A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft is about a magical dressmaker who is hired to outfit the royal wedding.
Niamh has the power to put emotions into the dresses she creates which is why she is hired to create the outfits for the upcoming royal wedding. However, as soon as she meets the Prince who she is supposed to be making the clothes for, she immediately dislikes him. He is rude, arrogant, and insults her mercilessly. She is sure that she will be sent home any minute, but she needs this work to support her family back home. Soon Niamh is tangled in the politics of the court and dueling factions of the royals.
I loved the world building in the book. Allison Saft did a great job making the places described feel real. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life.

A warm and cozy romantasy with all the gossip, political intrigue, and romance of Bridgerton, but a more fantastical atmosphere. Although I found myself wanting more fantasy and explanation around the magic in this world, I really enjoyed it, particularly in audiobook format.

A Fragile Enchantment is like if Bridgerton and a magical fairy tale had a cute little book baby. Niamh is a magical seamstress commissioned by the royal family of Avaland to design a wedding wardrobe. The groom, Kit, is the grump to her sunshine, but as Niamh spends more time with him, she discovers the layers that lay beneath his prickly (but very attractive) surface.

The beginning of this story enchanted me, as the magical elements were introduced, but as the plot progressed and more political and fantastical elements were introduced, I found myself losing interest. Niamh is an endearing and well-formed main character, and the audiobook narrator's emotive performance made her perspective that much more compelling. I think you will enjoy this book if you like:
- grumpy/sunshine
- forbidden romance
- themes of sacrifice and family
- exploration of class systems in a fictional society
- political manipulations
- a lovely fantasy world filled with magic

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review! All opinions are my own.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for gifting me an eARC of my anticipated read of 2024, in exchange for an honest review.

Allison Saft is hands down one of my many new favorite authors.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft is a YA fantasy novel, set in a kingdom where a prince is set off to marry, and commissions a magical tailor to make him an outfit. But everything goes awry when a gossip column starts to write about how they're madly in love. Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland. But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous gossip columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

I loved Saft's Down Comes the Night (as it remains to be one of my favorite books of all time) and her A Far Wilder Magic. I loved this one to bits, because even though it removed most of the angst Saft typically includes. It instead gave the reader fluff and absolute adorableness. I was a little confused on the overall world building, but I was all for the romance between Niamh and Kit. And that ending just made me swoon. Don't be surprised if you catch me re-reading this one when it's fully published.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair is commissioned by the royal family of Avaland to tailor the wardrobe for a royal wedding. Niamh has a magical ability to sew memories and emotions into her designs, thus causing the wearer to have a magical experience. But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

Narrated by Fran Burgoyne

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance (closed door)
Regency inspired fantasy

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has a gift. She’s a dressmaker who can weave emotions into her clothing, creating magical masterpieces that transcend the ordinary. When the Prince Regent invites her from her native Machland to the royal palace in Avaland to serve as tailor for a wedding wardrobe to his younger brother Prince Christopher Carmine, she jumps at the chance to make not only a name for herself but to send money back to her family. Kit Carmine isn’t what she expected - he’s surly and crass, and absolutely wants nothing to do with a wedding or his bride or even his tailor - but Niamh wants to see beneath his thorns (figurative and magical) to his true character underneath.

This was an absolutely charming and utterly sweet book with fairy tale vibes. It’s a standalone book that borrows from Regency England for a baseline worldbuilding. The political landscape is familiar, with Ireland (Machland), England (Avaland), and Spain (Castilia), and the exploitation of the lower classes and in particular the Machlish servants who have been carrying the oppression and poverty caused by a Blight brought on by Kit’s father, the Mad King. Saft is able to give us a light-touch magic system - those with magic have distinct powers - that feels wholly relevant to character development and plot.

A Fragile Enchantment is YA only in the sense that the characters are on the younger side and in the perfect simplicity of the prose. The inner monologues feel age appropriate but not immature, and the overall plot kept me - distinctly not a YA reader - engaged. Allison Saft’s writing style is gentle and moving. She also brings charming and delightful LGBTQ+ representation: both main characters are bi, and there are other queer characters throughout, both touched by scandal and transcending it.

I switched back and forth between the audiobook and ebook versions of the book. I absolutely loved Fran Burgoyne’s narration and highly recommend listening to her lilting Irish accent for Niamh, which somehow brought even more magic to this fairy tale.

The fact that I stayed up until after 1am, running on 3 hrs of sleep to finish this, should speak for itself.

It was a slow start, and I definitely prefer the audio format, but once I got the Bridgerton vibe, I was hooked!

Hey. You. Come here. Come closer.

You know how Anthony and Kate in Bridgerton did that thing where they have a prickly beginning but fall in love any way despite their best efforts not to, and everyone but them knows, and then one of them is actively going forward with an unwanted wedding to another person because of 'duty' and what will make the other person happy but they're actually both just idiots?

Yes, that. But with magic. And it's PERFECTION.

Allison Saft has my whole heart and wallet at this point.