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A Marvellous Light Hardcover – 26 April 2022
Freya Marske (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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Set in an alternative Edwardian England, this is a comedy of manners, manor houses, and hedge mazes: including a magic-infused murder mystery and a delightful queer romance.
'Lush historical fantasy . . . a delightful book, with richly developed characters' – New York Times
‘Mystery! Magic! Murder! . . . This book is a confection, both marvellous and light’ – Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January
For fans of Georgette Heyer or Julia Quinn's Bridgerton, who'd like to welcome magic into their lives . . .
Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he's actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. If it weren’t for this administrative error, he’d never have discovered the incredible magic underlying his world.
Cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by visions, Robin becomes determined to drag answers from his missing predecessor – but he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his hostile magical-society counterpart. Unwillingly thrown together, Robin and Edwin will discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.
The Binding meets Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light.
‘A dazzling debut’ – Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun
‘Prepare to fall in love with the gorgeous Edwardian setting, the sizzling character dynamics, and the murderous enchanted hedge maze’ – Emily Tesh, author of Silver in the Wood
‘An absolute delight . . . If you ever wished Downton Abbey was sharper-edged and full of magic, this is the book for you’ – Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTor UK
- Publication date26 April 2022
- Reading age18 years and up
- Dimensions15.3 x 3.2 x 23.4 cm
- ISBN-101529080886
- ISBN-13978-1529080889
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Review
That sublime prose! Her astonishing gift for imagery! And, of course, her bountiful and endless talent for writing some extremely sexy scenes. A Marvellous Light is all that and more. Perfect -- Jenn Lyons
A magical world of exquisite refinement, where peril skims beneath manners, interiors bespeak both faultless taste and deadly secrets, and the sexual tension crescendos until it literally makes sparks fly. A dazzling debut -- Shelley Parker-Chan
Romantic in the best way, funny, sharp, sexy, fantastical. Prepare to fall in love with the gorgeous Edwardian setting, the sizzling character dynamics, and the murderous enchanted hedge maze -- Emily Tesh
Freya Marske's A Marvellous Light is an absolute delight. I was caught from the very beginning by the compellingly realized characters, the gorgeous and deadly magical world, and the fascinating mystery. If you ever wished Downton Abbey was sharper-edged and full of magic, this is the book for you -- Kat Howard
Freya's prose is so splendid that merely reading it makes me feel like I've been filled to the brim with champagne bubbles. A Marvellous Light has everything you could ever want from a book – beautiful descriptions, expertly woven world-building, queer kissing, sexual tension in a library, quite a lot of William Morris wallpaper . . . This book is brilliant on every level. It is wondrous. It is, if you will excuse a small joke, marvellous -- Alexandra Rowland
A charming, lovingly crafted adventure full of peril, romance and wit, illuminated by sparkling turns of phrase and a pervasive sense of humour -- A. K. Larkwood
Equal parts fantasy, mystery and romance – with bonus murderous garden features – A Marvellous Light heralds a strong new voice in science fiction and fantasy -- Sam Hawke
This romantic fantasy is full of fascinating world-building, layers upon layers of delicious magic, and characters I adored. I want to spend so much more time in this alternate England's enchanted libraries and sinister hedge mazes! The whole experience was a delight -- Stephanie Burgis
A gripping story, told in precise and sensual language, with the kind of characters that make you want a spin-off book for even the ones you've barely met. Magic, romance and mayhem in a beautifully decorated – and occasionally actively dangerous – Edwardian setting -- Malka Older
A completely enchanting story that sweeps you into a world of art and romance. Marske is an extraordinary talent who writes compelling characters, entertainingly awful families, and love stories like nobody else -- Everina Maxwell
A breathtaking queer romantic fantasy . . . Sensual erotic scenes, an intriguing magic system, and a puzzling mystery combine to make this novel a wonder -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
An enchanting, gripping and dazzling debut -- Daily Mail
Compelling, sumptuously written, clever and brimming with intrigue and sexual tension (and its release) . . . The definition of reading for pure pleasure; we are ready for the next instalment, immediately -- Attitude Magazine
Lush historical fantasy . . . a delightful book, with richly developed characters
-- New York TimesReview
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Product details
- Publisher : Tor UK (26 April 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1529080886
- ISBN-13 : 978-1529080889
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Dimensions : 15.3 x 3.2 x 23.4 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 373,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 4,782 in 20th Century Historical Romance (Books)
- 6,281 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
- 19,646 in Romantic Fantasy
- Customer Reviews:
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Customer reviews

Reviewed in Australia on 29 October 2021
Top reviews from Australia
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The book was really good I finished it pretty quickly and I really liked the concept and the characters.
The romance was good but it felt slightly lacking in the action part. Not to say there was none but perhaps the next book will include more of the major plot.
To conclude, Buy this book
○ Historical fantasy
○ Secret magic society
○ LGBTQA+
○ Mystery
○ MM scenes
○ Curses
○ Magic
○ Forbidden romance
My overall rating for A Marvellous Light is…
3 Stars!
A Marvellous Light combines the wonders and magic of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with the intricate and old-fashioned high society of Bridgerton. This book was hit and miss for me, though I should clarify it is not something I would usually read. I loved the main characters, Edwin and Robin. Their romance was defiant and challenging but oh so delicious. The magical world Marske brought to life was vibrant and vivacious. What I struggled with with this book was the historical aspect of the writing, which made the tale feel dull and uninspiring at times. Overall, this author has incredible imagination and brings characters to life flawlessly, but has a writing style that may not agree with all pallets.

Reviewed in Australia on 29 October 2021
○ Historical fantasy
○ Secret magic society
○ LGBTQA+
○ Mystery
○ MM scenes
○ Curses
○ Magic
○ Forbidden romance
My overall rating for A Marvellous Light is…
3 Stars!
A Marvellous Light combines the wonders and magic of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with the intricate and old-fashioned high society of Bridgerton. This book was hit and miss for me, though I should clarify it is not something I would usually read. I loved the main characters, Edwin and Robin. Their romance was defiant and challenging but oh so delicious. The magical world Marske brought to life was vibrant and vivacious. What I struggled with with this book was the historical aspect of the writing, which made the tale feel dull and uninspiring at times. Overall, this author has incredible imagination and brings characters to life flawlessly, but has a writing style that may not agree with all pallets.

As mentioned, this novel is set in Edwardian England and I noticed the writing style mimicked this. At times, I had to reread a few sections because I found if I wasn't focusing I would miss things. This isn't a negative for me, because it really helped immerse me in the time period. This book had a bit of steamy/smutty romance. There was a nice development of the sexual tension between Robin and Edwin. There was so much banter and flirtation between Robin and Edwin, which was very enjoyable.
This is the first book in a new series, so I am keen to see where it goes from here. I think it did a very good job of building out the world and setting up the series. The magic system was a little complex but I liked the development of it as the story progressed. Because Robin wasn't part of the magical world, the story was used to drip feed aspects of the magic system to an outsider. I really liked this aspect because it avoided huge information dumps and instead addressed Robin's questions.
Overall, A Marvellous Light is a very enjoyable read and I can't wait to read book 2.
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for gifting me with a copy of this book.
A satisfactory ending in regards to Robin & Edwin, although I look forward to seeing more of these 2, however some details of the mystery have been revealed but not all. I do find it intriguing that the next book in the series, A Restless Truth, moves onto Robin's sister as a main character instead of Robin & Edwin again. Hopefully there will be a lot more of Robin & Edwin to come.
Robin accidentally gets a job - and an agonising curse - in a hidden magical London. Enter grumpy magician Edwin, who’s here to lift the curse!
I loved the grumpy/sunshine romance, the magic system, and the setting. Can’t wait for the next book!

Reviewed in Australia on 2 January 2022
Robin accidentally gets a job - and an agonising curse - in a hidden magical London. Enter grumpy magician Edwin, who’s here to lift the curse!
I loved the grumpy/sunshine romance, the magic system, and the setting. Can’t wait for the next book!

This is a slow burner, relatively moderate heat with lots of attention to story and character development.
I really hope we see more from this author, not just because I want to know if Robin and Edwin can foil the baddies ultimate goal.
Top reviews from other countries

Fantastic world building within a recognisable and well researched period of history. Characters that are attractive, believable and swoon worthy. Life threatening encounters with powerful magical forces that are intent on controlling the world. This book has it all.
The author writes with authority and understanding and her world is so credible that you will be trying to weave magic with a ball of string by the time you’re finished.
I can’t wait for the next instalment.

More things to love are the magical house and the romance. I was not expected the amount of steam in this book but my gosh it was well written! That library scene...phew! The tension between our two mains was palpable from the start and I loved how they slowly grew closer over the course of the book.
I'm very much eagerly looking forward to reading the next in the series!
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan/Tor and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I actually enjoyed it so much I bought my own physical copy soon after finishing it!


