Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Tordotcom (2021), Edition: 1, 384 pages
Description
"Red White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in debut author Freya Marske's A Marvellous Light, featuring an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies. Robin Blyth has more than enough bother in his life. He's struggling to be a good older brother, a responsible employer, and the harried baronet of a seat gutted by his late parents' excesses. When an administrative mistake sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what's been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he's always known. Now Robin must contend with the beauty and danger of magic, an excruciating deadly curse, and the alarming visions of the future that come with it-not to mention Edwin Courcey, his cold and prickly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, who clearly wishes Robin were anyone and anywhere else. Robin's predecessor has disappeared, and the mystery of what happened to him reveals unsettling truths about the very oldest stories they've been told about the land they live on and what binds it. Thrown together and facing unexpected dangers, Robin and Edwin discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles-and a secret that more than one person has already died to keep"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ablachly
A Marvellous Light sucked me in immediately--it's got fantastic world building, a fast moving plot, and well developed characters (even the side ones! Adelaide!). A truly excellent book. Reminiscent of both C.L. Polk and K.J. Charles, I'm ready for whatever Freya Marske has in store for us next.
LibraryThing member bell7
Robin Blyth and Edwin Courcey are thrown together by accident. Robin was thrust into his job as liaison by a civil servant who didn't like him very much, and Edwin has to break the news to him that magic exists and his job is to find odd things to pass on to magicians. Edwin had expected to find
This historical fantasy-mystery-romance in Edwardian London has a fascinating hidden magic system. Robin knows nothing of magic so conversations, primarily with Edwin and his family, allow readers to be introduced to the rules of this magical system. Robin is a fun character, with a kind and cheerful disposition. Edwin is a bit more curmudgeonly, prefers books to people, and has a habit of overexplaining things that he's fascinated by. I couldn't help but love both of them. The romance of reluctant allies to lovers gets quite steamy. But the real selling point for me was the assured writing style of this debut, with a lot of dry humor coming from the narration and dialog. The ending was satisfying while leaving threads open for book number 2 in the trilogy.
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Reggie in his post, and now has a mystery on his hands when a group of people now think Robin can help them find a contract in his brand-new office and leave him with a curse on his arm.This historical fantasy-mystery-romance in Edwardian London has a fascinating hidden magic system. Robin knows nothing of magic so conversations, primarily with Edwin and his family, allow readers to be introduced to the rules of this magical system. Robin is a fun character, with a kind and cheerful disposition. Edwin is a bit more curmudgeonly, prefers books to people, and has a habit of overexplaining things that he's fascinated by. I couldn't help but love both of them. The romance of reluctant allies to lovers gets quite steamy. But the real selling point for me was the assured writing style of this debut, with a lot of dry humor coming from the narration and dialog. The ending was satisfying while leaving threads open for book number 2 in the trilogy.
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LibraryThing member GlennBell
The author is a highly talented writer. She is able to graphically describe the environment and the characters thoughts and feelings. The topic of fantasy being related to a world with magic is similar in some ways to that of Harry Potter. Having several missions in the story makes it interesting
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and the romance between the main characters is intriguing. I do not recall reading of graphic sexual relationships between two male characters previously. The theme of relationship developed, broken, and then restored is kinda Hallmark-ish but it worked. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sammelsurium
It feels a little inappropriate for me to say, of a book in a genre that notoriously cleaves towards the familiar, "I've seen it all before," but I'm saying it anyways. I've seen it all before.
It's not that, in principle, I see anything wrong with an uptight, self-hating academic falling in love
The mystery was fine, and I thought the reasons the two main characters couldn't be together were a lot more interesting than the reasons why they were. But I think that if one enjoys it when the main characters of a romance fight and finds it dull at best when they act like they are in love, the romance has failed on a fundamental level.
It's not that, in principle, I see anything wrong with an uptight, self-hating academic falling in love
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with a kind-hearted athletic sort. It's just that there's not much to the main characters' relationship beyond that. They are types of people that seem like they would be interesting as a couple, and they take actions that might be taken by people falling in love, but those actions lack interesting or well-founded motivations. Exemplifying this issue, the basis of their affection towards each other is kindness (all well and good), but they are never given opportunity to be kind to anyone other than each other. Because of that, it doesn't feel like kindness is a fundamental part of either man's temperament--so why are they kind to one another? Well, because they care for one another. And why do they care for one another? Because they see each other's kindness. So we have two men who are vaguely kind and in love with one another; but their love is uninteresting because it lacks grounding in any specific story elements external to itself, such as plot or setting or character.The mystery was fine, and I thought the reasons the two main characters couldn't be together were a lot more interesting than the reasons why they were. But I think that if one enjoys it when the main characters of a romance fight and finds it dull at best when they act like they are in love, the romance has failed on a fundamental level.
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LibraryThing member shelleyraec
Blending fantasy, romance and mystery A Marvellous Light is a delightfully entertaining novel, the first in a new series, from Freya Marske.
As Mr. Edwin Courcey conjures a snowflake from glowing string above his office desk, it’s clear to Sir Robert (Robin) Blythe that his assignation to His
When Edwin and Robin are unable to locate Reggie quickly, Edwin, who has a talent for understanding magic but is a weak practitioner, attempts to devise a way to lift the curse himself. Meanwhile the pair continue to seek more information about the magical artefacts demanded by the shadowy thugs, despite being assaulted by vicious swans, and a murderous maze.
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.
A Marvellous Light unfolds from the alternating perspectives of Edwin and Robin. Edwin presents as aloof, cautious and fastidious, while Robin is easy-going, and charming. Both men are from dysfunctional aristocratic family’s, though only Edwin is part of the magical community.
I really liked the dynamic between Edwin and Robin. While neither is particularly impressed with one another initially, they slowly become friends. Given the illegal status of homosexuality during the period, both men are wary of expressing their growing sexual attraction though. 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.
Blending fantasy, romance and mystery A Marvellous Light is a delightfully entertaining novel, the first in a new series, from Freya Marske. 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.
As Mr. Edwin Courcey conjures a snowflake from glowing string above his office desk, it’s clear to Sir Robert (Robin) Blythe that his assignation to His
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Majesty’s Civil Service as Assistant in the Office of Special Domestic Affairs and Complaints has been a mistake, even more so when he is cursed by a group of faceless men in search of a document his missing office predecessor, Reggie Gatling, hid. It’s a rather harrowing introduction to a world of magic concealed from most of ordinary society, an unbusheling Robin would prefer to forget, but in order to have the painful curse devouring him lifted, Reggie, or the secreted contract, must be found.When Edwin and Robin are unable to locate Reggie quickly, Edwin, who has a talent for understanding magic but is a weak practitioner, attempts to devise a way to lift the curse himself. Meanwhile the pair continue to seek more information about the magical artefacts demanded by the shadowy thugs, despite being assaulted by vicious swans, and a murderous maze.
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.
A Marvellous Light unfolds from the alternating perspectives of Edwin and Robin. Edwin presents as aloof, cautious and fastidious, while Robin is easy-going, and charming. Both men are from dysfunctional aristocratic family’s, though only Edwin is part of the magical community.
I really liked the dynamic between Edwin and Robin. While neither is particularly impressed with one another initially, they slowly become friends. Given the illegal status of homosexuality during the period, both men are wary of expressing their growing sexual attraction though. 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.
Blending fantasy, romance and mystery A Marvellous Light is a delightfully entertaining novel, the first in a new series, from Freya Marske. 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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LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
Another 3* magical 'romance'. Apart from being far too long - Jonathan Strange this ain't, 500 pages of never-ending sex scenes, stumbling dialogue and a Gosford Park-esque country house party put the well-trodden plot under unnecessary strain - the main characters were instantly forgettable and
I will say that the set up and story did keep me reading, or at least what the story could have been without the slack pacing and tedious sex scenes. My objection with the sex is not the gender of the two characters, but only that I don't enjoy the modern equation of sex with love - I much prefer old fashioned romance and subtle inferences over 'here follows a chapter of detailed biological descriptions to demonstrate that two characters who met a week ago really quite like each other'. When shy Edwin and golden boy Robin stopped bonking (or when I started skippinng ahead) and got back to the mystery of the Last Contract, the pages flew by.
I didn't really believe in the historical setting - why pick 1908, apart from the proximity to the First World War, and not the Roaring Twenties suggested by the Wodehousian dialogue? - or the cardboard cast of supporting characters either - the house inherited by Edwin had far more personality than the Courcey and Blyth families combined - and won't be subjecting myself to another 500 page soft porn sequel, but the magic and world-building saved the story for me.
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any women included were either psychopaths or sequel fodder. I will say that the set up and story did keep me reading, or at least what the story could have been without the slack pacing and tedious sex scenes. My objection with the sex is not the gender of the two characters, but only that I don't enjoy the modern equation of sex with love - I much prefer old fashioned romance and subtle inferences over 'here follows a chapter of detailed biological descriptions to demonstrate that two characters who met a week ago really quite like each other'. When shy Edwin and golden boy Robin stopped bonking (or when I started skippinng ahead) and got back to the mystery of the Last Contract, the pages flew by.
I didn't really believe in the historical setting - why pick 1908, apart from the proximity to the First World War, and not the Roaring Twenties suggested by the Wodehousian dialogue? - or the cardboard cast of supporting characters either - the house inherited by Edwin had far more personality than the Courcey and Blyth families combined - and won't be subjecting myself to another 500 page soft porn sequel, but the magic and world-building saved the story for me.
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LibraryThing member Duobond
This is just not the book for me right now. I can only blame myself. Idk what's up with me. I'm just a picky person.
LibraryThing member Tikimoof
I'm just a grump who doesn't love romance or Edwardian era stuff.
I dunno, there was a bunch of stuff in there that just seemed really typical and boring. Didn't hook me. It was fine, but I didn't think the ending was satisfying enough to make me want to continue.
I dunno, there was a bunch of stuff in there that just seemed really typical and boring. Didn't hook me. It was fine, but I didn't think the ending was satisfying enough to make me want to continue.
LibraryThing member bibliovermis
I loved this, the magic was very cool, the mysteries were intriguing, and the romance was fantastic.
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
Set in an alternate Edwardian England, this is about Robert Blyth, who thinks he has just gotten a boring government desk job, but on his first day a man named Edwin Courcey walks in and tells him that there is magic and he works for a branch of government that deals with magicians. Naturally,
In a story like this, there is naturally a lot that is very predictable, but good world-building can make the story fun and interesting despite the predictability, and this book definitely has good world-building. The system of magic has limitations that feel natural, the good guys are charming, the bad guys are dastardly, and the plot is suspenseful even if the twists are predictable.
On top of all of that, the romance between Robert and Edwin is believable, and their affection and admiration feels natural. The book becomes downright pornographic and spends way more time on long explicit sex scenes than it needed to: that's fun, but honestly I got bored waiting for some plot to happen.
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something has gone horribly wrong and Robert finds himself in the middle of it and he and Edwin have to solve the mystery of who is behind it and stop them from doing awful stuff that will mess up the world.In a story like this, there is naturally a lot that is very predictable, but good world-building can make the story fun and interesting despite the predictability, and this book definitely has good world-building. The system of magic has limitations that feel natural, the good guys are charming, the bad guys are dastardly, and the plot is suspenseful even if the twists are predictable.
On top of all of that, the romance between Robert and Edwin is believable, and their affection and admiration feels natural. The book becomes downright pornographic and spends way more time on long explicit sex scenes than it needed to: that's fun, but honestly I got bored waiting for some plot to happen.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Edwardian England with hidden magical families. Sir Robin, a baronet with very little money, accidentally takes a job as liaison between the government and the magical world, but is immediately cursed by people who think he might know the location of the Last Contract. Working with his magical
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counterpart Edwin, whose very difficult family makes further difficulties, he has to fight the curse, deal with the strange power it seems to have awakened, and navigate his unwanted attraction to Edwin. Fun. Show Less
LibraryThing member brittaniethekid
Again completely ignore the pitch line because it has very little to do with either Red White & Royal Blue or Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell besides the fact that it has gays and magic in Britain. It seems that more and more people are starting to read mm romance for the first time and publishers
Anyway. This book is delicious and if you're into the aforementioned gays, magic, and Britain, you'll definitely enjoy this. It does start a bit slow and the romance is also a slow burn but I think it's worth it.
Sir Robin Blythe is, thanks to typical Edwardian bureaucracy and nepotism, shoved into a civil service (government) job that he has no qualifications for by someone who knows someone he knows when his predecessor vanishes without a trace. On his first day, a pompous and insufferable Edwin Courcey waltzes into his office and open's Robin's eyes to a world beyond the one he's known his whole life - one of magic. Unfortunately, this also opens up Robin to the dangers of that world and the reason the position was open in the first place.
I enjoyed the unique fact of how the mages in this book summon their powers (including Courcey's little handicap) and how it's a little more believable than, say, elemental magic. Marske also includes the historical prejudices of the era like how women aren't taught to harness their powers and/or are simply not expected to be as powerful as their male counterparts. There's also a bit of racism and classism as well as Harry Potter's magic vs. muggle bias showing their ugly faces here. Though, interestingly, no mention of The War that I can remember. Maybe in book 2.
Murder, mystery, mayhem, and magic bubble together into what's quite a fun ride. Throw in some spicy romance with a hint of enemies-to-lovers and it's just perfect.
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are struggling with comparisons. If Red White & Royal Blue was your first foray into mm, welcome and let me tell you about the 100 plus other books you need to read.Anyway. This book is delicious and if you're into the aforementioned gays, magic, and Britain, you'll definitely enjoy this. It does start a bit slow and the romance is also a slow burn but I think it's worth it.
Sir Robin Blythe is, thanks to typical Edwardian bureaucracy and nepotism, shoved into a civil service (government) job that he has no qualifications for by someone who knows someone he knows when his predecessor vanishes without a trace. On his first day, a pompous and insufferable Edwin Courcey waltzes into his office and open's Robin's eyes to a world beyond the one he's known his whole life - one of magic. Unfortunately, this also opens up Robin to the dangers of that world and the reason the position was open in the first place.
I enjoyed the unique fact of how the mages in this book summon their powers (including Courcey's little handicap) and how it's a little more believable than, say, elemental magic. Marske also includes the historical prejudices of the era like how women aren't taught to harness their powers and/or are simply not expected to be as powerful as their male counterparts. There's also a bit of racism and classism as well as Harry Potter's magic vs. muggle bias showing their ugly faces here. Though, interestingly, no mention of The War that I can remember. Maybe in book 2.
Murder, mystery, mayhem, and magic bubble together into what's quite a fun ride. Throw in some spicy romance with a hint of enemies-to-lovers and it's just perfect.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
Well this was an unexpected delight -- I really enjoy historical romances with queer characters, but it is often hard to get the balance right -- either it isn't believable at all or the romance lacks a certain something. This one is steamy, prickly, just right. Also, I've been disappointed in
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alt-magic universes before and this one is extremely good. And it's a series. And there's horticultural magic. It pretty much knocked my socks off. Great characters, who aren't necessarily nice, but who do grow on you. a fascinating mystery, and an interesting resolution. Really looking forward to the next book and seeing where this goes. Show Less
LibraryThing member Black-Lilly
Hm, no, not really marvelous.
The book started out promising, a murder, a curse, a trip to the country side.
Up until that first sexual encounter, the story was fun and well written, the growing romance between Edwin and Robbin was cute and you were ruling for them. But then came the sex scenes and
Honestly, there are more euphemism for penis than cock! It gets so annoying when they are getting to it and you have the same word repeated over ten times within a page. Also the constant lip licking, by the third time there was no imagination of a dashing Edwardian jock anymore, he had transformed into Bottom's Richie Richard.
All in all the sex scenes felt as if the author had been a very avid fandom slash writer in her youth, which is sad because it ruined the flow of an otherwise entertaining story, even though the end felt very rushed.
The book started out promising, a murder, a curse, a trip to the country side.
Up until that first sexual encounter, the story was fun and well written, the growing romance between Edwin and Robbin was cute and you were ruling for them. But then came the sex scenes and
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they were really ... bad. Honestly, there are more euphemism for penis than cock! It gets so annoying when they are getting to it and you have the same word repeated over ten times within a page. Also the constant lip licking, by the third time there was no imagination of a dashing Edwardian jock anymore, he had transformed into Bottom's Richie Richard.
All in all the sex scenes felt as if the author had been a very avid fandom slash writer in her youth, which is sad because it ruined the flow of an otherwise entertaining story, even though the end felt very rushed.
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LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
Magic is part of life but hidden from nonmagical folk. When Robin Blyth is appointed into a government position as an act of revenge against his dead parents, he is thrust headfirst into a world of magic that he knows nothing about. His counterpart Edwin Courcey, a cold and reserved minor magician
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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but excellent spellcrafter tries to help him and get a curse off of him that was done in part to find something the previous office holder hid. This book sets up the world and unravels the mystery of the missing item. It also starts a budding romance between the two. I enjoyed the book and I’m interested to see where it will go next for the magical world of England. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member tuusannuuska
What a delight! I'm not usually a huge fan of historical fiction, but apparently I make an exception for alternative histories - especially magical ones.
The main draw here were the characters. They were very well crafted and felt real to me, and I felt a special kinship toward Edwin. Edwin is
The book is built around a plot of trying to rid Robin of a curse, while simultaneously trying to figure out what the hell is going on. While this was a solid story as a standalone, it's also clearly a first book in a new series. It introduces us to a very interesting turn of the century England where a woman working an office job is an event, and where the magical side of society reflects the non-magical one in the ways it succeeds in building class divides and appreciating magical power in place of financial one. The "real magic" is wielded by men, who find women's dabblings amusing and more suited for tricks as well as house hold chores. In addition to great characters, this book also has great humor. I love the dry wit of some of the characters, and there were some very unexpected instances of humor that had me laughing out loud.
This was really a very positive surprise for the end of the year, and I'll be looking forward to the sequel, whenever it comes out.
The main draw here were the characters. They were very well crafted and felt real to me, and I felt a special kinship toward Edwin. Edwin is
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liaison between the magical and non magical worlds, and doesn't really have all that much magic himself. He has always been put down by both his family and his peers, so he has turned to books for solace. He's very prickly and always expects to be the butt of the joke. He would rather not take the risk of getting hurt, so he chooses to push everyone away before they can leave him. Then the current liaison from the human side of society goes missing and a new liaison who is not in the know of magic is thrust in his path, and you can guess where it goes from there. Robin is an easy-going man who's just trying to do what's best for his sister and himself, and he isn't all that phased when it turns out that magic exists. Aside from the main characters, I also really liked Robin's budding suffragette little sister, as well as Miss Morrissey and her sister. The rest of the characters were more or less intentionally obnoxious.The book is built around a plot of trying to rid Robin of a curse, while simultaneously trying to figure out what the hell is going on. While this was a solid story as a standalone, it's also clearly a first book in a new series. It introduces us to a very interesting turn of the century England where a woman working an office job is an event, and where the magical side of society reflects the non-magical one in the ways it succeeds in building class divides and appreciating magical power in place of financial one. The "real magic" is wielded by men, who find women's dabblings amusing and more suited for tricks as well as house hold chores. In addition to great characters, this book also has great humor. I love the dry wit of some of the characters, and there were some very unexpected instances of humor that had me laughing out loud.
This was really a very positive surprise for the end of the year, and I'll be looking forward to the sequel, whenever it comes out.
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LibraryThing member bookwyrmm
Excellent world-building and very likeable characters, but the romance was lacking something.
LibraryThing member JorgeousJotts
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I was really hoping to love this, and didn't, and I'm trying to fairly factor my disappointment into the score. I think perhaps if I'd had no expectations at all I might have enjoyed it more, but I don't think I built it up in my mind to an unachievable degree that
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anything would have been a let down either. The characters didn't grab me like they often do in queer romance, and I feel like the book would have been better if it had been edited down more. But, I was still interested in seeing how things would play out, and though one of the leads annoyed me a bit, overall they were both likable. I will read the next in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member tornadox
Lovely queer romance set in a magical Edwardian England. Through a bureacratic error, Robin is assigned to be the new liaison with the magical world he didn't know existed, courtesy of the intriguing Edwin.
(I am a long-time listener of the Be the Serpent podcast. Happily, I liked Freya Marske's
(I am a long-time listener of the Be the Serpent podcast. Happily, I liked Freya Marske's
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writing. I hate not clicking with a creator's work when I really enjoy their public persona.) Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
What a delightful romance plot! And the rest of the plot is pretty great too; some of the late reveals were a complete surprise! Loved the evocatively-drawn setting and the supporting cast (or at least the supporting characters who aren't complete unmitigated assholes). Looking forwards to the
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sequel! Show Less
LibraryThing member jpahl
The writing in this book was beautiful, the characters well developed. I was surprised by the long pornographically explicit descriptions of sex. I was surprised that a woman would write them.
LibraryThing member caedocyon
Not profound but *very* enjoyable. The ending/macguffins were kind of [sigh], but I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
LibraryThing member KennedyRaine
This book was magnificent from start to finish. I loved both MCs, and especially how their relationship developed from dislike into… well I won’t spoil anything haha. Most fantastic, though, was the world building. Every detail had been thought out and executed. Every single scene,
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conversation, observation, had a reason for being there. I also fell in love with Maud and can’t wait for her story! Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Oh, how I enjoyed this story full of magic and mystery, Edwardian customs, and a surprising romance!
LibraryThing member MiserableFlower
A lot slower than book two, a bit more explanation on magic and yet it still felt like an over explanation at some point…. So I spent more time waiting for the character to catch up.
Awards
Ditmar Award (Shortlist — Novel — 2022)
NPR: Books We Love (2021)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2021-11-02
Physical description
384 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
1250788870 / 9781250788870