A Marvellous Light

A dazzling, queer romantic fantasy

By: Freya Marske

Narrated by: David Thorpe

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

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)

Gay and magical

I'm fairly new to queer romance as a genre. And I've always been a fantasy nerd. This ticked every box I have: Lovely romance, interesting magic system and wonderful characters with an engaging plot (and some well-written spicy scenes). I can't wait for the sequel (even if the focus isn't on Edwin and Robin).
Additionally, the narrator has a wonderful voice and delivered an amazing performance. I hope he returns for the sequel.

This book has everything

A fantastic story with magic, romance, depth of character and who dunnit!
Marvelous! I highly recommend this book.

Would benefit from a different narrator

The plot in interesting and I did want to know how things will turn out. The romance was nice if kind of underwhelming.

The narrator made Robin sound terrible. Like an old bafoon. And when the characters were supposed to be in throes of emotion or passion they just kind of rasped squakily.

So much fun

I had good time listening to this book. The world building is excellent, the magic system is exciting and original and the characters are incredibly well written. I especially enjoyed how easy it was to slip into the story and be take on an adventure filled with magic, mystery and gay spice. Would highly recommend.