Mortal Follies: A Novel

4 4 out of 5 stars | 525 ratings

Price: 15.75

Last update: 12-03-2024


About this item

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.


Top reviews from the United States

Kirsten
4.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully Enchanting
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2023
I'm very much one of those people who tend to put a book down and never pick it back up again. I have a hard time getting into the world that books establish and I will admit I was slightly hesitant with the first few pages. I persisted and I found myself loving this book! The character interactions are so fun and often very comedic and I quite enjoy the unique narrator choice for this novel. I didn't care for the narrator at first, and found them a bit annoying but they became more pleasant throughout my reading. I do feel like it starts to slow down after the first major obstacle is dealt with about 2/3rds into the way of the book but I nonetheless enjoyed the character interactions and romantic tensions that occurred afterwards.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes I would. It's a good read and I found myself finishing it within 4 days. The most notable aspect of the book that I liked was the character interactions and the more 'tense' scenes.
Libro Vermo
5.0 out of 5 stars Don’t skip the prologue. Don’t be a prologue skipper.
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2024
I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who skips prologues and happens to read Mortal Follies. The book’s prologue provides an important introduction to our narrator, a hobgoblin who has been cast from Oberon’s court. Not only is he an amazing storyteller, worthy of Oberon’s forgiveness, but he’s extremely funny, and I was already laughing before chapter one began.

The way the Mortal Follies was written—excuse me, told by a hobgoblin, it reads a bit like an Austen novel but with magic. There are curses, old gods, sacrifices, witches, and there may or may not be kelpies.

The narrator wasn’t the only reason Mortal Follies was funny. I was laughing the whole way through, at the narration, the hijinks of the characters and the situations they found themselves in, and, well, Miss Bickle. Miss Mitchelmore’s best friend, Lysistrata Bickle, is an absolute delight and I will fight anyone who tries to harm a hair on her head. She’s a great friend and though she’s more than a bit naive, she’s quirky in all the best ways. She needs her own book about her adventures. I can’t decide if I wanted a friend like Miss Bickle, or I wanted to be a friend like Miss Bickle. Maybe the answer is both. I want both.

One of my favorite bits of the book was Miss Mitchelmore’s character arc. The ways in which she changes from the beginning of the story, when she’s a prim and proper young lady of high society who finds that she’s been cursed, to the end of the story when, well, she’s in love with a woman and all kinds of crazy stuff is happening… it’s impressive.

I loved that the story was told by this hobgoblin, who added in his own thoughts and opinions as events unfolded. By doing that, he became a character in his own right, and I really enjoyed getting to know him. I look forward to hearing his next story, Confounding Oaths.

(I actually wrote this review for Goodreads a while back and have already read Confounding Oaths and it was great because of course it was)
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Libro Vermo
5.0 out of 5 stars Don’t skip the prologue. Don’t be a prologue skipper.
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2024
I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who skips prologues and happens to read Mortal Follies. The book’s prologue provides an important introduction to our narrator, a hobgoblin who has been cast from Oberon’s court. Not only is he an amazing storyteller, worthy of Oberon’s forgiveness, but he’s extremely funny, and I was already laughing before chapter one began.

The way the Mortal Follies was written—excuse me, told by a hobgoblin, it reads a bit like an Austen novel but with magic. There are curses, old gods, sacrifices, witches, and there may or may not be kelpies.

The narrator wasn’t the only reason Mortal Follies was funny. I was laughing the whole way through, at the narration, the hijinks of the characters and the situations they found themselves in, and, well, Miss Bickle. Miss Mitchelmore’s best friend, Lysistrata Bickle, is an absolute delight and I will fight anyone who tries to harm a hair on her head. She’s a great friend and though she’s more than a bit naive, she’s quirky in all the best ways. She needs her own book about her adventures. I can’t decide if I wanted a friend like Miss Bickle, or I wanted to be a friend like Miss Bickle. Maybe the answer is both. I want both.

One of my favorite bits of the book was Miss Mitchelmore’s character arc. The ways in which she changes from the beginning of the story, when she’s a prim and proper young lady of high society who finds that she’s been cursed, to the end of the story when, well, she’s in love with a woman and all kinds of crazy stuff is happening… it’s impressive.

I loved that the story was told by this hobgoblin, who added in his own thoughts and opinions as events unfolded. By doing that, he became a character in his own right, and I really enjoyed getting to know him. I look forward to hearing his next story, Confounding Oaths.

(I actually wrote this review for Goodreads a while back and have already read Confounding Oaths and it was great because of course it was)
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Mainer
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2023
This story is narrated by Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, who sprinkles in plenty of references to A Midsummer's Night Dream. He's chosen to tell the story of Maelys Mitchelmore, a beautiful young lady in the midst of her season in Bath. However, she's under a curse: her dress disintegrates at a ball, food turns into disgusting bugs, and wasps attack her. Georgiana, the so-called Duke of Annadale, is a suspect, but Maelys is also attracted to the older woman.
It's an enjoyable story, but it dragged in places as Maelys and her friends, Miss Bickle and Mr. Caesar, try to solve the mystery of who has cursed her. The romance never really grabbed me; perhaps, the distance created by a story narrator was the problem or that I never got Georgiana's POV, but I'm used to knowing more about the character's feelings in Hall's books. The fantasy bits were interesting, and I love books where magic and the Regency era are intertwined. Miss Bickle is a great character, my favorite, and has the best dialogue.
I generally love this author's books and I like how the sub-genres are often switched around. But this one was just okay for me.
BeautyBookCorner
4.0 out of 5 stars Sapphic regency romance set in a fun cozy fantasy world
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024
My first Alexis Hall book and I was not disappointed. While the book started off with lots of exciting moments, I had a hard time connecting to Maelys. It definitely felt like insta-love to me. The connection between Georgiana and Maelys felt awkward to me until after the halfway point. However, The more I read, the more I found myself laughing and smiling. It’s full of silly dialogue and funny moments. I found it was best to just roll with the story.

This year I tend to like stories narrated by a third person. This book is narrated by a cheeky otherworldly creature/spirit. I found their little asides and observations hilarious.

I really hope there is a sequel companion novel following Maelys’ best friend, Lizzie. She was by far my favorite character of the book! She is ridiculous but in the most endearing and charming way. Her search to pound (????) would definitely be full of adventure and wild detours.

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