Weaver simply did not work for me. It didn't read like a fully cooked story. I felt like I slipped right into the middle of a fever dream and got awoken before the conclusion.

You'll follow Milly, a 19 year old witch, who has lost her mother at a young age and lives in seclusion. She spends her days tending her cottage gardens and weaving spells. Almost immediately we are introduced to the man of Milly's dreams he just happens to exist in them too. What follows is a rushed and juvenile romance that would have benefited with more backstory and room to breathe.

Unfortunately the lush atmosphere, the shining star in these prose, wasn't enough to save the depth-less characters and rushed story for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy.

Milly a solitary witch living in the woods who lost her father and then her mother at 13. Now a adult living alone with her familiar a cat named "Jenks". And visiting her only friend a librarian. She makes her living gardening selling at farmers markets and making lotions. But when the lonely Milly starts seeing a pair of eyes in her dreams only to find him in every dream she finds out he is the Weaver. The controller of dreams and needs a queen of nightmares to be his and he has chosen her. Will she listen to her heart and be with the man she loves? Tish Thawer writes this well written YA fantasy that's beautifully described. I read this magical book in one sitting and so glad I did.

I really wanted to like this book. The cover is gorgeous, the blurb was intriguing, and I was so super excited to go on this journey to a dreamscape and meet this seemingly all powerful and evil Weaver!

… :(

It needs work. I think it can be a great story but it definitely needs a few more rounds of writing.

I was offered this Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a wholesome story about witches. Millie is a witch living a secluded sort of life, alone in her cottage with her familiar and only going into town for the local library. I mean, it’s not a really bad life is it?
Her life is monotonous until the men she sees in her dreams becomes a reality. He is the Weaver, responsible for everything that happens in people’s dreams. And he is looking for a Queen of Nightmares which means that Millie’s hereditary magic makes her a perfect candidate.

While trying to understand what her role as the queen is, Millie comes to the realisation that there is a thin line between dream and reality. And sometimes the nightmares in someone’s dreams come to life because of their shared magic. She’s not comfortable with that reality and she has a choice to make between her newfound love and a healthy conscience.

The twists made it so interesting and they took me by surprise. It was such an easy read, I managed to finish it in one sitting and most of the time I was very curious where the story was going.

The only negative for me was that their relationship seemed rushed at times, especially if you consider that they would only interact while she was sleeping. But I was rooting for them nonetheless.

Initially I expected the Weaver to be a bad guy deep down because it seemed to me that everything was too good to be true and I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was slightly hoping for a morally grey character who will sweep her off her feet, but he is just as nice as originally portrayed.

I would rate this book 3 stars out of 5 because it wasn't a favourite, but I appreciated the plot, the writing and I would recommend it to anyone 14+.

Millie, a 19 year old witch living a secluded life in her cottage is enchanted by a mysterious man she keeps seeing in her dreams. He calls himself the Weaver and confesses his desire to make Millie his queen and share their magic in the dreamscape.

The scenes of Millie and the Weaver traveling and adventuring throughout the dreamscape were marvelously refreshing and so fun. The author did an amazing job with descriptions of the dreamscape and the magic system.

I do feel however, that I jumped into the middle of Millie’s story, rather than the beginning. The story felt rushed at times and I would have liked to see more building up of the romance.

Milly is obsessed with the Weaver in her dreams, the man she can barely remember when she wakes up. Luckily, she's a witch so she concocts a spell to trap him/meet him.

This was a strange ride. The dialogue felt off, or maybe I just didn't like it. And I never grasped why the Weaver picked Milly to be his Queen?

The entire time I did not trust the Weaver or Roarke, which I don't think was the point of the book, and yet...not my favorite.

At first, I was a bit hesitant once learning this was set in our world but that ended up being one of my favorite parts of this book as it allowed for the dreamscape to be better developed. The romance seemed rushed and slightly underdeveloped to me where by the end I was only sure that he did love her because it was a romance novel. I wish we had seen more of them falling in love rather than her constant doubts that this man she just met didn't love her. This wasn't too big of a deal to me but they made it harder for me to connect with the story in the way I wanted. I did enjoy the world, the magic, and the writing, and I'm definitely interested in checking out Thawer's other work.

I did not connect with this book like I was hoping. Goodreads has some pretty good reviews on there so I did not leave a review or a rating because I did not want to bring down the average.

Three and a half
A story about a young witch who discovers that the man of her dreams is not only real but cursed ! Can she trust him or does getting to know him mean that only her nightmares will come true ?
I found this enjoyable but a tad slow although the ‘romance ‘ certainly moves quickly and if I’m blunt not that believably for my taste. However this is aimed at a YA audience so I won’t harp on but will say it felt quite Wiccan at times with ironically both the hero and heroine feeling very lonely so I’m glad the author gave them a very happy ending !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

A big thanks to NetGalley and Amber Leaf Publishing for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't what about this book, gave me Addie LaRue vibes. Maybe it was the cover. Or maybe the way it mentions a dark and brooding figure made of starlight. But I went into this book thinking it was going to be like Addie LaRue. But boy was I wrong.

Weaver by Tish Thawer is a YA fantasy romance following the dream life of Milly. As she suddenly encounter a man in the midst of her dreams. Wearing a dark cloak and appearing more ethereal than real, and calls himself the Weaver. Like most YA protagonist, Milly wants to know more. So, she uses her magic to journey in the world of her dreams in order to make her love real.. And thing quickly go down hill.

I think I would have liked this book a lot more, if I somehow didn't make the connection that it was somehow related to Addie LaRue. But overall, I liked the unique concept. And the prose was absolutely lovely. I look forward to reading the next titles.

Weaver is a fantasy novel that follows an isolated, 19 year old witch named Milly. Milly lives with her familiar, a black cat called Mr. Jenkins, in a cottage she used to share with her mother. Milly’s only other friend in the world is the town librarian Keelyn (although Keelyn feels more like an aunt figure). One night Milly is visited in her dreams by a mysterious but beautiful person known as The Weaver and it was love at first sight.

This book was fast paced and really well written. Milly is such a likable and relatable character. At the start of the novel she seems to really question a lot of the choices that she makes but definitely grows in her confidence throughout the book. I really enjoyed the witchy elements, especially Milly’s work with herbal magic and her garden. All of the settings were described very vividly, you can really picture yourself at Milly’s cottage and traveling through the dreamscape.

I only wish we had seen more of the Weaver. I feel like as a character we don’t know him that well which made it hard for me to root for them as a couple. Overall this was a really enjoyable, quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me an ARC of this book.

Weaver was a quick/easy YA read. I liked the premise of this book and I read this in one sitting. This story was unique and written well. However, I didn’t care for the insta-love and I felt like the characters were a little underdeveloped. Overall though I enjoyed the book and would read more from this author.

I think I've been spoiled after reading so much Tolkien lately, what I expect from fantasy has gone through the roof. That said, Weaver overall was still an amusing read. As an actual practicing witch I found some of the witchcraft related things a fun addition although there is a strong Wiccan undertone throughout (rule of three, harm none etc.) which I personally don't agree with. Wicca and witchcraft are not interchangeable.

I quite liked Milly, she wasn't too irritating which was nice. The story moved quickly and I was able to finish the book in one go. I can recommend this book if you like a light YA fantasy with magic and a bit of romance.

Weaver felt like a YA counterpart to some of my favorite witchy reads. If you loved ADOW this will feel like home to you too! I loved getting to know Milly and watch her come into her own over the course of this book. Her resilience and trust in herself were all part of the reason I liked this book as much as I did. ⁣
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(some mild spoilers ahead)⁣
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I think the last half of this book is really where it shines. While the first part introduces us to Milly and Roarke and shows a bit more of their dynamic, I do wish there was more time spent on the conflict that arose. I think Thawer created such a unique and tactical villain, and had this book been longer I would have loved to have watched that dynamic unfold and go deeper into her history. ⁣
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The internal battle between Milly’s heart and her mind was so relatable. The parts of this story where we really see her merging the two were my favorite parts. We really get to see “go with your gut, but take your brain with you” come to life. I was also caught up in the found family aspects of this read, even in the unconventional way of something like Milly’s familiar, Jenks. ⁣
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This book was a very quick and easy read that I would definitely recommend. A wonderful blend of fantasy and wonder with modern elements and a blend of the wonder of magic and an insight into the real ways people find magic in the world around us.

Thank you Netgalley and Amber Leaf Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Milly was a child when her father passed, and thirteen when her mother left Milly to her own devices. Nineteen year old Milly lives in a cabin in the outer reaches of Rhode Island, during modern times, as a witch who takes care of her garden and her familiar Mr. Jenkins. When Milly sees a handsome man appear in her dreams more than once, she decides to pursue him to find out why he is entering her dreams and why she feels a strong connection to him. She finds out he is the Weaver, a being who lives in the dreamscape plane. The Weaver/Roarke wants Milly to become his Queen of Nightmares and share magic between them to help the world become better. After a few meetings Milly begins to see little fires and accidents happening in each place they visit in the dreamscape. Things are not what they seem and Milly starts to feel doubt about her place with Roarke and what he might be hiding...

I love the concept of dream-walking and being a part of a different reality/plane of existence. It's a fascinating subject and when I read the synopsis for the book, I was all for it and ready to dive in.

I like that Milly is a modern witch but with vintage vibes. She is also a bookworm and makes small references to popular fandoms. There is one scene where she felt like Bella from Twilight when she and Roarke visit an English garden. It was a cute little nod and there's also this one snippet I love when Milly mentions she has many book boyfriends. I could relate to that statement and felt it in my book-dragon soul.

The romance was pretty good but also a little creepy in the beginning. I understand Milly falling for this mystery stranger in her dreams and feeling a connection towards him but Roarke came off WAY too strong. The story has a very instant-love connection that might put off quite a few people. Me included. I don't normally mind an instant connection but this was so fast that I think I got whiplash. I understand the connection, I understand falling in love with someone who gets you and finding your one and only after years of being alone, but I wish the instant love wasn't so instant. I wish it built gradually or just a smidge slower and maybe I wouldn't feel so weirded out. The steamy make out sessions were good and had a fade-to-black ending.

I do like that Milly became more sure of herself as the story progressed and how she handled Roarke and the possibility of becoming his Queen of Nightmares. She proved she has a backbone and wasn't afraid to stand up to Roarke when she felt uncomfortable or concerned about what they were doing to the world.

Overall it was a decent read and I plan on checking out other books by Tish Thawer.

3 stars

I really enjoyed this book it was a fun read and I'll be purchasing it later on and I'll be telling everyone about it as well

I don't know how I feel about The Weaver...

I originally requested this because Ive read Tish's Women of Purgatory series and really loved that. I also knew this wouldn't be that either. Weaver felt a little rushed for me, that probably more because I love a good thick read with a really developed plot.
The Weaver, while holding a good plot is not a developed plot.

Interesting characters, and storyline. Quick and entertaining YA read. I'd recommend as a light read that doesn't keep you from putting it down.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
“I didn’t want it to end. I tried to force myself back to sleep—back to him.”

Milly is a witch that's used to living in isolation, only with the occasional company of Jinx and Keelyn. Until one day, when in a dream, she meets The Weaver.
“He walked out of my dream, identifying himself only as the Weaver. In a black cloak, with eyes like stars, there was a shimmer to the way he moved. He was beautiful. Ethereal… and I was going to make him mine.”

I recommend this book if you like magic, a fantasy world and a quick development of plot. The magical system is appealing and The Weaver leaves you with the longing to find more about him.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC.

A quick and easy read that had an interesting plotline and great world building. Some of the characters were well developed, some of them needed further developement or I felt like I needed to know more about them, although if the book were longer I fwwl like I would have got that. An overall enjoyable read.

This book is only 200 pages but I just couldn't force myself to finish it.

I was really excited to receive an eARC of Weaver because the premise sounded really interesting and right up my alley! Unfortunately I DNF'd at 41% due to a lack of world-building, repetitive writing, and an annoyingly naive main character.