Do you ever start reading a story and have to put it down for a second because it's the exact story you're looking for? Even if you didn't know you were looking for it? That's what happened to me with A Marvellous Light. I was already super excited for this book after reading the synopsis. It combined several things I love: historical fiction, magic/magicians, and LGBTQ+ relationships/representation. So, going in my expectations were already very high, but I tried to talk those expectations down a bit before reading because I was certain they were too high to be met.

I was wrong, because not only were they met, but they were exceeded. I loved every single moment with this book, and I cannot wait to recommend it to every single person I know. I mean, seriously, everyone should read this book.

First, let's start off with the writing style. This is a fantasy book, and the magic system was a little complex, so I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to follow along. And while there were times that it took me a moment to figure out what was happening, everything was explained so well and in simple enough (yet still managing to be complex) terms that I was able to understand and follow along. The writing style really fit for a historical fiction book, while still adding all of the flourishes and prose needed for a fantasy novel.

I immediately fell in love with this world. I've read several stories where magicians are hiding in plain sight, and this might be one of my favorites. The way magic was used and manipulated was so cool and unique, unlike anything I've read. The setting of the Sutton Manor was especially wonderful, and I can't wait to see this explored more in future books.

As for the characters, I loved Robin and Edwin dearly. Robin was flung into the magical world without any warning, but he took it rather well all things considered. While Edwin had lived with magic his whole life, he didn't have nearly as much as those around him, and because of bullying from his family members (who I hated!!!), he developed a lot of self-consciousness from this. I loved watching him grow and become more confident in himself and his abilities, and I'm so glad Robin was able to help him with that and stand up for him when others wouldn't.

Speaking of Robin and Edwin though...I absolutely adored them and their relationship. Not only was their chemistry off the charts, but the progression from adversaries to friends to something more was developed effortlessly and believably. They were so sweet and wonderful, and I cannot wait to read more books about them and their adventures.

A Marvellous Light is one of the easiest five stars I've given this month. It is such an incredible book that I am so thankful to have had the pleasure of reading. I can't recommend this one enough!!

I gulped this book down, it was just such a good read. Set in England during the Edwardian period, A Marvellous Light follows Robin and Edwin. Robin has a new job in the civil service doing - he's not sure what, actually. He quickly finds out, however, that magic is real and that his job is to liaise (through magician Edwin) to a magical assembly. Robin is warm and big hearted, while Edwin is prickly and upset to be saddled with someone who has no idea what's going on. However they have to team up when things begin to go wrong and it appears that someone is after Robin. I really loved the world building in this - Robin brings the reader along as he tries to find his bearings in magical society, and the mystery kept me guessing. The relationship between the two men is also just lovely. I didn't realize this was the first in a series (though I realized there was no way everything would be wrapped up once I got near the end), but I'm really excited to read the next.

I had a coworker looking forward to this book, and seeing the Alix Harrow blurb, I had to download it! Edwardian gay magicians, pretty cover, what’s not to love?

A Marvellous Light follows two men, Robin and Edwin, in an Edwardian London with magicians. After a clerical error, non-magical Robin gets put in a government position that investigates magical circumstances and is supposed to keep them quiet so people don’t find out about magic, with Edwin as his… supervisor. But the position Robin fills is one that was recently vacated due to his predecessor being murdered. Robin is thrust into the world of magicians and it’s up to Robin and Edwin to solve his predecessor’s murder and uncover the plot he was involved with.

As much as I thought I’d like this, it was a STRUGGLE to read and finish. I contemplated DNF-ing multiple times but forced myself to finish. The writing style seemed to WANT my eyes to skim over it. It did not work for me at all. The only thing I highlighted in the book was a throwaway line “several chapters’ worth of meaningless symbols…” because it felt like a summary of the book as a whole. Nothing grabbed me, and I frequently found myself stopping and getting distracted. The only reason I continued was sheer force of will alone, and nothing to do with the book itself.

This book was slow. Even as an adult high fantasy reader who usually doesn’t mind slow beginnings, it was GLACIALLY slow. I would read and think I made progress, just for a few percent to go by. I had to look up how long this book is supposed to be because it seemed to stretch on with nothing remotely interesting happening forever, making me think this HAD to be a tome of a book, only to find out it’s less than 400 pages! Eventually things pick up, at about 50% through, but the novel as a whole was about as exciting and riveting as an afternoon nap, since it consisted of mostly filler and very few plot points to be found.

For a dual perspective, I didn’t care much about either of the characters, and while they had different personalities, neither were compelling or endearing. And even worse than them both being wet blankets but in different ways, little was done to the writing to differentiate their perspectives, so every switch (which went unlabeled) felt as though it was fumbling as I tried to decipher what perspective I was reading from before being able to continue reading.

ANY of the other characters were completely two dimensional and like cardboard cutouts, just props to place within the narrative, so even the side characters were impossible to care about. The one exception might be the woman assistant Adelaide, but even she felt two-dimensional.

The magic system was fairly interesting and the romance was okay. There were a couple sex scenes, so definitely not a book for minors. Maybe the fact that it’s m/m gay will be enough of a draw to get people to read and like it, since m/m has always been more popular and “palatable” but I’ve been spoiled with amazing sapphic fantasy reads this year that have everything this book sorely lacked and this in no way compared.

I think the idea of this book had a solid base, and I did (eventually) want to find out what happened but it was lacking a lot of things that are incredibly vital to any good book: excitement, investment, high stakes, good pacing, interesting characters, decent resolution. It wasn’t completely terrible, but I would consider it a stretch to even call it “good” so it’ll definitely be filed under disappointing reads.

A Marvellous Light is a charming book that is a burrito with characters performing magical actions, an inbuilt romance and a murder mystery. Set in the Edwardian England, the engrossing storyline brings together the hidden magical world and the non-magical boring reality. Its very enjoyable. The writing is brilliant, but I felt that the story had one too many subplots which deviate from the main plot. As this book is a start of a series, I hope these subplots will make more sense in the following books! The romance between Edwin & Robin although warm and hearty, felt imposed into the story as if the author wrote it to give equal importance to the romance and the mystery. Its a well written book for a debut though!! The pacing was alright and my favourite parts are the ones with magic. It was very creative.

Overall, any reader with an interest in reading romance with a hint of fantasy set in a historical world will definitely enjoy this book!

Thank you Macmillan-Tor for the arc via Netgalley.

I think this was an average read. I enjoyed our main characters and the setting, but I felt like the magical system explanation was lacking. But I would consider picking up the next book and giving it a chance.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so, so much to Tordotcom and Netgalley for providing an e-arc copy! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Definitely a favorite of the year! I was so nervous going into this book because I had hyped it up so much in my own head, that I was nervous it could never meet my own silly expectations. But y'all, this surpassed them and more. I absolutely fell in love with this charming characters, magical world, and mysterious plot.

These main characters completely stole my heart. Robin is funny and warm and so charming. I laughed out loud so many times while in his POV. And in contrast, Edwin is calculating and distant but secretly a total softy. And their opposites attract romance was everything I wanted. They had fantastic chemistry and banter and I was swooning over their romance by the time it finally happened!

I also loved the magical elements and world. This is set in historical London (the early 1900s) but there is a secret underground world of magicians. I loved how they were integrated into society in a way that made it feel like it could all be possible. It's definitely not a hard magic system by any means, but I feel like there was just enough explanation to make it feel grounded in possibility without too much time being spent on details. It was the exact balance I love in my fantasy.

And on top of all of that, freya Maske pulled off an equally intriguing mystery plot! I love the balance of action to character develop and romance, and the mystery while not necessarily shocking, was fantastically executed.

Overall, I cannot gush about this book enough. Everything from the writing to the character arcs to the magical details was flawless in my opinion. I'm so completely hooked by this world and cannot wait for more from these characters! If you love magicians, romance, or historical mysteries, definitely add this one to your must read list!

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske was an interesting book. The story was a fantasy with a mystery and a romance built in. The characters were likeable and the plot was interesting, although the dialogue was sometimes difficult for this reader to follow. This title will be recommended to fans of YA fantasy series as well as readers who enjoy queer historical romance series.

This had all the ingredients to be a charming read! I love stories that capture that sort of golden Wodehouse-y atmosphere. Almost cottagecore vibes. The scenes at Edwin’s ancestral home, with his charming but awful siblings, are an absolute delight – there’s such delicious tension between the ridiculous (magical house party games that rival the Pall Mall Bridgerton scene!) and the dark (how badly those games can go wrong). I could rave about this book for hours, but I think you’ve got the gist – I love everything about this and need more from Freya Marske immediately. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to pick a favorite book this year, but I know that A Marvellous Light will be jostling hard for that top position.
Full review to come on YouTube

This is a really great read that checks all of the boxes. The premise is really great and the story is really interesting , it's an absolute page-turner.

The himbo/librarian pairing (but make it gay) romance that everyone deserves in their lives. This had everything; romance, adventure, magic, mystery, gloomy victorian aesthetics, incredible world-building, elegant prose and LOADS of pining.
Favourite line that had me completely sold:
"I'd like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you."

There's something about this book that's very warm, somehow - almost welcoming. I think this begins with the magic system here which hits this beautiful blend of being interesting but not overly complicated, fun to see more of, and being very strangely intuitive: no deus ex machina, nothing coming out of nowhere, every aspect of this system leading logically to the next. But I think the real sticking point for how warm this book feels is how well-drawn - and almost instantly likable - all of the characters here are. It makes it easy to be led on what may, at first glance, feel like digressions or side plots, simply because of how much you enjoy being with the characters here.

Honestly, the only moments the characterization didn't win out for me was during Robin's visions, which I found to be less than engrossing - alright, boring, really. But I imagine that this is something that's going to end up playing out more in the rest of the series (or at least I hope it does) so I can set it aside for now.

Overall, a really, really lovely book, entertaining and enjoyable throughout. I definitely recommend it, and I'll definitely be back for the sequel.

A book tagged as "boyfriend material combined with Strange and Morrell" had me hooked from before page one. This is a great mystery centered around a non magical straight laced government worker, and his associate from the magical world. There were a few too many sideplots too make this book GREAT for me, but would definitely recommend.

"'You could still hurt me," he said. "But I do think you'd somehow manage to tear your own arm off before you did it on purpose.""

And if that doesn't perfectly sum up the amazing and beautiful vulnerability present in this book, I don't know what else would. Experiencing Robin and Edwin's journey towards trust and intimacy was just...... it gave me all the freaking feels.

In this book there's also magic, clever writing and wit, severely screwed up family dynamics, cool new words like "unbusheling," and some very subtle but satisfactory world-building. It's all good. Pick up the book for that. But stay for Robin and Edwin, because the pair of them will crack your heart into pieces in the best way.

Oh. And the hot sex. You might stay for that, too.

“It didn't take long to become so accustomed to something that you could describe the exact shape of its absence.”

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske is a fun dive into a magical queer Edwardian England time period. An interesting magic system and a somewhat enemies well I should say annoyance to lovers story. When a non magical human who acts as a liaison to the magical government goes missing, Robin Blyth also without magic gets put in his place. But little does he know he’s been dropped into the middle of a dangerous situation in the magic world and ends up with a deadly curse. There are powerful people looking for an enchanted item that maybe the very reason why the previous liaison suddenly disappeared. Then enters the brooding yet charming Edwin Courcey and what sets the story rolling. Can Edwin of the magic world find a way to reverse the curse setting Robin free? Can Robin figure out what feelings he has every time Edwin is near? Can Edwin overcome his past and let Robin in? This book was so entertaining and a fast read I couldn’t stop. I slowly fell in love with both of the characters. As this is the beginning of a trilogy I look forward to the next novel and what is in store for our main protagonists. I highly recommend this charming romantic fantasy! Content warnings for references to past child abuse both physical and emotional.

Definitely New Adult. I loved that the protag doesn't know a single thing about magic and that his education isn't up in your face, it's quite natural. Robin's chronic pain (via a curse) was quite relatable as a disabled person myself. The chemistry between the leads starts super slow but builds up to a wonderful crescendo. Definitely a great adult addition to my "HP Alternatives" shelf.

Readalikes: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, Silver in the Wood

Thank you to NetGalley for preview versions of both the ebook and the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe more like 3-3.5 stars

I didn't love this as much as I thought I would unfortunately. I definitely struggled with the pacing since it felt very slow at times, especially in the beginning. The book mostly focused on the romance and family relationships instead of the mystery. While I do enjoy romance in my books, I felt like it didn't quite blend the romance and mystery well enough for me.

I felt like we don't really get to know much about the magical world or a lot of the rules behind the magic, but I did generally enjoy the magic. It seems like there's some variety with abilities, with some leaning more towards nature magic (which I really loved). I thought that the curse was interesting and did provide some high stakes for the story, though I still have questions about some things that happen that are tied to the curse.

I generally liked both Robin and Edwin, as well as learning about their family histories. Robin doesn't come from magical society, and I liked seeing him learn that there's this magical world out there. Getting to see the joy he feels at seeing magic done was wonderful! He comes from a family where his parents treat him as more of a status symbol than a person. He has a nice bond with his sister, and I did like seeing them together (though we don't get to see his sister a ton).

I felt the chemistry and connection he has with Edwin. They seem like they can really relate to and understand each other, especially with some family matters. I enjoyed seeing them fall for each other! There were some very explicit sex scenes throughout, so if you don't enjoy that, be aware that these do happen.

Edwin is much more reserved, especially because his family treats him as somewhat worthless since his magical abilities aren't very strong. It takes him a bit to open up, but I really liked seeing this happen with Robin. He has other skills with investigating and scholarly pursuits that a lot of people don't value in magical society that turn out to be important here. I liked how Robin recognizes this!

We also have a variety of side characters, most of whom were somewhat obnoxious. I kept getting them confused, especially with Edwin's family and the other characters at their house. I did like Robin's assistant, but we don't get to see her very much.

In general, this had some moments that I really liked, but I definitely struggled with the slower pacing. I'm a bit undecided about whether I'll continue this series. However, if you're interested in a regency romance with some magic, I'd still recommend this.

My video review can be seen on my booktube channel (around minutes 0:16-4:05 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYCj6GmxkWw

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Dot Com for providing me with an ARC for this incredible book.

I wish there was a way I could do this book justice but I don't think any words I can summon will be enough.

Let me preface by saying that I am still constantly thinking about it every single day. And here's why:

I have to start with the writing. Wow. Freya's writing is so beautiful, I thought I was reading poetry at times. It was a bit complex for me sometimes as english is not my first language and the story is set in the regency era but when I was fully in the story, I let the words carry me and wow, just wow. I haven't been awestruck by an author's writing before, so I guess there's a first for everything.

The adventure. OMG the adventure was exhilarating. I was panting, and could not put the book down. It really sucked me in the world that Freya beautifully and perfectly crafted and I was just turning the pages to see what would happen next. I have to say that the last hundred pages were a bit drawn out for my taste. I loved the magical aspect to it and, as previously stated, Freya did an amazing job crafting a world with concepts and norms that really made sense and felt plausible.

The romance. S W O O N. The romance was my favorite part (duh). I love steam and steam there was. Edwin & Robin's relationship is one for the books. I love Edwin's flaws, I love Robin's caring nature and how they learn to be around each other. The last chapter was everything to be and again, so beautiful in their love story. I will NEVER get over it.

The characters. Edwin is my baby and must be protected at all cost. I loved how fragile and sensitive he was and how deeply hurt he'd been, by his own family. His relationship to magic, the deeper meaning with nature - all of this was incredibly beautiful (no surprises there, again). As for Robin, well. his perseverance and his way to always see the positivity in everything, made him really relatable to me.

I absolutely CANNOT wait for the second book. I am on the edge of my seat waiting to discover what Edwin & Robin will find on their adventures.

I tried to get into this story but it was so rambly and unfocused. The concept sounded great, like a Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell type story but after about 25% in and no discernable plot I had to give up. Lots of characters and I couldn't keep anything straight. It's possible this one just needs a more focused read but either way it unfortunately wasn't for me. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.

This Edwardian fantasy is equal parts thrilling and romantic. Sir Robin Blyth takes a boring civil service liaison position, but soon discovers he is actually the sole liaison to England’s secret magical society. Placed under a curse by thugs looking for a powerful magical object belonging to his predecessor, Robin teams up with bookish magician Edwin Courcey to find a cure. Along the way, the pair encounters a magical country house party, a homicidal hedge maze, an elaborate conspiracy endangering English magic itself … and true love. I enjoyed every page of “A Marvellous Light,” although I did spend an inordinate amount of time screaming “JUST KISS!” at the book. The second volume in this planned trilogy cannot come soon enough.

BE GAY, DO MAGIC!!

Oh my gosh I absolutely ADORED this book! A Marvellous Light is a genre blending fantasy, mystery, grumpy sunshine romance set in an alternate Edwardian era London. It gave me serious Rook and The Eyre Affair vibes but with a swoony, spicy AF romance mixed in.

Edwin is the grumpiest grump. He’s so closed off and cynical when he meets Robin who is the complete opposite, an absolute golden retriever of a man. Edwin comes from a magical family but possesses the least of it and is acting as a liaison to the civil service sector of a hidden magical society. Robin is non magical and ends up as Edwin’s counterpart through an administrative error. He has absolutely no idea that magic exists when he’s violently pulled into a magical scheme that threatens his life and the lives of all the magicians in London.

This book is so beautifully written with exquisite imagery and there is a fantastically creative magical system. Robin and Edwin are pulled into a murder mystery that turns into a quest for what everyone assumes to be fictional magical artifacts. Despite all of the intrigue, mystery, and murder, this one felt more like a romance than anything else to me and I loved every page of it. I love a good grumpy sunshine and Edwin is just the surliest of grumps with the softest insides. In one of my favorite parts Robin says, “I don’t want to intrude.” And Edwin says, “You’re not. You can’t. It’s extremely irritating. Every time you touch me it’s exactly what I want.” And coming from Edwin this was just the most powerful line and he loves and hates it in equal measure and it’s delicious and perfect.

I cannot recommend this one enough. My thanks to tordotcome for the eARC and to Ellen for sending me her copy because she knows how much I prefer to hold a book in my hands when I read it. This one is out now and is the first in a series.