Review Detail

A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT is an intriguing YA romantic fantasy about selfishness, living for yourself, and sacrifice. Niamh has family magic, passed down through the generations from the gods, that allows her to imbue the clothing she embroiders with emotions. Being a talented seamstress, her ability has enhanced the things she can make, and it has earned her a job as the seamstress for the upcoming wedding of the Avlish prince, Christopher (Kit), to a princess of a neighboring kingdom.

Niamh comes from Machland, a former colony of Avaland, whose separation was quite deadly and left a lot of poor feelings in its wake. As such, her invitation is particularly noteworthy, as even though they consider her divine blooded for her magic, she is seen as less than for being Machlish. Arriving in the court, her naivete leads her to make plenty of missteps, but her honesty and passion have driven her to create incredible attire for the wedding. In the process, she gets to know Kit, the prince to be wed, and their feelings grow. However, the political alliance being struck is necessary for the kingdom, and Niamh is only a commoner.

What I loved: This story presented a charming romance. Niamh and Kit get to know each other quickly throughout the story, in part because they have not had other people in their lives who have given them the opportunity. They both live on their sacrifices of self and seek to do the best they can for their families. This builds a quick connection between them with a bit of a sunshine-and-grumpy romance trope.

Niamh is an earnest character, who has not faced much darkness or adversity in her life. She is somewhat guileless, and her time in the court is full of wonder and learning about herself and the world as it is. Politics begin to come into play, and she finds herself considering the importance of different sides and what it all means, especially as there is much unrest from the Machlish working in Avaland, who are underpaid and overworked by virtue of their immigrant status.

Kit is an even more compelling character, and we get glimpses into his troubled past with complicated parental relationships and mental illness (addiction) coloring his reactions. While the story is told entirely from Niamh's point-of-view, the reader does get some key insights into his character through their discussions.

Themes around politics, equality, sacrifice, family, socioeconomic status, LGBT, and immigration are intriguing throughout. While the focus remains on the relationship, these appear throughout the story, giving it a deeper backdrop to consider.

What left me wanting more: As the focus remains on the romance, there were some other plots that did not fully play out, such as Niamh's family illness which changes her hair to white. While the Machlish equality protests were a big part of the story, their resolution was not fully discussed and would have been interesting and important to see play out. The romance could be tough to connect with, as the reader only has Niamh's point-of-view. It would have been even stronger if we could have seen more of Kit's side and go more in depth in his history and emotions.

Final verdict: Overall, A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT is an charming YA romantic fantasy that will work best for readers who would like a cute sunshine/grumpy romance with a bit of magic on the side.