I wanted to like this book so much, but in the end this was a soft DNF for me--it wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me. Its very zany, in a way that I often love with Alexis Hall, but the fantasy elements just never really landed for me and there was a lack of worldbuilding that had me constantly feeling like I'd missed something. I would absolutely try reading this again at some point in the future (it may have just been that I wasn't in the mood for this) but I sort of doubt that this will ever land the way I want. Still, even with only getting to 50% I think this is a book I'd feel comfortable recommending to readers who are looking for the kind of weird, creative, and slightly unhinged energy that Alexis Hall is so capable of of. In the end it just wasn't for me.

Mortal Follies is a regency fantasy with a hobgoblin narrator, a curse, and a sapphic romance. The witty banter between characters is a highlight, especially Miss Bickle, who steals the show. While the writing is charming and the humor enjoyable, the narration style and romance fell short for me. The plot relies on familiar tropes, but if you love regency fantasy, it’s worth a read for the lively dialogue.

So we are being told this story from the POV of the "author" and she is hilarious. They are trying to keep themselves alive, now that they have to worry about that thing. So they went back in time to follow our MC as she tries to not die a few times. I loved that it was a regency type book but amazingly queer. The world of magic mixed in with real life was so much fun.
My biggest complaint was that i felt that it was two different stories put into one book. After the first curse is broken the story feels over. Then you start a whole other story, which is enjoyable, but not cohesive.

I really loved this. I read it while I was working at a Shakespeare company and to have Puck be the little sprightly narrator breaking the fourth wall was delightful for me. It was super stylized in a way that was also very delightful for me. (Though I understand why it might not work for everyone.) I know this is one I may not remember all the details or characters or beats of - mostly because those are almost always immediately gone from my brain with any book - but I will remember that it made me feel so warm and happy and genuinely laugh out loud at several points. I will remember that it was sapphic and

I did not enjoy this. This did not click for me. The idea of a sapphic fantasy romance is new and exciting. This was not.

I started this, but I could not get into it. I normally love Alexis Hall books, but I just couldn't keep going with this one. There wasn't anything that really drew me in. I'm sure others will love it, it just wasn't for me.

Honestly I wanted to love this book so much, The cover is incredible and the narrator started off amazing but i quickly lost interest and the second half dragged for me. It was so unique and I had the highest hopes! It ultimately just wasn’t for me.

This is going to sound weird to say about an almost 400 page book but - I wanted more from it. Hall seems a little confused about what book she wants to tell - does she want a fun little mystery? Does she want a love story? Does she want to write about a whole world with vastly different magic rules? As a result, even though the book had plenty of room to tell a good story, it ultimately was a little bit of a letdown, because none of the aspects were executed to what I think Hall is capable of.

That said, the cover is beautiful and the vibes are good! The narrator’s voice was so fun that I will read Hall’s next book too - I think she has a lot of potential!

I am an Alexis Hall fan but sadly this was a miss for me. There was just soooooo much going on and not enough chemistry to keep me interested, though I did eventually finish this book after many false starts.

A swoon-worthy regency queer romance, full of curses and tricks of the Fae. The cast of characters are impossible not to love, and the drama is highly entertaining. I could not love this book more!

Alexis Hall, one of my favorite authors, has done it again. I LOVED Mortal Follies. It's creative, funny, and full of heart. I went back and forth between the digital copy and the audiobook, and Nneka Okoye is a PHENOMENAL narrator and was delightful to listen to.

Maelys, our main character, finds herself the unfortunate victim of a curse as soon as she tries to enter society. Enter Lady Georgiana, the "Duke" of Annadale, who has a dubious reputation, but may be the only one who can help Maelys, and a very familiar narrator, and you have easily one of my favorite reads of this year. I openly laughed multiple times and Hall is an absolute wizard when it comes to making me love the characters he writes with everything I have. I'm so excited that there is going to be another book, and I definitely recommend.

I liked the premise and the whimsical writing style but didn’t quite connect with it. It was a little too forced.

DNFd very early on unfortunately, the writing wasn't for me. I think Alexis hall may be a one hit wonder for me personally, I haven't been able to enjoy anything else he's written

Another interesting Alexis Hall adventure. I tend to prefer this author's style with historical settings, and this is another example of those settings playing to the writer's strengths.

Mortal Follies by Alex Hall. Pub Date: June 6, 2023. Rating: 2 stars. I was intrigued by the storyline of historical romantic fantasy with witchy vibes but honestly, this book did not do it for me. I felt it was cluttered, all of over the place, weirdly paced and way too long. The author is very descriptive and the reader does feel immersed in the world the author is trying to create but I found it very hard to focus and follow. Expectations were high with this one, but execution was unfortunately low. Thanks to #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #mortalfollies

This book was so so so good I was blown away. I am obsessed with the way the story was told, the dialog, part of it had me laughing out loud.

This is a DNF for me but I think it's completely me and not the book. I just wasn't invested and could care less about what was going to happen so I had to walk away.

Alexis Hall can do now wrong. Incredible! I was worried I had ruined myself by starting to read Alexis’s books with “A Lady for a Duke” because it was THAT beautiful.
But I’m glad to see that I was wrong!

Mortal Follies is a cute, historical, LGBTQ+ fantasy fiction told from the point of view of a rather uncharitable fairy. This isn't my favorite of all of Alexis Hall's books, and I did get a bit lost in the plot/worldbuilding a few times, but was very enjoyable!

I had such high hopes for this book, the synopsis sounded so fun.

I had a really hard time getting into the book, it felt lacking in the plot and character development. This was just not the book for me.