A non-magical civil servant is cursed into a hidden magical Edwardian England, with only a prickly magician to help him survive it.
- Score
- 79.4
- Spice
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Steamy
- POV
- dual
- Ending
- HEA / HFN
Tropes
Content warnings
Curated signals, not an exhaustive guarantee.
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What readers think
Readers consistently praise Marske's prose as lush and precise, and the central dynamic between sunny Robin and thorny Edwin as irresistibly compelling. The magic system — built around string-figure gestures and the concept of consent — is widely called inventive and thematically elegant. Critics celebrate the blend of murder-mystery plotting, slow-burn romance, and explicit pay-off as a rare achievement in genre fiction. The main criticism is that the conspiracy plot can feel secondary to the character work, and at least one critical voice noted sex scenes arrive abruptly mid-scene. The book earned a Hugo nomination and a 2022 Romantic Novel Award (Fantasy), and sits at approximately 4.2 stars on Goodreads across a large readership.
Read it if
- · Readers who want explicitly queer historical romance with literary-quality prose and genuine emotional depth
- · Fantasy fans who enjoy a well-constructed magic system woven into a cosy-but-tense murder mystery
- · Anyone drawn to opposites-attract pairings where the grumpy, self-doubting lead is slowly undone by the sunshine love interest
Skip it if
- · You want a fast-paced action-first plot — character interiority and romantic tension take centre stage
- · Explicit on-page sex between men is not for you
- · Brief torture and references to past child abuse are hard limits
If you liked this
- · For fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke — hidden magical society in Edwardian/Regency England with dry wit and intricate worldbuilding
- · For fans of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison — kind-hearted protagonist navigating a hostile bureaucratic world, warm emotional tone despite real danger
- · For fans of K.J. Charles — queer historical romance with sharp prose, slow-burn tension, and explicit pay-off
- · Like Downton Abbey meets a queer fantasy thriller — class, manners, and period atmosphere shot through with magic and desire
Which dark romantasy heroine are you? Five choices in a forest that wants you dead.
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