The narrator realllllly took me out of the story and I just could not buy anything the characters felt (not even in a fun unreliable narrator way) Reading sm*t scenes and emotional turmoil from an outside party, especially with the narrator’s own asides, just did not connect for me. Miss Bickle was the only character I sort of liked and even she was some sort of goofy sidekick caricature. I can’t like a character if I can’t get to know them (their emotions, their wants, the physical experiences) and this outside narrator made that impossible.

Additionally, the story was so all over the place and tried to do way too much (break a curse, fall in love, break another few curses, solve some riddles, maintain friendships, connect with family, live happily ever after, etc etc etc). None of it felt fully completed or described to a necessary extent and so much seemed like superfluous plot twists.

"Enjoy the story. Be assured that it involves unpleasant things happening to other people. I know that there is little you mortals enjoy more. In that regard, at least, you are much more like my own people than either of us might care to admit."

Mortal Follies balances many subjects whilst wearing many hats; it is a sapphic Regency era romance set in an England where fae and deities still hold power. Our verbose narrator, the Robin Goodfellow, follows a young Miss Maelys Mitchelmore who suffers from a curse. Hidden amongst polite prose and societal expectations is a story of Miss Mitchelmore discovering herself and pursuing her desires, namely Lady Georgianna Landrake. The first 50% of the story was so gripping that I could not put the book down. There was a gentle lull from 50% - 75%, which built up to the final arc of the book.

Each character we are introduced to is wonderful; they are vivid, faceted, and memorable. I sorely desire a book following Miss Bickle - perhaps she has her own romance on the horizon?

My sincerest gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Mortal Follies is the fantastical story of Miss Maelys Mitchelmore, who has just entered into society while bearing an unfortunate curse from a vengeful goddess. Along with her two companions, she enlists the help of the ironically named Duke of Annadale. Brooding and thoroughly Byronic, she immediately captures Maelys’ heart, despite her insistence that it would be unwise. After all, falling for an accused murderess and witch couldn’t possibly end well.

The story is narrated by Puck - the mischievous hobgoblin we all know from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is the only part of the book that I wasn’t sold on. Puck is intrusive, to put it lightly. It adds a whimsical flair, to be sure, but it could be very tiring. Once I was more into the story I noticed it less, however, and by the end I even appreciated a few things about it. I think it’ll be a hit or miss for many readers.

The majority of the action takes place in Bath - but not the Bath we know from Jane Austen’s works. This one is filled with magic and curses, fairies and old gods, and everything else you might imagine in Oberon and Titania’s otherworldly court. Not only that - being queer is something perfectly acceptable in this world. (After all, it’s just mathematics).

This book is billed as something for fans of Bridgerton- and I heartily agree! Puck’s narration certainly has the feel of Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers (not to mention their shared love for scandal). If you’re looking for spice, however, this is not the book. The majority takes place behind closed doors, but the push and pull dynamic between the two heroines is still fun to watch! I’d recommend this not only to fans of Bridgerton, but also those of Austen, Sappho, whimsy, and otherworldly delights.

DNF at 37%

I really wanted to love this. It looked beautifully whimsical and like the perfect read for a winters day. Sadly, it was not. It was boring and the vibes were nonexistent. The narration style would've been interesting for an interlude every once in a while, but it wasn't effective for the entire book. This just wasn't for me

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Closest I've come to a DNF in a long time. I love queer historical romance and I love fantastical elements but I absolutely hated the intrusive narrator - I wish there was more indication in the description/advertising for this book of just how silly/irreverent the narration style is. The good news is, it was easy to tell from page 1 that this wasn't for me. So if you read the first few pages and like it, you'll probably like the rest. If you read the first few pages and find it off-putting, eh, it probably isn't going to change your mind.

What an absolutely delightful book! I have long been a fan of Hall's books and this one is splendid as usual.

A book with a mix of references to Shakespeare, Austen, mythology, and magic? I am here for that! An unexpected narrator? Bring it on! A sapphic historical romance, with magic, mystery, and mayhem? Yes, please!

Mortal Follies is the story of Maelys Mitchelmore, a most agreeable heroine, and the adventures that befall her when magic and myth come to life in the most unexpected way while she is having a season at Bath. The story is set in Regency England but this is a Regency where magic is real and close, where gods and sprites and faeries walk (and sometimes wreak havoc) among the living.

The narrator is a hobgoblin–Puck–who we know from Shakespeare. His voice is engaging and amusing, his asides often hilarious, and his callbacks to Shakespeare's writing (and the playwright's many shortcomings) are refreshing and quite entertaining. His POV gives us both background and his insight and omniscience into the workings of gods and myth, as well as his impressions of the protagonists of the story. It is an unusual choice of narrator and one that Hall's pulls off quite deftly--it's brilliant, to be honest.

The characters are richly written–with quirks and personalities that make them live and breathe on the page, but also feel so entirely relatable. I loved Maelys from her first appearance and her best friend Miss Bickle is an absolute gem and one of the most amusing and entertaining characters in the book.

The central romance is between Maelys and the alluring and mysterious Duke of Allandale (Lady Georgiana)--the way their interactions progress is intriguing, charming, heartbreaking and deeply satisfying.

As always, Hall has an array of characters, all of whom catch attention and are three-dimensional and interesting in their own right–I would read an entire book on Miss Bickle, or Maelys's family, or cousin Mr. Caesar, and more.

The book was great fun to read. There was a very skilled balance of whimsy and reality, with themes of acceptance, self-discovery, self-realization, trust, found family, and the different facets of love woven beautifully into the narrative.

The plot is complex and the progressive reveal of the initial storyline held my interest and did give me some surprises. The book then segued wonderfully into a second storyline that incorporated the first, and continued to follow the characters as they continued to navigate their complex magical world.

It's truly a delightful book. Part romance, part historical fiction, part fantasy, party mystery, all blended beautifully into an entertaining and riveting narrative, with a very unique and amusing narrator. It is fun to see all the call backs to Shakespeare and Austen and myth, but a refreshing take on them all.

Also the cover is simply gorgeous.

Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book! I was sent the arc from the publisher! I love period type books and the characters were written really well. I loved the banter of the “narrator”. I laughed out loud at a couple of parts as well. The author did a great job of describing the characters and giving them all very distinct personalities.

If you think you know what you're walking into with an Alexis Hall book, you haven't read enough of them. He's always so versatile and inventive, so every book is a surprise. Mortal Follies falls on the more bonkers side, in the best way. This book is charming charming charming from that glorious cover to the last page.

Set in regency England...
and that's where the comparison with Bridgerton ends. This book has the trappings of a historical regency, but then it steps off into pure magic. Literally.

The story opens with a preface by our narrator, the Hobgoblin Puck as he sets expectations (there are fairies in this universe), grounding us in the rules of the magical world, cracking hilarious asides about the characters, and teasing us with the story he's compelled to weave. There's quite a bit of whimsical fourth-wall breakage and narrative sleights of hand throughout that remind the reader who is in charge of this tale. It's all very deft and tongue-in-cheek. I would read a spin-off all about Robin. This is really such a clever narrative device, and I'm not surprised Alexis Hall dreamed this up and managed to pull it off. Also, as I've come to expect, all the side characters added extra comedy. I'd also read Miss Bickel's book. She was a riot.

The story itself is a romance wrapped in a magical mystery. Miss Mitchelmore has been cursed, resulting in a variety of awful (though also funny) disasters. While searching for the culprit, she becomes acquainted with the Duke of Annandale, a mysterious woman with a scandalous reputation who comes to the rescue and catches Miss Mitchelmore's eye. Together, they form a sometimes cooperative, sometimes contentious team, while negotiating the chemistry sparking between them.

In this world, as in the two other historicals Alexis Hall published in the past year, there's a level of acceptance, at least in the immediate friend/family sphere, that allows his characters freedom to explore their queerness. Societal taboo isn't THE obstacle the romance needs to overcome, Miss Mitchelmore and the Duke of Annandale have to navigate issues of trust and power structures--and maybe death as well.

The denouement is just *chef's kiss*. So ridiculously clever and entertaining.

I am so grateful to NG and Del Ray for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballantine for this eARC.

I laughed. I got bored. I skimmed. I highlighted something that made me giggle. I kept waiting to be super engrossed.

Read and form your own opinions.

3.5/5

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This book was a blend of some of my favorite genres, fantasy, romance, and surprisingly comedy. The narrator was phenomenal (and funny) and one of the best parts of the whole book. I loved the dynamic between characters, but felt disconnected at times reading interactions through the narrator's eyes rather than the ones actually experiencing it. Pacing felt a little off, but overall it wasn't a bad read.

As a fan of Austen, Shakespeare, and Hall--I adore this book! Hall has the knack for writing in the regency style in a manner that is credible but still readable. In the usual Hall fashion, the characters are witty and lovable. The conceit of the surprise narrator is different from the other Hall novels I've read before. The experiment pays off--enabling the reader to get a wider perspective on events as well as providing some deus ex plot device when required in an entertaining way. I do wish that we had more information on that frame story (what landed the narrator in the predicament that required him to tell the tale??). I also felt the ending was, comparatively, a bit rushed. So much explanation was given to the lore and the magic, but once the Happily Ever After was achieved there was barely a scene between the lovers--and none between the supporting cast--to give closure. The narrator gives us a credible explanation why, but it's still somewhat dissatisfying. Nevertheless, full marks, bravo, "Follies" is a welcome addition to the sapphic shelves!

This book is Bridgerton, but gay, with magic, and instead of Lady Whistledown we have a snarky fair folk narrator. It’s fun it’s cute and love overcomes all.

“Mortal Follies” was an enjoyable story: the hobgoblin narrator with his commentary on the indignities of modern mortal society; Miss Mitchelmore’s parents, wrapped up in their scientific studies but taking in stride their daughter being cursed by a goddess; Miss Bickle and her fantastical notions and dreams, hoping for fairies, kelpies, adventures and danger; the interplay between Maelys Mitchelmore and Lady Georgiana, Duke of Annadale, as Maelys rethinks to whom she is attracted, and the Duke tries to push her away and yet keep her close.

What a delight. I'm a sucker for 19th and early 20th century fantastical queer romance with a good helping of comedy, and Mortal Follies definitely delivers on those fronts.

I'm also a sucker for anything by Alexis Hall. His ability (in this book and all others I've read) to center queerness, make consent sexy, never take himself or his books too seriously (because nothing is improved by taking itself too seriously), and highlight queer joy -- while also often addressing trauma, mental health issues, and/or structural oppression and individual prejudice -- is nothing short of masterful. He is a magician and an artist, truly.

What I loved in Mortal Follies:
-The narrator, who is a sprite and a character in their own right, despite (usually) only observing the story at hand
-The narrator's voice, or, in other words, Alexis Hall's incredible, self-aware, and fun writing style
-The fairy-full universe the story inhabits
-The bants
-The itty bitty amount of kink that found its way into the romantic arc
-The primary characters, and their relationships with one another
-Maelys's parents reaction when she tells them who she's attracted to

What didn't fully work for me:
-The plot felt a little... clunky? at times
-I wish there had been a bit stronger of an emotional connection written for the MCs, that made me root for them with more gusto

Really, though, Mortal Follies was a lot of fun. It's bright and sweet and silly and really wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Thank you, Net Galley and Del Rey for this ARC!

This book is a delight. I loved it—no surprise as I’m partial to both Puck’s antics and Alexis Hall’s words.

“Mortal Follies” has been described as “histromantasy,” and for me, it weaves together the best of all those genres into a truly whimsical tale.

The story is set in Regency England—an era our narrator Puck, a collector of stories, winks at in the Prologue as one we mortals simply adore. And the book embraces so many of the elements that make these historicals work for readers: the estates, the balls, the ton, the fashions…essentially, the Bridgerton of it all.

Except this world, while far from perfect, as Puck notes, is also one of magic. I’m not a big reader of fantasy in romance, but it really worked for me here. And the romance between Miss Mitchelmore and the Duke of Allandale (aka Lady Georgiana), which unfolds as they attempt to undo a curse, is lovely and tender in its exploration of trust and power. The course of true love never did run smooth, but we seek it all the same.

The characters are deftly crafted (I loved Mae’s friend Miss Bickle, with her yearning and her “tinging” (which I read as shipping) of characters real and fictional. I lol’d as she expounded on why characters from different Austen books should have gotten together. She’s also responsible for the line about weak-willed clergymen, referencing a certain Gothic novel and making me cackle.

It amazes me how Alexis Hall can bring such a recognizable authorial voice to so many different genres and types of stories—I marveled at the level of creativity and risk-taking.

I don’t think one has to have read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to enjoy this book, but I loved our unreliable narrator Puck, and the references to the play throughout. It’s the first Shakespeare I ever read. In fact, I remember precisely two things about 6th grade English class: First, my teacher was obsessed with correcting comma splices, a losing battle if I’ve ever heard of one. Second, I vividly remember having to recite Puck’s speech in front of the class and every word is burned in my brain for life.

Or maybe it was just a dream.

To start, a great big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for giving me an ARC for Mortal Follies. I am an absolutely massive Alexis Hall fan and when the approval came in for this book I was just shy of jumping for joy (I may not have jumped but I did send a very enthusiastic all-caps text to my husband), I needed some joy that day and that certainly brought it.

Mortal Follies is set the in the regency era romance fans have such a love for. It follows Maelys Mitchelmore, beautiful, kind...and cursed. Maelys tries to investigate her curse and survive it with the help of Ms. Bickle, Mr. Ceasar, and the mysterious Lady Georgianna, or as some might refer to her, The Duke of Annandale. Gossip surrounds the mysterious Lady Georgianna, and as she conveniently comes to Maelys rescue several times, suspicion, and romance, spread. Told from the point of view of a storytelling hobgoblin, this book follows the fabulous foursome as they navigate the world of both magic and regency while they navigate the stressors both propriety and curses can bring.

This book was very fun to read. I really liked the use of "the storyteller." I think the voice was very strong and really took the whimsical nature of this book to the next level. I struggled a bit with the romance, until the later part of the book. The one-sided nature and power dynamic felt a little frustrating to me, and I was waiting to see more of "why" there was a romance between the two characters, but eventually the book did get there. I thought the magical aspects of this book were wonderful. I think they were an interesting balance of whimsical, but also grounded and not always as perfect and pretty as we may expect. I would love to read another book (or two!) in this world with Ms. Bickle and then another with Mr. Cesar as the main love interests!

the lesbians were out in full force and i am thrilled.
this book was a firecracker. the narrative style was interesting and provided an entirely separate character with their own motivations that added something special to this story. i loved the characters and thought the world they inhabited wonderfully intriguing.

I would read Alexis Hall’s grocery list, so needless to say, I was thrilled for the opportunity to read Mortal Follies, which finds a suddenly cursed Maelys Mitchelmore and her friends launched into a world only one of them is keen on entering. As the title promises, there are follies galore, and several mortals, though most of the conflict is not of mortal provenance.

I found the narrative style particularly interesting, with an exiled Robin Goodfellow inserting himself into the story throughout. This narration indulges both the readers’ wicked thirst for chaos and their desire for sensible solutions as filtered through Robin’s criticisms of the characters’ more sensible decisions compared to his own puckish tendencies. He frequently inserts himself into the story in all his various disguises, an effect that forces the reader to reconsider the scene with him in mind. I found this to be fun rather than distracting, but I acknowledge that some readers might dislike this style.

Though Robin would abhor the comparison (or at least insist on his credit as the original storyteller), the similarities to Shakespeare are apparent, as are the characteristics of historical romances- with a sapphic twist. Throughout the book, Miss Mitchelmore works through a new understanding of her sexuality, but this discovery is met with curiosity and acceptance from all parties and is refreshingly lacking in conflict on this point. In the same vein, any conflicts that are not supernatural in origin arise from the characters’ internal conflicts rather than anything they are doing to each other. In typical Alexis Hall style, serious topics are treated seriously, even within the context of an otherwise humorous book.

The plot itself offers sufficient mystery and conflict to keep readers interested (which would no doubt please Miss Bickle). There is a charming mix of romance, witchcraft, and the wrath of vengeful gods, all of which are happening to characters who are likeable if sometimes over the top. I felt the plot was sometimes overshadowed by pacing issues and Robin’s narration. There were times I found myself wondering why Robin was still following a story that was seemingly resolved, but my patience was rewarded with an exciting and unexpected ending. I would recommend that readers in a similar situation trust in Robin’s expertise as a narrator (or rather his enthusiasm for avoiding boredom at all costs).

Overall, I found Mortal Follies to be the fun, charming romp, with genuine laugh-out-loud moments and a lot of heart that I’ve come to expect from Alexis Hall. I can’t wait for his next book- or grocery list, whatever.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the opportunity to read, rage and review this arc which is available for purchase June 6th,2023.

This is a sapphic romance full of magic, Georgian manners, balls and fluff. Maelys is cursed and it is a doozy so she turns to the black listed Duke of Annadale who happens to be a woman and a witch, Georgianna. What ensues is a series of adventures laced with the etiquette and manners of 1814 with a bit of romance. It was cute. The pacing was okay. Story got a bit boring and I had to force myself to finish this book. It is definitely worth the read if this is your bag but it just was not for me.

I loved this book. I’m a big fan of all the different genres that Alexis Hall writes in because they still have the same unique voice, amazing characters, wicked sense of humor and interesting word play that I am always delighted by. When he announced he was writing queer regency books I was so excited to read his take on this time period, and it does not disappoint.

This book is billed as Queer Fantasy Bridgerton, and that is exactly what it is, but it’s also a story where A Midsummer Night’s Dream is canon in a world full of goddesses, fairies, witches, magic waters and sorcerers and it’s great fun. Hall plays with Regency language in that the characters have polite etiquette, but the things that are happening around them and to them are extremely wild and it makes for a fun juxtaposition. Being queer is accepted in this world and all the women are strong-willed and marriage is not their goal. The Duke of Annadale is a woman and she and Miss Mitchelmore have to remove a curse together which brings a lot of magical hijinks. It’s both creative and refreshing.

Puck, a Hobgoblin, is the narrator and is so sassy and sarcastic I adored him. He plays the role of a Lady Whistledown where he is bound to tell us stories of all the hottest gossip that he witnesses first hand. We don’t learn what he did to deserve this fate, but it is a very clever device in the book. He interrupts the story to talk directly to us the reader to explain things to us and it’s super fun. Hall seems to delight in writing in Puck’s voice. I giggled along with everything he says.

There were so many things that reminded me of Bridgerton: the MCs bicker, but are attracted to eachother and won’t admit it (Anthony & Kate), someone falls into the water (Anthony), Maelys is super horny (Daphne), stubborn and tenacious (show Eloise), the Duke of Annadale is a brooding Duke (Anthony) and Maelys’s best friend Lizzie is a pure romantic dreamer (Benedict). Of course Puck is Lady Whistledown (Penelope).

If you are a fan of Bridgerton, queer romance or A Midsummer Night’s Dream you will love this book.

**Thanks to NetGalley & DelRey for the ARC***