Ratings70
Average rating3.9
An International Bestseller! Winner of the 2022 Romantic Novel Award in Fantasy! Locus Award Finalist! An Indie Next pick and LibraryReads pick—with four starred reviews! A Best of 2021 Pick for NPR | Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble Red, White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange & 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. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Series
3 primary booksThe Last Binding is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2021 with contributions by Freya Marske.
Reviews with the most likes.
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 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.
I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the performance of the narrator, David Thorpe. He was already one of my fave narrators, so I was excited he did this book that I was so enthusiastic to read. It's like this book was designed to match my tastes as a reader, so maybe I had impossibly high expectations. I have mixed feelings about it.
I'm not dividing the book into three equal parts by page number or anything, but here are my thoughts in the order I had them:
First third, 3 or 4 star read. I'm somewhat interested in the plot, but the MCs aren't charming me. One MC is not at all attracted to the other MC, who is all about keeping his emotions locked down. I think this combo was probably challenging to write, and while I didn't hate it, it also didn't grab me. The mystery plot is okay but I doubt it's going anywhere surprising. The worldbuilding is very good, and I like that it's woven into the story in a way that feels natural.
Second third, 5 star read, instant favorite. I love absolutely everything about this romance, especially the incredible intimacy of the writing style. There are explicit sex scenes and they're quite emotionally intense. Also, one scene involves a kink that I like to read but don't run into too often in books: sensation play, with magic. The non-romance plot has in fact taken some surprising turns, and I'm very invested in the plot.
Third third, 3 or 4 star read. The resolution of the non-romance plot is not satisfying to me. There's a planned sequel, and I'm not at all complaining that it's f/f, because I do read and enjoy f/f. But I feel like these MCs still have fish to fry in the non-romance plot, and they most likely will never be point-of-view characters again. Still, the romance plot wraps up very well and I believe in the MCs' happy ending.
Overall I enjoyed this, and I really loved some aspects of it. I'd recommend it to romance readers over fantasy or mystery readers, though. I might like it better when I reread it in the future.
4.5, rounding up, a delightful mix of Edwardian queer romance and fantasy with a gorgeous cover. Got this from the library but I may need to buy it to reread.
i was so excited for this book but the ENTIRE time i was bored
Featured Prompt
34 booksFew genres have embraced sexuality like Fantasy. Whether it's friends to lovers, forbidden relationships, or happily ever after – LGBTQ+ storylines can explore cultures and societies in a way that ...