A Fragile Enchantment

Posted January 24, 2024 by Carole in Reviews / 5 Comments

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Fragile EnchantmentA Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
Narrator: Fran Burgoyne
Published by Macmillan Audio, Wednesday Books on January 2, 2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Length: 14 hours 5 minutes
Pages: 384
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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three-stars

In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous gossip columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.

I liked this book but it wasn’t perfect. I liked Niamh and Kit and wanted to see things work out for them. I thought that Niamh’s ability to magically weave emotions and memories into the clothes that she makes was incredibly interesting and I really would have liked to learn more about it, and the rest of the magic system than we are given. The romance between Niamh and Kit was my favorite part of the story but it was not without its challenges since Kit is a prince and happens to already be betrothed.

I loved the fact that Kit was a bit of a grouch for much of the story. It took a bit for Niamh and Kit to fall for each other and it was fun to see them get to know one another. But this story was more than just a romance. There were a lot of things going on in the kingdom which left the story feeling overly busy at times and I felt that it bogged down a bit in the middle. I found the secondary characters to be interesting and thought that they added a lot to the story.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Fran Burgoyne did a wonderful job with the story. I found her voice to be very pleasant and I had no problem listening for hours at a time. I liked the various voices that she used, which helped to bring the story to life. I believe that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of this story. I think that a lot of readers will like this one even more than I did. I do hope to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio.

5 responses to “A Fragile Enchantment

  1. I’m glad there were at least some things you ended up liking about this one. I’ve read so many mediocre YA novels lately I’m never surprised any more when they turn out to be only 3-star reads. Which is sad.