Book Review- A Fragile Enchantment

About the Author

Allison Saft, author of “A Fragile Enchantment” is also the bestselling author of “A Far Wilder Magic” and “Down Comes the Night”. She has a Masters in English Literature, and her love of stories shows clearly in her details, descriptions, and creativity. She has a new book coming out in September 2024, titled “A Dark and Drowning Tide” Fans of hers will be looking forward to the new book.

Book Genres

Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Magic, LGBT Romance

Book Format

I have the Owlcrate edition and the book is absolutely beautiful. It has Blush pink inked edges, and a beautiful ribbon bookmark. The reversible dust jacket has artwork inside and out, plus the endpapers of the book have artwork. The book is just beautiful. The artists of the book cover are listed inside as:

Dust Jacket Art: @no0nedesigns

Reversible Dust Jacket Art: @giannyfili

Hardcover Foil Artwork: @lichen_and_limestone

Endpaper Artwork: @hachandraws

The Artists did a beautiful job on the art and the characters.

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The Story

So this story is set in what seems to be a very Bridgerton-inspired royal/commoner scenario. There seems to be a mainland of sorts Avaland, otherwise known as “Avlish” and Machland, “Machlish” and from the history between these two lands we surmise that war broke out 35 years ago and that caused all kinds of issues for the Machlish people. Something called “The Blight” plagued them and it was caused by Jack and Kit Carmine’s father who was King at the time. Because of his Father's declining health Jack Carmine, the oldest brother, has become King Regent in his father’s absence. However, he's also inherited quite a lot.

Much like Brigderton, there is a newspaper called the “Tattler” which is much like “Lady Whistledown’s Society Paper”. It was not uncommon in that period for women to take on a Nome De Plume to write without being scorned by Royals or their allies who didn’t like what they wrote.

The book starts well in the beginning. We're given a pretty good story, and at first, I liked the characters quite a bit.

One pet peeve I have with these books that I see a lot more commonly now is the need to make these characters like boys/girls prior to them falling in love. Not a problem in a book or two, here or there. However, Just two months ago I read "To Kill a Shadow” and it had a similar setup. The girl liked other girls, the boy was undecided, and then suddenly it turns out the boy actually does like the girl, and the girl actually likes the boy. In terms of the character's arc, story, or progression, it didn't add anything to the story. And it was just another detail that was thrown out there randomly and then forgotten about.

The same can be said here in this story. It’s made perfectly clear that Niamh likes girls, and it's hinted that Kit likes boys and yet here they are falling in love with each other. She’s smitten with him the minute she sees him, with clear attraction. He too, is attracted to her. So the question is, why include something that doesn’t provide any character personality or push the story forward in any way? Kit’s best friend Sinclair, is very much Gay and that is his stand on the matter. Fine, there isn’t any confusion in his likes/dislikes and he is a very good friend to Niamh. I just tire of these details put there simply for shallow purposes. They don't add any substance to the character. It's like they are added just to be added. Anyway, moving on.

After a four-year “tour” Kit has returned to the Castle and is thrust into a marriage he has no interest in. Again, this was pretty common for the time period. A marriage arranged purely for ally gain, financial stability, to stave off war, were all perfectly normal reasons for marriage without love in royalty. I love these details in the book, the drama of what is going on in the castle, and why Jack is acting the way he is. All are really great details that make the book interesting. Furthermore, Jack is constantly nervous and this just adds another layer to his story progression. From the formatting in the book, we can tell that he's upset by something, but what?

Niamh is a seamstress with a magical ability to weave enchantments into clothing, and it’s her family’s mantel. Meaning, it’s been passed down. In Machland, Niamh’s family are very well known for their enchantments, and in the beginning of the book it’s mentioned that she’s made a few dresses in the prior year. However, later we learn that her family is not in the best situation financially. I suspect that there is a currency difference between Avaland and Machland. A single coin in Avaland must be a large amount in Machland.

Niamh was hired by Jack Carmine (King Regent) to make and design all of Kit’s coats for the entire season before the wedding and to design and make Infanta Rosa’s wedding gown, the lucky girl who will wed Kit (Christopher Carmine) and in doing so secure the family.

However, there’s something afoot. The Machlish servants aren’t being paid and they are protesting against the unfair treatment they are receiving. This plays a big part in the politics of the story. The Machlish are demanding reparations, an apology, and better treatment in lieu of the prior King’s horrible role in the war 35 years ago. (It was his actions that caused the blight).

I can’t help but feel that this is reflective of what is happening today with calls to reparations, however, in the book it makes sense because only 35 years have gone by. Those people would be well within their rights to demand aid, help, and of course respectful treatment in the workforce. There’s a stark difference between 155 years and 35 years, so I appreciate that small detail in the book.

The Tattler is a newspaper that talks about the gossip going around and it sends a few crazy trips Niamh’s way as well. She finds herself friends with Kit but that friendship is construed differently by outside views. Added to that, Sinclair requests that Niamh play the role of his love interest and court him. This role is purely for show, and the two gain mutual benefits from the deal.

There are quite a few cute interactions between Kit and Niamh, and the way Niahm presents herself is very much a grow-and-learn scenario for her.

The romance in this book is a little volatile, Kit hates himself for something that Niahm can’t get him to talk about. Jack is hard on Kit for something they won’t talk about. Niahm puts her family’s safety over her own, but the way her family begged her not to go seems to not add up so I think this is a constraint she puts on herself.

Infanta Rosa reminds me a little of Mai from “Avatar the Last Airbender” she’s very dry, dark, and has a humor that isn’t picked up on by everyone except maybe Miriam who is her only friend and “Jailer” as Rosa teases. She wears black only, as it is the color of Castilia her home country.

Some things that bother me about Infanta Rosa’s attitude toward her plight are meant to be bothersome, mostly because it’s not how many of us think anymore. Rosa doesn’t love Kit, so this marriage is not one of love but of opportunity. She accepts this since she is her father’s only daughter. With Jack’s staff walking out and things not going smoothly, Rosa’s father has already threatened to pull the plug on the wedding. From the get-go, things don’t seem financially stable in Avaland. After all, Kings don’t just “refuse” to pay their staff, since they are pretty well needed. Plus, if he was determined to just have free slave labor, he wouldn’t just let them up and leave. However, he’s letting staff go left and right after weeks of no pay. I surmised pretty early on that the King Regent was having financial troubles. Somehow, no money is coming in, and therefore, no money is going out.

It’s a mystery what is happening behind closed doors but something is afoot. The book is unfortunately is pretty predictable, and I came to conclusions pretty early on. You might not, and you may even enjoy it. This was not my favorite book of the week.

I had issues with the overall storyline, the characters, and some of their interactions. Lack of character growth, minus Kit because his character actually develops quite nicely. I can't tell if this book is set up for a sequel or not, if so more character development may come around for Niamh. However, at the end of this book, she still carries several issues she had from the beginning.

Characters ( In order of appearance)

Niamh O’Conchobhair (O’Connor as Jack and Sofia call her) - The main protagonist, kind, and caring, but also works herself to death. Ill-fated but hopelessly in love. (Also, I still don't know why they call her O'Connor and it's never explained)

Jack Carmine (King Regent)- Jack is distant and friendly but also cold, he tucks away his feelings and makes them disappear. He takes care of everyone else’s problems but runs from his.

Kit Carmine (formally known as Christopher)- Kit is at first very difficult, stuck up, and wants nothing to do with anything concerning the wedding. Almost like he's made it his mission to make Niamh’s work difficult.

Sofia Carmine - Wife of Jack, blonde, beautiful, quiet, and possesses the magic gift of ice. Sofia is from the Saskian Ice Fields, and her missing home is painfully obvious. A loveless marriage and dismissals have left Sofia utterly alone and sad. Jack is less than ideal in the husband department and often shuts Sofia down.

Gabriel Sinclair - Dashing, gentlemanly, and kind. Known throughout the book just as “Sinclair”. He was disowned by his step-father for having proclivities unbefitting a man of his station. This is the character who likes other men and was disowned because of it. In Avaland, it is not tolerated.

Miriam Lacelle- Carries the magic to heal, and is caring, kind, and observant. Honest to a fault.

Infanta Rosa Princess of Castilia - Has a dry sense of humor, is dark, serious, and dislikes anything bright. She has a much longer name than I’m willing to recite.

Thoughts

I found this book pretty annoying honestly. Not just the characters, but their romantic interests whipped the reader around with constant switching gears. This is more my interest as a reader personally. I thought I was reading a love story between two people, but the author seems to keep getting caught up in providing diverse sexual orientations rather than having the characters have deep, meaningful histories; they have what could be considered shallow easy matches. Without revealing too much, I’ll just say that I was pretty unmoved by the ending of this book. However, I don’t enjoy LGBT romances so for someone who does, this book might be a nice addition to their collection. I also like a little bit of mystery in my romance books, but I found this story to be pretty cut and dry. It’s very easy to suspect who ends up with whom. However, if you enjoy just a laid-back, easy-read, cuddle-up book for a weekend then you might enjoy this one.

Spoilers

This is the time where you scroll away if you don’t want to hear the bits of the ending of this book, and probably for the first time, I’m going to talk about the actual ending of this book. Not because I disliked the book, but because I can’t discuss it without revealing the ending. SO, if you don’t want to know how this book ends, please scroll away.

Firstly, from the beginning, I knew that Niamh and Kit were going to be romantically involved. I mean, they are on the cover. The setup was pretty cut and dry. Sinclair likes men, Jack is married and there is no other unmarried young man in the character list. That leaves Kit.

Rosa is so obviously marrying out of duty, and her story reads straight from an episode of “Reign” where she’s doing her “duty” but on the inside, she loves someone else. I don’t care too much about that prospect, but it’s always someone “easy” so of course she loves Miriam. It couldn’t be someone she was forced to be separated from, or someone she longs for, nope it’s her handmaiden with whom she most likely has a sisterly bond, having her as a guardian so to speak. Ignoring the fact that I was unhappy with her loving Miriam, why is it always someone so close to them? And, how can she stand to be so close to someone and not reveal her emotions to them?

Rosa who speaks her mind, is a totally different person in front of her Father. She’s demure and silent. Pretty common expectation of medieval princesses, and standing up to your father isn’t exactly an untold tale. However, the basis of this story is so superficial when it could have been so much deeper.

You’ve got this romance between Kit and Niamh, Jack and Sofia have issues of their own, and you’ve got Rosa and her obvious unhappiness. On the back burner, you’ve got this entire backstory of a corrupt King who overspends, overindulges, and burned through the Kingdom’s coffers all to prevent several nations from rising up against him. On top of all that, you’ve got a nation of people, the Machlish, who I believe are supposed to have an Irish/Scottish inspiration based on the names of the characters who are Machlish. You’ve got protestors demanding apologies, reparations, and better treatment but all that is pushed down to make room for this romance. It's very Scotland VS Britain and if you know your European history, you'll pick up on the similarities.

So little is spent on what would be the most polite Machlish revolution I’ve ever witnessed in book form. These people are amazing. They gather politely, leave as one, and never resort to violence of any kind. They really just want better treatment and what they are owed.

However, the book spends very little time actually addressing that issue. Niamh is even confronted by Lovelace through letters asking her to help them. However, she’s too focused on providing for her family in Machland. Until she finds out that the coffers are empty. All of a sudden, then her focus changes. Oh, and when she realizes she’s in love with Kit.

This isn’t just some character flaw to be corrected either. I mean, yes Niamh who works herself literally to death does learn that she can actually enjoy life. However, her fondness for her family doesn’t match the expectations that have apparently been expected of her by her grandmother and mother. These Matriarchs of the family, who begged Niamh to not go to Avaland, suddenly expect her to uphold the family financially? I think the author maybe forgot to add in a few core memories of Niamh’s because I was blissfully unaware of how demanding her family was until she told Kit how hard she has to work to make sure her family is provided for. That this is her choice but also an expectation.

The story has a small grow-and-learn arc for Niamh, which is okay if you’re a fan of fast-paced stories which this most certainly is.

I was also fairly annoyed that the author set up this whole world as a very “nonsex before marriage” type royal expectation, only to have it completely thrown to the side when the main characters get hot and heavy after Niamh has been told to NOT do anything stupid with Kit. Why not throw caution to the wind and have sex in the Solarium?

It was very odd, and I felt like at this moment the reason these two are engaging in sex is not for love but lust and that made me question what the motives of Niamh were. It’s out of place for the time-period-inspired novelty of the book. We’ve spent the whole book being careful, not being seen alone with Kit, almost ruining his reputation and hers, almost destroying a political wedding, angering a Prince Regent, only to come to a hard time and just completely throw our hands up and just give in and ruin whatever we've worked so hard to avoid. In a Solarium, no less, which is probably the least romantic and uncomfortable place this could happen.

Another thing is the Avlish people’s feelings on commoners or “low-borns” as commonly used in medieval pieces like this. That’s pretty on par for the time-period this book is inspired from. A very common trope in romance books is defying the odds and this book does that. A commoner marrying a prince, it’s not exactly unheard of.

I guess I felt the book was a little too easy to figure out and I’ve read this story before a bunch of times through the years. It wasn’t new.

And then, possibly my biggest annoyance, they get married right after destroying Infanta Rosa’s wedding day and almost dying in a duel with her father. Talk about tempting fate. This I did not like. The family Niamh cares so much about and she couldn’t wait to get married until she could bring them over?? Oh well… maybe later. Turns out her Grandmother is livid with her “betrayal” of marrying an Avlish prince instead of a Machlish boy. Her mother assures her that with time she will come around. This is a solidifying moment that reveals that hatred, dislike, preference, whatever you want to call it, is not just one-sided. The Avlish don't care for the Machlish people, however, the Machlish aren't exactly fans of the Avlish either.

Honestly of all the characters in this book, Kit is possibly the best. He’s horribly flawed from the beginning, suffering in silence, wanting to end his life but trying to find reasons to keep living. Niamh makes him want to be better, so he begins to be better. Granted, there were a few bumps in the road, but his story arc was wonderful. I just wish Niamh’s had been as tailored to her as Kit’s was for him.

There is no perfect book, but this one didn’t meet all my checkmarks for storyline, characters, or story arcs. However, perhaps you’ll like the book more than I did and that is the beauty of art forms, isn’t it? I might not enjoy it, but someone else might.

Hope you enjoy reading, and may you walk the road less traveled!

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