Set in an alternate Edwardian England, "A Marvellous Light" follows the story of Robin Blyth and Edwin Courcey, who are drawn into a conspiracy involving a mysterious Last Contract that could alter England's magical hierarchy. As Robin, a young noble, discovers the existence of magic and joins forces with the magic-wielding Edwin, their slow burn romance unfolds amidst a backdrop of danger and intrigue. The book combines elements of mystery, romance, and magic, with a focus on the development of the main characters and their relationship as they navigate a world where power dynamics and secrets shape their journey.
The author, Freya Marske, introduces a magical world adjacent to Edwardian England, where a system of magic intertwines with a cozy, methodical plot that gradually unfolds the mysteries at play. Through the lens of Edwin and Robin's evolving relationship, readers are immersed in a lush world rich in detail and intrigue, with a narrative that balances romance, magic, and historical elements seamlessly.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers and content warnings for the book include themes of homophobia and potentially distressing portrayals of classism.
Has Romance?
There is a high level of romance in A Marvellous Light, which is central to the plot.
From The Publisher:
An International Bestseller!
An Indie Next Pick!
A LibraryReads Pick!
With Four Starred Reviews
A Best of 2021 Pick in SFF for NPR | Amazon | Kobo
Red, White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in debut author Freya Marske's A Marvellous Light, featuring an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies.
Robin Blyth has more than enough bother in his life. He's struggling to be a good older brother, a responsible employer, and the harried baronet of a seat gutted by his late parents' excesses. When an administrative mistake sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what's been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he's always known.
Now Robin must contend with the beauty and danger of magic, an excruciating deadly curse, and the alarming visions of the future that come with it-not to mention Edwin Courcey, his cold and prickly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, who clearly wishes Robin were anyone and anywhere else.
Robin's predecessor has disappeared, and the mystery of what happened to him reveals unsettling truths about the very oldest stories they've been told about the land they live on and what binds it. Thrown together and facing unexpected dangers, Robin and Edwin discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles-and a secret that more than one person has already died to keep.
Ratings (50)
Incredible (8) | |
Loved It (20) | |
Liked It (13) | |
It Was OK (5) | |
Did Not Like (4) |
Reader Stats (150):
Read It (52) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (79) | |
Did Not Finish (3) | |
Not Interested (14) |
3 comment(s)
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I didn't completely love it as I had hoped it deserves no less than 4 stars. Enjoyed the writing style and the audiobook narration and definitely intrigued enough to read the next one in the series
90% loved it, 10% irked by it. I really like the magic system and magical world-building. The stuff about the roles and feelings of unmagical people from magic families is cool. The surfacing of the ways men discount women and the reasons they shouldn't is awesome. I mostly liked the romance, and I thought the mystery/thriller aspects were well-done and well-integrated with everything else. But
the third-act breakup felt too much part of a romance formula, and the way it was resolved by the thriller plot bringing them back together with no indication of whether they would have ever fixed it themselves without that felt annoyingly deus ex machina.
The characters are warm and complex with a magical world that never stops building on layers. It left me with so many questions and possibilities.
What can you read after
A Marvellous Light?
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