Publication Date: 02nd Jan 2024
Genre: YA Romantic Fantasy
2.5 Stars
One Liner: Disjointed and scattered
Niamh Ó Conchobhair is a commoner but a gifted seamstress who can weave enchantments into the dresses she makes. This gets her an invitation to make dresses for the royal wedding in the kingdom of Avaland, a neighbor who has been oppressing her country for generations. Still, Niamh is not willing to let go of the chance to earn money and give her mother and gran a better life.
Soon, Niamh realizes things aren’t great in Avaland. The groom, Prince Kit (Christopher) is rude and is nothing more than a pawn in a political wedding. As Kit and Niamh spend time together, friendship and love bloom. However, someone knows or suspects it and is now blackmailing them to reveal some crucial secrets.
What will Niamh and Kit do? Fight for love, sacrifice for the kingdom, or find a way out to solve all problems?
The story comes in Niamh’s third-person POV.
What I Like:
- The cover of this edition is beautiful. It is whimsical and has an other-worldly feel, which suits the premise.
- The bare bones (intentions) are good, be it the conflict between the oppressor and oppressed countries, rich vs. poor, or a magical setting.
- Kit’s magic is well done. It’s the only part of the magical system that was detailed to an extent. Niamh’s talents show promise, but that’s it.
- Some descriptions are beautiful and paint a vivid picture of the setting.
- Infanta Rosa, Miriam, Sofia, and Sinclair have great potential.
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
Yes, I know this is YA romance. However, I can’t help but feel that the premise has been wasted and diluted. The book could have been more intricate and compact if it was written for an adult audience. (On that note, I’m not sure if Kit’s excessive smoking and the beginning of the love scene are suitable for younger YA readers.)
Niamh reminds me of Bella from Twilight. A comparison I would have liked in my early 20s but not now. Despite the narration not being her first-person POV (thank god!), there’s a lot of rambling. We need Kit’s POV to balance the narrative.
The political conflict and all that is so messy! Even if the conflict is meant for the lead couple to ‘overcome’ the obstacles, it should be streamlined. It’s apparently a fantasy take on England vs. Ireland history, not that it would make any difference. There isn’t a proper resolution, either.
The side characters are way better than the main ones. They should have been more fleshed out.
The romance between Niamh and Kit is okayish. We don’t really know what Kit thinks. We only know what others tell Niamh what Kit thinks/ feels. Convincing? Nope.
I wish we had seen Niamh work. I mean work-work like the seamstress she is- delegating jobs to the staff the prince gave her, choosing between different materials, etc. However, we are told she is overworked and killing herself in the process coz she is so selfless and needs to learn to be selfish. She spends more time with her ‘friends’ and poking her nose into the internal matters. (Yes, there are scenes of her sewing, but I want her to do more than stitch and hurt herself with the stupid needle coz she is overworked.)
The book has themes like class differences, political conflicts, civil unrest, political marriage, parental abuse, alcoholism, forbidden romance, a chronic, life-threatening illness (very vague stuff), etc. But none manages to make an impact.
And… why do we have so many adverbs? 5-6 per Kindle page are too many for my poor brain to ignore. Lots of ‘golden’ light too. *sob*
To summarize, A Fragile Enchantment has a fantastic premise but flatters in execution. Even for a YA read, it could have been better. It is just too disjointed to make an impact.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s (Wednesday Books), for the eARC.
#NetGalley
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