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cae_k's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A fun regency-inspired fantasy that largely mirrors England’s historical relationship with Ireland. Fun main characters and tension-filled enemies to lovers plot complete with political intrigue. Very Bridgerton-esque!
jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ibbbbs's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
angie_98's review against another edition
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
4.0
jes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
roninil's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
elektra_lucia's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hyzie's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
smokedshelves's review against another edition
5.0
i’m having a very weird feeling of deja vu as i write this review. similar to the start of last year, i am holding any reviews due to the marketing boycott for SMP titles, which wednesday books falls under. so, as i echo from my sentiment in previous boycotts… i don’t know when this review will see the light of day. but it shows the power in readership and boycotts if you do see these words. okay… onto my thoughts:
thank you to st. martin’s press, wednesday books, and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
file under: we really need trad publishers to start using new adult as an age range.
i need to start with the one thing that will endlessly bother me about modern day traditional publishing. and it’s nothing to fault the actual story in saft’s case as these characters are well… adults (albeit still very young ones). but it’s the fact that we still do not recognize new adult as a true age range for stories following characters between 18-24. there has been an ongoing discourse about the concept of young adult versus new adult. in contemporary stories, we can distinguish it as stories set in high school versus in college (university). in fantasy it gets a bit more complicated.
but in the case of a fragile enchantment, i fully believe it should have been published as a new adult title and here’s why. the open door sex scene. i know we have run the debate about the fact that yes. teens can and do have sex. however, when we are marketing something as YA, that can bring readership as young as 13 or 14. disagree with me if you’d like, but i personally do not believe that a book that is marketed to as young as that age should have any graphic sex scenes. and the fact that this book does have a scene where it does go into explicit detail, i just don’t think that’s appropriate to be labelled as YA anymore. this has become more and more a problem as authors recognize adults, like me, are reading and enjoying YA titles, so they skew the contents up a bit more.
long story short, this is why we need to have new adult as a widely recognized age range. for stories like this one to fall neater into.
anyways, with that rant over. let’s get into the actual contents of this book. i so absolutely adored this book. this story, no matter how sappy, how predictable it was, was just an absolute gem and it’s all thanks to niamh and kit. their dynamic was beyond enticing. their banter, their tenderness. all of it was what kept me coming back into this world. into sootham. while i know others might say it’s instalove, i would disagree. the attraction. sure, that was absolutely there from the beginning. but i just loved seeing their relationship unfold, as they spoke and snuck around. gods, did it have me giggling and kicking my feet like i was also a lovesick puppy.
and while yes, the romance was at the forefront of the story — alongside niamh’s tailoring of course — the other layers of discussion woven in. the discussion of queer identities in this world, how both niamh and kit were bi (or pan), we know they don’t really have the labels so i won’t assign one specifically. how kit said “you’re like me”. that’s where i was sold. in the end we had a beautiful, little queer found family situation and i truly loved each and every one of them.
and let’s not forget the fact that niamh gave us an honest depiction of a chronic illness, one that did not let her stop her but did impact her quite often in the story. i truly, truly appreciate having this disability rep on page because i had no idea that there was any. i really appreciate how saft incorporated all of these elements into the story without them taking away or becoming a focus point away from the main political plot line.
truly, a beautiful romance wrapped in even more beautiful prose.
thank you to st. martin’s press, wednesday books, and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
file under: we really need trad publishers to start using new adult as an age range.
i need to start with the one thing that will endlessly bother me about modern day traditional publishing. and it’s nothing to fault the actual story in saft’s case as these characters are well… adults (albeit still very young ones). but it’s the fact that we still do not recognize new adult as a true age range for stories following characters between 18-24. there has been an ongoing discourse about the concept of young adult versus new adult. in contemporary stories, we can distinguish it as stories set in high school versus in college (university). in fantasy it gets a bit more complicated.
but in the case of a fragile enchantment, i fully believe it should have been published as a new adult title and here’s why. the open door sex scene. i know we have run the debate about the fact that yes. teens can and do have sex. however, when we are marketing something as YA, that can bring readership as young as 13 or 14. disagree with me if you’d like, but i personally do not believe that a book that is marketed to as young as that age should have any graphic sex scenes. and the fact that this book does have a scene where it does go into explicit detail, i just don’t think that’s appropriate to be labelled as YA anymore. this has become more and more a problem as authors recognize adults, like me, are reading and enjoying YA titles, so they skew the contents up a bit more.
long story short, this is why we need to have new adult as a widely recognized age range. for stories like this one to fall neater into.
anyways, with that rant over. let’s get into the actual contents of this book. i so absolutely adored this book. this story, no matter how sappy, how predictable it was, was just an absolute gem and it’s all thanks to niamh and kit. their dynamic was beyond enticing. their banter, their tenderness. all of it was what kept me coming back into this world. into sootham. while i know others might say it’s instalove, i would disagree. the attraction. sure, that was absolutely there from the beginning. but i just loved seeing their relationship unfold, as they spoke and snuck around. gods, did it have me giggling and kicking my feet like i was also a lovesick puppy.
and while yes, the romance was at the forefront of the story — alongside niamh’s tailoring of course — the other layers of discussion woven in. the discussion of queer identities in this world, how both niamh and kit were bi (or pan), we know they don’t really have the labels so i won’t assign one specifically. how kit said “you’re like me”. that’s where i was sold. in the end we had a beautiful, little queer found family situation and i truly loved each and every one of them.
and let’s not forget the fact that niamh gave us an honest depiction of a chronic illness, one that did not let her stop her but did impact her quite often in the story. i truly, truly appreciate having this disability rep on page because i had no idea that there was any. i really appreciate how saft incorporated all of these elements into the story without them taking away or becoming a focus point away from the main political plot line.
truly, a beautiful romance wrapped in even more beautiful prose.
kmkasiner's review against another edition
5.0
I fell in love with the two main characters in this story. A Fragile Enchangment is a regency-esque fantasy romance. The worldbuilding is prettymuch just our world with different names. Niamh is a Maclish (Irish) woman with a magical gift for weaving feelings and memories into clothes. She is sent to Avaland (England) to be the seamstress for the prince regent's brother's wedding.
We're introduced to Kit right away, and he's a ~beyotch~, insults Niamh immediately, and clearly hates everyone. Obviously he will be my favorite.
The magic in this was cool, even though it was basically set dressing. I didn't care about the mystery part that much--it was super obvious to me who it was--but it was really about the developing relationship between the two MCs.
Niamh is a perfectionist people pleaser after my own heart.
“I am so afraid, Kit. I am afraid that I will fail, despite all the pains I have taken. I am afraid I will let everyone down. And deep down, I am afraid that I am horribly, irredeemably selfish because I am so afraid that I will die without having let myself live at all.”
And Kit? I love this prickly, aloof, self-loathing but secretly soft hearted guy.
"His manners—even his speech—were more unrefined than any other noble she’d met. He was like a purebred cat, turned loose and taught to survive in the wild."
He just needs someone to trust and love him! *cries* And, he gardens. And, he's short and delicate and we love to see that in a MMC.
These two flawed individuals have such a sweet romance and it wrapped up nicely, ultimately I really enjoyed their story.
We're introduced to Kit right away, and he's a ~beyotch~, insults Niamh immediately, and clearly hates everyone. Obviously he will be my favorite.
The magic in this was cool, even though it was basically set dressing. I didn't care about the mystery part that much--it was super obvious to me who it was--but it was really about the developing relationship between the two MCs.
Niamh is a perfectionist people pleaser after my own heart.
“I am so afraid, Kit. I am afraid that I will fail, despite all the pains I have taken. I am afraid I will let everyone down. And deep down, I am afraid that I am horribly, irredeemably selfish because I am so afraid that I will die without having let myself live at all.”
And Kit? I love this prickly, aloof, self-loathing but secretly soft hearted guy.
"His manners—even his speech—were more unrefined than any other noble she’d met. He was like a purebred cat, turned loose and taught to survive in the wild."
He just needs someone to trust and love him! *cries* And, he gardens. And, he's short and delicate and we love to see that in a MMC.
These two flawed individuals have such a sweet romance and it wrapped up nicely, ultimately I really enjoyed their story.