A Marvellous Light
- Downloads：3505
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-06 09:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Freya Marske
- ISBN：1529080894
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Amy Aislin
，
I did not love this and I think it has to do with the writing style and the pacing。Let's start with the writing style。 It's almost like this book was trying too hard to sound smart by using fancy words in overly complicated sentences and roughly two dozen similes/comparisons/analogies per chapter。 These got old by page 4， which was my first inkling that this book wasn't for me。 I persisted because so many people I know raved about it， but ultimately， I should've trusted my first instinct and DNF I did not love this and I think it has to do with the writing style and the pacing。Let's start with the writing style。 It's almost like this book was trying too hard to sound smart by using fancy words in overly complicated sentences and roughly two dozen similes/comparisons/analogies per chapter。 These got old by page 4， which was my first inkling that this book wasn't for me。 I persisted because so many people I know raved about it， but ultimately， I should've trusted my first instinct and DNF'd。 I found the writing to be overly wordy and flashy without telling us anything important。Despite the overly descriptive and fancy writing， this was very slow and kind of bland。 I started skimming around page 200。 I never connected with either of the main characters and I was never sold on their romance。 I also found the magic system to be uninteresting。 The pacing itself was also odd: we'd get chunks of romance， then chunks of the mystery plot， like the book was having trouble being both things at once so it had to separate the two。 And honestly， it ended up failing at both。I think one of the main reasons I don't enjoy this was expectations。 It's compared to Red， White， and Royal Blue so I was expecting similarities to Red， White， and Royal Blue。 At the end of the day， the only things these two books have in common is that they're both m/m romances。 I got none of the charm， culture， and adorableness that was RWRB here。If you're looking for a fun historical romance that has romance and magic weaved seamlessly， with awesome main characters you root for right from the start， plus an intriguing plot， check out Allie Therin's Magic in Manhattan trilogy， set in 1920s NYC。On a positive note， the cover is beautiful。 。。。more
The Disabled Book Worm
，
4。5 stars。I loved the romance in this book， so beautiful！The twist in this book did surprise me， which is rare。 I think I was so distracted by the 💕 stunner of a love story going on that I failed to make any guesses on the bad guy。 🤣 Oops！Edwin and Robin are both great characters， I loved seeing them both in this book but I was especially taken with Edwin。 As some one with autism I saw so much of myself mirrored in his internal narration， especially his struggles understanding when to give touch 4。5 stars。I loved the romance in this book， so beautiful！The twist in this book did surprise me， which is rare。 I think I was so distracted by the 💕 stunner of a love story going on that I failed to make any guesses on the bad guy。 🤣 Oops！Edwin and Robin are both great characters， I loved seeing them both in this book but I was especially taken with Edwin。 As some one with autism I saw so much of myself mirrored in his internal narration， especially his struggles understanding when to give touch or enjoying receiving it generally。There were moments I laughed out loud with joy， and moments I was right on the edge of my seat。。 dying to know what was going to happen next。Such a wonderful ride！ 。。。more
Fritz42
，
Every bit as good as the reviews have said it was。 I love the world building here and how the magical world is constructed。 So different than other magical 'verses。 All the twists and turns that happened in that world kept me guessing until the end。 I loved both characters， even Edwin when he was his rudest because you could see how his life， his family， had treated him， making him protect himself。 I loved Robin's bravery in that world of magic。 I love how his openness helped build that gap betw Every bit as good as the reviews have said it was。 I love the world building here and how the magical world is constructed。 So different than other magical 'verses。 All the twists and turns that happened in that world kept me guessing until the end。 I loved both characters， even Edwin when he was his rudest because you could see how his life， his family， had treated him， making him protect himself。 I loved Robin's bravery in that world of magic。 I love how his openness helped build that gap between him and Edwin。 I can't wait to see what the sequel will bring us。 。。。more
Ronnie
，
Apparently Goodreads ate my first review for this， and now I'm incredibly sad。 :（ Second readthrough was even better than the first。 With a firmer understanding of everything and where it was going to go， everything was a lot clearer; smaller details were easier to pick up， and certain scenes only make sense in the context of having read the whole book once before。 The running motifs of colour and plants were much more obvious to me on a second read through， and they're both delightful through l Apparently Goodreads ate my first review for this， and now I'm incredibly sad。 :（ Second readthrough was even better than the first。 With a firmer understanding of everything and where it was going to go， everything was a lot clearer; smaller details were easier to pick up， and certain scenes only make sense in the context of having read the whole book once before。 The running motifs of colour and plants were much more obvious to me on a second read through， and they're both delightful through lines that filled me with joy。 "Woe"， I think， will never not make me laugh， and somehow I missed "idiot flower of English manhood" the first time I read， which。。。 you know， just what a beautiful line。 :'） A+。 Can't wait for the second book in the series to come out。 。。。more
paige
，
（3。5 rounded up to 4 because i feel bad giving it 3 stars） OK many thoughts on this one。 at first， i was really vibing and enjoying it。 i really liked the character introductions and the immediate action unfolding。 my favorite part of the novel is definitely the characters。 the two main protagonists had solid backstories， motivations， and there was plenty of wit and inner dialogue to keep me entertained。 the gaggle of side characters were great， too and i felt their page-time was well-balanced。 （3。5 rounded up to 4 because i feel bad giving it 3 stars） OK many thoughts on this one。 at first， i was really vibing and enjoying it。 i really liked the character introductions and the immediate action unfolding。 my favorite part of the novel is definitely the characters。 the two main protagonists had solid backstories， motivations， and there was plenty of wit and inner dialogue to keep me entertained。 the gaggle of side characters were great， too and i felt their page-time was well-balanced。 the plot though…。 it just fell short。 im not sure whether it was the world building or just actual action that was lacking， but i just couldn’t find myself invested in what was actually happening。 i was definitely invested in the characters， but i just felt thrown around by the plot。 too much and not at all was happening too fast。 knowing this is a trilogy does make me feel better about knowing the story will （hopefully） have closure and be explored fully， but i really think ~200 extra pages would’ve really helped solidify this novel for me。 it was just…。。 lacking。 i really really wanted to utterly love this one but i couldn’t force myself。 i wanted More exploration， adventures， and actually solving the mystery rather than the answers being thrown in the characters’ faces。 i honestly can’t say ill be reading the rest of the trilogy—especially since book 2 doesn’t even follow the two characters i just got invested in。 so idk but it was enjoyable enough。 much 🌶 tho which i was not expecting 😳😳 also the blurb comparing it to RW&RB…。。 absolutely not。 。。。more
Cassandra
，
This book was not for me。 You'd think an Edwardian magical fantasy story centered around gay Englishman will be right up my alley， but you'd be wrong。 The writing style was really clunky and the plot was very boring。 This book was simultaneously， not a full romance， not a full fantasy novel and not a full mystery。 I honestly couldn't really tell what the point of the book was aside from just a presentation of gay Englishmen who have some sort of a confusing magical ability。 Overall， I was not im This book was not for me。 You'd think an Edwardian magical fantasy story centered around gay Englishman will be right up my alley， but you'd be wrong。 The writing style was really clunky and the plot was very boring。 This book was simultaneously， not a full romance， not a full fantasy novel and not a full mystery。 I honestly couldn't really tell what the point of the book was aside from just a presentation of gay Englishmen who have some sort of a confusing magical ability。 Overall， I was not impressed by the writing style。 I contemplated DNFing this like three times。 Oh well。 My first "bad" book of 2022。 It had to happen sooner or later。 。。。more
Mariia
，
a marvelous book
R
，
It started off strong， but just rolled slower and slower until I really didn't care much about how it was resolved。 The characters felt a bit flat？ Not sure how to explain that other than that I didn't feel like I knew them better， or was very invested in their well being by the end of the book。 It started off strong， but just rolled slower and slower until I really didn't care much about how it was resolved。 The characters felt a bit flat？ Not sure how to explain that other than that I didn't feel like I knew them better， or was very invested in their well being by the end of the book。 。。。more
Lightning pirate
，
Was I lured into reading a historical romance with the promise of magical realism？ Yes - am I mad about it？ No A really nice light book with magic and adventure and intrigue - I can't wait for the next installment in the trilogy Was I lured into reading a historical romance with the promise of magical realism？ Yes - am I mad about it？ No A really nice light book with magic and adventure and intrigue - I can't wait for the next installment in the trilogy 。。。more
Charlotte
，
A Marvellous Light is an ingenious murder mystery magic experience that will stick with me for a while as I eagerly anticipate the sequel。 Plot summary:Robin is put into a job he has no right being in， especially when he is completely awed by the fact a secret magic community in London has been right under him all his life。 When he takes over this role when the previous occupier disappears under mysterious circumstances and he is then himself implicated and cursed， he must work with his prickly A Marvellous Light is an ingenious murder mystery magic experience that will stick with me for a while as I eagerly anticipate the sequel。 Plot summary:Robin is put into a job he has no right being in， especially when he is completely awed by the fact a secret magic community in London has been right under him all his life。 When he takes over this role when the previous occupier disappears under mysterious circumstances and he is then himself implicated and cursed， he must work with his prickly counterpart Edwin to find a cure before it all falls apart， whilst keeping his only remaining family safe from it all。 Review:Plot and World Building – this was a fantastical plot with such an intricate magical weaving set in Victorian London it was just breath-taking。 It had a lot of unexpected moments that kept me engaged throughout and the overarching story leaving room for a sequel has been prepared well throughout。 The premise was what intrigued me， but the enigmatic world created was what I stayed for。 Overall pacing of the story was very fast and it worked well for the plot and world building。 Characters and Development- Robin is a wonderful， enigmatic character who is developed through his dealings in the magical world truly show how to the characters are the main point of this story。 His romance arc is fantastically developed and he is a delight to read。 Edwin is also in this point a fantastic character， and I very much appreciate that he is designed as a flawed character that gets redemption for all the teasing his family have given him regarding his magic- truly delightful。The side characters， particularly Edwin’s Family， all had moments to shine and all added something， and I recently saw the sequel announcement leaving me intrigued as to how they will develop further， particularly Robin’s younger sister。 The Romance…。the part I came for， as I am a huge fan of Red White and Royal Blue and seeing this advertised as a “for fans of” had me intrigued。 It definitely lived up to my expectations， honestly I wanted there to be more， so much more， but what was given was written fantastically。 Final Thoughts:A fantastic debut that is Magic， Mystery and sometimes utter madness that I thoroughly enjoyed， but has a lot to deliver in the sequel。 。。。more
Beaumont
，
This book was incredibly fun and fascinating to read。 I really liked the magical world the author created。 I also loved all the characters， and even the central romance （which can be very rare for me since I often feel the couple doesn’t actually like each other: not so in this book！）。 Also I think I read somewhere this is her debut novel？ Wow！ It felt very polished and honestly I’d never have guessed it wasn’t her 10th or something。 It really was wonderful！ I’ve also been DYING for a historical This book was incredibly fun and fascinating to read。 I really liked the magical world the author created。 I also loved all the characters， and even the central romance （which can be very rare for me since I often feel the couple doesn’t actually like each other: not so in this book！）。 Also I think I read somewhere this is her debut novel？ Wow！ It felt very polished and honestly I’d never have guessed it wasn’t her 10th or something。 It really was wonderful！ I’ve also been DYING for a historical fiction book not to ignore or wholly tragedize any whisper of queerness， so I was happy to find more of what I was looking for here！ Very unusual and very much appreciated！ Someday I’d love to find a historical fiction book that adds in magic or what have you AND removes homophobia， transphobia， racism， misogyny。 I’m still on the hunt for that。 I’d love to read historical novels even without magic and the rest of that。 Sometimes it’s just wearying to be bludgeoned with “historical accuracy” for any purpose whatsoever。 So finding that is my hope eternal。 Also just realized this is the first book of a series。 I’m absolutely getting the next one！ 。。。more
Mel
，
3。5 stars🪙🥛🔪
Phee
，
Loved the romance between these to grumps！ My main critiques are the world building and the magic system。 They were patchy at best and not very well explained， I kept forgetting what time period we were in。 The stakes never felt very high and I never felt any fear for the main characters。 But if your after a queer romp of a historical novel with a fantasy/mystery subplot then you may well enjoy it。 I curious as to where the series is going to go though。 I’ll probably pick up the sequels when the Loved the romance between these to grumps！ My main critiques are the world building and the magic system。 They were patchy at best and not very well explained， I kept forgetting what time period we were in。 The stakes never felt very high and I never felt any fear for the main characters。 But if your after a queer romp of a historical novel with a fantasy/mystery subplot then you may well enjoy it。 I curious as to where the series is going to go though。 I’ll probably pick up the sequels when they come out but I’m not sure that this one will be super memorable in the long run。 。。。more
Cindy ✩☽♔
，
The Illumicrate edition is stunning and I can’t wait to read it soon 😍
M
，
Absolutely obsessed with this debut novel by Freya Marske。 Set in an alternative magic-having universe， it's a fantasy historical set in England that feels familiar because of KJ Charles and Harry Potter but is also somehow fresh and interesting。 The first thing is that Marske is an incredible writer and storyteller， the prose was beautiful with lush description but not overly wordy or hard to read。 Then there are the characters， the MCs are a titled muggle and a brilliant magician without much Absolutely obsessed with this debut novel by Freya Marske。 Set in an alternative magic-having universe， it's a fantasy historical set in England that feels familiar because of KJ Charles and Harry Potter but is also somehow fresh and interesting。 The first thing is that Marske is an incredible writer and storyteller， the prose was beautiful with lush description but not overly wordy or hard to read。 Then there are the characters， the MCs are a titled muggle and a brilliant magician without much power who find themselves embroiled in a plot involving curses and magical objects and deeper conspiracy。 Loved the romance between the two， it was paced beautifully and was both outrageously hot and sweet at the same time。 The secondary characters were also well fleshed out and nuanced。 I am overjoyed that this is a trilogy but gutted that book 2 does not seem to be about these two because all I want is more of them。 。。。more
Cindy Braden
，
The story grabs you and doesn’t let go。 Beautiful writing， witty， romantic， twists and turns！ Steamy MM relationship that is just so heart aching and wonderful。 I’m excited that this is a series。
bee
，
though four stars is perhaps generous for the book as a whole; robin and edwin， as characters and their relationship， deserve each one。
Andrew Eder
，
I think I’m in the minority， but I could not get into this。 I didn’t care about any of the characters， the first chapter really threw me off and got me confused right away， and the whole plot just wasn’t for me。 It felt like a House In The Cerulean Sea rip off off-brand story。 Only redeeming qualities was that it was queer fantasy and that there was a decent amount of action。 Also， I know it’s supposed to be a series， but I can’t stand when the ending of a book is all about setting up the second I think I’m in the minority， but I could not get into this。 I didn’t care about any of the characters， the first chapter really threw me off and got me confused right away， and the whole plot just wasn’t for me。 It felt like a House In The Cerulean Sea rip off off-brand story。 Only redeeming qualities was that it was queer fantasy and that there was a decent amount of action。 Also， I know it’s supposed to be a series， but I can’t stand when the ending of a book is all about setting up the second in the series。 Feels like lazy writing。 。。。more
Chloé
，
4。5。
Sue
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This sub-genre of historical fiction with magic， mystery， and gay romance is absolutely the best。 Can't wait for the next。 This sub-genre of historical fiction with magic， mystery， and gay romance is absolutely the best。 Can't wait for the next。 。。。more
Katharina
，
A marvellous light， indeed。 LOVED it！
Jenny
，
Absolutely wonderful。 Loved the romance， the character dynamic between Edwin and Robin， and the magic。 Couldn't stop myself from finishing it as soon as possible。 This manages to balance the mystery and conflict with the romance and sauciness without one side overwhelming the other。 Robin and Edwin complement each other very well， and I enjoyed the journey of them coming together。 Cannot wait for the second book， I hope to be able to read it soon。 Absolutely wonderful。 Loved the romance， the character dynamic between Edwin and Robin， and the magic。 Couldn't stop myself from finishing it as soon as possible。 This manages to balance the mystery and conflict with the romance and sauciness without one side overwhelming the other。 Robin and Edwin complement each other very well， and I enjoyed the journey of them coming together。 Cannot wait for the second book， I hope to be able to read it soon。 。。。more
Victoria
，
What a fantastic book to start the year on！This was so great！ Such wonderful characters and a story I really fell in love with。 This was sweet， tender and surprisingly raunchy in places。 I loved the two characters and how they grew from wary and not liking each other to a lot more than that。 I can't wait to see how this unfolds in the next book。 November can't come soon enough What a fantastic book to start the year on！This was so great！ Such wonderful characters and a story I really fell in love with。 This was sweet， tender and surprisingly raunchy in places。 I loved the two characters and how they grew from wary and not liking each other to a lot more than that。 I can't wait to see how this unfolds in the next book。 November can't come soon enough 。。。more
Sandra （Boekenzuurstof）
，
⭐️3，5 sterren ⭐️Het begin vond ik erg wennen。 Het verhaal pakte me niet echt en hoewel ik de wereld interessant vond， verveelde ik me ook wel een beetje tijdens het lezen。 De zij-personages （is dat een woord？ In ieder geval bedoel ik de side characters） voelden erg vlak en waren ook niet echt duidelijk te onderscheiden van elkaar （afgezien van de naam natuurlijk）。 Uiteindelijk besloot ik toch om door te zetten en gelukkig maar， want zo bijna halverwege begon het verhaal lekker te lopen en voelde ⭐️3，5 sterren ⭐️Het begin vond ik erg wennen。 Het verhaal pakte me niet echt en hoewel ik de wereld interessant vond， verveelde ik me ook wel een beetje tijdens het lezen。 De zij-personages （is dat een woord？ In ieder geval bedoel ik de side characters） voelden erg vlak en waren ook niet echt duidelijk te onderscheiden van elkaar （afgezien van de naam natuurlijk）。 Uiteindelijk besloot ik toch om door te zetten en gelukkig maar， want zo bijna halverwege begon het verhaal lekker te lopen en voelde ik me wél geïnvesteerd in het verhaal en de personages。 Robin en Edwin zijn personages die je naar mate het verhaal vordert， ziet groeien en in je hart sluit。 Ik ben nu ook erg benieuwd naar het vervolg！ :） 。。。more
Gail
，
This was a very addictive and engaging read！This was dual pov and I really enjoyed both characters and I am excited how the cast expands in the next books in the series。 Many aspects of the magic I found very interesting and I hope gets more explanation。 I also want to learn more about the history of magic in not just Britain but also expanding globally。 This book wrapped up nicely but left enough threads that I am very interested in how they are going to come up later。overall this book was a re This was a very addictive and engaging read！This was dual pov and I really enjoyed both characters and I am excited how the cast expands in the next books in the series。 Many aspects of the magic I found very interesting and I hope gets more explanation。 I also want to learn more about the history of magic in not just Britain but also expanding globally。 This book wrapped up nicely but left enough threads that I am very interested in how they are going to come up later。overall this book was a really good time and the Edwardian backdrop （as someone who loves that period it felt very much like a backdrop and wasn't fully fleshed out or fully rooted in that period but I didn't mind） added a nice atmosphere and added to the imagery。 I am glad this was my first five star read of 2022！Also every time I read a book from tordotcom I am just reminded how much I love their books lol！ 。。。more
Dylan Schroeder
，
Absolutely obsessed with everything about this。 Loved the characters， loved the setting， the vibes were immaculate。 And， uh， not for nothing but the hook-up scenes were very well done too。
Nadja
，
I thought about DNFing at around 150 pages and probably I should have。。。。 The writing was so pretentious from the beginning and most of the time I was confused about this magic or world。 Nothing really happens plot-wise， the characters are angsty with no end in sight and the mystery was thin。 In the end I really can't give more than 2 stars because the reading experience wasn't really a good one。 PS: I hate this plastic choice Illumicrate made for this special edition。 Hello， environment？ I thought about DNFing at around 150 pages and probably I should have。。。。 The writing was so pretentious from the beginning and most of the time I was confused about this magic or world。 Nothing really happens plot-wise， the characters are angsty with no end in sight and the mystery was thin。 In the end I really can't give more than 2 stars because the reading experience wasn't really a good one。 PS: I hate this plastic choice Illumicrate made for this special edition。 Hello， environment？ 。。。more
carver ♪
，
oh my god these bitches gay！ good for them！ good for them。
Kathrine
，
3。5/5Wonderful and memorable romance， forgettable everything elseThis was a really mixed bag。 I'm almost tempted to just refer to my Witchmark by C。L。 Polk review， because my criticisms of this are almost identical。 This gets a slightly higher rating because the romance is more memorable， and I enjoyed that this wasn't afraid to get really explicit with its love scenes。 I don't usually read romance and erotica， but this still added to my enjoyment。I tried as hard as I could to care about the 3。5/5Wonderful and memorable romance， forgettable everything elseThis was a really mixed bag。 I'm almost tempted to just refer to my Witchmark by C。L。 Polk review， because my criticisms of this are almost identical。 This gets a slightly higher rating because the romance is more memorable， and I enjoyed that this wasn't afraid to get really explicit with its love scenes。 I don't usually read romance and erotica， but this still added to my enjoyment。I tried as hard as I could to care about the plot， but I just couldn't。 The story felt incredibly meandering， especially in the middle， with Robin and Edwin just stuck in a manor with Edwin's family。 This was a set up for them falling in love， and while I enjoyed that so much， the story felt so insignificant that I never cared about anything other than the main pairing。 The story feels more like the set up for their meet-cute， but this is going to be a trilogy， so I was expecting the plot to be better developed。 Oh well， there's hope for the sequel。 I initially enjoyed the mystery of Robin's curse and who the man with the shadow mask was， but there was no sense of urgency。 Robin is cursed and gets fits of incredible pain from runes of his arm that keep spreading at an alarming rate， but he goes on boat rides instead？ Again， I get that the focus of that middle part of the book is to develop his and Edwin's relationship， but things like this take me out of the moment。 The rest of the series has an incredibly strong foundation because I really enjoy the MC's and their romance， so I'm hopeful for the next books。 Robin and Edwin are wonderful， and easily the saving grace of the book。 They compliment each other so well， with one being an athletic and confident jock and the other being a reclusive bookish nerd。 I loved reading their development， and their pining for each other really worked and built to a climax （ha！） in sex scenes that would normally really put me off due to their explicit nature， but it really worked here。 It's incredibly obvious that Marske has read and written a lot of fanfic， and it works with this pairing。 It's usually 50/50 whether I enjoy explicit sex like this， but with their pairing， it feels earned。 They do be living rent-free in my head， and I'm looking forward to where their relationship is going next。 As I mentioned， I think if the story improves in the next books， they might become new faves。 I'm staying optimistic。I haven't mentioned any other characters， but that's mostly because I can't remember them at all。 I'm sure they'll get more development in time， but they all kind of blurred together for me。 Edwin's family just annoyed the hell out of me， and I understand why， but the villain（s） in general were so generic and the reveal was very anticlimactic。 Again， since this is the start of a trilogy I'm sure we'll get more information about them， especially since there's apparently a whole order and a big bad boss who didn't appear in this as far as I could tell。 Again， optimistic about this too。I read this both physically and through audio because the narrator initially threw me off。 He has an incredibly strong and posh English accent， which seems like a perfect fit， but there was something about his intonation that took me a while to get used to。 He puts a lot of emotion into his reading， but he often came across as a bit robotic to me。 However， I got used to it， so about the last half of the book was consumed mostly through audio （except for the sex scenes。 I got such awful second-hand embarrassment from hearing him read the extended sex scenes。 I would always switch back to the physical book whenever one started lmao） and he does a good job。Overall， this was okay， and I mostly had a good time。 The main paring is a saving grace， as I was never invested in the story or any other characters。 I'm going to continue with the series when the sequels come out because the pairing is so good， and because I see a lot of potential here。 It's a new year， so I'm trying to be more optimistic。 Hoping I'm right on this one。 。。。more
Ophelia
，
Robin managed to hold his tongue on something truly unwise like You look like a Turner painting and I want to learn your textures with my fingertips。 You are the most fascinating thing in this beautiful house。 I'd like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you。 Those were not things one blurted out to a friend。 They were their own cradles of magic， an expression of the desire to transform one thing into another。 And what if the magic went awry Robin managed to hold his tongue on something truly unwise like You look like a Turner painting and I want to learn your textures with my fingertips。 You are the most fascinating thing in this beautiful house。 I'd like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you。 Those were not things one blurted out to a friend。 They were their own cradles of magic， an expression of the desire to transform one thing into another。 And what if the magic went awry？Robin took a long sip of tea， instead， and smiled at Edwin through the steam。 'I'm not going anywhere，' he said。Seeing an artist that you've loved for a long time grow and become successful is such a rush and I feel so emotional holding this book。 This was great and exactly what I wanted。 Marske is fantastic at building character and orchestrating emotional beats。 Everything feels well-paced and earned and her descriptions are lovely。 Robin and Edwin fit each other really well， their differences perfect spaces for the other to fill out。 Robin was charming and golden， a healthy reformed jock and Edwin was serpentine and bookish， a sleek cat ready to hiss and snap。 I loved how they found each other absolutely fascinating and the many comparisons between Edwin's looks and martyred saints were delicious。 Loved the focus on magical houses and properties and what they owe and are owed。 The magic system was just floo floo enough for me to have a good， chill time with it。 And like always， Freya Marske writes a banging sex scene。 Cannot wait for Maud's story！！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Marvellous Light
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Marvellous Light&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Marvellous Light&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0