I was hooked from page one, and found this hard to set down, even though I had things to do. Holden did extensive world-building, and I was impressed by the complex magic system. All the characters have quite a bit of depth to them, and Zaria is an amazing FMC. She's smart, strong, and determined, even though her circumstances are rough, and her family is split up. Harken is a swoon-worthy morally gray MMC, and you might not like him much at first, but by the end, you'll like him just as much as Zaria. The slow-burn between them will drive you absolutely crazy! That cliffhanger is the only thing I really hate... I can't wait for the next installment!

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a fantasy about a girl named Zaria who wants her brothers and herself to be free. By competing in the hair Race, she hopes to be able to free her slave hair. When she meets Harken, though, things don't go as planned.

Harken is a figure with mixed morals who could be called a savage. Because he wants to protect the innocent, he does bad things. He really is an anti-hero, in my opinion. I liked the way he talked and avoided talking to me. He has always looked out for Zaria. He sends her "who did this to you" thoughts when she's upset.

Zaria is the major character, and she always shows that she is strong and determined. Not only does she get through hard times for herself, but also for her brothers. She doesn't whine about her problems, which I like; instead, she tries to fix them.

Aside from that, we meet some interesting people. Zaria was younger when Garrick and Feivel found her for them. Garrick has been training her for the race ever since. She wouldn't have learned anything else as a slave without Feivel's lessons. He also fed her and other people many times. I love how important found family is in this book.

A big part of the game is building the world. Lots of new characters are presented, which I found sometimes hard to follow. Without a doubt, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has everything you could want: dragons, training for competitions, slow burn, banter, forced closeness, magic, and more magic!!

I enjoyed this book. The world was crafted beautifully and left me wanting to immerse myself in more of the authors creations.

In "Woven in Darkness" by Lucy Holden, Zaria, a slave, yearns for freedom not only for herself but also for her siblings. Her journey centers around winning the Arkady and the Maverick's race, a pivotal event that could secure her future and ultimately rescue her beloved family members from their dire fates.In this slow-burn fantasy romance, Lucy Holden weaves a rich tapestry of a world brimming with dragons, magic, social hierarchies, and hidden riches.

Thank you Netgally for this eARC!

"I'm not little, and I'm certainly not yours"

Woven in Darkness is a fantasy about Zaria, who strives for freedom for herself and her siblings. She's been training for the Braid Race in hopes of getting her slave braid unwoven. However, things don't go exactly as planned when she meets Harken.

Harken is a morally gray character who can be described as a savage. He does bad things in the name of good, protecting the innocents. I'd definitely say he's an anti-hero. I enjoyed his banter and closed off attitude. From the beginning, he protects Zaria. When she is hurt, he gives off "who did this to you" vibes.

Zaria is a strong-willed main character who constantly shows determination and strength. She pushes through every hardship for not only herself but also her siblings. I appreciate that she doesn't whine about her situation she instead strives to do something about it.

We also meet some interesting side characters. Garrick and Feivel found Zaria when she was younger. Since then, Garrick has trained her for the race. Feivel taught her everything that she wouldn't have known otherwise being a slave. He also fed her and others more times than not. Found family is huge in this book, and I love it.

The world building is a main focus. There are a lot of characters introduced, which in my opinion, was confusing at times. Overall, I found myself throughly enjoying this book. It has everything you could possibly want, training for competitions, slow burn, banter, forced proximity, magic, and did I mention dragons!!

The premise of this book was really promising, but overall it fell short for me in pacing and perspective. I definitely wanted more backstory on the main love interest, and we're just left wondering what happened to him to make him the way that he is. If this book had been faster paced in some sections, it would've been a 4-star. But generally, this was a decent high fantasy, slow-burn romance that kept me entertained for a few hours.

I DNF'd around 30%.
I was honestly just sort of bashed over the head with info-dumping and names, and the plot was super slow, while the romance was sort of sped run.

Great bones, needs a bit more polishing. Less mass info dumping. Thank you so much for the opportunity. Excited to see how your writing grows in the future.

This book was so phenomenally written that I didn't even care that it was a whopping 71 chapters!

I really enjoyed the strength and determination of Zaria as she tackles all the obstacles in her way to improve not just her life, but her siblings' lives as well. Even as a slave in a not so great place to live, she still held hope, even in the face of death-- especially in the Braid Race.

Harken is a morally gray anti-hero known as the Savage King and there's a lot of "who did this to you" and "don't touch my girl" involved-- and he calls Zaria "little criminal" and just ahhhhhh, I love it.

Also, the world building is just *chef's kiss* perfection, so intricately woven and well thought out that it was like I was there. The history and the magic system and the characters were amazing and I really enjoyed all the details. It did take me a few chapters to full immerse myself since it is so info heavy.

I would definitely suggest this to anyone searching for a new high fantasy read with magic, high-stakes, romance, forced proximity. Thank you sincerely to NetGalley and Lucy Holden for sending me a eARC copy of this wonderful book. It was great!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I absolutely loved how this book began. From the first lines I knew this was going to be an excellently written book, and I was not disappointed.

I fancy myself a big reader, but even I was stumbling across words I'd never heard before. I had to google the meaning of words about half a dozen times, which I truly haven't had to do in at least 10 years. Even the words used to describe colours were so well chosen. Instead of 'brown skin', the author used phrases like "skin the colour of burnt Sienna", and "his skin is raw umber to my dark ocher". The joy I found reading this book was mostly because of its rich language and clever writing.

The storyline was well formulated, and the world building exquisite. The main characters showed a real amount of emotional intelligence while still having room to grow. I was struck very early on in the book by the following line, "Even the thought of saying something so blatantly coercive turns my stomach. I've never imposed my fears on my siblings, and today is not the time to alter that". My respect for the main character Zaria was immediately cemented with that line, and I was drawn into the story so quickly. Though she didn't always make the best decisions, that balance of trying to do the right thing and being a young girl who is still learning made her such a believable and well rounded character.

This book was truly a treasure to read, even in the slower moving parts. I cannot wait to read more from Lucy Holden.

Thank you to @netgalley and Fehu Press for the opportunity to listen to this in exchange for an honest review

The characters within the book have depth and authenticity, skillfully crafted by the author. The author excels in constructing a multi-faceted setting, complete with intricate world-building that immerses the reader. The editing and writing flow seamlessly, enhancing the overall experience. The plot intricately unfolds, featuring a gradual and enchanting romance. While the book is well written, the extensive world-building may feel a little overwhelming at times. Nonetheless, I can wholeheartedly recommend this novel.

The storyline was a powerful one. It made me tune out the characters I did not like (demons and vampires). It had a sad line, but hope shining bright was never too far away. Zaria’s dream was freedom for herself and her siblings, but she had no idea the cost she would have to pay. Her journey was fraught with hatred and riddled with duplicity. Through all the mishaps and dismays, Zaria refused to give up on her friends and the unexpected love relationship forged with savage. I didn’t think I would like this so much. It was an exciting and delicious read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Fehu Press, & Lucy Holden for providing a copy of Woven in Darkness.

Woven in Darkness focuses on a young slave named Zaria, who was found with a slave braid and a bag of coin that replenishes itself. Zaria hopes to compete for freedom for not only herself, but her four other siblings.

The first ~20% of this was very tedious to me. It's very typical YA fantasy, and the worldbuilding is a bit of a mess. It's got similar vibes to SJM books, but the world is not thought out enough to back it up.

I genuinely could not tell you what an Indigo is... Are they shifters? Witches???? No clue. Also, it just felt weird that Zaria had no idea about the war, even though it only happened 20 years prior? You would think it would be way more widely understood what happened.

There is too much telling instead of showing, with certain characters' sole purpose being to just talk at Zaria about what she conveniently has been wondering about with no prompting on the subject at all.

I did eventually get sucked in, and the eventual reveal of who was behind the plotting was well done.

With a bit better understanding of the magic at work and exploration of the world, I think this series could go in a really cool direction.

Please please PLEASE just do not pull an FBAA and give her a level up each book.

It was ok???? But definitely it wasn’t the right story for me. The MMC gave me nothing of what I’ve been promised it would give and don’t even get me started on the fmc I could not connect with her for the life of me

Woven in Darkness is a fantasy with some sci-fi elements journey following a shadowbound slave, Zaria, who competes to earn the freedom of herself and her siblings, none of them knowing who they are or where they really came from. And also find love with the ~Savage King~ our requisite morally grey main male character!!

This book definitely had some tough to follow world building with its intricate magic system and complicated world layout (if only I had a map!!), but overall the fantastical elements were really cool and I am always down for a competition story, complete with a training montage led by some very nice dudebros, I mean Mavericks.

This book could standalone- but there are so many questions I have left unanswered so I cannot WAIT for the second half of this duology- that will hopefully feature more of the demons and dragons :)

Thanks to Lucy Holden and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

“Woven in Darkness” by Lucy Holden is a new adult fantasy romance novel that takes inspiration from Persian and Greek mythology. The story follows Zaria, a slave who is trying to free her siblings from the slave braids that bind them all.

The characters in the book are complex and realistic. Zaria is a strong heroine who is determined to free her siblings from slavery. Harken is a complex hero who is sworn to protect the immortal Weavers. The author has done an excellent job of creating a complex world filled with both lovable and hate-able characters.

The setting is a fully-realized world with rich world-building. The problems of the book revolve around freeing Zaria’s siblings from slavery and the danger that comes with it. The editing and fluidity of the writing are well-done. The plot is intricate and well-woven, with a slow-burn romance that is swoon-worthy.

Based on my reading, I would give “Woven in Darkness” a rating of 4 stars. The book is well-written, with a complex plot and well-developed characters. The only downside is that the world-building and terminology can be overwhelming at times. However, this is a minor issue that does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys new adult fantasy romance novels.

I really struggled on how to rate this book if I'm honest; on one hand I loved and devoured it and on the other the overload of information nearly killed me.

There was so much information thrown into this story, so much so that even now after finishing the book I'm still not convinced that I full understand the world or half the plot. Usually this would be enough for me to DNF or rate really low but for some reason I still ended up entirely invested in our FMC Zaria and her desire to find freedom for herself and her siblings. I also read this book in less than 48 hours and for that I really can't rate less than 4 stars

I found the surface level plot really compelling and I'm pretty confident that despite the information overload I'm still going to continue the series until we learn more of the FMC's background and past.

I didn't care either way for the romance aspect of the book as I felt like there wasn't enough build up for my liking but I would still be interested to read more of the relationship to see how it develops over the later books. *There is no spice in this book*

I would absolutely recommend to readers who enjoy a lot of world building and a complex magic system.

thank you to netgalley for a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars!
a fun read with an interesting world i'd like to read more of! the world building seemed a little choppy/confusing to me though, almost as if there was a book that must've come before this one that truly introduced/explained the world and magic. it was still entertaining and left me wanting to dive back in!
the romance was okay but definitely rushed to me, the chemistry was being built and then it all of a sudden seemed like they were exchanging I love yous with not enough middle/relationship building