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A review by jasperdotpdf
A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Parts of this I loved and other parts not so much.
The atmosphere in the book was lovely, both through the writing and the setting. I really enjoyed the fact that Niamh was from this book's version of Ireland and having some Irish customs and history be integrated into the novel.
Niamh's own magic was also really innovative and one of my favourite ideas I've read about in a while, but the rest of the magic in the book felt very underdeveloped and more like decorative set-pieces than anything else.
I really liked the majority of the romance, but one of the biggest things that made me struggle to fully enjoy it was the fact that the characters seemed to speak like personified therapy sessions. A lof of the conversations had the main characters frustratedly stating the problems they'd identified in the other. While I'm definitely not against love interests urging the other to cut out their shit and not let past trauma or insecurities cloud their actions, it was a little too on the nose for my tastes. It wasn't done in a way where I felt like it was realistic for them to not only have identified what was going on, but also capable of expressing it in such a clear way. The dialogue could have used one or two more rounds of filtering when going from the list of the characters' personalities and issues to what is actually coming out of their mouths. It would have made it feel a lot more like two people who have their respective issues talking to each other, rather than damn near diagnosing each other.
In a similar vein I do also wish that Niamh's inner dialogue about her fears and tendencies to overwork herself had been more subtle, but that bothered me less than when it manifested in their conversations.
I don't really care much about this fact, but it's also worth mentioning that this had so. many. similarities with Bridgerton, season 2 specifically. I guess it's to be expected of a romance novel set in regency England written post-2020, but it was a bit jarring.
Either way, this was overall an enjoyable book, but parts of it were underdeveloped and others threw me out of the reading experience a bit. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that the book has a magical atmosphere and will be perfect for readers who want to get swept away by a love story.
The atmosphere in the book was lovely, both through the writing and the setting. I really enjoyed the fact that Niamh was from this book's version of Ireland and having some Irish customs and history be integrated into the novel.
Niamh's own magic was also really innovative and one of my favourite ideas I've read about in a while, but the rest of the magic in the book felt very underdeveloped and more like decorative set-pieces than anything else.
I really liked the majority of the romance, but one of the biggest things that made me struggle to fully enjoy it was the fact that the characters seemed to speak like personified therapy sessions. A lof of the conversations had the main characters frustratedly stating the problems they'd identified in the other. While I'm definitely not against love interests urging the other to cut out their shit and not let past trauma or insecurities cloud their actions, it was a little too on the nose for my tastes. It wasn't done in a way where I felt like it was realistic for them to not only have identified what was going on, but also capable of expressing it in such a clear way. The dialogue could have used one or two more rounds of filtering when going from the list of the characters' personalities and issues to what is actually coming out of their mouths. It would have made it feel a lot more like two people who have their respective issues talking to each other, rather than damn near diagnosing each other.
In a similar vein I do also wish that Niamh's inner dialogue about her fears and tendencies to overwork herself had been more subtle, but that bothered me less than when it manifested in their conversations.
I don't really care much about this fact, but it's also worth mentioning that this had so. many. similarities with Bridgerton, season 2 specifically. I guess it's to be expected of a romance novel set in regency England written post-2020, but it was a bit jarring.
Either way, this was overall an enjoyable book, but parts of it were underdeveloped and others threw me out of the reading experience a bit. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that the book has a magical atmosphere and will be perfect for readers who want to get swept away by a love story.