A Marvellous Light cover art

A Marvellous Light

A dazzling, queer romantic fantasy

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About this listen

Set in an alternative Edwardian England, this is a comedy of manners, manor houses, and hedge mazes: including a magic-infused murder mystery and a delightful queer romance.

'Lush historical fantasy . . . A delightful book, with richly developed characters' New York Times

‘Mystery! Magic! Murder! . . . This book is a confection, both marvellous and light’ Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

For fans of Georgette Heyer or Julia Quinn's Bridgerton, who'd like to welcome magic into their lives . . .

Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he's actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. If it weren’t for this administrative error, he’d never have discovered the incredible magic underlying his world.

Cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by visions, Robin becomes determined to drag answers from his missing predecessor – but he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his hostile magical-society counterpart. Unwillingly thrown together, Robin and Edwin will discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.

The Binding meets Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light. Continue the thrilling series with A Restless Truth.

‘A dazzling debut’ – Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

‘Prepare to fall in love with the gorgeous Edwardian setting, the sizzling character dynamics, and the murderous enchanted hedge maze’ – Emily Tesh, author of Silver in the Wood

‘An absolute delight . . . If you ever wished Downton Abbey was sharper-edged and full of magic, this is the book for you’ – Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians

Fantasy Fiction Historical Romance Magic LGBTQIA+ Magic Users

Critic reviews

Mystery! Magic! Murder! Long looks full of yearning! This book is a confection, both marvellous and light (Alix E. Harrow)
That sublime prose! Her astonishing gift for imagery! And, of course, her bountiful and endless talent for writing some extremely sexy scenes. A Marvellous Light is all that and more. Perfect (Jenn Lyons)
A magical world of exquisite refinement, where peril skims beneath manners, interiors bespeak both faultless taste and deadly secrets, and the sexual tension crescendos until it literally makes sparks fly. A dazzling debut (Shelley Parker-Chan)
Romantic in the best way, funny, sharp, sexy, fantastical. Prepare to fall in love with the gorgeous Edwardian setting, the sizzling character dynamics, and the murderous enchanted hedge maze (Emily Tesh)
Freya Marske's A Marvellous Light is an absolute delight. I was caught from the very beginning by the compellingly realized characters, the gorgeous and deadly magical world, and the fascinating mystery. If you ever wished Downton Abbey was sharper-edged and full of magic, this is the book for you (Kat Howard)
Freya's prose is so splendid that merely reading it makes me feel like I've been filled to the brim with champagne bubbles. A Marvellous Light has everything you could ever want from a book – beautiful descriptions, expertly woven world-building, queer kissing, sexual tension in a library, quite a lot of William Morris wallpaper . . . This book is brilliant on every level. It is wondrous. It is, if you will excuse a small joke, marvellous (Alexandra Rowland)
A charming, lovingly crafted adventure full of peril, romance and wit, illuminated by sparkling turns of phrase and a pervasive sense of humour (A. K. Larkwood)
Equal parts fantasy, mystery and romance – with bonus murderous garden features – A Marvellous Light heralds a strong new voice in science fiction and fantasy (Sam Hawke)
This romantic fantasy is full of fascinating world-building, layers upon layers of delicious magic, and characters I adored. I want to spend so much more time in this alternate England's enchanted libraries and sinister hedge mazes! The whole experience was a delight (Stephanie Burgis)
A gripping story, told in precise and sensual language, with the kind of characters that make you want a spin-off book for even the ones you've barely met. Magic, romance and mayhem in a beautifully decorated – and occasionally actively dangerous – Edwardian setting (Malka Older)
A completely enchanting story that sweeps you into a world of art and romance. Marske is an extraordinary talent who writes compelling characters, entertainingly awful families, and love stories like nobody else (Everina Maxwell)
A breathtaking queer romantic fantasy . . . Sensual erotic scenes, an intriguing magic system, and a puzzling mystery combine to make this novel a wonder (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
All stars
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A well written story with and interesting  concept.  The characters are likeable and the narration is very good.

Enjoyable Story

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A cosy listen with with a delightfully fussy reverance for period design detail and the occasional blush inducing full length sex scene. A bit like trips to visit National Trust stately homes included antique sex toys in the gift shop.
Adored Edwin and Robin, and their intimate scenes always advanced their personal stories in ways that were actually quite moving. The magical world was also a novel, fussy and intricate delight.
I've read some reviews that critique what the author attempts to do with class and colonialism later in the series. Having listened to the whole thing, I don't think it lands with a perfect score but I am glad it's there and it elevates the whole thing.

Highly recommended

charming character dynamic and convincing period setting

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I enjoyed this listen. It wasn’t exactly original, it certainly isn’t unique. Historical fantasy with a gay twist is usually right up my street, so to speak; and this took me a while to get into. It’s not bad, but it’s also not amazing. I enjoyed it, and sadly it might languish into the ever growing list of series I’ve started and not sure if I’ll finish.

Great narration and intriguing story.

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I've just listened to this book for a third time. Great story, characters, and writing

definitely worth listening

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I listen to/read a lot of stories that involve magic, so I was happy to find another that looked promising. But this one hasn’t hooked me and I’ve given up after 3 hours. The plot hasn’t flowed very well and the characters and their relationships are not engaging. It’s all just a bit bitty. The narrator was decent.

I love magical stories but not this one

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