If you were searching for sewing magic, revolution, and political fantasy look no longer. Fray is all of these things and more! My love of this series began with Torn and now I’m trying to get caught up before Rule! Keep reading this book review if you need some more convincing!
Summary
Open revolt has been thwarted — for now — but unrest still simmers in the kingdom of Galitha. Sophie, despite having built a thriving business on her skill at both dressmaking and magic, has not escaped unscathed from her misadventures in the workers’ rebellion. Her dangerous foray into curse casting has rendered her powers unpredictable, and her increasingly visible romantic entanglement with the Crown Prince makes her a convenient target for threatened nobles and malcontented commoners alike.
With domestic political reform and international alliances — and her own life — at stake, Sophie must discern friend from foe… before her magic grows too dark for her to wield.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Sewing magic and political fantasy. In Fray, the world Sophie has known is going to change – whether in her favor or against. The world building I loved is expanded, exploding into color. Fray delivers political bargaining, voting, and the question of what is the right way to make change? It’s the traditional nobility against the people who are demanding rights they have never seen before. Will the peace be made in voting halls or on the streets? With nobles taking a stand to avoid revolution, or in blood and explosive shots?
What really hooked me in Fray are the politics. I’m such a fan of these books that handle revolutions and uprisings, because I come to ask myself how real change is enacted. For the common people of Fray, the nobility have become accustomed to power. Who ever wants to give up power? Do we trust in the change of some people’s hearts, or trust that they will see the writing on the wall? Fray deals with Sophie being torn between both factions, nobles – of which there are some good ones – and the common people with whom she grew up.
Just because there’s laws on paper, rules in place, does not mean that people will respect or enforce the laws. What government system will prevail? Not only do we see Sophie struggling to bridge this divide, but we see Theodore needing to examine his own privilege and position. In Fray not only do we explore more of the world, are introduced to more political betrayals, but we also see Sophie researching charm casting. It feels unhurried, allowing us to take in the world, and see the embers catching flame.
Find Fray on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.