Mortal Follies

(DNF, tws)

I can see why a lot of people would like this! <3 A sapphic regency romance/fantasy with dark themes and complex characters! Wonderful! My favourite character by far was Lizzie, she seems like a lovely friend for our protagonist <3
Unfortunately, I, personally, don't like reading books with this type of narration style. This isn't to say that the book is bad, not at all, I'm obsessed with the concept and some themes involved (magical curses, regency romance, etc.).
I also didn't read the trigger warnings, which I should have! (I'll be including them below.)

This book was lovely in some parts, I just wasn't the target audience <3

TWS:
- Near Drowning
- Animal Sacrifice/Death
- Transphobia
- Homophobia
- Slavery (Mentioned)
- Sexual Harassment

All in all, if you like sapphic regency romance/fantasy novels told from the perspective of a third-person narrator with dark themes, this a good book for you! Heed the trigger warnings, though! If you're able to withstand those topics, you're all set! <3

"I offer you helplessness," she said. "I offer you insignificance in the face of a world that thinks nothing of you. I offer you the cold, sick fear of not knowing."And the goddess took it and was gone.

and then I transformed into a fish or a gnat and then some mist and I observed it all and then I flew up into the sky and observed from there and I observed and made sure the audience knew deep in their hearts that I was also observing for 400 pages!
If you couldn't tell, I didn't appreciate the narrator. At the beginning I thought it was fun, but it soon became grating to read descriptions of the narrator purposefully accomplishing pure nothing over and over, & was it really necessary for EVERY scene to have a moment where the narrator went and described exactly how and where they watched the events transpire? & the humor in general I came to find annoying!! Didn't end up enjoying many of the characters, especially hated the Duke and Miss Bickle. Mitchelmore and Caesar were the only two I ended up really enjoying spending time around. I was blessed that Mitchelmore was the main character, but almost everyone around her.. uhg.h.

I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who skips prologues and happens to read Mortal Follies. The book’s prologue provides an important introduction to our narrator, a hobgoblin who has been cast from Oberon’s court. Not only is he an amazing storyteller, worthy of Oberon’s forgiveness, but he’s extremely funny, and I was already laughing before chapter one began.

The way the Mortal Follies was written—excuse me, told by a hobgoblin, it reads a bit like an Austen novel but with magic. There are curses, old gods, sacrifices, witches, and there may or may not be kelpies.

The narrator wasn’t the only reason Mortal Follies was funny. I was laughing the whole way through, at the narration, the hijinks of the characters and the situations they found themselves in, and, well, Miss Bickle. Miss Mitchelmore’s best friend, Lysistrata Bickle, is an absolute delight and I will fight anyone who tries to harm a hair on her head. She’s a great friend and though she’s more than a bit naive, she’s quirky in all the best ways. She needs her own book about her adventures. I can’t decide if I wanted a friend like Miss Bickle, or I wanted to be a friend like Miss Bickle. The answer is both. I want both.

One of my favorite bits of the book was Miss Mitchelmore’s character arc. The ways in which she changes from the beginning of the story, when she’s a prim and proper young lady of high society who finds that she’s been cursed, to the end of the story when, well, she’s in love with a woman and shit is seriously going down… it’s impressive.

I loved that the story was told by this hobgoblin, who added in his own thoughts and opinions as events unfolded. By doing that, he became a character in his own right, and I really enjoyed getting to know him. I look forward to hearing his next story, Confounding Oaths (which, let’s be real, I’m going to start reading as soon as I’m done writing this 😂).

This was fun. A little historical fiction, a little mystery, a lot of fantasy, plus a fun narrator. Also loved the subtle Shakespeare references.

Enjoyable characters/storyline overall but the pacing left a lot to be desired.

it was okay. the central mystery didn't really have a satisfying payoff and the extremely self-satisfied twee/cleverness got grating after awhile. just not a lot of depth to it. narrator of the audiobook was good.

This follows Maelys Mitchelmore in 1814. As if she doesn't have enough going on with the balls and other high society events, it appears she's been cursed by a goddess. She needs to find out why she was cursed and fix it before her reputation is ruined or possibly kills her.

I enjoyed this, but it's definitely not a new fave. It's perfect to read in between chunky fantasy books. It's fast and it's fun. I liked the characters.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

✨✨Silly and whimsical as expected ✨✨
Magical beings mixed into a mortal world in the regency.

3.5 stars. One thing you say about Alexis Hall is that he never writes the same book twice. Some of the genres he has explored have worked for me and some haven't, but I know I'll never be bored. Mortal Follies is not going to make my list of Top 5 Alexis Hall books, but it was highly entertaining in its own way. The story is narrated by a “knavish sprite” named Robin who has been exiled from the fairy court for reasons unknown. Now that he has to deal with vile things like rent and utilities, he has reluctantly signed with a publisher to tell some of the stories he has gathered over the centuries. He chooses one set in 1814, because he has heard that readers have a fondness for the Regency era. Something about the dresses perhaps? Or the balls? Or perhaps you're all just nostalgic for the staggering social inequality? I wouldn't blame you, I found it hilarious myself. The Corn Laws, for example, were a masterpiece of comic invention; raising the price of grain so much that the people who grow it can't afford it? Genius! Of course we live in more enlightened times now. I wish I could tell you that the rest of the book is as sharply satirical as the Prologue, but unfortunately during the main story the best Robin can do is throw in a few snarky asides. The nominal MC of the novel is Miss Maelys Mitchelmore, who finds herself the victim of a curse laid upon her by an unknown source. During the first manifestation of the curse, when Miss Mitchelmore's clothing starts dissolving at a fancy ball, she is rescued by the mysterious Lady Georgiana Landrake, a reclusive, cynical woman who is rumored to have murdered her father and three brothers. Because she is the only family member left alive, she has been given the moniker “Duke of Annadale,” and is both feared and scorned. Of course Miss Mitchelmore and the Duke of Annnadale are going to fall in love, despite several curses and angry goddesses, society's distaste for Sapphic passion, and the Duke's insistence on pushing Miss Mitchelmore away for her own good. But Miss Mitchelmore develops into a strong young woman who will not be so easily gainsaid. Because everything is seen through Robin's jaded eyes, I couldn't fully engage in the relationship between the two women. We never get inside their heads or hearts, other than what they choose to share with each other. Fortunately the secondary characters shine, most notably Miss Mitchelmore's loyal, loquacious, totally oblivious BFF Miss Bickle, and Miss Mitchelmore's caring but clueless parents, who are more interested in science than society. If you view the book as a Shakespearean comedy romp (Robin claims to have given old William an excellent story but the bastard didn't even give me a co-writer credit), you will likely appreciate Mortal Follies. If you are expecting a heartfelt, emotionally wrenching story like Hall's [b:A Lady for a Duke 57007967 A Lady for a Duke Alexis Hall https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646064290l/57007967.SY75.jpg 89199426], you will be extremely disappointed. In that case you will just have to hope that his muses point him in that direction again some day.ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.