Niamh Ó Conchobhair’s life revolves around securing her family’s legacy. As the last of the Ó Conchobhair’s, Niamh sees it as her job to make sure her mother and grandmother are taken care of as conditions continue to worsen in Machland. The country is still haunted by their hard-won war for independence and the Blight that devastated the land–a horrifying act of magic by the previous king of the colonizing Avaland.
Niamh also wants to preserve her family’s memory as some of the best tailors in Machland and beyond–using their divine magic to sew memories and emotions into everything they create. The problem is that every bit of magical craft also saps just a bit more of Niamh’s strength and vitality. She’s managed to ignore the signs so far but even she can’t pretend away the growing streak of white in her hair.
Being commissioned to design the wedding garments for Christopher Carmine, the younger prince of Avaland, and his Castilian bride the Infanta Rosa is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Niamh will be able to demonstrate her skill on an international stage while also earning enough to settle her family in a new home far from Machland’s privation. Niamh has always known she isn’t destined for a fairytale story but she hopes this gamble will be worth it, bringing stability and maybe even a chance for rest.
Niamh is unprepared for the disarray she finds upon arriving in Avaland. Protests are rampant as Machlish workers quit en masse to demand fair wages and better conditions. The Prince Regent is distracted, more concerned with planning his brother’s wedding than acknowledging the unrest outside his doors or the pointed gossip columnist determined to keep the monarchy accountable.
Then there’s the betrothed couple. Rosa is grimly determined to follow through with the wedding for political means and strategies even if it will be a loveless union. Kit refuses to acknowledge the rapidly approaching wedding at all or to cooperate in any part of the planning. All of which leaves Niamh scrambling to assemble her intricate designs for a season’s worth of occasions leading up to the ceremony.
With rumors swirling in the society pages and secrets lurking in every corner of the palace, Niamh becomes dangerously entangled in the lives of these eccentric royals–especially Kit who proves to be as shockingly abrasive as he is secretly kind. A lowly Machlish tailor developing feelings for an Avlish prince would be a disaster. The prince returning those feelings could become an international incident in A Fragile Enchantment (2024) by Allison Saft.
A Fragile Enchantment is a standalone fantasy romance. The story is narrated by Niamh and fileld with lavish descriptions that make use of her tailor’s eye while taking in the fashions and decor thorughout Avaland. Neve and Kit are white. The Infanta Rosa and other characters from Castilia are cued as Hispanic or Latinx adjacent with a variety of skintones mentioned among tertiary characters. Many characters, including Niamh and Kit fall across the LGBTQ+ spectrum as well. Check out the audiobook narrated by Fran Burgoyne to catch all the Machlish pronunciation.
Saft pulls from history for her world building which situates the story as a Victorian romance (think full skirted gowns and the Industrial Revolution) rather than the more familiar Regency period famously shown in the likes of Bridgerton and the works of Jane Austen. Avaland and Machland serve as obvious standins for England and Ireland respectively with Machland’s Blight referencing Ireland’s Great Famine. The world is further differentiated with an infusion of magic including elaborate control over plants for the so-called divine blooded Avlish royal family and subtler arts like Niamh’s ability to sew feelings into her handwork.
Although the timeline for Niamh’s labor on the wedding attire versus the scope of work is not always realistic, readers will still feel the protagonist’s and the author’s appreciation for craft with every deliberate description. In addition to the urgency of the pending nuptials, Niamh has to manage her fatigue and stave off symptoms of her chronic illness–things she handles with tenacity amidst the whirlwind of wedding preparations. Kit’s own struggles with addiction are also depicted thoughtfully.
A Fragile Enchantment blends frothy parties and salacious gossip with weightier matters including labor relations and the lasting damage of colonization to create a multifaceted story where love changes everything.
Possible Pairings: The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett, The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright, A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass, House of Marionne by J. Elle, This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi, The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz, The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson, An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski, All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
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