A Fragile Enchantment by Alison Saft

A Regency England-inspired fantasy world that is a bit of a mess and not sure what it wants to be. 

In this romantic fantasy, a magical dressmaker, Niamh Ó Conchobhair, is commissioned for a royal wedding. She finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom. The whole story is very Bridgerton coded with The Tattler mirroring Lady Whistledown. This was fun in moments and disappointing in others because it has been done before and done a lot better than this.

Niamh is a bit of a mess herself. There were many moments where I couldn’t tell her personality. When we first meet Niamh we get this wonderful line: “Niamh could not content herself with obedience.” But it was sometimes forgotten and sometimes remembered. It did not feel like character growth when we would because it was fully up in the air. I wish we had gotten a b and c with this mc.

What is interesting about Niamh is the magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. The work she was doing in the beginning was so interesting. And then it really fell off in the middle. Her magic was the most interesting part and it wasn’t used as a plot point enough. And the part about how it could eventually kill her?Her illness is like a funny version of tendinitis. I would like to have it actually impact her more. To further her character not just the story. “No good ever came from loving fragile things” should have been a bit more heavy handed. Was she not ill? Not fragile? I just wish that plot point had been a bit more used. It was title for goodness sake.

Then there is the romance. Lackluster – it felt forced in almost every relationship. Kit Carmine (which I am assuming is Kit because of the 2015 Disney’s live action Cinderella movie) is the prince, the groom she is commissioned to make clothing for. He 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. (But it is crappy chemistry). Not the love story they tried to promise us.

Add in a bit of unrest among the working class and a royal family secret and this book just focuses on too much at one time.