A lot of world building and explanation of the magic system.

The ending for the books make or break, or separates a good book from a great book. Things get resolved, but also some of the resolutions are deus ex machina. So many threads and issues get wrapped up I dont know if I would be interested in reading the next installment, If there is one.

Spice 🌶️🌶️/5
Strong independent female lead
Original magic system

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own

This audiobook was amazing, would definitely recommend. If you love intricate world building, fantasy competitions, slow burn romance and morally grey male main character than this is the romantasy for you. I enjoyed the narrator as well. I definitely would give it 5 stars and am excited for the rest of the series!

Thank you for the opportunity of listening to the ARC of Woven in Darkness by Lucy Holden. Unfortunately I have decided to DNF at 15%. The narration was wonderful. The issue I had was with the pacing and intense worldbuilding at the beginning of the book. I also found it difficult to connect to the main character Zaria, which made it even harder to get into. I can tell it is a good book, it’s just not my cup of tea.

I really enjoyed Woven in Darkness, as a medium paced, high fantasy novel, with creative world building and a unique magic system. Zaria and Harken dynamic was captivating and I loved their progression from start to finish. Huxley was my favorite character and I hope we will get more of them in the sequel. 
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced listen copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved the audiobook!! The narration, the story, the world building EVERYTHING was just so good! The characters were well written that I felt connected to both the characters and the story! Really enjoyed this read! Highly recommend!!
Detailed review coming soon 💙

As posted to my Goodreads:
I quite enjoyed this book. The romance was light but always kind of there. The danger during the races had me on edge.
It was a little cozy if I were to compare it to other books I’ve read this year, in a good way.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the ALC of Woven in Darkness by Lucy Holden. The narrator was excellent. Woven in Darkness is a fantasy novel unlike any I've read before. Oftentimes fantasy novels have similar mythical creatures (fae, vampires, etc.) but this novel. was unique. You have to read the first few chapters carefully as there is a lot of world building but then it gets easier. I enjoyed this story and will certainly look for other books by Lucy Holden in the future. The ending is satisfying but it seemed to happen to fast and too perfectly. There is certainly room to continue this a series as they're a few unknowns.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

I think I would put this more in a 3.5 stars category if I could. I'm putting it at 3 for my own personal reference just because while it was fine, it wasn't really my taste. This was a typical fantasy romance. It felt like the ones that are widely popular and I don't think I really vibe with a lot of the standard fantasy romance genre. So while a lot of it didn't work for me, I think fans of the genre will love it.

There's a lot of mystery and intrigue and deception going on in this. I found there were a lot of characters and I didn't always know who was in a scene. The romance is fine and the female lead is strong and sassy. The story of the weavers and their magic is really interesting but with the focus being more on the romance, I found the interesting plot getting overrun and pushed to the background sometimes. I didn't find any information on Woven in Darkness being part of a series but I imagine from the ending and the fact that the author seems to write series that it will continue. I would probably give another book with this world and characters a go, so I'll keep my eye out to see if it becomes a series.

I truly enjoyed this book. Zaria and Harken are both remarkable characters that are well drawn out. Their romance aspect felt natural. The plot was definitely fun and unique. It kept me guessing. I'm also a huge fan of any book that includes a dragon in it. Overall I thought it was a great book and can't wait to continue the series.

Okay Read

I received a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Lucy Holden for the opportunity to read and listen to your book. This was an alright read. This is the first book of a multi-part Fantasy Romance saga called the Woven Saga. The premise of the story was really interesting and drew me in, but I did feel a little bit disappointed with the story because the story was too slow-paced. I love listening to the audiobook while reading the physical or digital copy. In this story, Zaria, the heroine, is a slave who wants to protect her siblings and win her freedom. Along the way, a series of unfortunate events occurred, and she was sold to the Savage King, Harken. This is a slow-burn romance. I wish that the pace of the book was faster. Also, I would have liked it if we got more chapters from the hero's perspective. As for the characters, I liked Harken. To me, he was really interesting to read about. I liked that we got to know about what happened to him to make him the Savage King. Zaria was another good character. I think she is intelligent and protective. She does whatever she can to protect her family, and that is something that I think we can all relate to. She experienced a lot of things from the grief of losing her brother in the beginning. I thought the romance was good. I thought that they had great chemistry. I will continue the series to see what happens next, but I hope that the pace will be faster. Overall, an okay read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of Woven in Darkness, which is the 1st book in the Woven Saga by Lucy Holden. I have never read anything by Luicy but when reading the description of Woven darkness I was automatically interested! 

This book follows  Zaria and Harken and while this is a fantasy novel I would also say there are heavy elements of romance, which is my absolute favorite. Zaria is a slave and she is trying to buy her family's freedom. Throughout the story, you get glimpses of the past and you find out a lot more of Zaria's backstory which I loved, I love a good rotating timeline that helps you fill in holes as you move through the main plot. 

I thought the author did a good job of balancing the fast pace plot with the slow burn romance. 

I would highly recommend - I will be eagerly awaiting the second installment!

I liked the idea but it was missing something for me. I had trouble with the world building. I’m super confused about what is what in the world. Wish it was more coherent cuz the plot was interesting.

The premise of this book absolutely drew me in! It was said to be likened to Holly Black’s Cruel Prince trilogy and ACOTAR. I did not feel those vibes unfortunately. I found the world building to be minimal, and the plot slow. This is stated to be a Fantasy Romance, yet any romantic interaction didn’t really occur until the last 20% of the book.

This just didn’t hit the mark for me, even as an audiobook. I found the narrator to be bright and bubbly when the story is supposed to be a darker fantasy adventure. I hope others enjoy it more than I did.

The worldbuilding and narration of in this fantasy audiobook is fantastic. This is the story of a girl who, with her siblings, has been enslaved and whose sole focus is to shelter her siblings from harsher realities. When they are unable to fund themselves, the kids are split up and sold/claimed by different houses, but Zaria is given the opportunity to earn her freedom and the means to rescue her siblings as well.

I have no idea who narrated this story! It is two different narrators depending on where you look. On Amazon it is Jessica Harris. Attached to the book and the site where I got the book it is Heather Takano. When listening to audio books they usually end with some credits. Like "thank you for listening to this book written by this author and read by me this person." This book doesn't have that. So, my credit for the time being is the one listed on the site where I got this book. I will update it if I find out it is incorrect. That being said. The mystery narrator did a great job bringing this epic story to life. The voices were done well, the voices were distinct ad all of the emotions were conveyed really well.

This story is quite epic, in just a stand alone novel the author built a complete world full of interesting characters and fantastical elements. We have touches of magic which...I honestly never really understood how the weavers worked or what the weavers needles did. It sounded pretty cool, but there was just so much going on that I think the mechanics of their magic system went over my head. My biggest issue was that Harken kept offering to free Zaria from slavery and she kept being like "No we have deal" and then kept complaining she was a slave.....but you don't have to be. There was just a little bit of retentiveness in the story that could have been weeded out.

The romance was a slow burn, both of the characters fighting their attraction the whole time. The Goodreads description says it's spicy, I recall no spice and there was very few intimate scenes as well. Any how, I would not call this book spicy at all but I love the romance.

The author did a fantastic job with the world building in this standalone novel. With a fantasy it can be hard to build a succinct world in just one book. This one has it all, magic, dragons, fight for freedom, contests, romance, deities, and well developed characters. I can't wait to pick up more books by this author.

This book gripped me right from the start. It reminded me of all the high fantasy books I've read in the past, which meant it was easy for me to get into and enjoy. While it does feel like it starts off slow, I found it picked up fairly quickly and I was flying through it.

All the characters are complex, interesting, and work really well for the plot. I felt they really fed the story and helped me enjoy the actual plot of the story in its entirety. There was a ton of action, lore, and fantasy to keep track of as you read, and I did find there were parts of the book that I had to reread a few times before understanding what was actually happening in the story.

Overall, this was a great book & definitely one I'd read again!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The world that has been created in this is so complex and I really enjoyed that, There's a lot of depth to it but I didn't feel like it was difficult to understand and I was kept engrossed by it the whole time. The main character Zaria is fighting for not only her freedom but also the freedom of her siblings. There's so much deception and many secrets woven into the story that can makes it difficult to see how Zaria will make the right choices.

I really enjoyed seeing the backstory into why Harken, the dark and mysterious savage king, is the way he is. I especially appreciated that his story was told in the style of flashbacks for Zaria. I was happy to see that the end of this story wasn't covered in violence and uncertainty like the rest of the story.

If you enjoy high fantasy with excellent world building then definitely pick this up.

Zaria is a slave and has been since she can remember. Since she was found in the forest at 5yrs old and 4 others who became her siblings. Life is hard in the Seam but there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the Braid Race, where winners can have their slave braids removed. This has been Zaria's goal. Win the race, get her freedom and buy her siblings freedom, but when her brother, Doron, is lost to a dark rip, things start to get complicated.

Harken is the savage king, the protector of the woven court. One who was woven and not born. It is his job to protect the woven court from any threats and when a whisper is heard that some may be trying to bring Annaheta back, he must act. Even if it is using a slave as bait. But Harken has a dark and complicated past, which is affecting how he tries to stop this conspiracy.

Neither thought they were capable of love and neither really wanted to love. This is the first in a series but does not end in a cliffhanger, so it can be read as a standalone.

I listened to this book as an audio book and I enjoyed it immensely. I may have struggled to get through the world building if I was reading it, because there is a lot of complicated world building. This book is the type that needs a map and a glossary of terms. However, the story was amazing and the side characters were wonderful. This book communicated emotion really well and that was a delight. It was a very slow burn but so worth it. The spice was great! I can't wait to read the next one.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Fehu Press and Lucy Holden for an ARC of this audio book.

Woven in Darkness was an intriguing story that takes place in a well developed world with a unique and vibrant magic system. I am so thankful that I received an ARC of this story as it was a wonderful weekend read to escape into the world of Astria.

***Content Warnings for this book:
Sexual Content, Violence, Slavery, Injury/Injury Detail, Blood, Child Death, Death, War, Sexual Abuse (referenced)****

We follow Zaria as she fights to change the life that her and her siblings have been forced into. Encountering new places, people, challenges, and dangers.
We get to see life in this world as one of the lowest people on the class rungs and then as one of the highest and most privileged people. All the while knowing that danger and intrigue lies around any corner.

I can see why other reviewers are comparing to to ACOTAR, and I will admit it has some similar feelings to it, I would say though that one big difference for me is that she is given a choice fairly early on in the forced-proximity aspects to opt to stay or leave that situation. Which I really appreciate.
I would compare it to later relationships over early ones in that series.
However, like ACOTAR, it is not always apparent that the male lead is not white. I was definitely about 50% through the book before I realized that he was a person of color, and that was because it made it clear a few times in quick succession.
I went back and listened to the introduction of Harken again, and I would say that it is fair I was confused. There are only once when features are described to let me know that he is not white until it is used in a romantic setting. Other than his skin tone being mentioned once and a strong jawline... there are no clues to his ethnicity that make it clear to my minds eye that he is a person of color. I think what threw me is that I was listening sped up while also catching the hair color but not the skin color description. (I will also say, his eye color is often mentioned and that inclined me to give the character a more 'otherworldy' skin tone.)
What really made me think that he was probably a person of color was how often he is called "savage"... which is probably the only place where I wish the race was made more evident or where a different wording choice was made.
I would also like to say that I do not think these issues could have been resolved by swapping which character was not white... because than the slave would be the person of color and that would feel allllll kinds of icky.

Even taking into account my concerns with the race portrayal in the story (which I honestly would encourage you to ask someone who is not as pale as a ghost to get a better idea of what to look for when ensuring good representation) I did really enjoy this series. I liked that it wasn't a high spice book but had a little with a lot of plot. I liked the world that was created and the lore and background that has depth and spans centuries of time in the world.
I loved that the world felt fleshed out.
I never felt like there was exposition in places that didn't make sense. That even when we are being told things through the lens of Zaria finding out, she does not come off as ignorant or stupid, rather that she just couldn't know because she was never provided the space to learn those things.

I LOVE me a good fantasy romance with a lot of intrigue and plot and this book did that for me.
I became invested in the characters and their stories, hopeful and concerned. Excited and tense.

Overall, I would absolutely read this again and would love to read more deep and engaging worlds and stories by this author.

***I was provided a copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion and thoughts about what I read.***

I got an ARC audiobook through NetGalley to preview. Wow. This story is so unique and exciting! Most fantasy stories contain the same basics - dragons, witches/wizard, evil magic villains, etc. But this story has such a unique setting, plot, and characters and the author does a great job of world building. It can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning to keep all the details and characters straight but the author revisits the details throughout the story. I was really wrapped up in the story and didn’t want to put it down!