Mortal Follies: A Novel (Unabridged)
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4.2 • 5 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A young noblewoman must pair up with an alleged witch to ward off a curse in this irresistible sapphic romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material.
“Fresh and delightful . . . All the interpersonal drama of Jane Austen meets all the complex treachery of Greek mythology.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
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 that means mixing with undesirable company. And there are few less desirable than Lady Georgiana 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 reputed witch has her own secrets that may prove dangerous to Miss Mitchelmore’s heart—not to mention her life.
Customer Reviews
A LGBTQIAP+ Fantasy/Paranormal Historical Romance
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall is a novel written with a storytelling narrator. The author uses the narrator, who we conclude is a Puck, exiled from Oberon’s side and forced to pen novels in order to support himself. He told the story of Miss Mitchelmore, during the year 1814, who found herself the victim of a supernatural curse. He follows her and her friends as they discover the cause of this curse and all the experiences that befell her as a consequence. This is an LGBTQIAP+ novel.
I enjoyed this story. The narrative style was unusual, and I felt that it kept distance between myself as the reader and the characters of the novel. Nevertheless, it was a unique storytelling style that added to the overall story due to Puck’s inside information and personal commentary on the young woman’s experiences. Puck also extolled his own suffering as one who suddenly had to have money to pay for the things he had always taken for granted. The story described a world of gods, goddesses, fairies, and witches that existed alongside that of everyday mortals. In this world, the mortal characters had much more knowledge of the Otherworld than one would expect a story set in this time period to have. It seemed as if their normal everyday life of balls, picnics, and parties of the Season were interspersed with petitions to goddess’s to curse or remove curses. Characters who had chosen to dedicate themselves to the service of a goddess were in the realm of believable in their everyday world. Usually stories which tell of the Fae have most secondary characters being completely unaware of the existence of Otherworldly creatures. This book is also a love story, a coming old age story, and a coming out story all wrapped up into one. I think that the tale was very well told, but there remained a disconnect between myself and the main characters of the story, which I feel the narrator contributed to. I did enjoy the book and feel that it is well worth the read. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy LGBTQIAP+ fantasy or paranormal historical romance novels involving the world of the Fae as well as deities of a number of dead religions. I am voluntarily submitting this honest review after reading an advanced complementary copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey.