I love Alexis Hall in their work with modern stories and romances, but I don’t think fantasy is their wheelhouse. I wasn’t much a fan of the way the story was written, the POV really threw me, but it was still a good story!

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall was surprising in many ways. Mostly good! To start I loved almost all of the characters and how they interacted with each other. Mae, Lizzie & John were a perfect little queer friend/cousin trio. The way they supported, loved and cared for each other, idiosyncrasies and all, was heartwarming, tender and funny. The whole book could have followed their hijinxs alone - no romance necessary (I know, I know! You'll see why below.). The addition of our narrator, a cranky hobgoblin named Robin, who’s storytelling was eerily similar to Billy Shakespeare (IYKYK), made Mortal Follies an absolutely hilarious romp of a historic fantasy romance. I loved following the story through Robin's eyes and would gladly read anything told my them.

Unfortunately, there were a few things I wasn't too excited about. First, the book felt like two completely different stories. First half was one story and the second half was another story with the same characters. I think the book would have been much stronger if these two vastly different plots would have been interwoven more. This leads to the second thing I didn't like, which unfortunately was one of MC's, Lady Georgiana aka the Duke of Annadale. She was a pretty awful person, which I think was a circumstance of her upbringing, but honestly I don't think she really redeemed herself at all during the story and I'm not sure why Mae was so devoted to her. However, I think if the two stories I talked about above had meshed, there would have been more opportunity for Lady G's character to be explained and for her to grow. The third and final thing I didn't like was the last line. What. The. Heck? What does that even mean?

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was fun, but my brain won't remember this as a sapphic romance,

It was difficult to be invested in the romance with such a strong narrator. I love the creativity of it, but I could not focus on the romance, the hobgoblin's personality was just to distracting.

This was a bit slow for me at times but I did finally get into it and finish it. Minus the narrator, I liked this romance and will definitely keep reading Alexis Hall, although I’m not fast enough to keep up with the publication schedule!

I wasn't sure about this one at first. It started out a bit too absurd, and the world-building could have used some work to make it a little less confusing. However, as the story went on, the characters really started to grow on me, and it became genuinely funny. I ended up enjoying it quite a lot. I'd give it 3.5 stars.

I enjoy the uniqueness of Alexis Hall's writing and storytelling. Mortal Follies stands out from the author's previous work I've read as it combines the witty banter and hilarious cast of characters that I found Hall repeatedly delivers, with a fantastical twist of witches, curses, fairies and gods.

While this is typically outside of my reading comfort zone, it was entertaining. I also found it a bit more of a slow burn with more of a closed-door spice level than some of Hall's other books.

For me personally, it ran a little long and repetitive. The arguing between friends (and lovers), the narrator and the different trials gave me a bit of deja vu. I look forward to seeing what Alexis Hall writes next though!

Thank you to Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Del Rey for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s the summer of 1814 in a world where fairies exist on the outskirts of human society and Miss Maelys Mitchelmore, despite being exceedingly eligible, is having a rough time. There’s the irritating suitors, her eccentric parents, oh, and the curse which quickly escalates from her risking her honor to her risking her life.

The only person who is able to help her is Miss Georgianna Landrake, the Duke of Annadale, who may or may not be a dark sorceress who led to the deaths of all her male relatives. Maelys’ friends think Georgianna is more of a suspect than an ally, but she keeps saving Mae’s life. Georgianna can’t be all bad, can she? Especially when she’s so beautiful…

Narrated by Robin, a mischievous fairy you may recognize from Midsummer Night’s Dream, Maelys and Georgianna must work together to unravel the curse, but even if they do it, will Maelys be able to pursue her attraction to Georgianna? Will Georgianna be brave enough to let her in?

Doesn’t that sound like so much fun? For the most part, it was. I laughed out loud a few times reading this book. I sent quotes to a few friends and am recommending it, but it didn’t bowl me over the way A Lady for a Duke did. That book influenced me as a writer and consumer of queer historical romance for the long run- this one was just pretty fun.

My biggest complaint is that the use of Robin as a narrator sometimes distanced me from the action; this is a difficult complaint because Robin also provided some of the funniest moments, but their presence and commentary often added another layer between me and the characters and it absolutely ruined some of the intimacy. (One example- Robin calls Maelys “Miss Mitchelmore,” even when she’s with friends who call her Mae. It made me feel like an interloper rather than someone close to her story.) Without Robin, this book is a bit less unique; with them, I struggled to feel close to the action at times. I don’t think I’d prefer this book without Robin, but I think Hall could have balanced their use of him for a more enjoyable experience.

This distance made it hard to connect deeply with the characters, but I enjoyed both our leads. I love how Maelys consistently brushes off Georgianna’s exterior performance of “I’m dark and brooding and probably bad for you” by refusing to really acknowledge the argument. My favorite character was Miss Bickle, Mae’s friend who is determined to make friends with fairies, even the definitely murderous ones.

On the whole- glad I read. Would recommend for a fun, fast read. The pacing is a bit off at the end, but I still raced through it. While it could have been executed better, Hall is a great writer, and you can’t really go wrong with Regency era sapphic romance featuring fairies.

Alexis Hall does it again, this time with a Sapphic romance as told by Puck. This was truly everything I wanted out of a book. It was fun. It was emotional. It was irreverent. A delicious romp through regency romance through the eyes of an untrustworthy narrator who really only wants one thing... well 2 - money and returning to the fairy lands from whence he's escaped.

For fans of regency romance who maybe would prefer an WLW romance.

I am such a big fan of the characters from a midsummer nights dream, so I was hoping this would be just as good. I liked that it was queer, I thought that storyline was interesting. I just didn’t think it was anything extraordinary. It seemed like it was going for a spicy cozy fantasy. If there even is such a thing. I suppose it was good for what it was. I will always pick up a story about Oberon’s jester, Robin Goodfellow.



Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts off with the narrator breaking the fourth wall, then he just continues to do it over and over. I'm saying that as a good thing, I promise!

The narrator follows a group of friends to tell their tale of being cursed, killing to cure the curse, love story blossoming, another curse, a sacrifice to cure curse 2, and a bunch or riddles to reverse the sacrifice. It seems very 3rd person point of view until the narrator says something on the side and you are like "OH YEAH! He does exist!"

There is plenty of things that kept me going in this book. I loved the characters connection to one another. I loved that no matter how hard a love interest was pushed away they just kept pushing back. Overall there was just many things happening that kept you captivated on multiple levels.

Genre: adult historical urban fantasy romance
Rating: 3/5⭐️
Rep: queer, with lesbian MC, and gay side characters
Triggers: internalized homophobia, insects (bees), ritual animal sacrifice
Emojis: 🐝 🗿🧚‍♀️🎩

I had an overall good time with the story, but I really think the writing style really hindered my enjoyment and I had to push myself to read it at times.

The queer relationship is quite nice, with an exciting twist in the historical romance with the addition of nefarious fairies and spirits, supernatural curses, and vengeful gods.
Combining the usual Regency setting of London and Bath, giving a Jane Austen feel to the story, with whimsical fairies reminiscent of Shakespeare is a really fun and innovative twist, and I really enjoyed this combination.

I also loved the sad but true depiction of queer characters and how they found ways to still be free, albeit in a total secrecy, inside their own spheres. I wish it would have been more prominent in the story, but as we follow ladies, they are not as free with their movements and cannot actually join those spheres.

I loved Miss Bickle, who is the main character’s best friend, and is completely nonsensical and always searching for the supernatural 😂
She might not be the most reliable for everyday society issues, but she certainly knows a lot about supernatural ones and can help you in a pinch to solve riddles, get fairy-made garments, or find ghosts (maybe not that one 😅)

Now, you might ask yourself why I didn’t give a higher rating, and that is due mostly to the writing style.
The author decided to add in a narrator that is recounting the events, as a hobgoblin storyteller from the fairy court of Lord Oberon. While a fun gimmick at the start, it becomes tedious really fast, when for every scene the narrator tells us which appearance he took (either a bird, mouse, insect, or even mist and shadow), and how he inserted himself in the story (which nearly never goes beyond undoing someone’s tie, or transforming their dreams)…

Mortal Follies is a tale of curses, love, murder, and whimsy. We are being told this story from the perspective of Robin, a little stinker of a hobgoblin who has parted ways with his king for reasons unknown. No matter, because this isn't his story, it's Maelys and Georgiana's story.

Maelys has been cursed by a man whose entitlement ends up being his demise. Maelys spends the first half of her tale unraveling this mystery with the help of her eccentric and handsomely wealthy friend Lysistrata, her cousin John, and the brash yet accommodating Duke of Annadale, who despite her title is a lady and also a suspected witch.

Mortal Follies was a silly goofy time with surprisingly high stakes. The narrator, while insisting on not being a main character, was the star of the show for me. I loved his voice, his shenanigans, and his reluctance to interfere with his subjects. A major benefit of having a narrator who acknowledges the audience is that as readers we can be spoken to directly and succinctly which really helps when explaining the magic and lore of the world we're learning about.

Maelys and Georgiana didn't really make sense to me, though. The relationship went from 0-I would die for you in what felt like no time despite the story taking place over several months. Historical romances move along at a faster pace when strictly speaking of timelines but Mortal Follies lacked a lot of romantic tension because we were so focused on figuring out who cursed Maelys in the first two acts. It's important to note that I struggle with the four-act structures that Alexis Hall loves so much but even so, it felt like Hall sort of forgot he was writing a romance until the last third of the book.

Overall, I loved this story but it was lacking in a few major areas so it's 3.75 stars, rounded up, for me.

I am a *huge* fan of 'Boyfriend Material" so I knew from the start this little gay magic book would be a fantastic read, and I was correct in every way. Filled with the perfect blend of romance, magic, and humor, this book is a delightful summer read for anyone seeking some magic in their romantic life.

Personal Review: A young noblewoman must pair up with an alleged witch to ward off a curse in this fresh and delightful novel with hints of Jane Austen.

Synopsis: It is the year 1814, and life for a young lady of good breeding has many difficulties. There are balls to attend, fashions to follow, marriages to consider, and, of course, the tiny complication of existing in a world swarming with fairy spirits, interfering deities, and actual straight-up sorcerers.

Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into high society hindered by an irritating curse. It begins innocuously enough with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at a high-profile ball, a scandal she narrowly manages to escape.

However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, Miss Mitchelmore must seek out aid, even if that means mixing with undesirable company. And there are few less desirable than Lady Georgiana Landrake—a brooding, alluring young woman sardonically nicknamed “the Duke of Annadale”—who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune. If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress. Then again, a malign enchantress might be exactly what Miss Mitchelmore needs.

I realized something with this book - I am not Alexis Hall's audience. I loved Boyfriend Material. I loved Something Fabulous. Virtually everything else I've tried to read has been slow and monotonous. Too much telling and now enough showing so I never really connect with the story or the characters. This author has a very British style of story telling (understandably so) and I've realized over the last couple of years that while I love British comedy and tv, I DON'T love British books. So yeah, this is very much a "it's not you, it's me" situation, and I've learned my lesson and will stop requesting arcs for this author.

okay but that cover though? absolutely stunning!! i’m obsessed with it. onto the story: i really enjoyed this queer fantasy. i loved the magical aspects and the witches and fairies and just everything about it. the perfect queer romantasy read.

This book was challenging for me to get through. I don't know if it was reading a book set in the 1800s as I haven't done that in a while or the plot or both. There was just not a lot that was captivating to me here. I kept hoping that things would get better and they really didn't for me.

Miss Mitchelmore has started a new season in the town and is recognizing that her time to get married is getting closer and closer. A few strange incidents happen that seem to involve some supernatural beings and in each of these instances she is saved by the Duke of Annadale, who is in fact a woman. After SEVERAL chapters of searching and talking about what could be ailing her, she realizes that she has been cursed. Then we spend SEVERAL MORE chapters trying to figure out her cursed her. Throughout these chapters, Miss Mitchemore is realizing that she gets flutters in her stomach whenever the Duke is around but not really when men are around. I have to say I was a little surprised when we find out the person who put the curse on Miss Mitchelmore. That went sideways kind of fast.

After that situation is taken care of, Miss Mitchelmore moves on to determine if what she is feeling is reciprocated which takes SEVERAL more chapters. Then when you think things are going well- she is cursed yet again. This girl just can't seem to catch a break.

This book seemed to want to have a lot happening without a lot actually happening. There was a lot of detail described around the era and the surroundings but really just not a lot of plot in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book so badly. It sounds like something I would absolutely devour and be absolutely feral about. Unfortunately, something about it didn't click and I found it to be a slog to get through, to the point where I was skimming just to get an idea of what was happening. Maybe it was the style of narration that made it fall flat for me, as that was something that annoyed me even in the beginning when I was riding the high of 'this is going to be so good'.

Whatever it was, I gave it my all and really did want to enjoy it; but, our stars were not meant to align.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC!

A laugh out loud funny story of Miss Maelys Mitchelmore in regency England falling in love with Lady Georgiana Landrake who is suspected of murdering basically her entire family all told from the perspective of a hobgoblin.

3.5

This was such an interesting premise for a read and the way it was narrated.

I enjoyed our narrator with their storytelling, but also at times struggled to follow the story due to it.

I think overall it had the same magic of Alexis Hall's writing with great comedic moments, swoon worthy romance and characters I love.