• Home
    • Contact Me
  • Reading Challenges
    • CannonballRead 14 Bingo
    • 2022 Ripped Bodice Summer Romance Bingo
    • Completed Challenges
      • Pondathon II
      • CannonballRead 13 Bingo
      • SpringIntoLove Bingo
      • SnowInLove Bingo
      • JingleBooks Bingo
      • FallIntoRomBingo 2020
      • 2020 Ripped Bodice Summer Read Along Bingo
      • 2018 Romance Roundabout Challenge
      • Read Harder 2018
      • January – March 2018 Quarterly Challenge
      • Title Hunt Quarterly Challenge: January – March 2018
      • Cover Hunt Quarterly Challenge: October – December 2017
      • October – December 2017 Quarterly Challenge
      • Ripped Bodice Summer Read Along Bingo
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Series
    • Reviews by Year
      • 2022 Reviews
      • 2021 Reviews
      • 2020 Reviews
      • 2019 Reviews
      • 2018 Reviews
      • 2017 Reviews
    • Reviews by Rating
  • Rating System

Llama Reads Books

This llama reads - mostly romance, fantasy and science fiction

Reviews

Review: A Marvellous Light – Freya Marske

November 4, 2021 Leave a Comment

Review: A Marvellous Light – Freya MarskeA Marvellous Light
by Freya Marske
Series: The Last Binding #1
Publisher: Tordotcom
Publication Date: November 2, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 377
Source: NetGalley

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star


Red White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light, featuring an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies.

Robin Blyth has more than enough bother in his life. He’s struggling to be a good older brother, a responsible employer, and the harried baronet of a seat gutted by his late parents’ excesses. When an administrative mistake sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what’s been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he’s always known.

Now Robin must contend with the beauty and danger of magic, an excruciating deadly curse, and the alarming visions of the future that come with it—not to mention Edwin Courcey, his cold and prickly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, who clearly wishes Robin were anyone and anywhere else.

Robin’s predecessor has disappeared, and the mystery of what happened to him reveals unsettling truths about the very oldest stories they’ve been told about the land they live on and what binds it. Thrown together and facing unexpected dangers, Robin and Edwin discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles—and a secret that more than one person has already died to keep.

Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Kobo  Indiebound  Bookshop

Goodreads

4 stars icon fantasy icon Historical icon categories_m_m romance icon


I had high expectations for this book, and wow, did this book deliver! I think a lot of comparisons can be made to Allie Therin’s Magic in Manhattan series: the unusual historical setting (Edwardian England in this case), the magical secret society, the opposites-attract m/m romantic pairing. Considering how much I adored that series, this was an absolute homerun for me.

Robin’s first day of work in a (supposedly) relatively unimportant civil service position takes an unexpected turn when a man bursts in demanding to know where his predecessor is. Even more confusing, this man, Edwin, insists that magic is real, and that Robin’s job is supposed to be investigating reports of magical activity by those not in the know. It becomes even worse when he’s attacked and cursed by a group of men who seem to think Robin knows more than he does. Without anyone else to turn to, Robin asks Edwin for help, and before he knows it he’s being whisked off to Edwin’s family’s country manor to research how to remove it. The stakes are further raised when they figure out what Robin’s attackers are looking for. With Robin’s life – and England’s safety – on the line, can two very different men navigate their attraction and a shadowy group to save themselves?

“I suggest a daring stealth adventure, and you have to ruin it by telling me it’s going to involve books.”

Edwin has very little magic, so he dismissed by the majority of his family and bullied especially by his older brother. Well aware of his (supposed) inferiority, he made up for it by folding in on himself and committing to his own research, creating new spells and researching better ways of doing existing ones. The only place Edwin is truly comfortable is surrounded by books, and that’s where his thoughtful, dedicated nature truly shines. His complete opposite, Robin is sporty and handsome, the perfect minor lordling, or as Edwin calls him, “the idiotic flower of English manhood.” Robin is everything Edwin has learned to despise. Robin knows he’s not clever – he much preferred playing cricket to studying – but he admires it in Edwin, and frankly can’t understand why his family doesn’t appreciate him. And Robin’s not just all sportsmanship and good breading. After growing up surrounded by his wealthy parents’ purchases, Robin has something of an eye for art, and his enthusiasm for Tiffany lamps and Morris wallpaper was, frankly, adorable. Robin’s parents were only interested in their children as collateral to be used – Robin, of course, would go into civil service so that they could use him as another example of something they’d donated to the British Empire. It’s left him hungry for love and afraid of being used.

“I am nothing like you, and yet I feel more myself with you.”

Put the two of them together and what you get is a whole lot of slow-burn chemistry. With Edwardian English society being what it is, admitting they’re both attracted to men is something that’s fraught with danger. The way they tiptoe around each other, while simultaneously pining for the other person, was so sweet. Edwin comes off as cold and prickly, and that’s certainly how Robin initially viewed him, but he quickly reevaluates that once he sees how quickly Edwin offers to help him. And sure, some of that is certainly curiosity about the particular curse used, but Edwin’s outer shell hides a kind, curious man. That shell exists to keep him safe from ridicule (or worse) from others, and even with Robin he hesitates to drop it too much. Robin, for his part, is afraid of being used and discarded, of being someone who’s not worth fighting for.

“I’ll settle for knowing all the things I want to know,” Edwin said quietly. “When and how I need to know them.”

The world building and magical system are fascinating. Sure, it’s the common “hidden magical society” trope, but it’s set in Edwardian England. Plus the magic system, based on the children’s game of cat’s cradle and magical synergies, felt completely original while also making complete sense. There’s bits about historical magic, as well as a few asides about non-English magic usage (complete with requisite colonialism of course). While parts of the story are set in London, a good chunk of it actually takes place in the countryside. While I was initially a bit disappointed (because, c’mon, magical London), there’s an enchanted library, a magic-hating hedge maze, and an absolutely delightful magical country manor.

“And we are but feeble women,” said Miss Morrissey. “Woe.”

Besides the class distinctions between magical and unmagical, the author also pokes a bit of fun at the misogynistic way women are treated through the female characters. My favorite way this worked can’t be talked about for spoiler reasons, but my personal favorite character was Miss Adelaide Morrissey, Robin’s secretary, who’s been at the position for years and frankly pretty much runs the office herself. She and her sister, Mrs. Kitty Kaur, end up roped in to the situation, and they were just plain lovely characters in a book that had a lot of jerk ones. I hope they both play a bigger part in the next books!

Because there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series. Overall, 4.5 stars, and I’d definitely recommend it to paranormal historical romance fans, especially those of Allie Therin’s.

Content notes: View Spoiler »violence (including murder), period typical homophobia, character forcefully outed to other character, misogyny, classism, colonialism, bullying, toxic family, parental death (before book starts), ill parent, ableism « Hide Spoiler

Related Posts

  • Same Genre
Moonlight's Ambassador
Review: Moonlight’s Ambassador – T. A. White
In a Holidaze
Review: In a Holidaze – Christina Lauren
Signed Over
Review: Signed Over – Lynda Aicher
What We May Be
Review: What We May Be – Layla Reyne

You might also enjoy

My Boyfriend Is a BearReview: My Boyfriend is a Bear – Pamela Ribbon and Cat Ferris
Rescue MeReview: Rescue Me – Lauren Connolly
Bonds of BrassReview: Bonds of Brass – Emily Skrutskie
Previous:
Review: His Cocky Prince – Cole McCade
Next:
Cover Reveal: The Mistletoe Motive – Chloe Liese

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me


READING LLAMA

Hi, my name is Lauren, and I’m the Reading Llama! I love reading books. My favorites usually include a female protagonist with at least a little bit of romance.

Twitter    Goodreads    RSS    email

Follow


Currently Reading

Kalyna the Soothsayer Kalyna the Soothsayer by Elijah Kinch Spector

August Reviews

The Reinvented Heart by Cat Rambo, Jennifer Brozek, Jane Yolen, Seanan McGuire, AnaMaria Curtis, Lisa Morton, Madeline Pine, Sam Fleming, Felicity Drake, Premee Mohamed, Beth Cato, Naomi Kritzer, Sophie Giroir, Maria Dong, Lyda Morehouse, Devin Miller, Aimee Ogden, Anita Ensal, Fran Wilde, Mercedes M. Yardley, Lauren Ring, Xander Odell, Claire Smith, Justina RobsonNot Betting on Forever by Natasha Moore

Recently Read


Goodreads Challenge

2022 Reading Challenge

2022 Reading Challenge
Lauren has
read 7 books toward
her goal of
250 books.
hide

7 of 250 (2%)
view books

Reading Challenges

Ripped Bodice Summer Romance Bingo 2022

RB Summer Romance Bingo 2022
June 1 - August 31

hide

3 of 25 (12%)

CBR14 Bingo

RB Summer Romance Bingo 2022
July 15 - November 15

hide

1 of 25 (4%)

Badges

25 Book Reviews Reviews Published Professional Reader Frequently Auto-Approved Romanceopoly 2019 Participant

Latest Tweets

Tweets by llamareadsbooks
Eve
  • Ghosts, a secret library and magic collide in a dystopian Edinburgh. Highly recommended!
  • This month’s sticker from the #RomStickerClub is super cute and SHINY!
  • Finished up my ARC of Jackie Lau’s His Grumpy Childhood Friend (out this Tuesday) and I loved this quote! “Practice”
  • Starting off with a quote from one of my favorite books, Charlie Adhara’s The Wolf at Bay, second in Big

Categories

  • Book Tour
  • Challenge
  • Cover Reveal
  • Excerpt
  • lol
  • Most Anticipated
  • PondathonII
  • Reviews
  • Sunday Update
  • TBR
  • Uncategorized
  • Wrap-Up

Copyright © 2022 · Dreams Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in