This was a slow start that took me to about 45% to really start enjoying and getting into a flow which is why I am
Giving this a 3.75 ⭐️ and rounded out up to 4.

This of a YA high fantasy which is female strong. There is the
Romance plot line which from the MMC’s perspective was an insta love which is a trope that I don’t enjoy. But I was able to read past it

This definitely read like a YA book meant for teenagers. There are YA that speak to a broader adult age range but this wasn’t it. I think it is a great entry for teens to her swept away into high fantasy’

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Netgalley and Entangled Publishing to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

This title is out now!
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Nieve is a breath of fresh air. She’s strong and brave but also raw and at times timid despite the many masks she outwardly wears. She is not the overconfident and brazen lead like many FMC’s we experience in Romantasy books. Oh, and the MMC? An absolute cinnamon roll, delicious, 10/10, adore him and the things he says…the love at first sight trope here was done so well.

This unexpected journey to save the world as Nieve knows it despite being what she is (or is not) and shunned by her own people is filled with world building, interesting magic, lies, heartbreak, love and adventure. If you’re looking for your next YA fantasy/romantasy/romance read add this to your list!

I really really wanted to love this book but man it was such a let down! The cover is gorgeous & the synopsis sounded interesting but the execution of the story didn’t meet the mark for me. It was sooooo slow & honestly felt like nothing was happening! It got pretty confusing & it just couldn’t keep my attention! To be honest I had to skim the last half of the book because I can’t DNF, because I’m afraid the story will get better. However, with this one that was not the case. I’m realizing not all fantasy books are for me! I just need more going on to keep my attention!

So if you are more into fantasy books then this may be more for you than it was for me! Please give this book a chance because it does have good reviews & this may be more your cup of tea!!

This book just wasn’t for me. It had so much potential though. I wish we learned more about the magic the talin posses and the world. Like why was the king mad? Why is he out to get the elder wrights?
I also felt there were a lot of inconsistencies. Maybe these got fixed before publishing, but there were instances where it was said a character was away from what was currently being written about, but they suddenly were there?

I really liked the premise of this novel, but it just fell a little flat for me. I DNFed at 50%.
I thought there were some interesting worldbuilding elements, and the characters were fine, I just got bored!

This book has it all, magic, action, adventure, pirates, and a slow burn romance.

The story follows Nieve, a young Talin girl who has been ostracized by her village for being the only one of them to not have water powers. As the Elder Wrights disappear, the world is beginning to fall into disarray. When the mysterious Kier Manseray arrives at her harbour, Nieve is presented with a chance for adventure and the possibility of saving her people.

I was immediately intrigued by this story, I found it to be very unique, especially when it came to the world building and magic system. Nieve and Manseray stole my heart, I loved the slow burn romance and tension between them and the way the story alternated between their points of view. I loved seeing Nieve’s character development throughout the story.

I will say that I felt the pacing was a bit odd at times, but it didn’t affect the overall enjoyment of the story for me. There are many twists and turns throughout the book that truly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Also, the writing feels very lyrical in a way, adding to the magical and captivating atmosphere of the story that I absolutely adored.

This is a book I could see myself reading again. It is truly a thrilling and magical YA fantasy that will keep you hooked from page one.

This was a great YA fantasy romance. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. The magical world was immersive and unique. The author really did a great job with connecting the plot to the suspense and intrigue. The FMC was my absolute favorite in the book and I can't wait to see what's next.

This was a fun read! Thank you to Entangled for this arc.

I really liked the world building we got and the magic system. It sucked me in! I enjoyed reading about Keir and Neive and their relationship. I’m all for the insta love! This book is captivating and held my attention throughout the whole story.

This was a fun, twisty read!

Starling's Weave follows Nieve, an 18 year old woman who is shunned from her village due to her lack of powers in a town full of water magic users. However, when an opportunity to bring vitality back to her village arises, Nieve is determined to do her part to save her people. Her plans are changed after meeting a mysterious stranger, setting her on a new course full of adventure, twists and turns and love,

I really enjoyed the world building and magic system, I found the history of the Elder Wrights to be so intriguing and was so eager to watch everything unfold. I also really enjoyed the dynamics between Keir and Nieve, there is a bit of insta love involved which I ATE UP. I also really liked Arisame, what a punchy character!! Overall I found the book to be engaging, especially once we'd learnt more about the magic system and politics, the action was great as well! The book is dual POV and switched from First Person with Nieve to Third Person with Keir, I feel this is worth mentioning as I know it isn't for everyone! Looking forward to reading more from L.E. Sterling in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review.

L.E. Sterling writes good YA fantasy. I’ve read a few of her books and they’re always intriguing.

In Starling Weave, Nieve is heading to sea on an adventure. With magic, romance, action and pirates what could go wrong? This book is full of twists and turns that will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat.

An enjoyable journey to save the world.

Such a great book

So, this book is full of action, adventure, plot, and great characters. There were a few times that I felt like it was sort of all over the place, but I think that was in order to solidify the back stories.

This was definitely worth the read.

Starling's Weave by L.E. Sterling was an incredible adventure. A fantasy novel geared towards youth I fell in love with another world crafted by Sterling. Nieve is the only Talin girl in around 14 thousand years to be born without magic. Growing up feeling rejected and outright discrimanated, Nieve still wants nothing more than to save her people, because the world is dying. Plants will not grow, nets cast turn up empty, and theres a sickness spreading through the land.
So let me go on a tangent here and say theres this cool world building but still the author chose to go in the direction of a romantasy so here we go. When everything looks bleak, who shows up in a suave super cool way? a handsome pirate with a mysterious past. Because its clearly meant to be a romance with a dash of fantasy, personally I felt like the book and plot suffered from a predictable fate. The ending came rushed because we spent so much time focusing on the main two that the fact there was a dying world seemed to be forgotten until the last minute.
The book itself was wrapped up neatly per say and can work as a stand alone novel. I loved the writing and prose from Sterling and will look forward to her next novel, whether its in this universe or another.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!
So you’re telling me i’m not getting a book two?! I feel like the world building and story of this book have SO much potential and that it can be built on so well! I liked how the romance wasn’t exactly slow burn since that wasn’t something I felt like reading but was more like a crush that turns into love, it was so cute and I was chanting “kiss, kiss, kiss!!” half the book. Sterling (her name matches this book so well omg) also made this cool decision when it came to narration view, the boom is dual pov and in our main character Nieve’s chapters it’s first person while our second protagonists chapters (Manseray) it’s third person. I do feel like Sterling can do better with a certain thing in her writing and that’s explaining actions it felt at times like I was lost because she only mentioned side character features once or if Manseray said or bobbed his head or something it wasn’t explained well and left the reader confused but I must say the way she wrote the Kiro island and the tree nymphs was beautiful.

Other than that and the semi-weird stuff that happened during the sea battle this book was great!

This book whisked me away on a magical escape I didn’t know I needed. Nieve is an outcast in her village and has big dreams of collecting stories. She meets a ‘pirate’ who isn’t what he seems and she quickly finds herself on an unexpected journey. This book had a hold on me from the first page – I couldn’t wait to find out what was happening and where Nieve’s story would take her. This was a fun and unexpected journey that reinforces the idea that you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. Thank you Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

Sterling masterfully weaves in themes of betrayal and sacrifice, reminding us that not every legend ends happily. With nods to beloved fantasy worlds like Shadow and Bone and Dark Water Daughter, Starling's Weave is a thrilling upper YA fantasy that brims with vibrant lore, high-stakes conflicts, and beautifully haunting prose. Fans of dark fantasy and high-seas adventure won’t want to miss this!

YA Fantasy
Pirates
Hidden Magic
Mystery
Romance
Slow Burn


Nieve is an anomaly, the first and only Talisman born without magic.
Her aging grandmother teaches her the ways of the Talisman mages in the form of potions for healing and tries to offer her some sort of future for a Talisman without magic. After the death of her Grandmother, Nieve goes on an adventure on a pirate ship with a handsome Pirate to seek the truth of a story that could save her home and her people from a deadly disease that has swept in to kill everyone including her friends and family.
Keir Mansory needs the help of Nieve and her magical friends to free Edsel Bo from prison and save the dying ocean and magic. He is immediately smitten with her beauty and her incredible ability for storytelling. She is the key to help him save his dearest friend from a prison that comes with daily torture and a very low survival rate.
This a magical pirate adventure that is suitable for young adults. It has action and a little romance but the whole story needed a little more detail for me to fully enjoy it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for a free copy of this advanced copy of this e-arc in exchange for this honest review.

The plot and the main characters in Starlings Weave are absolutely phenomenal. I love books with strong fmcs that don't rely on the mmc to help them stay alive until the end of the book. I also love when books have unique plots... This book has both!

Now the reason for the 3 ⭐ rating, the book, while being well written, was a slow read. It didn't engage me in a way that I wanted to devour it all at once. I was able to set it down, read another book, and then come back to finish it.

Nieve is an outsider in her village, always trying to help but never fitting in since she doesn’t have the water magic that has been passed down to all her people by the gods. But what is worse is that the magic is disappearing causing sickness and food shortages. Nieve believes that she can save her village and bring back magic, so she teams up with Kier a moody pirate to find the magics source and restore it to her people. Together they will try to save everyone.

The beginning was a little slow but the story itself was interesting. It also gave me Moana vibes. I really enjoyed the dual POVs between Nieve and Kier. I’m interested to see how the rest of the story unfolds for our characters.

This fun, fantasy adventure kicks off with our heroine, Nieve, who lives in a small village where everyone has a magical calling—well, everyone except her. She's ostracized because she’s the first of her people born without any magic, and she feels like an outsider in her own world. But everything changes when a mysterious pirate docks in her village during a trading stop. Nieve’s curiosity is piqued, and she starts to wonder if she might one day escape her small village and see the world, just like he has.

What follows is an epic journey filled with adventure, magic, and a mission to restore the world’s magic, with Nieve right in the middle of it all! This YA fantasy has zero spice and is full of that warm, fuzzy found-family feeling that I couldn’t get enough of. The pacing keeps things moving, and you’ll quickly be rooting for Nieve as she discovers her true potential.

If you’re in the mood for an enchanting fantasy that’s equal parts adventure and heart, definitely add Starling's Weave to your TBR!

I read this in a day and loved how this story unfolded. Every character is precious and not a single one grated on my nerves. The root of the story for me is strength in vulnerability. A lot of self love and self worth. Being able to reveal all of yourself, leave yourself bare with no mask(s) to hide behind, and find trust within yourself. Only then can you really let people in and even then it's the vulnerability to let them help you.

Nieve is a breath of fresh air. She's not the overconfident and brazen main female character you find in so many romantasy books these days. She's strong and brave but raw and at times timid despite the masks she wears. My heart broke for her, started to heal, broke again, and then pulled itself back together at the end. Manseray was also refreshing for a main male character with his vulnerability being exposed to readers right in the beginning despite outwardly appearing confident. The rubbing of his chest from the very beginning and oh my god the things he tells Nieve when he says he loves her...does he have a brother? I also liked how the conflicts between them were quickly resolved and explanations for any misunderstandings were accepted with all characters being completely reasonable about things. Weird thing to like, maybe? I get tired of the drawn out head scratching conflicts so this was really unexpected and much appreciated.

The magic was interesting, the supporting characters are great, but I have so many questions and hope this is the first in a series or duology! First, what is Nieve's real background? Freja calls her out for not being descendant from her supposed grandmother so who are her parents or was her mother truly her mother and her father an outsider because he is never mentioned. Why did the king want to get rid of all the Elder Wrights...what's the root of that? Where did Nieve's village go?! Where are the rest of the old ones like Freja?! What's next?! I need to know!!! I have to be honest, I'm VERY glad this didn't end on some crazy heart wrenching cliffhanger. It wouldn't have felt right for the story and characters and helped my stress level (thank you).


Thank you to Entangled Teen, L.E. Sterling, and Netgalley for the eARC.