This is a fantastic debut and exciting start to a new series. The romance is very central to the plot, to the point that if I had seen this advertised as a romance novel I would not have objected, and the two characters involved are absolutely delightful-- the himbo/librarian combo of my dreams. The world-building, especially the very interesting magic system, was also fantastic.

Do you like magic? Do you like romance? Read this book!
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SUMMARY: Robin gets appointed to an unusual role in government after the previous appointee disappears. He takes an immediate dislike to Edwin, the liaison who reveals there’s a magical mystery afoot, but when Robin is the recipient of a magical curse, the two team up to solve the crime.
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The publisher described it as Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell meets Red, White & Royal Blue, and that really sums it up! It’s your classic MM enemies to lovers in Edwardian England plus a powerful underground class of magicians. But it’s a pretty even split! For a traditional romance, there’s A LOT of magical politics, and for a traditional fantasy, there’s a surprising number of open-door sex scenes.
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In addition to a fascinating magical landscape, I really enjoyed the complex relationships both men had with their families. Both had one strong ally they could rely on, but otherwise their family members were pretty selfish/toxic. This felt like felt something that might resonate with some contemporary readers.
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I did feel like the chemistry between the heroes could have been a little stronger, but the overall plot was really well-crafted, and I look forward to reading any future installments. It didn’t end on a cliffhanger but definitely set itself up for a Book 2.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
🔥🔥🔥
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Thank you to Freya Marske, Macmillan-Tor, and @netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Robin Blyth, newly appointed as the Assistant in the Office of Special Domestic Affairs and Complaints, shows up to work with no idea of what the job entails or to where his predecessor, Reggie Gatling, has disappeared. After an unexpected introduction to magic, he is attacked by a group of men and cursed. With the help of prickly Edwin Courcey, Robin search for the mysterious contract Reggie stole before the curse takes his life. Marske blends jaunty adventure, irresistible attraction, and a touch of mystery in a charming historical fantasy novel best suited for romance fans who want a little more plot in their love stories. Give this to readers looking for a breezy, cozy read.

Really really loved this one! I felt it was a little slow to start but once it picked up I was really entranced. The magic system was fascinating, and I loveeee when fantasy worlds have "magically bonded to the land" aspects. The developing relationship between Robin and Edwin was convincing and I was really invested in their happiness.

Didn't realize this was the beginning of a series. Hopefully we will see more of the female characters in the next ones! Robin and Edwin were mostly sequestered together most of the book, so Adelaide and Kitty didn't get much page time.

Very much looking forward to the next book!

“I might be lacking one or two vital qualifications for this position.”

The last thing baronet Robin Blythe needs is to be appointed as a civil service liaison to a hidden magical society. But when he inherits exactly that position due to administrative error, he is thrust into a world of curses, premonitions and the prickly company of his magical colleague Edwin Courcey.

The magic system in this book was really very excellent. The creation of a spell is called “cradling” and younger/less powerful magicians use cat’s cradle (aka scratch/catch cradle) string to construct their spells!! It’s very neat and made me nostalgic for the minor cases of rope burn synonymous with my youth.

Often in romance-forward fantasy, plot is completely or partially abandoned. NOT HERE. SO GOOD. VERY EXCITING.

Both Edwin and Robin spend SO much time thinking about how ridiculous it is that they find the other pretty or wondering about what their touch would feel like. It’s actually a miracle they got anything else done.

Chapter 13 of this book was the PERFECT book chapter and I definitely see myself reading just that part of the book again. The entire book was written SO WELL though and absolutely found the sweet spot between accessible and poetic prose.

My only complaint is that I began reading this under the impression it was a stand-alone, three days after it was released, and now I will have to wait lord knows how long to read the sequel. It’ll be worth it though.

A Marvellous Playlist:
- Vintage Red // Jay Jay Pistolet
- God Only Knows // Edith Whiskers
- NFWMB // Hozier

This quote is one of many I could use to convince you to read this book:
“If Edwin had turned and walked away from Robin in that first Monday, Reggie would still be dead, and Edwin wouldn’t have even the smallest scrap of a notion why. Robin would still be cursed. And Edwin wouldn’t have spent a week being mocked and half-killed and overwhelmed and - looked at like a miracle, and kissed like an explosion.”

Thank you to @netgalley and @tordotcompub for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reviews have been posted on Instagram and GoodReads.

“I’d like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you.”

Murder. Mystery. Magic. Romance.

This book has it all. It had me rushing to finish it because I just HAD to know what happened next and simultaneously trying to savor every last word.

Robin and Edwin were lovable, complex, and well developed. The world building, magic, and romance are gorgeously executed. The book was well paced, and while it focuses primarily on Edwin and Robin’s romance, the murder mystery element definitely holds its own.

This is easily one of my top reads for 2021! I am eagerly waiting for book 2 of the series and you best believe I’ll be getting my hands on that ASAP!

When I first heard about A Marvellous Light, it sounded like it was pretty much written for me: tropey! romantic! historical! magical! And reader, it did not disappoint.

Gotta say, I love this new trend of bringing fanfiction sensibilities into traditionally published fiction, because at its heart, fanfiction really embodies everything I love reading about: there's the romance, yes, but also the dialogue, the focus on relationships and relationship dynamics, the exploration of tropes. And ultimately I think that's why A Marvellous Light worked so well for me. For one, it was just a genuinely fun book: there's sentient houses and magical games and libraries, and the characters are given the space to explore all those things without everything necessarily having to be about Moving the Plot Forward. It's a well-paced and well-written book, too, deftly balancing plot with character development, and giving us some really moving and poignant character moments as well as some more high stakes, action-packed ones. Of course, this book doesn't work without its delightful duo: Edwin and Robin. They had such a lovely dynamic, and not to get too emo or anything, but there's just something so heartwarming about watching two people get to know about and care for each other. The tenderness! The yearning! The tentativeness that develops into something more sturdy, more steady! It really is all about the Mortifying Ordeal Of Being Known.

All in all, this was a confidently and assuredly written debut, and I'm so excited to see where Edwin and Robin's story goes next (the second book is going to be set on the Titanic ?!!!?!?!).

Thanks so much to Tor for providing me with an e-ARC of this via Netgalley!

This book was such a treat and enjoyed every page of it! It's well-written with characters who feel like they're well thought out and felt real. Edwin is lovely and I can't imagine anybody not really liking him. The world building is great and it made me want to learn more about it. The romance was fantastic and I just learned that it will be a trilogy and can’t wait to read more from this world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was such a great read 😁 I loved the “hidden magical society” fantasy twist in this book. The world building was good, and the magical system explanations were easy to follow. Hopefully as more books come out they will go more in depth with it. I loved that this was set in Edwardian England. The tension between Edwin and Robin was chefs kiss. Edwin was so bright, yet guarded with his feelings. Robin was more easygoing and free spirited. Together they were magic (see twhat I did there *wink*) and the steamy parts in this book were STEAMY 🔥 This is a great debut novel by Marske and I’m definitely reading the next book in this series.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let me begin by saying that I highly recommend both of the books I’m going to talk about in this post, Olivia Dade’s contemporary romance novel All the Feels and Freya Marske’s fantasy romance A Marvellous Light with two Ls because she’s Australian. That’s a little tl;dr for anyone who might just want to know “but should I read these books” rather than receiving a disquisition on what I feel is good about fanfic. Can’t imagine anyone feels that way, but it takes all kinds to make a world. Both of these books are out now, and you should buy them! Quickly, to avoid disappointment in the event of Supply Chain Apocalypse.

The mainstreaming of fandom has created some deeply weird ripple effects in terms of fan/creator interactions (my hot take is that we should never have wanted this, at least for the large franchises), but one of the best things about it has been that more and more authors are speaking openly about their fannish influences. All the Feels and A Marvellous Light each feel like books that couldn’t have existed without fanfiction, partly because of subject matter, but mostly because they draw so deeply from the well of joy that makes the fannish engine run.

All the Feels is a companion to Spoiler Alert, a romance novel I have recommended prolifically and at loud volume. Like its predecessor, All the Feels follows a lead actor in the television show Game of Thrones Gods of the Gates, which had some good years but is now kind of a mess because its showrunners lack vision and are mean, superficial jerks. In a mean, superficial jerk move, one of the showrunners has hired his very put-upon cousin, an ER therapist named Lauren Clegg, to follow star Alex Woodroe around and make sure he doesn’t get into trouble. This has become necessary after Alex got in a bar fight, but also because he is an agent of chaos. By contrast, Lauren is relentlessly sensible and self-effacing, though like Alex she’s trying to figure out her next moves as her life’s work implodes around her.

A Marvellous Light is a queer fantasy romance set in an alternate version of Edwardian England where everything’s the same except, unbeknownst to most, there is magic. The sunshiney, athletic, slightly laddish Robin Blyth takes a job for which he is numerously unqualified; the most pertinent of his unqualifications is that he has no idea magic exists and it’s kind of a magic-forward job. The job turns out to be its own hotbed of intrigue and murder—as Robin discovers when he meets the magical (but not nearly magical enough to suit his judgmental, Daisy-Fay-from-Gatsby-careless family) bureaucrat Edwin Courcey. Together they uncover a conspiracy that threatens the very foundations of English magic.

A Marvellous Light is notable for its inclusion of explicit sex scenes, which have always been common in romance novels (A Marvellous Light is a romance novel) but whose presence in mainstream commercial SFF is a pretty clear result of having editors, writers, and decision-makers who came out of fandom. As various genres (honestly including tradpub romance novels! and certainly including things like SFF movies; fuck you, Marvel) have become more squeamish about including sex and makeouts, it’s been refreshing to see SFF publishers shift in the opposite direction. A Marvellous Light is the latest of many recent books from Tor, Harper Voyager, and others that have included frank discussions and portrayals of sex. Yay! (Kit Rocha and Jessie Mihalik’s books are, like this one, romances, but recent books by authors like Rivers Solomon and Nghi Vo have also included sex scenes.)

A Marvellous Light feels especially fannish in the unfussy queerness and careful building of the romance (despite being set in a historical era that was less than friendly to queer love). Marske dispenses quickly with the necessity for Robin and Edwin to conceal their sexual orientation from each other, which allows for her to explore the far more interesting question of what sort of relationship they each want from the other and–crucially–how much of themselves they’re willing to give away. The possibility of romantic and sexual attraction is flawlessly twined around the plot (plant imagery used advisedly): Robin has to spend time with Edwin if he wants his curse lifted (Robin’s under a viscerally nasty curse; I heart folk magic), giving them both plenty of time to gaze yearningly at each other’s hands and dislike each other’s unsatisfactory families.

Freya Marske is open about her background in fandom, and the DNA of fanfic and specifically fanfic sex is all over A Marvellous Light. Her sex scenes, and the scenes leading up to sex, are funny and frank (the two guys realize each other are queer because one of them finds the other one’s, like, porny pamphlet, which is extra funny if you’ve ever read any Victorian or Edwardian porn, all of which is goddamn absurd), and they do this thing that feels inestimably fanficcy to me: Marske’s sex scenes—and the book as a whole—are tender toward the realities of embodiment.

Outside of romance and fic, literature often treats bodies as pure grotesquery, a distraction from the loftier life of the mind. In the first place, I will have no truck with dualism, for it is nonsense. Secondly, this sort of thinking inevitably leads to heightened contempt for bodies perceived as unruly or transgressive, which somehow always belong to marginalized people. An amazing coincidence! And C, hating your body, and bodies generally, really sets a bitch up for failure. We do not actually possess the technology to convert you into a being of pure thought, so you’re kind of stuck with your meatsack, and you might as well be kind to it, even if you do insist on thinking of it as nothing more than the squishy, annoying vehicle that hauls your brain around.

All the Feels is similarly tender about its protagonists’ bodies, which would be par for the course in the romance genre, except that Olivia Dade’s work most wonderfully features protagonists who aren’t cast in one of the, like, three acceptable romance novel heroine physical types. Lauren is petite and round, with sharp features and a beaky nose that makes her look like a bird. As in Spoiler Alert, it’s never suggested that this makes her undesirable to Alex, nor is her body ignored or glossed over during sex scenes. It’s part and parcel of a bigger theme (in both books) of finding within yourself the ability to celebrate your own gifts and strengths, rather than constantly finding fault with your weaknesses.

Lauren is accustomed to people trying to make her feel small, and she no longer reacts to it and doesn’t want Alex to, either. All well and good, until you realize—as Alex does, almost immediately—that she’s fully internalized the idea that she deserves and should expect nothing better than the contempt and snottiness of people who will always, always put her last. On his side, Alex is perpetually terrified that he’ll disappoint the people around him, and perpetually certain that he already has. It’s easy for him to see his flaws and failure, particularly those that arise from his ADHD, but much harder for him to recognize how those same traits make him special, fun, helpful, kind.

A driving impulse of fanfic—though certainly not the only one—is the sense that it doesn’t have to be this way. It’s the source of so much joy in fic, this simple idea to look at a piece of media or, you know, the world, and say, “Actually, I think we can do better than that.” Everybody can be gay! Everybody can have therapy! Everybody lives! For good and ill, there’s a critique baked in to what fic writers keep from canon and what they leave behind, a Marie Kondoing of the elements that don’t spark joy in favor of the ones that do.

The major characters arcs of All the Feels and A Marvellous Light are about finding ways to make use of your existing qualities and competencies in a world that’s not set up to find them, or you, valuable. The broader critique, of course, is that it’s all a trap anyway. There’s no middle ground you can find, no level of adherence to the desired standards that can exempt you from being made to feel small. Alex’s ADHD is met with contempt by—mostly jerks, sure, on page, but jerks who have power over him and are trying to persuade him to be less chaotic. Yet on the other side we have Lauren, a person defined by her ability to bring order out of chaos (that’s why she gets this job!), and it’s clear she’s been conditioned to think of herself as kind of a dumpy killjoy. The system has been set up for both of them to fail, and their emotional journeys are about carving out space for themselves and each other to thrive.

In particular, both books treat the gaze of the beloved as a kind of… I don’t know, splint? braces?, a small refuge within which the characters can begin to see themselves the way their love interests immediately saw them. As the least powerfully magical member of his family, Edwin has been subject to near-constant bullying from his siblings. He’s been convinced that his powers are inadequate, and that induced certainty prevents him from recognizing the areas in which he excels. Robin—new to the world of magic—brings a fresh perspective that Edwin allows himself, slowly, to share.

“You invented this system? You applied it?” Robin looked around them at the hundreds, thousands of books. “And you carry the whole thing around in your head?”

“I made a catalogue.” Edwin indicated a small hand-bound volume he hadn’t once touched. “And if you’re going to suggest that I was a very dull child, let me assure you that it would by no means be an original insult.” …

“Remind me not to make an enemy of you, Edwin Courcey,” he said, smiling to show he meant no sting. “I think yours is probably the kind of brain that could run a country.”

IT’S BEAUTIFUL TBH. I too would be very impressed with someone who had deduced the entire Dewey Decimal System from first principles.

I’ve been pretty critical this year of fannish spaces and racism in fandom, and I stand by those critiques. At the same time, it remains true that fandom contains a lot of beauty and tenderness and also thoughtful critique of inequitable social structures. It’s why I keep coming back to fanfic and why I probably always will. All the Feels and A Marvellous Light are both deeply engaged with the best of the fanfic ethos, and it was a pleasure to get to read them.

CW: bullying

In a version of Edwardian England where people without magic have no idea that they live side by side with people with magic, a man is tortured and killed for the location of a very important object. The man is Reggie Gatling, the liaison between the magic community and the Prime Minister. When he fails to return to work, he is replaced , due to ignorance of the actual responsibilities of his post, with non-magical Robin Blyth. Still reeling from learning about magic, Robin is attacked by the people in search of the magical object and cursed. His only hope is Edwin Courcey, the liaison between Robin’s office and the magical department. The two try to free Robin from the curse, discover what happened to Reggie, and find the object before the other group does.

▪ Worldbuilding is perfectly paced. A lot of fantasy books start very slow because the world needs to be set up before the plot can really get going. This is not one of these books. The very first chapter is heavy with magic, then we are dropped into Robin’s point of view, alternating from chapter to chapter with Edwin’s, which gives Marske the opportunity to have both the outsider’s perspective and the knowing character providing information without being exposition-heavy. The system of magic, its restrictions, and how those restrictions are intertwined with historical social restrictions and divisions of class and gender, is very well developed.

▪ House party. I love a good house party (in fiction), it tends to generate conflict and force revelations. When magic is added to the mix, it makes for a very tense atmosphere. This is just a great example of how the author uses the period setting in unexpected ways.

▪ A bit of mystery, a bit of adventure, a bit Dan Brown-ish. I don’t know what I expected from this book exactly, but it wasn’t this use of Indiana Jones/Robert Langdon tropes in the middle of an historical urban fantasy (I call urban fantasy anything that isn’t “high” fantasy, that is probably incorrect). It feels original and familiar at the same time, I absolutely love it!

▪ LGBTQIA romance. Robin and Edwin are gay men in a period where sex between men was still illegal, which makes romance difficult, to say the least. Edwin is also super prickly, for reasons that become obvious throughout the book. Their romance is lovely, and complicated. There are a few open door sex scenes, the explicitness is medium, I’d say.

The world of this book is fascinating, the magic is original, the myths are interesting. I am glad there will be more, because I want to learn more about the world, but mostly because I want to spend more time with these characters. Special mention to the supporting characters of Miss Morrissey, the super capable secretary who effectively runs Robin’s office, and Robin’s sister Maud, a budding Suffragette. Here’s to more of them in future books!

This was such a unique fantasy world that I’m still thinking of it days after I finished reading. The world-building is just so superb. This magical, mysterious England where families pass down their abilities and are bound to their estates, where secret government agencies manage to keep all of these things hidden to the masses.

Robin Blyth doesn’t know anything about magic… that is until he’s suddenly thrust into a desk job when his predecessor goes missing. Now he’s seeing a side of London he didn’t know existed and stuck right in the middle of a desperate search for a missing contract. Paired with Edwin Courcey, his contact and someone who possesses just enough magic to get by, but not enough to be considered a true power, they set about trying to remove a curse and figure out who the bad guys are and what they are looking for.

This fantasy romance started out slowly, as the world-building and character backstories were being established, but as I got to know these characters and this world, I found myself quite invested. This is very much an opposites-attract romance with the quiet, brilliant yet bookish Edwin and the more outgoing, titled Robin. The chemistry between the two main characters was outstanding, even while they were annoyed and irritated with each other at the beginning. It only gets better as they get to know each other and become intimate. Their banter and flirting is *chef’s kiss*.

On their quest to figure out how to rid Robin of the curse placed on him they travel to Edwin’s family home and readers meet his family and their friends. AND THEY ARE AWFUL. Omg so terrible. I hated them. I’m so surprised Robin stuck around along as he did. Oh, there are other secondary characters who become allies of this couple and are pretty great, but damn Edwin… your family is pretty terrible.

I enjoyed this family romance very much and look forward to learning more about this magical world and checking back in with this couple.

Oh Robin and Edwin… two broken men that were trying desperately to find a way to find their place in a world that neither one of them felt a part of. Robin was thrown into a baron-ship that he not only wasn’t ready for, but didn’t really want. Add to that the fact that he was also thrown into the world of magic that he knew absolutely nothing about and things had gotten more than a little complicated in his life.

Then there was Edwin. He grew up in the world of magic, he just didn’t have a lot of it. He did, however, know a lot about magic and used his knowledge as his strength – and sometimes a weapon, or at least a matter of defense. Once he realized that Robin was not only in his position by a clerical error, but had been targeted by a dangerous group of people, he decided that he had to do what he did best to protect him – delve into his books and research. Neither man counted on the attraction that they felt for each other.

This was a story with many twists and turns, mystery, magic, intrigue and more. I adored the relationship between Robin and Edwin – even before it grew into more than just friendship. They saw things in each other that no one else did. They respected things about each other that they didn’t see in themselves. They also had the power to hurt each other even when they didn’t mean to. They were from two very different world, but they fit together better than they had ever fit with anyone else.

I also loved the fact that A Marvellous Light is only the beginning. Robin and Edwin made some interesting allies and fairly dangerous enemies by the end of the first book. The Last Binding series is destined to get more interesting as it continues.

This historical/fantasy/romance debut will appeal to nearly every m/m romance reader.

This book takes place in Victorian England in a world of hidden magic. When a non-magical person, Robin, is mistakenly assigned to a position in magical government, with Edwin, a magician with lesser powers but high intellect, as his boss. Robin discovers that the person who had his job before him was murdered, and he is thrown into the magical world to solve this murder alongside Edwin. Along the way there are bloody battles, emotional reveals and lots of steamy sex scenes.

While I do think that many will like this novel, it wasn't for me. I found it well-written but hard to get through, and it didn't hold my attention for long, it was a little dense, and tended to drag on. I wasn't aware of just how smutty it would be, and while I am sex-positive, I tend to not read books with quite so many detailed sex scenes. I am aware this will be a plus for some, though.

Overall I was pretty disappointed with this novel, as it was one of my more anticipated reads of the year but I do think it will appeal to many others.

A Marvellous Light is the first installment in a new historical fantasy series. Our story takes place in an Edwardian inspired setting that was infused with magic that has been hidden from those who can't use it. The story follows Robin, a nonmagical civil servant who lands himself a job as a liaison between the magical world and the non-magical, and Edwin, his counterpart in the magical side of the government, as these two embark to discover what happened to the previous liaison who has gone missing.

First off, the setting and world building was definitely my favorite part of the book. Freya Marske did a great job building a fleshed out world and magic system in a fairly short (for fantasy) book. I loved the Edwardian setting as it managed to make the book feel a little more unique in setting compared to other historical fantasies I've seen. And the magic system being built around cat's cradle was well done and very interesting.

Plot wise, I did find the first half of this book to start off fairly slow. It did take me a little while to get fully invested in the plot, but the second half did pick up a good deal for me and by the end I found myself very invested in the mystery that centered the novel. This book also did a wonderful job in having a plot line that was entirely self contained and wrapped up in this first book, while also clearly leaving some other loose ends to hook readers into reading its sequel when it comes out (something I will definitely be doing).

As far as characters, I also found myself taking a while to get attached to our main characters. Edwin is definitely my favorite of the two. And I like Robin but just never got quite attached. I think they were both equally as well written, Edwin's personality is just more my vibe I think. And I did very much enjoy their romance. It was a slow burn, which is something I usually enjoy in books, and I very much enjoyed them together. This book does have steamy scenes in it, and the author used magic in some of those scenes in some unexpected and delightful ways.

Overall, I found this to be a lovely historical fantasy story and would look forward to reading the next installment in this series

Freya Marske's latest novel, A Marvellous Light, is a blindingly brilliant read, one that swept me off my feet and had me begging for more. It's a little bit of everything – historical fiction, romance, fantasy, LGBT+, all with a dash of intrigue and mystery.

Robin Blyth is the son of two philanthropists that were...less than kind in real life. So, of course, he and his sister are the ones left paying their debts. For Robin, that means getting shuffled off to a job he isn't qualified for, all because somebody didn't like his late parents.

That job ended up changing Robin's life forever – and not in the way he expected. Thanks to a series of strange events, Robin is now very aware that magic exists in the world and that not everyone who has it is considerate of others.

"We are man's light / We hold the gifts of the dawn / From those now passed and gone / And carry the into night."

Words defy description when it comes to A Marvellous Light. It has the right balance of so many different elements; it's no wonder that I ended up loving it as much as I did. If you love librarian tropes blended with magic and with an m/m romance, then you're in luck!

I'll admit that I didn't love either character at first. Both Robin and Edwin had a bit of growing to do, and it took some time to see them for who they really are – and thus truly appreciate them. But once I did? I was hooked on their story!

"Robin was definitely going to punch someone before the day was out."

I'll admit that I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I've had a lot going on in my life; some of it is good, some not so much. It's made it difficult to concentrate. However, A Marvellous Light fought hard against that mood and really did suck me into the story. In fact, I was pretty sad when the story concluded – once again, I wasn't ready to say goodbye.

Luckily, A Marvellous Light is the first in a trilogy, so there will be two more books heading our way soon enough! I am very much looking forward to seeing what will happen next.

THIS is what fantasy romance ought to be. After engaging in more than my fair share of ranting on the subject, I had a longer list of examples that displeased me than those I would champion. This one melds the two genres into something wonderful with an Edwardian-inspired backdrop and queer characters to pave the way.

In terms of fantasy, we have Robin, a civil servant uninitiated in magic, who is accidentally assigned as magical liaison and then promptly attacked and cursed on the street. We also have Edwin, the other half of the liaison pair, a magician with only a kernel of power to his name who prefers books and magical theory to any sort of company or risky behavior. The world-building comes through as things are explained to Robin, and I found it an effective tool for informing the reader without burying them. Edwardian manners and social structures are woven through expertly in all their pompous glory (see:vomit-inducing sexism, colonialism, rigid class structure, and laws that kept queer people in hiding). It has me primed with excitement to see how this series is going to let loose the hints of subversion that started to grow in this first outing.

Now, let's talk romance. You can look forward to these tropes: sunshine and grump, the brains and the brawn, and magician and normal potato human (I made that last one up, so sue me). All of those terms fail to fully sum up these characters, who are gifted with too many dimensions to be listed, classified, and discarded. It would be a disservice not to recognize Robin's areas of non-bookish intelligence on top of his general sportiness or not to see the seeds of Edwin's unhappiness and the way he cautiously inches towards the light once offered. Ultimately, it's a love story with "us against the world" vibes that were very endearing.

Both the good and bad feels hit hard and take no prisoners. All the big emotional pivots you expect in a romance plot somehow feel new and singular because of their emotional crafting, not just the latest iteration of a favored genre. Robin and Edwin left an imprint on me, and some minor characters hold a lot of promise that I hope will lead to full-fledged obsession on my part down the line.

Highly highly recommend it. Treat yourself to this decadent queer series opener ASAP. Thanks to Tordotcom for the opportunity to read and review this book!

It is Robin Blyth’s first day on a new job, stuck in a bureaucratic position he doesn’t really understand in an out-of-the-way office. When Edwin Courcey shows up at his door, Robin learns his predecessor in the job has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. He also comes to learn about a magical world he had no idea even existed. Apparently, Edwin works for a secret magical society and Robin is meant to be his civil service liaison. Robin never should have ended up in the job, however; an administrative error and some bad blood saw him put in a position meant for someone familiar with the magical world. Now, Robin has to abruptly come to terms with the idea of magic and his new role in this world.

Edwin can’t help but be frustrated that he is suddenly stuck with Robin, given how ill equipped the man is for the job. But when Robin is attacked by men looking for information they believe he has, it is clear Edwin can’t just tidily get the job confusion sorted out. The attackers cursed Robin and they aren’t going to give up on trying to find out what he knows, so Edwin must step in and try to help the best he can. Unfortunately, Edwin doesn’t have much magic of his own — something his unpleasant siblings are happy to point out. But he is incredibly smart and great at research and he is going to do his best to help Robin get rid of the curse, set things to rights, and then wipe Robin’s memories free of the whole sordid mess. Even if it means a trip to the Courcey family estate, where they must encounter Edwin’s obnoxious and horrid family.

As Robin and Edwin spend more time together, they begin to form a somewhat uneasy friendship, that ultimately moves to a real affection and attraction. But as they dig further into the mystery of what happened to Robin’s predecessor, who attacked Robin, and what they want, the situation becomes even more dire. The curse is worsening, Robin is plagued by visions, and the attackers continue to strike. And when Robin and Edwin begin to learn the truth of what is really going on, it is even more horrifying. But the men have come so far and learned to rely on one another, and find they make a strong team. With a little help and a lot of hard work, they may just be able to take the first steps in stopping a plan that could destroy all the magic users in England.

A Marvellous Light is the first book in Freya Marske’s new The Last Binding series and I really loved this story. The highlight for me is Marske’s interesting take on magic and detailed world building. I found it particularly clever the way magic is conducted using finger movements called “cradling” (harkening back to the childhood “cat’s cradle” game played with string on your fingers). In fact, Edwin, who has fairly minor magical power, uses the string as a sort of crutch in his own magic, something that subjects him to some scorn and ridicule from his more powerful siblings. There are some elements that could have been more fully developed, particularly the magical Assembly that is the sort of an organizing body of all the magic users. But overall, I found the world building to be really well done, with lots of different elements to uncover as the story develops.

The romance between Edwin and Robin is a fairly slow burn. This is a pretty long book and, by the halfway point, I just felt like these two were starting to even consider themselves friends, versus just co-workers forced together by circumstance. But ultimately, things flare up between them, both romantically and sexually. There are some nicely intense scenes, and a particularly steamy one where Edwin uses his magic on Robin to great effect. But I think what strikes me more than the romance between them is the way these men see each other, and bring out the strength in one another. There is a sense that both of them have been kind of floating along in their lives. Robin has lost his parents and is having to deal with caring for his sister and sorting the estate and he isn’t really feeling up to handling any of it. Edwin is brilliant, but years of emotional abuse from his caustic family have left him feeling unworthy. So this mystery and adventure brings out the best in both of them. It gives each man someone to rely on, but also a renewed confidence that they have the strength and ability to take some control of the situation and their own lives.

This is the first of a trilogy, so the immediate mystery of the missing bureaucrat, as well as who attacked Robin and why, is wrapped up here, but there is a bigger picture that is just starting to develop. I think it ultimately all comes together well, and I enjoyed how so many little seemingly innocuous moments throughout the book turn out to all connect at the end. However, I also found this mystery gets set aside and often overshadowed by other elements of the story. Robin has been attacked and cursed and is dealing with increasing pain and a seemingly dire situation, yet no one seems to feel too much urgency about resolving it, including in many cases Robin himself. Edwin is buried in the library researching and it literally doesn’t occur to Robin until almost the end of the story to maybe help him try to find some answers. Instead, we spend a lot of time in the middle of the book at a house party at Edwin’s family home, where we see Edwin and Robin interact with Edwin’s incredibly awful siblings and their friends. I think the main point here is to show how badly Edwin’s family treats him and how he is actually a lot more powerful than anyone realizes. Not because he has raw magical ability, but because he has an incredibly sharp mind and he can put things together so fast, can create spells and use his mind in ways no one else can. But I think that point is made many times over and it just becomes a little too much filler. Now, I will say, some elements in this section do end up becoming important later. But this part of the story went on overlong for me and took some of the energy out of the book, especially the middle. Things jump start so nicely at the beginning, with the murder, the curse, the attack, and the mystery of what’s going on. Then the ending has a lot of excitement and builds to a really interesting series arc. But there is just too much in the middle that doesn’t quite feel like it is contributing enough and it slows the pacing down.

I do want to give a shout out to Robin’s administrative assistant and her sister, who prove to be both incredible helpful and super likable, as a pair of clever women who are used to being underestimated. I loved the sisters and hope we continue to see them in future books. The story also gives a nod to how women are often overlooked on multiple occasions (particularly women of color, in the case of the sisters), including noting how women aren’t given the same magical education as men. So I liked this acknowledgement of the gender roles and stereotypes and how they play out.

While I do think the pacing issues slowed things down somewhat, I did really enjoy this story. I found the magical world creative and the larger conflict unveiled to be very intriguing. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the trilogy and seeing where Marske takes this story.

a beautifully written story with red white and blue meets harry potter vibes!!

a forbidden romance!! tons of magic!! an unlikely alliance!!! can we say less?!

I absolutely adored the characters developed in this story. it felt like it recycled similar tropes and characters and totally transformed them into something brand new. a brilliant job by the author!

would definitely continue this series!

What a fantastic read! This was exactly what I needed right now. It was the easy fun romp I hoped for with just the perfect amount of seriousness and action. The romance was well done and believable - I found myself rooting for them from the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me listen early!