Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: A Marvellous Light

Top positive review

a strong start

Reviewed in Australia on 17 November 2021

A nice, easy to read novel. The characters are likeable and the story is interesting. There is lots of worldbuilding that I hope will be fleshed out in future novels. There are some pacing issues and some strange character choices at times but overall a very solid story and an excellent addition to the queer magic world.

Top critical review

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them meets Bridgerton

Reviewed in Australia on 29 October 2021

A Marvellous Light features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ 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.

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From Australia

Julie K

a strong start

Reviewed in Australia on 17 November 2021

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Shelleyrae

Charming, witty and fun

Reviewed in Australia on 13 January 2022

Blending fantasy, romance and mystery A Marvellous Light is a delightfully entertaining novel, the first in a new series, from Freya Marske. Set in Edwardian England, Marske captures the period credibly, from the behaviour and attitudes of the characters to her descriptions of London and country manor estates. The magic system sits well within the world Marske has created, and I thought the basics were adequately explained. I really liked some of the more unique elements, such as using the movements of a Cat’s Cradle to cast spells, and the sentient nature of the magic that imbues family estates. I really liked the dynamic between Edwin and Robin. I thought Marske built the romantic tension between Edwin and Robin very well, and the mix of tenderness and heat in their relationship was appealing, though I wasn’t expecting the sex to be quite so explicit. A Marvellous Light isn’t perfect but I fell into the story so easily, it’s charming, witty and fun and I’m already looking forward to the next.

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them meets Bridgerton

Reviewed in Australia on 29 October 2021

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slow to start but overall an enjoyable read

Reviewed in Australia on 21 February 2022

A Marvellous Light was slow to draw me in (which is why it took me longer than normal to get through), but by about the halfway mark I was more invested in the characters & the storyline. Filled with magic and a mystery that slowly unravels.

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.

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Chloe Misevski

An enjoyable historical, fantasy romance

Reviewed in Australia on 29 October 2021

A Marvellous Light is set in Edwardian England. It follows Robin Blyth and Edwin Courcey who have been thrown together as a result of an administrative mix up. Robin takes a job as a civil service liaison to a hidden magical society and meets Edwin, his counterpart in the magical bureaucracy. Robin's predecessor has disappeared and people assume Robin knows more then he really does. Robin and Edward have no choice but to work together to discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British isles.

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.

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Vanessa Len

Charming romance in magical Edwardian London!

Reviewed in Australia on 2 January 2022

I absolutely adored this charming romance, set in a magical Edwardian London.

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!

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Superb

Reviewed in Australia on 27 December 2021

Verified Purchase

Fantastic historical fantasy. I highlighted so many passages, the prose is just lovely.

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.

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Tony Nguyen

An intriguing world, with intriguing characters and an enticing romance

Reviewed in Australia on 30 October 2021

Verified Purchase

I loved this particular system of magic that Freya has built, it as well as the overarching plot builds up well for the follow-up novel, one I will definitely keep an eye out for and preorder. I've also come to love the chemistry between Robin and Edwin by the final third.

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From other countries

Anne Parker

A marvellous magical romance

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2021

Verified Purchase

I absolutely love the idea of secret magical societies and this book has it in spades - as well as being set in one of my favourite time periods, Edwardian London. It tells the story of Robin and Edwin who are thrown together when a mishap sees Robin named the civil service liaison to the world of magic that Edwin lives in. And what a world it is! A Marvellous Light has one of the most creative magic systems I've read of in a long while - it's based around the game of cat's cradle and was such a delight to read about. I especially loved the idea that because Edwin struggles he has to use string to guide his magic, it's these added extras that made everything seem more authentic and real.

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!

JJ Button

The most magically queer book I've read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2022

Verified Purchase

What can I say but, wow! I was 40 pages into this book and nearly gave up, and let me tell you, don't stop reading this book! I got to page 45 and didn't put it down for another 100 pages. I was quick to finish it on the second day and it is quite easily one of my favourite books! I don't think that there's anything much better than queer Edwardian England love! It truly gave Downton Abbey Vibes mixed in with the likes of magic that isn't found anywhere else.

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