In 'Meet the Book', I will introduce and review a book in a short Q&A format. I may feature guest readers in this series (but this one is all me!).
The Basics
The Book: A Marvellous Light
The Author: Freya Marske
The Publisher: tordotcom (publishing.tor.com)
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Genre(s): fantasy, LGBTQ+ romance, historical(ish)
Themes/Tropes/Topics: magic, secret magical world, romance, family drama
Content Warnings: sexual content, violence, bullying/emotional abuse, kidnapping, torture, murder, homophobia
My Rating: 5/5
Q&A
Q: What made you pick up this book?
A: I saw several people talk about how much they loved this book on social media, the concept was intriguing, the cover is gorgeous, it's blurbed by TJ Klune (The House in the Cerulean Sea), and I'm trying to branch out into new genres (fantasy)!
Q: What was your first impression?
A: I loved this book within a few pages. The dry British humor is my favorite — every other line in this book, from narration to dialogue, can be said with a smirk, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Also, the magical world that Marske builds from the beginning is fascinating without being overly complex.
Q: What surprised you about this book?
A: I was surprised by the balance between the magical adventure storyline and the romantic storyline. I expected the romance to be more of a subplot, but it held a lot of the focus throughout and was often intertwined with the other storylines.
Q: Who was your favorite character? Why?
A: I loved Edwin. He's shy, bookish, and often overlooked by those around him, but he's wickedly smart. I loved his growth of confidence throughout the story and the balance of his timidity against Robin's bright charm.
Q: What was your favorite scene or quote?
A: This will probably come as no surprise — the library scenes were my favorite. Marske describes Edwin's magical library in such vivid detail that I could picture it perfectly. I also loved the scenes at Sutton Cottage — the magical elements of the house and gardens were fascinating.
Q: Why did you give the book this rating? (5/5)
A: I thought this book was absolutely delightful. The magical world is crafted in a way that is intriguing and complex without being confusing; the characters are endearing from the start and well developed throughout the story. In A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske strikes an engaging balance between plot progression and character growth, and the dry wit throughout ties everything together, eliciting laughs even in darker moments.
Q: Would you recommend this book? To whom?
A: I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone who likes a good story! This has the feel of some of the popular fantasy stories I enjoyed as a child, but with much more grown-up content and themes. This book was a perfect gateway into fantasy for someone like me who is not much of a fantasy reader — it features a magical world that exists in secret in the world we recognize, and the dynamic characters and the romantic storyline created a nice balance with the magical aspects.
Note: I would not recommend this to any reader who is uncomfortable with explicit sexual content, violence, murder or emotional abuse (see content warnings above).
Buy the book on Bookshop here!
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