Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Mortal Follies

I'm giving this a 3 because I can see how it could work for the right reader, but unfortunately it didn't work for me. The fairy narrator's commentary is mostly what ruined my reading experience. I didn't find it funny or enhancing to the story, and it broke my immersion constantly. I feel like I can understand what it was going for, but it missed the mark in my opinion and as I was reading I wished it had been cut entirely. Due to the narration, I felt very removed from the human characters in the story and it was harder to get invested in them or their plot, which is paced erratically. In addition to the pacing feeling off, I thought the romance did as well. I did not feel the chemistry, and I didn't want these women to be together. It's lamp-shaded in the text that the Duke is a Byronic broody character, but she came off as dry and cold to me rather than mysterious and deep. I don't know if maybe this just needed some more time and editing, or I wasn't in the mood, but I didn't have the good time reading this that I had wanted to. I listened to the audiobook at 1.6 speed, if I had been reading it myself I probably would have taken weeks to finish because I wasn't into it. Still a big fan of Alexis Hall and I'll definitely be reading more of their books, just not more of this series probably.

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biggshelf's review against another edition

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The third party narration was initially an interesting concept, but it was not executed well and ended up detracting from the story. The character’s decisions were so flakey that because the perspective wasn’t in their head, and context didn’t explain it, they ended up feeling annoying. Any driving action or engaging scenes were discussed for longer on-page time then they were even shown to the reader. As soon as something cool would happen, the chapter would end.

The alternate history fantasy setting could’ve been so great, but amidst left-field mentions of slave trade and homo/transphobia and off-putting modern references, it was not nearly as fleshed out as it should’ve been to handle the topics well.

The writing style was not for me, I understand repetition for emphasis and humor but “she drank the concoction her mother concocted”?! Like how did that get through editing.

Believe it or not this is the abridged version of my review. This book could’ve been everything I needed in my life. Instead it became my worst enemy.

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lbelow's review against another edition

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4.0

It was a bit disconcerting to get to the halfway mark and have finished what I thought of as the plot, but the author managed to salvage the book in the end. I adored the whimsy of the tone and world building!

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rabblearouser's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

Our world has been in dire need of a spritely, swoon-worthy sapphic romance– Alexis Hall has answered the call.

This journey into the fae-core romance space is an underrated, ambitious undertaking outfitted with a thoughtful and whimsical mosaic of fae & queer lore alike. As always, every character is intentionally crafted and delightful. Our love interests are a brooding Duke (f) who’s rumored to have wielded dark magic to commit grave crimes and a precious, flower-child damsel with terrible luck… or something like it. If you’re an ACOTAR stan who swooned at Azriel & Elain’s stolen moments but are impatient for Elain’s actual character development or perhaps just craving more of who she becomes when Azriel lends her some teeth (not to mention some queer characters who actually kiss), I might have a recommendation. Alexis Hall can’t help being charming and hilarious so there’s plenty of that, of course.

I imagine what puts people off is the unconventional narration. The point of view is not one of the main characters but, instead, a mischievous mythical creature who many of us first encountered when reading Midsummer Night’s Dream back in high school. Once you get past the initial novelty, this choice brings new life to some tired tropes and settings by filtering them through the scrutiny of an unimpressed and often peeved otherworldly perspective. I know it sounds odd but it works and, frankly, the book is all the better for it. Truly, what will always make a sapphic romance even more queer is an impish narrator rolling their eyes at lesbian nonsense, and perhaps, caring more than they’d care to admit by the end.

In a romance space where it can feel like we’re reading the same stories again and again, Mortal Follies is an eclectic and thoroughly queer love story that I’m proud to have on my shelf. Thank you to Alexis Hall for writing this and gifting it to the world.

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bmaeus's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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mikmoonlight's review against another edition

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artstitute's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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