Book review: A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding #1) by Freya MarskeA charming magical adventure se

Book review: A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding #1) by Freya MarskeA charming magical adventure set in the early 1900s. When Robin Blyth reluctantly accepts a new government position he finds himself unexpectedly swept up in magical conspiracies, deadly curses and a passionate whirlwind romance.I chose to read A Marvellous Light on a whim, knowing very little about it other than the fact that it had a beautiful cover and had been blurbed by the author of The House In the Cerulean Sea. I’m pleased to report that it was everything I could have hoped for: a beautifully written queer romance wrapped up in the complications of magical intrigue and Edwardian sensibilities.Told from the dual third-person perspectives of ordinary civil servant Robin Blyth and Edwin Courcey, the haughty magician forced to take Robin into his protection, A Marvellous Light centres around the mysterious disappearance of a liason between the ordinary and magical worlds. Robin and Edwin have a classic mutual-annoyance-to-friends-to-lovers relationship and their burgeoning feelings are definitely the heart of the book. The pace of the mystery slowed considerably after the first few chapters, but I didn’t really mind since this gave us more time to focus on Robin and Edwin getting to know each other.One thing that definitely stood out to me in this novel is the worldbuiding. It’s a testament to debut author Marske’s skill that the magic of her world feels refreshingly original. Magicians in A Marvellous Light use gestures called cradles to weave together the requirements of their spells. It’s an entirely new way of approaching magic, but there’s a logic to the rules and regulations of Marske’s secret magical society that keeps it from becoming confusing.All in all, there’s a lot to love about this novel and I’m excited to read more from Marske in the future!Many thanks to Tor Books for providing a copy of A Marvellous Light. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.Publisher: Tor BooksRating:  4 stars | ★★★★✰Review cross-posted to Goodreads Buy on Amazon: US | UK -- source link

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