell where she found her inspiration, but I could also tell that she took that history and made it her own. I wish there had been a bit more separation of the real-world history and the fantasy world of the book, but that is my personal preference.

Read this book if you love
🪡 Regency romance
🪡 Grumpy/sunshine
🪡 Queer found family
🪡 Political intrigue
🪡 Royalcore
🪡 Cottagecore
🪡 Gardening
🪡 Sewing

I will say that some of the plot points felt either not quite resolved or resolved too quickly, but otherwise, this was so lovely and I can’t wait to read more from Allison Saft. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC and the opportunity to leave an honest, voluntary review.

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meganpbell's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

If Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was a YA book, it would be this fantasy and its aching forbidden romance between a magical dressmaker from a former colony, hired for the royal wedding, and the king's wayward, plant-magic-wielding second son, the groom. Together, Niamh, soft as velvet, and Kit, prickly as a briar patch, risk not only scandal, but war, ruin, uprising, and the loss of all the armor and thorns both have used to protect themselves from life and love ‘til now.

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