by Freya Marske
An International Bestseller!
Winner of the 2022 Romantic Novel Award in Fantasy!
Locus Award Finalist!
An Indie Next pick and LibraryReads pick—with four starred reviews!
A Best of 2021 Pick for NPR | Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Book Riot
Red, White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange & 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.
The Last Binding Trilogy:
A Marvellous Light
A Restless Truth
A Power Unbound
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
An International Bestseller!
Winner of the 2022 Romantic Novel Award in Fantasy!
Locus Award Finalist!
An Indie Next pick and LibraryReads pick—with four starred reviews!
A Best of 2021 Pick for NPR | Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Book Riot
Red, White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange & 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.
The Last Binding Trilogy:
A Marvellous Light
A Restless Truth
A Power Unbound
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Reviews-
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Starred review from August 16, 2021
Marske debuts with a breathtaking queer romantic fantasy set in Edwardian England. Financial necessity leads newly titled, 25-year-old baronet Robin Blyth to take a post in the Office of Special Domestic Affairs and Complaints, where Edwin Courcey, liaison to the Chief Minister of the Magical Assembly, “unbushells” him by disclosing the reality of magic. Thugs accost Robin that same evening, placing a curse on him and demanding to know the location of a powerful object his predecessor hid. When Edwin learns of the curse, which gives Robin unbidden glimpses of the future, he whisks Robin to his family’s country estate. There, Edwin, who lacks raw magical power but has a keen mind and a knack for research, attempts to find a solution while his family, including a sister whose pranks teeter on mean-spirited and a brother who torments him, cook up magical diversions. Edwin and Robin share some deliciously described sexual encounters as their research takes them to a powerful, dangerous magical estate. After forcing a vision leaves Robin nonresponsive, Edwin makes a risky decision that lifts the curse but causes a rift between the men as the identities of Robin’s attackers come to light. Sensual erotic scenes, an intriguing magic system, and a puzzling mystery combine to make this novel a wonder. Fans of C.L. Polk’s Witchmark, period queer novels, and creative fantasy will all clamor for more. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. -
Starred review from September 1, 2021
In Edwardian England, Baronet Robin Blyth is trying to keep his life and estate in order when he learns that he has been named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society he never knew existed. Edwin Courcey, his crusty counterpart in magic's realm, resists him mightily. But the disappearance of Robin's predecessor compels them to investigate together, and soon they unearth a plot targeting magicians in the British Isles that has already cost a few lives. A debut novel from an Aurealis short-listed author, cohost of Be the Serpent, a Hugo Award-nominated podcast; with a 75,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Starred review from September 15, 2021
Opposites attract in this impressive, queer fantasy set in Edwardian England. Robin Blyth, an English society jock, is thrown into the magical world after being mistakenly assigned to the Office of Special Domestic Affairs and Complaints, a government position that works with the magical liaison, the uptight Edwin Courcey. Edwin initially bristles at the churlish Robin and means to correct this obvious human resource error by erasing his memory with lethe-mint, a common practice in the magic world. However, his plans change when Robin is attacked then marked with a strange tattooed curse by a group of masked magicians looking for the last contract. But why is the last contract so important? What happened to Robin's predecessor? Will they be able to remove Robin's curse before it's too late? And why is he suddenly having strange visions? Both men tentatively dance around their growing attraction until a dangerous encounter with an imbued hedge maze brings everything to a boiling point. Marske's debut successfully combines the steamy romance of Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue (2019) with enchanting magic and mystery � la Harry Potter. This trilogy opener is sure to capture the hearts of romance and fantasy readers alike.COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- The New York Times "A delightful book, with richly developed characters rooted in family dynamics and period flavor."
- Alix E. Harrow, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Once and Future Witches "Mystery! Magic! Murder! Long looks full of yearning! This book is a confection, both marvelous and light."
- New York Times Book Review "A delightful book, with richly developed characters rooted in family dynamics and period flavor. It manages the remarkable trick of introducing a trilogy while being satisfying in its own right, leaving plenty to explore in future volumes while completing a complex story in this one."
- Daily Mail "This brilliant debut, blending romance, adventure and whodunnit, is told with real panache and elegance."
- Publishers Weekly, *Starred Review* "Sensual erotic scenes, an intriguing magic system, and a puzzling mystery combine to make this novel a wonder. Fans of C.L. Polk's Witchmark, period queer novels, and creative fantasy will all clamor for more."
- Library Journal, *Starred Review* "Marske's debut is a delightful blend of Edwardian fantasy and romance, with enough twists and questions to have readers clamoring for the next in the planned series."
