#and the 1814 arc?? not disappointing

[earl-grey-crow]

I feel like alice might've wanted to kick the pond in the shins but how do you kick an eldritch pond in the shins

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

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Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Synopsis:

A young noblewoman must pair up with a rumoured witch to ward off a curse. It is the year 1814 and life for a young lady of good breeding has many difficulties. There are balls to attend, fashions to follow, marriages to consider and, of course, the tiny complication of existing in a world swarming with fairy spirits, interfering deities, and actual straight-up sorcerers. Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into high society hindered by an irritating curse. It begins innocuously enough with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at a high-profile ball, a scandal she narrowly manages to escape. However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, Miss Mitchelmore must seek out aid, even if it means mixing with undesirable company. And there are few less desirable than Lady Georgianna Landrake—a brooding, alluring young woman sardonically nicknamed “the Duke of Annadale”—who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune. If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress. Then again, a malign enchantress might be exactly what Miss Mitchelmore needs. With the Duke’s help, Miss Mitchelmore delves into a world of angry gods and vindictive magic, keen to unmask the perpetrator of these otherworldly attacks. But Miss Mitchelmore’s reputation is not the only thing at risk in spending time with her new ally. For the rumoured witch has her own secrets that may prove dangerous to Miss Mitchelmore’s heart—not to mention her life.

My Rating:★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes below the cut.

My Review:

It pains me to give this three stars because I generally adore Alexis Hall's' books and can almost guarantee them to be 5-star reads. But this one fell flat. It suffered from a few problems that killed it for me. I liked the choice to have a capricious Puck narrate a story about a human cast of characters. It was at times amusing, but unfortunately it created so much distance between me and the characters that I felt like I didn't know them at all. It didn't help that the characters were dry, bland, and flat. Miss Bickle was occasionally amusing but in a distant, faint way. Another obstacle was the overly formal tone of the characters conversation and manner, which kept me even further from knowing the characters. Since I am, first and foremost, a character-driven reader, this feeling of being so far removed from the characters that I was watching them from about a mile away didn't give me the enjoyment I usually get from Alexis Hall's books. It was also incredibly awkward to have Puck narrating the sex scenes. I mean, I don't usually enjoy sex scenes anyway, but having everything filtered through Puck's gaze and narration felt weirdly intrusive. It also seriously dragged in the middle. I felt like I was reading it for weeks without getting anywhere, and it almost put me into a reading slump. There were some interesting bits and I did enjoy it enough to finish it, but not enough to really love it, no matter how much I wanted to or how beautiful the cover is. *Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

The works of my people have a wholly undeserved reputation for coming apart unexpectedly or transforming into leaves and cobwebs at the slightest provocation. In fact, such disasters tend to require considerable provocation. The problem is that mortals are exceedingly provoking.

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And then Mr. Caesar, to my disappointment, left the house of dissolute gentlemen and, like the tiresome mortal that he was, went home. In punishment, I hid one of his shoes.

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“It is vexing isn’t it?” Miss Mitchelmore’s tone acquired a musing edge. “If one is poor, one must marry a rich man in order that one might be provided for, and if one is wealthy one must marry a still richer man in order that one not spend the rest of one’s days providing for him.”

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It was possible, of course, that Mr. Clitherowe had taken the opportunity to direct some hex against her during their brief conversation, but unless “what an unusual hat” was an incantation of ancient and unknowable power, it seemed improbable.