What a wonderful debut!

I finally read a fantasy book!! I've been wanting to for the longest time and this book was perfect to rectify that craving! This book had everything, historical romance, hate to love trope, magic! What more could you possibly want??

Since I don't usually read fantasy books, I'm a bit rusty in that department, but tis book had some really nice worldbuilding, and once you got through the introduction, got to the know the characters more, saw the relationship between Robin and Edwin grow, that's when it got REALLY good! And spicy, it got very spicy, and I was all here for it!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the earc in return for an honest review.

A huge thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4⭐️ 4🌶

When I first heard about this being a M/M historical fiction-fantasy set in Edwardian London, I was already so intrigued and upon seeing the stunning the cover, I just knew that I had to read it ASAP!

This definitely did not disappoint! I enjoyed exploring the magical secret society and murder mystery plot. I loved Marske’s beautiful and engaging writing especially in the latter half when things started to pick up and I was trying to guess left and right on how things will turn out.

The characters were so fun and interesting! The banter they had was british humor at its finest which I enjoyed but my most favorite part in this book had to be the main leads, Robin and Edwin!

The dual POV did amazing in getting to know both characters and their sides of the story! With Robin being thrust upon this world he never knew existed until he was accidentally forced into a role he wasn’t familiar with and with Edwin, his unwilling partner in all these! I also like how we got to see Edwin’s position in his family. Despite having magic, he had the least amount in his family and seeing him get judged and bullied over it was so heartbreaking. Seeing them both come together and fighting against all odds was inspiring.

These two characters were impossible not to love but the part that took the cake for me was their relationship and growing romance! I absolutely loved the himbo/librarian dynamic between them as they tried to work together. All the chemistry, banter, flirting and sexual tension between them was everything!! These led to surprisingly steamy scenes that I was obsessed with.

I think my issue with this is had something to do with me not reading fantasy for a long time so it took me so long to be invested in the plot and understand the magic system. I was mostly reading for the romance and it wasn’t until halfway through that things picked up for me but once it did, it was smooth sailing until the end!

Overall, this was such a fun, magical read with perfectly steamy M/M romance! I love that this was a debut and I’m excited for more from Freya Marske! I highly recommend this if you’re a fan of plotlines with magical secret societies and murdery mystery.

A great m/m romance in a imaginative fantasy setting. I loved this book. Robin and Edwin are both great characters separately and together they are absolutely electric. I loved seeing their relationship develop and the sex scenes were some of the hottest that I have read. Even better, the plot and writing are incredibly solid and not just an afterthought to the romance. The magic system is fascinating with some ideas I haven’t come across in SFF books before. I can’t wait for the next book!

Another enjoyable one. Part mystery, part romance, part magic, as usual for the subgenre, it suited my mood well - I haven't read proper historical romance in a while.

Robin finds himself inexplicably assigned to the job of being the liaison between the mundane and magical worlds. There are only three little problems: he didn't know magic existed until his first day on the job, his predecessor may have been murdered, and he himself gets cursed. Four if we count Edwin, his frustrating and prickly counterpart on the magical side of things, who does not appreciate having to work with someone who has no clue.

The mystery plot of the murder and Robin's curse worked pretty well and the magic system was very interesting, one of the most unique spins on it I've seen in a while. But my favourite aspect was the characters. I got especially attached to the bookish Edwin (is it even a surprise?) and I liked that both of them hide some pretty nasty family-related trauma under the surface.

The romance didn't fall into my one favourite specific type, and the heat level was higher than I prefer (there are 3+ longish, explicit sex scenes), but I enjoyed it regardless. The sunny himbo/grumpy nerd dynamic was fun. I was initially afraid I'd find the constant sniping at each other tiring, but it luckily got better fast and from there on it was smooth sailing. The only thing I was slightly bothered by is the time scale - they got together after what the characters said was only a week, which seemed a little fast, and felt much longer to me while I was reading besides.

In short, this is a series I'll gladly continue.

We are thrown into the middle of a mystery, a missing persons case, and a fantasy world with wonderfully blended Victorian elements.

Robin has been mistakenly assigned to a post in the home office where he learns about the existence of magical societies. Edwin is more concerned with finding his missing colleague than with his replacement. But when Robin is cursed he doesn't have much choice.

Edwin is the epitome of a conservative librarian type. In his family, this was the safe space he carved out for himself. I had some trouble understanding Robin until about halfway through.

Robin and Edwin were mirrors for each other, showing one another their best and worst selves. Without Edwin, Robin would have continued giving himself away to others until there was nothing left of him.

The subtle glances, probing questions, small touches, all built into the most delicious slow burn. I loved getting to know these characters individually and as they grew closer.

Do not miss out on this book! This mystery is full of red herrings that will keep you glued to the page. And fair warning, you will be sticking around for the next book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaus for this ARC, A Marvellous Light is out on November 2nd!

Why you should read:
🏡Sentient houses
🌳Homicidal hedge mazes
📚Beautiful libraries
🪄Sibling rivalries and magical pranks
☠️Deadly magical curses
🍯Cinnamon roll jocks

In just a few paragraphs, I'm going to indulge myself here and let my thoughts ramble a bit, so this write-up will be as much inquiry as review, but I'll start with the review in condensed form. In A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske builds a world complete—detail after detail, one event leading into another, with an ethos just far enough off from the expected to surprise while feeling completely natural. This is utterly brilliant writing. Go, buy this book as soon as it's released, and clear your calendar for a day or two.

That said, a little background as a lead-in to the rambling—

Marske places her readers into a roughly turn of the 20th Century England, where magicians and non-magicians live side by side with the non-magicians having absolutely no idea of the parallel world they're also traveling through. Among the magicians, not everyone is equally powerful, and those with power in magic have power in their world, while those less powerful are shunted off into obscurity, where they make handy targets for mockery when those more powerful need a bit of entertainment. It's a viciously class-based society, though magic as much as money determines class position.

This England is profoundly sexist—which could be expected of any turn-of-the-century England. Both women and men have magic, but only men's magic is considered worth developing. The attitude is that any woman who attempts to study magic and to build her power will go mad long before she makes any real progress. This England is also profoundly homophobic, with Wilde's conviction for gross indecency only a few years in the past.

Our two central characters are gay men: non-magical Robin and magical Edwin. Edwin's magic is weak. He's also brilliant, even if he is too bullied and uncertain. Edwin believes in the systematic study of magic, not just the casual passing along of practices that currently dominates the British magical world. The two men meet when Robin is assigned to an apparently dead-end civil service position as—surprise!—a non-magical liaison to a magical world that is completely new to him. Edwin is Robin's equivalent within the magical world.

After this, the plot offers some familiar tropes, but only in the way that good stories tend to have common elements or arcs. Robin and Edwin fall in love (maybe) and battle complex powers of darkness that could accomplish who-knows-what-kinds-of-destruction. If any part of this summary might suggest that A Marvellous Light is the latest Harry Potter knock-off, let me assure you that it Most. Definitely. Is. Not.

And here comes the ramble, which I admit ahead of time perhaps gives the gender binary a sort of confirmed existence that I don't mean to credit it with...

I'm struck by the number of remarkably good books I've read in the last few years that are written by women (an assumption I'm making based on authors' names) but that are built around a passionate, yet fragile gay romance. Natasha Pulley offers an excellent example here with her three Watchmaker of Filigree Street titles and the stand-alone The Kingdoms. There's also Lindsay Faye's The King of Infinite Space. I can't abide straight romance, which I find ploddingly predictable. I also generally don't give a damn about how a straight romance works out. Because I'm a lesbian? Maybe. Because I've been immersed in that story line for my entire life and already know how the story ends? Definitely.

But a romance that involves two men, that has room for the uncertainties and the vulnerabilities that the gender binary has no use for—that kind of romance can move me to tears.

So what's that about? It's not as if gay men are anything new for me. But gay men created in detail by female writers seems to me both a particular accomplishment and a sign of the promising times we live in. The gender binary is breaking down—even if it's what led me to this line of thought. And that breakdown creates a wonderful flexibility within the world of love. We don't know all the ways we can be as humans, all the ways we can slide along that mythical but ever-present continuum of gender. "Things" are not what they once were, and I delight in the fact that the literary world is following (leading?) a broader, more celebrative path of human identity.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

A Marvellous Light
by Freya Marske
Pub Date: November 2, 2021
Tordotcom
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.
Thanks to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the ARC.
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
LGBT
Romance
3 stars

“You make me feel like something—extraordinary”

This is exactly the book I needed. Mystery, magic, and a slow-burn romance. Robin has just been appointed as a civil service liaison of a secret magic society. Being new to the job that he didn’t even know existed he finds out he might be in more trouble than he anticipated, due to the past employee in his position. Edwin is his counterpart in the magical bureaucracy and the one who shows Robin magic. He is not only cold and annoyed at Robin and the disappearance of his past employee but he also finds himself trying to solve the mystery of his disappearance alongside Robin who gets dragged into the magic world by a curse. Slowly they build a connection trying to follow the leads to get rid of a curse and understand the truth behind the disappearance. It’s a beautifully built magical world, with deadly mazes and crazy wicked magical games. I loved Robin’s and Edwin’s interactions from beginning to end. The way they slowly formed a friendship but also something much more. This book had so many mysteries I wanted to solve but at the same time, it had moments where I was holding my breath at what was happening. Of course, the slow burn romance and the sexual tension was also amazing and I was rooting for them so much the entire time. I was not dissatisfied with their spicy scenes and I am more than excited to continue reading and learning about this magical hidden world, to see more family and friend interactions, and to read what going to happen next. Overall, it was a beautiful, breathtaking, and stressful (in a good way) book to read and If you’re looking for some historical fantasy romance this is the book for you!

A Marvellous Light is the debut novel from Australian author Freya Marske. It's a fantasy (M-M) romance, featuring an early 20th century-esque Britain, in which magic is a real yet secret part of British society, with its protagonists being a non-magical and a magical cog in the bureaucracy that coordinates the magical and non-magical worlds/governments. But the story isn't really about that bureaucracy, with it instead focusing the romance between two men in a still homophobic British society, men who are the odd ones out in supposedly privileged families, as they grow closer together investigating a dangerous conspiracy and mystery.

And as a fantasy romance, A Marvellous Light is excellent, with the two leads having tremendous chemistry (even if it is a bit of a slow burn), the story featuring some excellent M-M sex scenes (that are magical in more ways than one), to go along with a plot that works in general very well. The story follows a number of classical romance story tropes that you'll see coming, but it pulls them off rather well, and the magical world it presents is familiar but very understandable. If the book has a flaw, it's that it hints at but doesn't really deal with the issues of colonialism that permeate its setting (the only notable persons of color are an Indian secretary and her sister). Still I have hopes that the series will get to that in subsequent books, and everything else here is really good.

Trigger Warning: Homophobia - the story takes place in an alternate early 20th century Britain, complete with the homophobia prominent in that culture (and its laws). It's not a major focus but it's an undercurrent for the characters to deal with in their romance.

-----------------------------------------------Plot Summary----------------------------------------------------
When Robin Blyth was appointed to the "Office of Special Domestic Affairs and Complaints", he knew it had to be another cruel prank by the noble politician that hated his family, and was now free to strike now that his parents were dead. But he took the position anyhow, because he needed the money to support himself and his now liberated sister.

He certainly never expected the position to be the a link between the ordinary British government and a secret magical society - or that magic even existed. Until Edwin Courcey, magical liaison to the office comes in and shows him what's out there. It's something he could never forget - especially after he gets jumped and cursed on the way home by some magical folks searching for something hidden away by his predecessor.

For Edwin Courcey, Robin is a pain - an administrative mistake in an important position in place of the predecessor Edwin had gotten used to. But Edwin endeavors anyhow to try and help Robin remove the curse and find out what Robin's assailants were looking for...even if that means going back to his home, where Edwin is belittled for having the weakest magical power. And yet...there's something in Robin's reactions to magic, to learning what's new, that intrigues Edwin...in a way he can't quite shake off...in a way he knows is dangerous.

But Robin's curse is far more dangerous than the two of them first realized, forcing Edwin and Robin to desperately search for answers....answers that will bring them closer together than they ever could have imagined.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Marvellous Light is in many ways a book with a very familiar setup for both fantasy and romance. From a romance perspective, you have a story told alternatingly from the perspectives of each of its leads, who slowly grow closer to each other over time...despite their fears of that relationship (especially as a M-M relationship in homophobic early 20th century Britain, where such a thing is a crime). From a fantasy setup, you have a British world with a secret magical underbelly, who uses that magic to erase the minds of non-magical people who often stumble onto it. From both perspectives, you have a Britain which is often Elitist in both magical and non-magical ways, leaving even those who might seem like they should have political, financial, or magical power but don't have it forced to fight for their own self-worth.

And yet, Marske takes all those familiar themes and setups and executes them in ways that never seem tired, and builds a fantasy romance that truly truly works. It helps that her two lead characters are excellent and have tremendous chemistry (and Marske is excellent with her dialogue). First there's Robin, the non-magical man who is at his very nature incredibly social...and yet at the same time feels overwhelmed due to the obligations and life forced upon him by his cruel gossiping parents when they died. Robin is curious and intuitive even if he's not a book-lover by nature, and so the idea of magic is fascinating to him, even as he isn't fascinating by the obsession over power he finds in the magical community. And in Edwin, he sees a man who cares about people, who is infuriatingly belittled, and who is insightful and well...marvelous, in ways that he notices Edwin's family overlooks. Robin sometimes runs from problems (like the support his sister needs), but his compassion and curiosity makes him a perfect fit for Edwin both romantically and as a partner exploring the mystery of the curse that's killing him.

For Edwin, he's always been belittled for his lack of great magical power, especially by his egotistical and bullying brother, as well as the rest of his family and family friends - other than his sick mother, who actually cares for him...when she's not sick. Edwin's response to his lack of power has been always to research new methods of magic, stuff he's not even able to do with his magical talent, and to become infuriated by how incurious others are with their gifts (especially as compared to in other countries). He's not a social bug like Robin is at heart, and Edwin fears getting close to people...because every relationship he's had, romantically or otherwise, has gotten him in trouble. And yet his caring and yearn for knowledge to make up for it, and with Robin he finds something he's never had before - a man who sees him not for a lack of power, but for a wonder. And so he can't help but grow closer, to want to not remove Robin's memory of it all, even as he fears how getting close to Robin will only allow himself to be hurt.

Marske takes the two of these characters and throws them into a mystery plot as they attempt to figure out what the antagonists wanted so badly to curse Robin for, which works well enough to draw the two characters close together incredibly well. The sex scenes here are really well done and creative, especially the one featuring Edwin experimenting with magic, and are decently explicit (so fair warning if you want more chaste romance). And much of the side characters are done well enough when they get page-time, like Robin's sister Maud or Miss Morrissey, the office's non-magical (from a magical family) secretary, who is pointed and sarcastic at times and just all round wonderful.

That said the story does kind of hint at but mostly overlook some natural issues with this setting, which is a bit of a flaw. The story does deal with the sexism of the magical community a good bit, (again Miss Morrissey and her sister, along with a older woman magician, make some major points) but those points are often forgotten for a while due to the fact that our protagonists are two men. Less dealt with, but hinted at are issues of race and the effects of the British empire - with the only two real characters of color being Miss Morrissey and her sister, and the book hinting at other magical cultures, but really only dealing with posh British culture as if that culture wasn't taking from elsewhere. It's something in this day and age I expect some exploration of, and that's not really here.

Still this is a truly fun fantasy romance, with a pair of characters I really grew to love, and who I hope I'll see more of in the rest of this trilogy - although I could very much enjoy a switch of main protagonists to feature other couples (Miss Morrissey and someone else maybe?). Recommended.

HIGHLIGHTS
~cat’s cradle, but magic
~smart magic > big magic, assholes
~MAGIC DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM
~how to tell your crush you’re queer & Interested: ‘I’ve read that book too’
~‘Woe.’

This book deserves every bit of the hype it’s been getting.

It’s incredibly, addictively readable – but it doesn’t skimp on the introspection or depth. There’s just enough worldbuilding to make the premise of a magical society hidden within our own believable, but not enough to bog down readers who aren’t interested in the cogs and gears under the hood of the story. The main characters – who you’re about 90% sure will get together by the end of the book – are strikingly different in personality; the contrast between them is great, and works to make them interlock like puzzle pieces, not clash. The cast of secondary characters are excellent; even if you despise more than one of them, there’s no denying that they feel very, very real, and Miss Morrissey and Maud (Robin’s badass sort-of-secretary and sister, respectively) are worth the price of admission all on their own!

It’s a ridiculously good book, is what I’m saying here.

A major part of what makes A Marvellous Light so marvelous is in how closely Marske sticks to some very well-beloved tropes, keeping the arc of the plot relatively predictable (and therefore comfortable), but surprising (and delighting) the reader with the at-first-glance minor details that end up subvert expectations. Robin, one of the main characters, is a pretty good example of this – at first glance, he’s the quintessential English Chap, fairly jolly, enthusiastic about cricket and rugby, to the point that bookish Edwin distrusts him. Heck, I distrusted him; I think most self-declared bookworms are a bit wary of That Type, because at best they’ll try and drag you away from your books, and at worst, they’ll bully you for preferring books to sports. But Robin does neither; in fact, our impression of him does a 180 almost immediately, when he’s enchanted (not magically) by his first glimpse of magic. He’s not shallow and sporty; there’s a lot more going on there. There’s a capacity for wonder that his public persona doesn’t hint at.

Edwin is very much the same: he also goes completely against our expectations within a page of our meeting him. He presents himself as cold and snooty, but he works a delicate, beautiful piece of magic to introduce Robin to its existence – he creates a snowflake. That’s not what I expected, when he was about to demonstrate a spell; I thought it would be something bigger, flashier. So did Robin.

I prefer the snowflake, though. That moment – Edwin’s choice and Robin’s reaction – really embodies the whole of the book. Everything you need to know, you can sum up with that scene. It’s wonderful.

I’m not sure what I can say that hasn’t been said better elsewhere. A Marvellous Light is just the right kind of readable to suck you in completely, so that before you know it you’ve read ten chapters and it’s time for bed but damn it you can’t go sleep now!!! It’s a book that makes you want to keep turning pages, not so much because it’s incredibly fast-paced – it’s not an action-thriller story, although I wouldn’t call it slow either! – as because of all the delicious Feels that are going on just beneath the surface. We alternate between being in Robin’s head and Edwin’s, which is perfect, because they’re such different people – and coming at this scenario from such different perspectives – that we really do need the insight into them both; there are many times when Edwin doesn’t understand Robin, and vice versa, but we know exactly what’s going on, because we get to see both sides of it.

There’s the best kind of fanfic-y feel to it all. You know? The warmth, the yumminess, the Feels, the certainty that everything’s going to work out but you’re still biting your nails because AHHH THE THING, AND THE OTHER THING, AND THE OTHER OTHER THING!

And I have to write a quick bit about Edwin specifically. I have an immense love for characters who use brains over brawn when it comes to magic, and Edwin is exactly that kind of character; having very little magical power has made him precise and creative with what he has. He’s the only magic-wielding character we meet interested in experimenting with magic and what it can do – he even creates his own spells, which we gather is very rare indeed. I loved seeing him be clever rather than powerful, and the way that that creativity and curiousity interacts with Robin’s I-don’t-know-what-is-and-isn’t-possible to get them out of some pretty bad scrapes. And although it broke my heart, the exploration of how his small amount of power has affected his relationship and standing with his family and society is incredibly well done.

The Marvellous Light had me turning pages as fast as I could, sighing, gasping, and holding my breath. It made me laugh way more than I thought it would, and also left me with the strong urge to stab quite a few fictional people. The quiet, subtle details that added new life to familiar tropes, or completely subverted them, delighted me. Even the aspect of the worldbuilding that made me roll my eyes at first (women aren’t taught proper magic, YAY FOR MISOGYNY) was more than redeemed by the time I reached the last page. Really, any doubts you have – about the world, the plot or the characters – will be reassured and resolved before the end.

Markse knows what she’s doing. Keep reading, and trust her.

And if you haven’t already, preorder The Marvellous Light – it’s out November 2nd!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, but ultimately I really fell in love with the story. It's described as a combination of Red. White and Royal Blue and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Sometimes I don't know if these comparisons are mainly because there aren't as many M/M romance/fantasy books, but I did find the pairing in this book to be really delightful and charming: himbo non-magical lower baronet thrust into civil service + not very powerful magician librarian with crippling insecurities.

What this book is: Definitely a romance. If you go into the book expecting a magical romance based mainly on library interactions and parlor games with family, then you will be happy!. This is not a book with an escapade every chapter, or constant action. It's a book with a lot of conversations and lot of warming up of icy exteriors. These two are learning about themselves and each other, and I thought their story was beautiful. ALSO this book is steamy. It is definitely an adult book, even though it takes awhile to get there. I would not call this crossover at all.

What this book is not: It is not, as I've said, non=stop fantasy action. I haven't finished JS and Mr. N, but from what I have read, this feels pretty accurate to the slowness of that book (although honestly that book is slower).

Overall, I was really happy to receive an early galley of this, and I look forward to adding the Illumicrate edition to my collection

Readers of Natasha Pulley and CL Polk will be thrilled by Freya Marske's debut -- A Marvellous Light is gorgeous, full to bursting with raw emotion and beautifully crafted. Each character leaps from the page fully formed, catching the reader's interest even if they only appear for a moment. The magic system and the magical world at large is fascinating and fresh, begging to be explored more fully in future books (and thank goodness, there will be more! A Marvellous Light is simply the first in what will surely be a brilliant series). As for the love story, be prepared to swoon -- Robin and Edwin are a fantastic match, at once butting heads and falling together so perfectly that you can't help but cheer them on (be prepared for several extremely explicit scenes, folks!).

A Marvellous Light does exactly what you want it to, and really, what higher compliment is there?

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was fun and the characters were lovely and I am very much looking forward to reading more books in this series.
I don’t often read historical books, but this one was really well done. Though perhaps I was simply won over by all the books, private libraries, and mildly obscure language…😁

A Marvellous Light sucked me in immediately--it's got fantastic world building, a fast moving plot, and well developed characters (even the side ones! Adelaide!). A truly excellent book. Reminiscent of both C.L. Polk and K.J. Charles, I'm ready for whatever Freya Marske has in store for us next.

A historical fantasy set in Edwardian England? Say no more! With a clever magic system, great worldbuilding, a well-plotted mystery, and two endearing main characters, "A Marvellous Light" immediately pulled me in and left me not wanting to put the book down until I finished. I really loved this book. I loved Robin and Edwin and their individual character growths, as well as the evolution of their relationship with each other. I loved the beautiful writing throughout the story. I loved the way the author plays with the setting, making the choice of this era very apparent and playing too with the reader's own knowledge of what's to come in the world these characters live in. (*cough cough, something really bad is going to happen in 1914*). With the tension of the story's own plot, along with larger historical events looming, I'm looking forward to seeing more books following this one and continuing this story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

3.5/5
A Marvellous Light is an enjoyable, well-paced read. The magic system is unique, appealing, and somewhat mysterious without being completely unexplained. Personally, I found the world and other aspects of the plot more appealing than the characters-- I was frequently unable to differentiate between Robin and Edwin without dialogue tags. The romance is prioritized above the fantasy world-building, which is only unfortunate because of the way the characters fail to be fully fleshed out. I think if future instalments manage to breathe enough life into the characters and their world without losing momentum, they could easily overcome the shortcomings of their predecessor. All that being said, I understand why the book is getting so much hype and I think it will continue to be popular among those who find the characterization is more to their personal taste.

okay so i was REALLY looking forward to this like i was so excited bc of the hype but it was so...not it. like there was no chemistry, it was kinda insta lovey, and idk

Took me a while to warm up to the characters and thats mainly because the start was super slow and the writing was dense. However i enjoyed it halfway through

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. A Marvellous Light is utterly delightful. I was able to read the first few chapters as a preview a month or two ago, and I was 100% hooked into the story before those chairs were over. Despite the fact that a whole new system of magic requires a bit of an info dump, the author managed to draw you in enough that it was all still interesting. The plot felt so high stakes (nothing inspires a person to investigate more quickly like a cursed tattoo), and the action was top notch. While I was not entirely surprised by the great villain reveal, it definitely was still a good conclusion to the story arc, and it left me wanting more. Overall, this was massively fun, and it is going straight to my keeper shelf.

This book is everything I've ever wanted. I had high expectations and Marske did not disappoint. It's filled with all of my favorite tropes: tattoo curses, charming-mc vs cold-but-secretly-shy mc, sentient houses, complicated family relationships, fisher kind lands, yarn magic, and AH. It was just incredible. It's the perfect blend of KJ Charles, TJ Klune, and all the notes you've ever scribbled on the back of museum brochures. I can't wait to sell this in my store and share it with people that I know will love it.