4.5 stars

I had such a wonderful time with this book. It trips along at a very readable pace while still providing plenty of worldbuilding, characterization, and puzzles to chew upon. It’s a terribly fun fantasy adventure and just the type of genre mix-up that I so thoroughly enjoy.

This is probably best described as fantasy romance. It’s an alternate-universe historical fiction set in Edwardian England, in which there is a secret society of magicians living under the noses of nonmagical Britain, with a plot revolving around two men—one a nonmagical civil servant just introduced to this world, one a brilliant-minded magician scorned by his peers for his very little magic—trying to solve a murder mystery that turns into a treasure hunt for legendary magical artifacts. And of course they fall in love. This could not be more tailor-made for me if you tried, unless perhaps if it were sapphic rather than gay.

Of note, particularly in a male-centric historical novel: The female side characters were done really well, encompassing as varied and complex a range of personalities as the males: Edwin’s shallow and selfish sister Bel, Robin’s shockingly stubborn but very loving sister Maude, and the no-nonsense, frighteningly competent typist Adelaide Morrissey. In a lesser novel these women, particularly Maude, would just have been helplessly stumbling into the way and muddying up Edwin and Robin’s plans; instead they are living, breathing, excellent additions to the narrative.

Edwin and Robin are both really enjoyable characters to follow, a necessity for a romance like this. Edwin is prickly and guarded and snappish, but that makes it all the more rewarding when he grudgingly shows his softer underbelly; Robin is sturdy and easygoing and skilled at navigating people and society, which makes it all the more fun to see him thrust out of his depth into magical chaos and deeper, more tender emotions.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and already know a few people to recommend it to. If "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" meets "National Treasure" sounds like your cup of tea, do pick it up; I’m sure it will be worth your time.

This one was, in a word, boring. Too much "comedy of manners" and not enough brilliant, intricate magic. Both Robin and Edwin are rather boring characters, and while we start with them in an interesting situation, we are so often distracted from the actual plot (curses! attempted murder! mysterious magical artifacts!) with what felt to me like unimportant nonsense.

The descriptions were lavish and I appreciated how we got to see the tiniest pictures of how differently magic looks for the upper class (ie Edwin's family playing practical jokes and getting up to mischief) versus the lower classes (ie maids healing cuts and lighting fires and mending clothes), but they were tiny and other than some very vague explanations, we have no idea how magic works, how one learns it, what kind of specialties there are, or even what it looks like outside of England.

And we are supposed to be chasing this artifact (or artifacts?) without knowing what it does, who wants it, and what it means. We were taking the magnifying glass to what felt to me like all the wrong things.

This debut had it all - fascinating world-building, clever writing, very British humour, and a taut plot (not fully resolved at the end of this book but not a cliffhanger either).

The main characters 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 and support each other. 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 favourites, and Marske does it to perfection.

This was an excellent series opener. Everything from the characters, to the world, to the magic system was well developed. Robin and Edwin's romance was both sweet and steamy, but the romance was almost secondary to the interesting world and mystery that the pair found themselves navigating. Looking forward to the next installment of this series!

When an administrative mistake sees Robin Blyth 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.

This book was one of my most anticipated releases of the year (mostly because of the cover), but it ended up being the fantasy/romance adventure with a himbo/librarian pairing of my dreams, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It took me a while to get into it, but when I did, it ended up being so much fun. This book is kind of like top-tier fanfiction; it's addicting to read, it's fun, it's well written, the romance has a lot of banter and steam.

The story takes place in England at the beginning of the 20th century, and it was so well written. The writing perfectly describes and reflects the atmosphere and the society of the time.

Also, the world that Freya Marske has created is fascinating. The way magic works, how magicians interact with the real world; I loved everything about it, and I can't wait to see more of it.

Even though I enjoyed the plot and the world-building, what I loved the most in this book was the romance. It's a slow-burn, opposite attracts, strangers-to allies-to lovers romance.

Robin and Edwin's relationship is so sweet. Both of them learn to understand and care for one another, accepting their flaws and quirks wholeheartedly. And the banter was so good!!

Anyways, I, surprisingly, don't have much more to say. This book was just so much fun. This is going to be a series, and I'm so excited to read the sequel because it has so much potential, and it's apparently going to be sapphic!

I'm very excited to see where this series can go. I loved the relationship progress between Robin and Edwin. Talk about the grumpy sunshine trope. Steam level was on point too.
I think a reread would help me with the world a little more. I want to understand the magic system and government better. But I'm very partial to the Edwardian England(London) setting in my historical books.
Very strong magical fantasy debut.

A MARVELLOUS LIGHT is a glorious sunbeam in historical fantasy - I cannot stop thinking about this book. Marske's take on the magical systems put in place seem so simplistic but are incredibly nuanced. The nuisance-to-lovers relationship between Edwin and Robin is fantastically juicy and I need the second book ASAP!

3.5/5

Set in Edwardian England, the magical world is hidden from the non-magical world.

Thrust into the magical world by mistake, Robin is sent to be a replacement for the mysteriously missing Reggie in the Office of Special Domestic Affairs and Complaints. On his first day, Robin meets a disgruntled Edwin who unknowingly “unbushells” him with an enchanted pen.

Edwin and Reggie had a close relationship that seemed a little more than colleagues. In a desperate attempt to find Reggie, Edwin and Robin go out looking for clues. In the process, Robin is confronted by goons who cast a curse onto him.

The romance slowly built from colleagues to lovers. I’d like to say friends, but I truly think calling them friends would have been a stretch.

I tend to be a slow reader, and there were moments of dragging, but WELL worth pushing through those moments!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an historical fantasy love story with a dash of mystery!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom, and NetGalley for the review copy!

It took me a while to get into the writing style of this book, but I had a good time once I adjusted. It did feel like it was really setting up the characters and the magic system a lot, and I think the sequel will be more interesting since that work will have been done already.

This was wonderful. I originally put this book on my tbr because it was mentioned in a webinar. Normally, I end up forgetting everything about the book before I have a chance to read it and it gets taken off the tbr. Luckily, I requested this from NetGalley on a whim despite not remember much about it.
This had everything I want from a fantasy novel.. There was great world building, an engaging plot, humor, realistic and heartwarming characters, and a hint of smut. This book got every single ratio right and I could not get enough. loved every second of this book.
I can't wait for the next book in the series.

This book was such a fun read, but at the same time it had the proper depth that made the characters and the relationship that much more meaningful. There was fun, romance, contemporary fantasy elements, all with a murder mystery working in the background of this compelling Edwardian fantasy book. I loved both Edwin and Robin. Robin had the dazzling personality and the smart mouth that makes him an easy character to love. He was lovable, but his character still possessed depth enough to make him feel well-rounded. He felt well-rounded as a character because we were able to see the difficulties he was going through and his internal struggle to really connect with the people around them. Then opposite him there was Edwin; though his demeanor was pretty cold and prickly at the beginning, he was also very easy to love. He had these deep seated insecurities and his flaws were on display. Born to a rich, deeply magical family of which he was an outsider, the butt of their jokes. Robin just complemented him so nicely. Their romance was just very sweet, though there was also some spice that elevated it even further. Sure, their romance felt a little quick, but I still thought it was believable.

Another thing that I loved about this book was the creative magic system. The concept of using these complicated hand gestures that ultimately boiled down to cradling (like cat's cradle) was really unique. Also the concept that people are born with varying amounts of magic and the precision with which they are able to cradle affecting their ability to perform different spells. It just seemed like a very unique way of looking at magic that I don't feel like I've ever encountered before. And even if it was, it was presented in a way that made it not only digestible, but also very understandable. Sometimes fantasy writers can get way too complex with their magic systems and how they operate. It felt like Marske made the usage of the magic perfectly understandable. In fact, the writing throughout the whole book was very understandable. Don't get me wrong, Marske's writing was still lovely and served to make the story that much more captivating. The actions and emotions of the characters were well-described. The use of such made the characters understandable and relatable. The story itself was compelling with just enough action to keep interest the whole way through. Don't get me wrong, it took the story a moment to get warmed up, but once it did it just didn't stop.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely my favorite book that I read in November of 2021. In fact, it was probably in my top ten books for 2021 (maybe even top 5). This was the first book in the Last Binding series, and I'm already really excited to read the sequel whenever it comes out! If you like a good fantasy novel set in Edwardian England that has mystery, murder, lovable characters, m/m romance, and great character dynamics, then this is the book for you!

I have been loving historical fantasy lately! I had some mixed feelings about A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, but I did enjoy it overall! I really liked the world-building, magic system, and the way the relationship between the MCs developed. There were a couple interesting female characters, but I feel like they didn't get to play as big of a role as they could have. I know this book is set in Edwardian England, but we could have gotten better development of the female characters and gotten more push back against misogyny, racism, and homophobia. Still, if you're looking for a historical fantasy mlm novel, you might enjoy this one! I know some people thought this one was a little slow, but I listened to the audio and didn't feel that way at all. I might have felt differently if I was physically reading it, I'm not sure.

I enjoyed this book. I found that I was way more invested in the mystery and magic than the romance, which I was always tempted to skip past (which is totally on me for reading a romance novel when I know this about myself). But all in all I really liked it.

I found it clearly written and easy to follow, and I loved the magic system! Would recommend to friends (as long as they like romance)

Loved this book! There were a few parts that felt a little dragging to me, but I just thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.

I bounced off of this book and could not get into the story, unfortunately. The premise really intrigued me, but I had difficulty staying invested in the proceedings.

It took me a while for the book to grab my attention even though i am a big magic fan. Maybe i missed where unbusheling was explained. But once the story settled in on the 2 leads i wanted to see how it would unfold.

Robin Blyth, a non-magical, ordinary government worker, gets wrapped up in a magical society situation in which he needs the help of Edwin Courcey, a bookish, magical liaison to help remove a stubborn curse.

Like most first fantasy books in a series, the beginning of this book was slow to help build the world and magical system. I found the first 15% a bit hard to follow because of this and the writing seemed a bit chaotic, but once the author got into a groove, the book read smoothly and I could understand all that was going on. The main characters were loveable, the setting realistic, and it had a unique magic system. There were some steamy scenes in the book, but they fit well within the plot and didn’t seem out of place. The descriptions of the libraries were amazing and I could just picture old English books and wooden shelves. If you like Downton Abbey or Pride and Prejudice but also more magical fantasy books like the Shades of Magic trilogy, you should check out A Marvellous Light. Overall, this was an enjoyable queer fantasy and I look forward to the second book in the series.

Thanks to @NetGalley and @tordotcompub for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Robin Blyth, a young baronet, takes on a position within the Government to earn money for his families crumbling estate and to care for his younger sister. Only, he was mistakenly placed in a role dealing in the underground world of magic. He must now work with Edwin Courcey, his magical counterpart, in discovering the whereabouts of the person who was in his role previously. Add to that a strange curse placed on Robin, Edwin's small amount of magic, and a spark growing between the two, and hijinks and mayhem are sure to ensue.

Absolutely wonderful new series about a magical world and I absolutely adore both Robin and Edwin!

Okay, firstly let's talk about the incredibly unique magic system in this story. Magic is a blood bond between a family and their land. Some have more magic than others. Those with less magic must use a string (similar to cats cradle) to cast magic in an intricate system of motions. The magical world lives alongside the nonmagical world, and if someone nonmagical were to cross into the magical they would be unbusheled (their memories erased).

Edwin has magic, but it is the bare minimum. So, he works extra hard at learning all about magic and therefore has found ways to make spells and to harness his energy to maximize his power. There is a hierarchy in the magical world, those with more magic are more important than those without. Servants have magical abilities best used to serving the aristocratic families in the magical world. Edwin was both fortunate and unfortunate to be born into a very old magical family. Fortunate, because he did not become a servant and had the funds to educate himself and research all he could about magic. Unfortunate, because having so little magic meant being picked on by his much more powerful siblings (especially his cruel older brother).

The chemistry between Robin and Edwin is also amazing and I loved the progression of their relationship. Edwin at first deems Robin a nuisance, associating him with the good looking magicians who picked on him throughout his life, without giving Robin a chance to prove him wrong. Later, as Edwin gets to know Robin, he realizes his mistake and begins to want to protect Robin from the worst of the magical world. Robin is in awe of Edwin and magic, even after being cursed he finds Edwin's magic to be inspiring, and he begins to find himself protecting Edwin when it comes to his treatment by others in his family, and the magical world, as being inferior due to his lack of magic.

Robin takes the news of magic in stride and wishes only to be useful in his new position. He is kind hearted, joyful, and just what Edwin needs to push himself and to see his self worth. Although, Robin often hides his own emotions and pain under a demeaner of niceties and civility taught to him by his spoiled and fame seeking parents. Edwin can see through this character and comfort Robin.

The plot is heavy and full of intricate details pertaining to this magical world, but the explanations help to build and expand your knowledge of it easily. The wording pulls you in and helps to make the story more immersive. I felt like I was there, on Edwin's family estate, or within the deadly hedgemaze, fighting an underground magical society, and falling for these two characters who want nothing more than to be able to be together in a society that finds homosexuality criminal. Fantastic novel, cannot wait for book 2.

A little slow to start, but I eventually got really into A Marvellous Light! It’s not my typical read, despite there being ✨magic✨ present, but it grew on me as the story went on. Did I unintentionally stumble into reading a period romance disguised as a fantasy? Yes, but at least it was fully engaging.

I alternated between the audio and the physical copy, and will fully admit the first 15% or so I had no idea what was going on. I definitely could have focused a little harder and kept from occasionally zoning out during the audio, but in my defense the beginning was kind of dull. The two main characters, Edwin and Robin, were meant to be foils to one another in many ways, but I could not keep them straight (lol) for the longest time. I eventually just started ignoring the names and figured out who was who based on whichever one was acting the grumpiest (Edwin).

Without getting too much into it, Robin accidentally takes a job at magical office, despite knowing nothing of magic and having none of the ability himself. He crosses paths with Edwin who is looking for his predecessor, and the two of them end up also being pursued by an unknown party looking for the man Robin replaced. They bop around to different aristocratic, posh magical estates looking for clues, and eventually a begrudging partnership grows into something more substantial.

I was warned or informed, depending on your preference, that as prim and proper as A Marvellous Light may appear, there’s a heavy ‘steam’ factor (am I saying that right) in the novel as well. But please do not expect this to happen in the first half of the book, they can barely look at each other until you’ve gotten through at least 150 pages. But once the gloves are off, *everything* comes off so to speak. Oh god, I’m speaking in entendres—send help.

But yes, there is some light use of magic, though its existence is central to the plot. There are a number of magical orgasms too, and the romance is decidedly not closed door. It’s got a Downton Abbey feel, but more fantastical and gay! I liked it a lot overall, and I’d be interested to see where this supposed trilogy ends up going.

Freya Marske's A Marvellous Light was, quite honestly, a marvellous read. It brings together two very different people; affable but un-magical Robin Blyth and the guarded, studious magician Edwin Courcey. Together, they undertake a quest to solve a murder and end up uncovering a plot that puts all of Britain's magicians in peril! But perhaps, if they're lucky, they'll find happily ever after along the way.
This is the first book in an expected trilogy, and I for one am excited to see Edwin and Robin's world fleshed out in greater detail. I was a bit surprised at how quickly our heroes fell in love, and am looking forward to seeing some deeper connection in the following books. The secondary characters caught my attention as well--I hope we'll get a bit more of Maude and Miss Morrissey in the future.
Overall, A Marvellous Light was a fun start to a series that has serious potential. It's definitely geared toward adults rather than YA, and gets extremely steamy, so be prepared! Recommended for Bridgerton enthusiasts that want something a bit more serious (and magical) than your average historical romance, and fans of C. L. Polk and Natasha Pulley.