Ratings140
Average rating4
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Oh, this is an astoundingly lovely book.
I had heard vague things about A Marvelous Light, but going into it, I wasn't expecting a whole lot. I figured I would probably enjoy it, as it had been sold to me as historical romance, plus a magical mystery/conspiracy. Now I love a good historical romance, and anything with magic is right up my alley, so this book was practically screaming my name.
A Marvelous Light takes place at the tail end of the 1800's, in an England where magic exists, but is unknown to most. One of our heroes is Robin Blythe, a non-magical baronet who has been thrust into a job that deals with magic. Only problem is — he has no idea magic exists. On Robin's first day at his new job, Edwin Courcey — a man who DOES have magic — shows up to get a report, expecting Robin's predecessor. Said predecessor has been missing for several weeks, and no one has any idea where he's gone. Here is where the mystery begins!
These two are such wonderful foils of one another, that it was an immense pleasure watching their relationship unfold. Edwin grew up with minimal amounts of magic, in a household where being nothing less than the best was unacceptable. He was brutally treated by his cruel older brother, and as such, turned into quite an icy, stoic individual who would much rather surround himself with books rather than people. Robin, on the other hand, grew up in a house where public appearances were so much more important than being your true self. His parents die shortly before the novel begins, leaving him and his sister in dire straits, as they have left all their fortune to charities and ‘projects' rather than their children. Robin is a bright, confident man, who is rather quick to jump on the metaphorical grenade rather than have someone else get hurt. Robin was my favorite.
I'm not going to spoil anything more, other than to say this was such a fun book to read. The mystery is dealt out in lovely, delicious chunks leaving you wanting just enough to keep reading. The writing itself is absolutely gorgeous and just a tiny bit haunting in the best way.
I cannot recommend A Marvelous Light enough. Please go read it.
I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the performance of the narrator, David Thorpe. He was already one of my fave narrators, so I was excited he did this book that I was so enthusiastic to read. It's like this book was designed to match my tastes as a reader, so maybe I had impossibly high expectations. I have mixed feelings about it.
I'm not dividing the book into three equal parts by page number or anything, but here are my thoughts in the order I had them:
First third, 3 or 4 star read. I'm somewhat interested in the plot, but the MCs aren't charming me. One MC is not at all attracted to the other MC, who is all about keeping his emotions locked down. I think this combo was probably challenging to write, and while I didn't hate it, it also didn't grab me. The mystery plot is okay but I doubt it's going anywhere surprising. The worldbuilding is very good, and I like that it's woven into the story in a way that feels natural.
Second third, 5 star read, instant favorite. I love absolutely everything about this romance, especially the incredible intimacy of the writing style. There are explicit sex scenes and they're quite emotionally intense. Also, one scene involves a kink that I like to read but don't run into too often in books: sensation play, with magic. The non-romance plot has in fact taken some surprising turns, and I'm very invested in the plot.
Third third, 3 or 4 star read. The resolution of the non-romance plot is not satisfying to me. There's a planned sequel, and I'm not at all complaining that it's f/f, because I do read and enjoy f/f. But I feel like these MCs still have fish to fry in the non-romance plot, and they most likely will never be point-of-view characters again. Still, the romance plot wraps up very well and I believe in the MCs' happy ending.
Overall I enjoyed this, and I really loved some aspects of it. I'd recommend it to romance readers over fantasy or mystery readers, though. I might like it better when I reread it in the future.
The sexiest most magical book I've read in a long time. I'm still flushed. How long do I have to wait for the next book?
4.5, rounding up, a delightful mix of Edwardian queer romance and fantasy with a gorgeous cover. Got this from the library but I may need to buy it to reread.
Feels like erotic fanfiction-turned-novel as you so often see these days, although I'd be struggling to think what it would be fanfiction for. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell seems the obvious pick, but it's a completely different book besides the setting. This is a very light read, very heavy on the romance & sex, with a smaller focus on the story and everything else.
While it was a fun read, it didn't really do much for me.
Queer magicians, intrigue, curses, what more can I ask for! I cannot wait for next book of the series to come out!
Really hoping Adelaide becomes an even more prominent character in the next installment!
One of the best books I've read in 2021, and one of a very few books that I have purchased after borrowing from the library because I want my own copy to keep and re-read. This debut had it all - fascinating world-building, clever writing, very British humor, and a taut plot (not fully resolved at the end of this book but not a cliffhanger either). The MCs were easy to root for, both individually and together. Edwin is bookish and insecure because his magic powers are minimal. Robin is an Edwardian bro with a good heart who also has self-esteem issues related to his late parents' very conditional love. Their relationship starts out with mistrust and changes to a tentative truce with unwilling attraction. Gradually there is a dawning realization that they see each other for who they are, support each other, and have very satisfying sex together. The “how did this person who is so different from me end up being the only one who gets me” trope is one of my favorites, and Marske does it to perfection.The highest form of praise I can give this book is that it reminded me of the work of [a:K.J. Charles 7123498 K.J. Charles https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418032373p2/7123498.jpg], from the setting to the writing and the brilliant character arcs. I'm already eagerly anticipating the next book in this series and can't wait to see where Edwin and Robin go from here.
More of a 3.5 probably.
I have been very excited for this book for a while, so I couldn't resist immediately reading it after receiving my advance copy. But maybe my expectations were too high, because I ended up not feeling too delighted by it.
The world building is this one is definitely cool and I feel like I'm enjoying the historical fantasy set in England subgenre. The whole magic system with moving hands like weaving strings was very very fascinating and I kept trying to picture it in my head. The mystery was also interesting enough, but ultimately it's the characters who kinda let me down. They aren't bad per se, just not very engaging and I didn't feel myself attached to any of them. The main characters Edwin and Robin's developing relationship is nice but I didn't feel that chemistry between them which I was looking for. And the side characters were mostly annoying or boring except Mrs. Morrisey.
So, while I can say that my overall enjoyment of this book was fine and I wasn't too bored, I also wasn't eagerly waiting to pick it back up whenever I took a break. Maybe go in with lower expectations and you'll love it more.