*I was gifted an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Rating: 5/5
*This book was gifted to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Summary from Amazon:
"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."
This book was such a fun read, but at the same time it had the proper depth that made the characters and the relationship that much more meaningful. There was fun, romance, contemporary fantasy elements, all with a murder mystery working in the background of this compelling Edwardian fantasy book. I loved both Edwin and Robin. Robin had the dazzling personality and the smart mouth that makes him an easy character to love. He was lovable, but his character still possessed depth enough to make him feel well-rounded. He felt well-rounded as a character because we were able to see the difficulties he was going through and his internal struggle to really connect with the people around them. Then opposite him there was Edwin; though his demeanor was pretty cold and prickly at the beginning, he was also very easy to love. He had these deep seated insecurities and his flaws were on display. Born to a rich, deeply magical family of which he was an outsider, the butt of their jokes. Robin just complemented him so nicely. Their romance was just very sweet, though there was also some spice that elevated it even further. Sure, their romance felt a little quick, but I still thought it was believable.
Another thing that I loved about this book was the creative magic system. The concept of using these complicated hand gestures that ultimately boiled down to cradling (like cat's cradle) was really unique. Also the concept that people are born with varying amounts of magic and the precision with which they are able to cradle affecting their ability to perform different spells. It just seemed like a very unique way of looking at magic that I don't feel like I've ever encountered before. And even if it was, it was presented in a way that made it not only digestible, but also very understandable. Sometimes fantasy writers can get way too complex with their magic systems and how they operate. It felt like Marske made the usage of the magic perfectly understandable. In fact, the writing throughout the whole book was very understandable. Don't get me wrong, Marske's writing was still lovely and served to make the story that much more captivating. The actions and emotions of the characters were well-described. The use of such made the characters understandable and relatable. The story itself was compelling with just enough action to keep interest the whole way through. Don't get me wrong, it took the story a moment to get warmed up, but once it did it just didn't stop.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely my favorite book that I read in November of 2021. In fact, it was probably in my top ten books for 2021 (maybe even top 5). This was the first book in the Last Binding series, and I'm already really excited to read the sequel whenever it comes out! If you like a good fantasy novel set in Edwardian England that has mystery, murder, lovable characters, m/m romance, and great character dynamics, then this is the book for you! Thank you so much to Tordotcom for sending me an ebook to read in advance. This book is currently available everywhere books are sold. I hope you guys love it as much as I did!
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