Loved this book! Absolutely raced through it! I really enjoyed the detailed magic system and the 'alternate history' vibe of the world building. The characterisation was excellent and I loved the central relationship!

In an alternative Edwardian Britain, Robin Blyth prepares to take up a minor government post. However, he's actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. This administrative error, allows him to experience the incredible magic underlying our everyday world. His path forwards sees him cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by hallucinations, Robin becomes determined to drag answers from his missing predecessor – but he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his hostile magical-society counterpart. Unwillingly thrown together, Robin and Edwin will discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.

Marske is clearly a very talented and creative writer and she pulled me into this alternative world and it’s characters from the opening, thanks to that gob-smacking prologue. Robin feels so real. A three dimensional character with the attitudes of the Edwardian period we know and he becomes our Everyman, the key to this other world underlying ours. I was utterly convinced by him and that helped me to accept the more magical aspects of the story. I love Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell so the magical elements were right up my street. Marske sets up the rules and attitudes of this unseen world where the magical elements are invisible to those not in the know or without the aptitude. She very cleverly takes a device familiar from other novels - magical families determined to protect their space and their tribe- but gives it a different twist by knitting it into the class system of Edwardian England. This is pre WW1 so the class hierarchy is still rigid with a definite aristocracy at the top. The novel becomes more serious as it progresses, I loved the humour of Robin being a guest at Edwin’s family home for the first time and I thought that the growing attachment between the two men was beautifully handled. The sex scenes were quite long, but again were well written and tender. I worried that we might lose some of the book’s tension by getting lost in their relationship but that didn’t happen.

II was gripped by this magical adventure and became fond of the characters too. I had to know how it ended and Marske created some unexpected twists and a satisfying conclusion. Marske has created a world that’s inviting, vivid and incredibly moreish. I look forward to the next in the series.

Really enjoyed this magical novel by Freya Marske and will be buying the sequel as soon as it hits the shelves - fun, well-written and playful, I loved the world-building, both the magical and the non-magical. The family dynamics put me in mind of something like Bridgerton, especially that brilliant boating-game scene, which was maybe my favourite in the book! I've recommended this to several of my friends, and will continue to do so - I'm definitely a Freya Markse fan now!

A Marvellous Light is really enjoyable, both the characters and their slow journey to trust and being willing to depend on each other, and the magic and worldbuilding. Sometimes in romantic fantasy the world seems sketched in to provide the backdrop for the relationship, but both are important here, and I'm just as fascinated to see more of the world and how magic works as I am to see Edwin and Robin deepen their relationship. (A sudden thought -- I hope we do keep following them and don't switch to another character's related journey, as sometimes happens.)

Edwin is not trusting, too burned by his family and his status and his past relationships to really open himself up. Robin is perhaps a little too good to be true: loyal and loving and cheerful despite everything that's happening to him and his own scars from his parents. It's not hard to see how they'll get together for a while, very early on, but it takes time to make it seem like they're building something that will last. I thought it was beautifully done.

There are lots of fascinating glimpses of side characters, too, and I'd love to see more of Maud and especially more of Adelaide and Kitty.

But mostly I really want to get on with it and find out more about the contract, and the fae, and all that stuff that we barely understand in this book (because Edwin and Robin know nothing about it, except that they must figure out what the heck's going on).

I gave A Marvellous Light a well deserved five stars (4.5 rounded up). It took me a few chapters to get into it but I loved the characters and the magic system building that Marske has created.

While I started reading this on my kindle I did flit between the ebook and the audio edition - the narrator on the audio was fantastic and really got me into the story.

My whole heart was behind Edwin and Robin, they were so very well written and rounded characters with insecurities that were natural and not forced. Maud was wonderful too and I hope to see more of her!

This book has fab queer rep in both the MCs and also contains magic, curses, sex, swearing, adventure and a London setting - marvellous!

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. I loved the characters of Edwin and Robin, and I enjoyed the development of their romance. There was an interesting cast of secondary characters, particularly Edwin's dubious magical family. I liked the way the Edwardian setting worked with the fantasy elements. The only part that wasn't fantastic was that sometimes the pace was a bit slow. However I am looking forwards to seeing what happens next for these characters.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A Marvellous Light was unexpectedly wonderful. Not that I didn’t expect to like it, I really liked the sound of the description, but I was surprised by how much I adored it from the very beginning.

Robin and Edwin are delightful, fully-formed people whose stories I couldn’t wait to explore further. Add in a varied cast of minor characters - some of whom you’ll love, and some you loathe - and an exciting mystery, and what you get is an absolutely fantastic book. The character development is realistic and heart-rending, the magic is fascinating, and the plot is fast and hits the ground running.

I finished A Marvellous Light in a few days, simply because I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next in Edwin and Robin’s story, and am now anxiously counting down the days until November so I can read the sequel.

An absolutely wonderful start to a trilogy, and one I will be eagerly awaiting the rest of.

I'm so sorry it took me so long to read this!

The story is about a young baronet, Robin Blyth, who takes on a mysterious commission within the British government, not realising that he is expected to be the point of liaison between his world and the magical one. Given that he doesn't know that magical society exists until he meets Edwin Courcey, his sexy-but-hostile magical colleague, this proves a challenge to say the least. Robin and Edwin find themselves thrown together in some dangerous situations...and working to uncover a plot that threatens the very existence of magical society.

There was loads I loved about this book - the Edwardian England setting is glorious and I enjoyed being whisked between the country estates, manor houses, government offices, libraries and even a hedge maze. The plot moves at quite a pace which means there's never a dull moment and the magical world is well-explained. As I don't read much in this genre, it was appreciated that I could grow my understanding of the magic propping up this alternative view of Edwardian England alongside the equally clueless Robin!

I also loved the will-they-won't-they, opposites attract romance that simmers between Robin and Edwin - there's some serious sexual tension going on for a lot of the book. Both men are appealing characters - although I found the bookish, awkward, spiky Edwin much more relateable than the more jolly and sociable Robin - this probably says more about me than them!

Around the two central figures, there is an extended cast of lively and interesting characters. I particularly liked Robin's sister, a young woman desperately pushing against the restrictions of Edwardian high society. Edwin's family were amazingly awful, but in an entertaining way, and I really enjoyed the twisted Battleships-style game on the boating lake...with some magical enhancements. There are some lovely humorous moments throughout the novel and these serve to balance the genuine tension and peril.

I also listened to the audiobook read by David Thorpe. I thought it was really well narrated and entertaining, even if I had to listen to a lot of it well out of the earshot of my kids. The voices for the different characters really helped me follow the story, but the 'magic hands' scene properly made me blush!

Overall, I'd recommend this to lovers of fantasy novels rooted in the real world - there's tonnes to enjoy in the (slightly idealised) historical setting as well as the magical elements. The angsty, sexy romance between the two men is gorgeously realised and set against a wider, high-stakes plot - something I look forward to following in the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A heartwarming magical adventure packed full of strong characters and magic all of its own.

I entered without really knowing what it was going to be about but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the queer aspect and the fact it didn't overshadow any of the action and adventure of the plot but accentuated it beautifully. Edwin and Robin made a wonderfully complementary pair and I appreciated their banter back and forth and how their personalities were so well defined.

The writing style was right up my alley and set the atmosphere and tone of the book excellently. The magic system was well explained and laid out and fitted perfectly with the setting of the Edwardian times. I think this book is an excellent introduction to fantasy as the magic felt intuitive and self explanatory without long winded explanations.

The only slightly critical thing I have to say is the sexual content took me by surprise. It was a lot more graphic and shocked me slightly. I wasn't against it and I felt it was done tastefully but it did seem an odd choice with how the rest of the book was laid out. What felt like an adult version of Harry Potter suddenly escalated quickly!

A Marvellous Light is a really lovely book and I liked it, but it really could have been a great one! I liked the characters and the relationship, but found the pacing and structure totally off and that kept me from getting really invested in the story. I didn't think the romance and mystery plots meshed well together, but would have stood up well on their own. This felt like a strong early draft, but maybe could have used a little more work in terms of structure.

That being said, Robin and Edwin are lovable idiots that you just wanted to scream 'JUST KISS' at. I particularly liked Edwin and the way he worked through his traumas and securities -- I'm a big softie for his kind of character. I also really enjoyed the magic system and the way it worked (I'm a huge nerd when it comes to magic systems, forgive me).

Overall, A Marvellous Light was a fine read, but could have been a really great one. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

I really liked the characters in this one, but I found the book itself to be a little slow, I was about halfway through or so before I really felt engaged. Also as much as I enjoyed the characters and their relationship, the sex scenes were a bit overly graphic and long for my tastes. Still, it left off in an exciting place and I'm looking forward to reading the second book.

This is the first part of a new queer historical fantasy trilogy and it’s one I’ll be continuing with.

The world building here is great, the magic system was unique and the characters were really well written. I can conjure Robin and Edwin up in my minds eye immediately, even after finishing this book a little while ago. I really hope we get to see more of them in the next part.

Great fun.

a marvellous light is an absolute delight to read and i could not have enjoyed it more.

freya marske's debut is a beautifully written, historical romance romp that is queer at its very core. it feels so familiar and homey and fun and i would urge everyone to read this.

- two gay magicians? check.
- two gay magicians having to sold a mystery? double check.
- two gay magicians having to solve a mystery whilst dealing with the most insane sexual tensions? TRIPLE CHECK.

you could honestly cut the tension with a knife and i LOVED that. so many more books need love interests where you feel the attraction as well as see it. robin and edwin's romance is beautiful and freya markse made me ROOT for them so much.

i have recently fallen in love with historical romance and loved that this had all of its edwardian charm you would usually find in a historical romance whilst mixing it with the most delightful magic. the plot kept moving and moving and i didn't want to put the book down once. i am so excited to read whatever else freya brings out because this amazing.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm all about historical romance at the moment, so add a little fantasy into the mix and you've got my two favourite genres in one book. Which means A Marvellous Light should be absolutely my kind of book. And it is.

We begin the story with Robin Blythe arriving at a government office for his new role as a civil service liaison, only to discover, courtesy of one irritated Edwin Courcey, that magic is not only real, but exists all around him and he must now help keep it a secret. Robin has no magic but is thrown into this world with the disappearance of his predecessor in the liaison role, so he and Edwin set out to discover what happened to him.

The grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Robin and Edwin was one of my favourite aspects of the novel. I was an instant fan of Robin's naturally cheerful and charming personality and his witty quips were some of the best lines in the book.

Edwin is much more reserved and a little spiky (when we meet his family it's easy to see why) but has a kind heart hidden beneath his grumpy exterior. Despite his best efforts, Edwin gradually begins to warm to Robin and some of my favourite moments in the novel were the 'quiet' moments between the two of them.

I'm a big fan of the trope where character A tries to convince themselves that they don't like character B, but when B gets into trouble they become frantic and desperate to save them. Only after B is safe does A realise how much they like B and they then have to decide whether to tell them or not. This book gave me that trope in ABUNDANCE and I was living my best life reading those scenes. (Thank you Freya Marske).

The whole romance between Robin and Edwin was lovely and I thought the pacing of their feelings throughout the book was spot on. There were even some spicy scenes (I wasn't expecting them but I'm not mad about it) that added another dimension to the story because we got to see Robin and Edwin at their most tender, being respectful and practicing consent.

At the beginning of the novel, the world-building felt a little hectic to me, but that may have been because I was listening to the audiobook and there was a lot to take in in chapters 1-3. The story is set in a version of Edwardian London where magic exists, but only those who have it or come from magical families know about it. This results in an underground network of magicians and secret offices within the government for magic users. Once I got a further into the story, the explanations of how magic worked made more sense because I'd seen them in action as the characters 'cradled' to cast spells.

Another thing I was a big fan of in this book is the fact that Edwin doesn't have a lot of magic, but Freya Marske never tries to 'fix' this by giving him more power. Instead, she shows us that it's not about the about of magic you have, but how you use it, which feels like an allegory for the power/influence that everyday people have compared to that of wealthy people or politicians.

I had a great time listening to this on audio, as the narrator really brought the characters to life. Sometimes the pacing was a little slow, but those were the moments where we got to see the characters develop the most. Freya Marske's writing is lovely and I really liked Robin and Edwin's characters. I hope we see them return in book two, which is going to be about Robin's sister Maud.

Content warnings for near drowning, homophobia, violence, murder, familial abuse, torture, death, death of a parent, sexual content.

Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he's actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. If it weren’t for this administrative error, he’d never have discovered the incredible magic underlying his world.

TW: Murder, grief, bullying, torture/violence, self-harm, homophobia (minor)

​I knew I was going to love this book, but it took me a while to get around to reading it, and I'm really glad I waited until my schedule was less hectic to read A Marvellous Light because it was such a comforting low-angst read that I could just lose myself in for hours.

​It took me quite a while to read as the pacing was quite relaxed, but there was just enough plot and tension to keep driving the story forward.

Edwin and Robin, our two main characters, were definitely my favourite things about the book. While there's an instant attraction between the two, their romance definitely felt like a slow burner, with lots of will they/won't they moments as they got to know each other and their chemistry grew.

Robin is a very heart-on-his-sleeve, openly friendly athletic person who's trying to overcome the financial mess left behind by his deceased parents. He's trying to be a good brother to his younger sister when he finds himself thrust into a world of magic he didn't even know existed. Now, cursed and in danger, he's dragged to the house of a magician he just met and into a world of painful curiosities while hoping that together they can remove the curse before it's too late.

Edwin has a history of suffering abuse and violence, from his own family to his ex-lover, which has caused him to be cold and shut-off to most of the world. Robin is a surprise that Edwin, with his meticulous order and high walls, didn't expect, and one he struggles to hide from. Trying and failing to keep Robin both at arm's length and out of harm's way, he grapples with his lack of power in the face of saving the man whose smiles are like sunshine.

“He was one barely powered magician with nothing but a tendency to let books replace people in his life.”

I loved the pairing of these two "opposite" characters and the British, old-fashioned humour, which honestly led to some of the most polite sex scenes I've ever read in a romance novel.

Edwin and Robin also develop really well throughout the book, both separately and together, and I loved their interactions.

“I can’t believe we were almost killed by a hedge.”

One of the biggest problems for me with this book was the side characters, some of whom just didn't seem really relevant and sort of seemed to be thrown into the mix without having any actual effect on the story. However, I did really love Adelaide Morrissey, who's funny, smart and incredibly badass. I really hope to see more from her as the series continues.

“Because if even a single woman was involved, they wouldn't have decided that a man who'd been working there one day was a more likely source of information than a woman who'd been there for years.”

I also thoroughly enjoyed the magic system that the author has created. Using cradling to create spells seemed like a unique and interesting concept, and I loved the imagery it conjured. That being said, my favourite magical aspect had to be the magical house and the maze, which was just fantastic and very fun.

Overall, this was a fun historical m/m romance with just enough magical mystery thrown into the mix to keep the plot exciting and driving forward. It was a little confusing at times because of some of the side characters and aspects of the magical world, but I enjoyed escaping into this magical secret world from the past and getting to know Edwin and Robin as they grew closer together.

If you enjoy historical romance and feel like a magical, gay Downton Abbey-era romp would be your perfect cup of tea, you'll love A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske.

“And he paused, in the space between inhalation and exhalation, and invited the magic in.”

I had seen a lot of people talking about A Marvellous Light and when I saw it on NetGalley I fully expecte to not be accepted for an eARC. However, I was very happy when I was and despite the great reading slump of winter 21/22 I managed to get round to it not too long after publication date. Lets just say, A Marvellous Light did not disappoint and the speed at which I checked to see when the sequel was coming was uncanny. Also the cover is utterly gorgeous and I will be ordering a physical copy straight away.

I will be honest, it took me a couple of chapters to get into it, but once I had gotten myself into the headspace for some light fantasy (its been a while) I loved it. I haven't read much historical fiction and although I used to read a lot of fantasy books surrounding magic, this was the first in a long while so it was almost like trying out something new. I have often found that books containing magic can take far too long explaining how it works and the world it is set in, or barely explain it at all and leave you completely lost, but Marske managed to get the balance right of explaining it enough to keep it interesting and understandable, without being too boring and over-complicating things. I also love Edwardian settings so all in all the setting of the book ticked all my boxes.

Then there was the characters, I'm not sure if I can pick a favourite out of Robin and Edwin, or any of the side characters like Maud and Mis Morrissey for that matter. They all felt very well constructed and thought-through, as well as relatable and someone to sympathise with. I really felt like they were fully formed and had every inch of their backstory planned out even if it were irrelevant. No one felt like a second though and so I can't wait to see more of them as the series continues.

I can see so much potential for this series and I am very excited to see where things go next. I liked that I was kept guessing throughout and even though I managed to work out some of what happened, there was still plenty I didn't to keep me shocked.

It has gays, magical conspiracies, a himbo and librarian, so steamy romance and a magical plant house, what more could I ask for?

Huge thanks to Black Crow PR and Tor UK for organising this tour, and inviting me to be a part of it! A Marvellous Light is one of my most anticipated releases of 2021, so I was very excited when the email dropped into my inbox!

This is an enchanting novel of magic, mystery and romance in a perfect Edwardian England setting! This is all of my favourite things combined into a book, so I had very high hopes going in! I am so glad to say that my hopes were filled and more! This is an amazing book, I was fully swept up in the story throughout. A Marvellous Light doesn’t have the fastest plot, it is definitely a character driven story, but despite that it didn’t feel at all slow to me. A combination of brilliant writing style and really loveable main characters meant I felt the novel sped along at a good pace throughout.



Special mention goes to the two main characters of this book. Edwin and Robin are the perfect combo of grumpy and sunshine characters who slowly find themselves falling in love with each other. They are two wonderful characters who I truly fell in love with, and I loved every moment of their blossoming romance through the book. I am very excited to hear this is the first in a trilogy because I definitely need more delightful content from those two characters!

There is a mixed bag of family relationships in this novel. Robin and his sister and very close and have a strong relationship, which seems all the stronger when contrasted with Edwin and his frankly horrible siblings and their friends. I really disliked them a lot, they were bullies and they treated Edwin very badly. No spoilers, but the comeuppance at the end was awesome!!!

Overall I loved this book mostly for the relationship between the two main characters. I was enthralled by the magical writing style and the beautiful romance! I would highly recommend this book to all! Thank you UK Tor and Black Crow PR for organising the blog tour and inviting me along!

I used this review copy to inform my interview with Freya Marske on the Fantasy Inn podcast: https://thefantasyinn.com/2021/11/17/e95-freya-marske-interview/