A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
Young Adult Fantasy
Published January 2, 2024 by Wednesday Books

Reviewed by Kate

A Fragile Enchantment was one of my very highly anticipated books. I love anything Regency England inspired with magic, and this book delivered on that premise. 

A Fragile Enchantment has a lot of storylines. Niamh is from a poor country neighboring Avaland, and all she wants is to provide for her family. She gets invited to make the prince’s wedding attire in Avaland and goes there with the intent of making enough to bring her family with her after the wedding. She doesn’t anticipate being embroiled in scandal. Then, there’s the backdrop of a social uprising regarding the treatment of the citizens of Niamh’s native Machland, an anonymous social columnist (a la Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton), and clearly something going wrong in the palace. The book does not lack plot. It made it a very easy read – there was always some reveal which the characters seemed to be rushing toward throughout the whole story. It’s angsty at times and utterly charming at other times, but there’s always a lot going on.

The strongest part of A Fragile Enchantment is the characters. Nuanced and frequently flawed, I really did love all of them. Were there moments when I felt like Niamh was being idiotic? 100% yes. (However, what young adult fantasy female main character doesn’t suffer from a little bit of stupidity?) But she was so focused on her goals and willing to risk it all for those she loved. And Kit was a delightfully grumpy hero in contrast. It was fun to watch him slowly morph over the book from a grumpy jerk to a character with depth and understandable demons. Also, the side characters are so well drawn out. I felt like I knew them, and even though some of them were barely on the page, their personalities were so distinct that I don’t have trouble recalling them as I write this review (not always the case, let me tell you). 

I do have one quibble about the book, however. The setting was very clearly inspired by our real world, and I felt like the world building suffered for it. It very clearly was leaning on the reader’s knowledge of the world to fill in blanks. For example, the prince’s fiancé was from Castilia, but they speak Spanish. It just felt like countries and religions were given new names and that was that. Additionally, the magic was never really explained – it’s just thrown in there. It honestly didn’t even feel that necessary, and it almost would have been better if Niamh had been invited as a dressmaker as a result of her dressmaking skills, not her magic skills. 

Overall, A Fragile Enchantment is a delightful Regency-esque standalone fantasy with amazing characters, and an interesting plot. I would recommend it to those who want a grumpy/sunshine pairing, enjoy some political intrigue in their magical romance or love a Cinderella-style plotline. 

Grade: B

Content notes: Homophobia, references to alcoholism