Sometimes, you start a book and you instantly know it’s going to become a favourite. By the first page you have fallen into the world, and by the end of the first chapter you know you would do anything for the main characters. A Marvellous Light was like that for me.

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From the get-go you are drawn into the setting: Edwardian England with a community of magicians going about their daily affairs in secret. I love fantasy where magic exists alongside our own world, and it was so well-done here. We got to see how magicians hide in plain sight, how social expectations differ among magicians, and how their everyday lives are just that little bit different. Casting a spell is known as ‘cradling’, with roots in the cats’ cradle of the playground, but as the story progresses we are introduced to different kinds of magic which, for various reasons, is not practised by the male-dominated British school.

Then there are the characters. You can’t help but instantly warm to both Robin and Edwin, no matter how much they know how to push each other’s buttons. Their enemies-to-reluctant-friends-to-lovers storyline is the cherry on top of a fantastic cake, and keeps you glued to the page the whole way through. I found myself feeling grateful for bad traffic while I was driving so I could listen to the end of an important argument or conversation between them. Both characters go on such great journeys of growth that you just have to root for them. There’s also a great supporting cast, especially Robin’s sister Maud, and his typist Adelaide.

This is the first book in a series, and manages to not only set up the series brilliantly but is also a self-contained story in and of itself. If I was more strong-willed I could get to the end of this one, be satisfied and move on, but as it is I don’t think I’ll sleep properly until the sequel is out. I definitely have my theories as to what’s coming next and I can’t wait to see what happens! This is the most excited I have been for a sequel in a long time.

The audiobook is narrated by David Thorpe, a veteran narrator, and he does a great job as always. He really captured the nuances of every character and brought the whole story to life with a flourish. If I had to make a teeny-tiny critique it would be that some of the characters’ voices were a little inconsistent, but apart from that I couldn’t fault it.

This book was just an absolute treat from start to finish. It’s not even out yet and I’m already counting down to when we will get more. This is such a strong debut novel from Freya Marske, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy of the audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.