A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

Themes: Upper Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Regency

The synopsis

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 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.

The review

I’ll start with a disclaimer: even though this book is classified YA, I put it as an Upper YA because of the level of spice, which is not extraordinarily high but still more than what you’re expecting in a YA. I just don’t understand classifications… Even though I’m happy Fairyloot is choosing this type of book.

This edition is simply stunning and clearly enhanced my reading experience. I was really excited about this book since it mixes fantasy, romance, and a Regency-era aspect. But, the appearance of the book was more gorgeous than its inside, even though I didn’t hate this book at all.

I enjoyed the Cinderella aspect of the plot, with a poor seamstress ending up working for royalty and in love with a prince. I also liked the social commentary about Niamh’s people being discredited and regarded as lesser humans by Avaland. This aspect drew a lot on the UK’s colonial past and showed how easy it is to repeat the same patterns.

There also was an interesting magic system, even if we only see Niamh and Kit really using their magic. Magic was clearly not the main focus of the book, something a bit disappointing when you have an interesting concept like this one. The world-building was also limited and the secondary characters were cruelly lacking depth, probably because it’s a short standalone. The female friendship aspect could have been explored much more and I wouldn’t have minded seeing less romance in favour of it. The politics were developed enough to interestingly support the romance and prevent it from becoming boring. The main characters were quite good even though Niamh was especially stupid at times, very YA, which made the age range of the book a bit weird, oscillating between younger and upper YA.

In brief: I’d definitely recommend this book to any Bridgerton’s fan who’s looking for a simple romance plot with minimal spice.

My rating: 3/5