So good. I love dabbling in a little fantasy genre YA. It's fun and refreshing and this book proves it doesn't have to be silly and shallow. I thought the world building was not particularly intricate (by design I believe!) it was concise, interesting, and fresh. The murky aspects of how it worked were unclear by design and we unveil secrets and details alongside the main character.

I really enjoyed Lovette as an FMC, she was quick witted and her internal monologue was captivating. She could be brash and impulsive at times but not in ways that were extreme, stupid, or frustrating as I often find in novels as a cheap way to propel plot. The romance built beautifully throughout the novel without eclipsing story. I'm so so curious to see what happens next!

Thx for the ARC! Huge recommend!

3 stars ⭐️
The Weaver Bride is about a witch that enters a ruthless marriage competition. The synopsis for this book reminded me of “The Rose Bargain,” so I was instantly sold! Throughout my read, it definitely gave me those vibes as well as “Heartless Hunter.”

The premise of this book was so interesting! Each silkwitch has a ‘Wit’— a power/skill unique to them. Lovett is able to open any door locked door while other witches have other abilities that reflect the nature of “their deepest self.” (You will just have to read to find out what they are)!
I found the trials to be intriguing but I just wish that the stakes seemed higher. It lacked tension & there was no trepidation or worries about what would end up happening. The romance aspect also could have been played up a bit more. I wish there was more yearning between the two.

Overall, I enjoyed this one! The cover is gorgeous. Would definitely give this a shot if you’re a fan of the Rose Bargain & love a good trials competition in your books.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, the cover of this book is simply stunning. Right away, it captured my attention. As for the novel itself…

The Weaver Bride, a captivating novel by Lydia Gregovic, skillfully weaves thrill, suspense, and fantasy. The story follows a young woman ensnared in the intricate web of familial duty and supernatural forces. If you love a competition, you’ll love this. Gregovic’s lyrical prose paints a vivid tapestry of beauty and darkness, immersing readers in a world where the boundaries between the living and the supernatural blur. Although the pacing may feel slow at times, the intricate character development and enchanting, otherworldly atmosphere make this a must-read for fans of gothic fiction and witchy, thrilling fantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-ARC!!

I really enjoyed this read! I love anything with competition/trials and found the world building in this book to be engaging and well thought out! I felt it was slow in a couple parts, but overall, really enjoyed this read!

3.5 Stars. By the end I enjoyed this book but it definitely took a while to get into. The beginning feels like it could use another run through by an editor. The first half of the book feels almost like it was written at a different time than the second half. In the second half the plot picks up more, the MC is able to hold her own more and acts more as the rebel witch she is supposed to be which was necessary to the enjoyment of this book. I wish we had seen more of her backbone in the beginning of the book. The romance had key scenes which I really enjoyed but overall fell a bit flat to me. It's like the author didn't know whether she wanted her MC to be a sexy and mysterious minx for the love interest or a damsel in distress. Both parts were fine but it felt more like flipping a switch rather than fluid. My favorite parts about this book are the mystery and when the MC is using her powers and being sneaky. I kept guessing between characters trying to figure out who was behind the candle and the mystery behind the deaths and the door. Well done! I've been a bit critical in this review but I really did enjoy the book and I am excited that based on the ending it sounds like we will get a sequel!

The Weaver Bride is a beautifully written magical tale perfect for both fantasy and regency romance lovers. This story is unique and suspenseful, with an unpredictable ending that left me begging for the next book. While the story was a little slow at times, the overall payoff was well worth the read.

The prose in THE WEAVER BRIDE is utterly gorgeous! I was immediately drawn in by Lovett's voice, the unique magic system, and the rich worldbuilding. The first act was a little slow, but by the time Lovett arrived at the competition, the pace picked up quite a bit. I enjoyed the different Wits and learning about them; my only regret is that we didn't get to spend more time with the other contestants and become really immersed in their magic. (Perhaps in a sequel!)

I did struggle a little in the beginning with how Lovett clearly disliked the patriarchal weaver-bride-slave system, but she still operated within in rather than trying to bring it down. The ending, however, clearly hinted that she's taking a pretty pivotal turn in book 2, and it gave me hope that we'll see her ignite a revolution.

The Weaver Bride is a good read. I would give it more of a 3.5 star

I really wanted to love this book because it does have lots of elements that would draw in any fantasy reader. This book includes witches and sorcerers, with a magical mafia family. I think most readers will enjoy this book but for me it just started off so slow. That said I am happy I didn't DNF it because overall it is a good read. I just personally need a book that holds my attention full from page one.

What you’ll find in The Weaver Bride:
🪡 Witches x sorcerers
🪡 Reluctant allies to lovers
🪡 Etiquette lessons
🪡 Deadly dating competition
🪡 Rumplestiltskin vibes (eerie magical spinning wheels)
🪡 hand-flex style yearning

I would like to say thank you to everyone involved with this book and NetGalley for allowing me a chance to enjoy it early. Now let's get down to the knitty gritty.
In the first couple chapters I struggled. There were some redundancies in the beginning that gave me a bit of pause, however, the intrigue of this unique magic system had me pushing forward. Boy am I glad I did! This book reminded me of bridgerton with games and trials then throw some mystery and magic into the mix. Little bit of some slow burn tension romance in there, but no spice. This is exactly the type of pallette cleansing I look for in between my spicey reads! It had some good twists and turns, and the ending left me content yet wanting more at the same time and, although this is a standalone, I would not mind seeing more of this world and or universe! All in all I really enjoyed this book, and have no doubt many others will too.
Also, can we take a second to appreciate how stunning this book looks? I cannot wait to grab myself a copy for a book trophy!

First of all, this book is absolutely stunning. I can't wait to buy the deluxe edition with sprayed edges when it is released.

The book started out rather slow and I didn't really get into it until around 35% in. I think that the summary gave away too much information, so I felt like I already knew what was gonna happen in the beginning portion.

The book really picks up after that initial bit. I found myself stuck into the story and wanting to know more as details unraveled. There are so many secrets and betrayals that it really hooks you into the story. I wasn't a huge fan of Eliot in the beginning, but he ended up being one of my favorite characters. I thought this book had such an interesting concept and that it was written perfectly. I loved discovering all of the silk witches different hidden abilities. I was shocked when I found out what was behind the moon door and about the truth of the silk witches. The truth behind Ophelia's murder was a bit disappointing to me, but the things that it revealed were surprising so I didn't really mind.

I really hope there will be a sequel to this book, because that is not the ending I wanted. I am really interested to see how the story progresses from this point. Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children's Books/Delacorte Press, and Lydia Gregovic for an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

Hello readers, today I’m review YA romantasy novel The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic.

In this genre bending YA fantasy we follow a witch who is kind of ,sort of, on the run. She's tried finding a husband, which didn't work out, she doesn't want to end up in the cloister (I mean who does), so she's living a life of thieving and secrets. And as a silkwitch, with a rare magic, she’s supposed to conform to societies laws and marry a Weaver, who would then take her magic and use it to profit off of. Think Victorian Era England. Add in a Hunger Games marriage competition, which by-the-way, happens to be a do-over because of the scandal. In the first games a contestant “killed herself,” which ended the game.

Our main girl, Lovett Tamerlane, the one on the run, gets caught thieving, but makes a deal she can't refuse. Her task, find out who killed Ophelia Lear by becoming one of the contestants in the marriage game to win a prince, try and not get caught, and not fall for Eliot Lear, the notorious son of a prominent Weaver (he's not the prince).

There is a lot going on in under 500 pages and it's the ending that has me interested in picking up the second novel. I want to know what will happen to Lovett, if she keeps her magic as her own, and if her feelings for Eliot Lear will simmer to nothing or become a smoldering burn that could ruin them both.

Curious to know what happens next? Definitely consider pre-ordering this one book friends. I mean, just look at those edges!

OMG this ending! I know why, I get it really, but also my brain is screaming "How could you?". I need the next book immediately please and thank you.

Initially it took me a bit to get into this story but once it had me in its grip it refused to let go. The mystery and suspense build up wonderfully thought the course of the book I was able to pick up hints of some things but overlooked others in hind sight. The romance felt like it took a bit of a back seat to the rest of the plot but I still really enjoyed it. My only big criticism is I would have really liked to see a little bit more out of Lovett in some places and I hope she develops further in the next installment. She does not really grow as you would expect from an FMC and there are some blatant connections that she misses that don't make sense. I think both she and the story have so much potential still to show us.

I'm going to first start off with stating that this booc cover and book are beautiful. It really drew me in but the story was was kept my attention. There were so many twists and turns throughout that kept me on my toes. There was a lot more suspense in this book than I was expecting. The magic system in this book is also unique and things aren’t always what they seem to be.

There is murder mystery, thrill, dark fantasy and forbidden love. There are trials you can say with a bachelor type vibe. But the fact that the roles are women are somewhat med-evil.... in the sense that women needing to get married or be forced into a life of misery but surprisingly or not... all is not what it seems.

Definitely give this book a read! Recommended for anyone who likes a great YA fantasy story with a bit of romance (as romance isn't the main driver here but more of a subplot). It's witchy too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for the ARC! :)

I really enjoyed this YA Fantasy! It was atmospheric and mysterious, and made a perfect fall read! I enjoyed the characters and the romance aspect. I look forward to reading more books from this author!

This book gave me anxiety…in a good way. The tension was taut! Between the murder mystery and the potentials for romance I was wound tight throughout the entire book. I am not generally a fan of trial type books but the saving grace of this book in my opinion was the mystery and the fact that the main character’s main goal is not to win the trials. I love a good crime solving story and finding all the little pieces to gather together along with the main character was such a fun ride. There were some places where the lyrical prose sent me off on a daydream and I forgot where I was. At times the sentence structure left me a little confused and I had to go back and reread a sentence or two, but overall I enjoyed the style of writing and the intimately described scene setting.
“I was suddenly aware of the familiar open air to my back, in contrast with the chilly unknown ahead of me. It felt like a choice, somehow like a parable torn from a children’s tale: Cross the threshold and enter the cold, the dark, or turn back toward light. Safety.” - this theme repeated throughout the book with several choices, our main character at a crossroads and decisions need to be made with limited knowledge
Lydia’s writing style reminds me of Sarah A Parker (whom I adore) in the lovely descriptive and transcendent story but it does require a bit more effort than some other authors to stayed focused and follow where the words are taking you. Overall I very much enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Pretty sure there’s actual magic woven into the pages of The Weaver Bride.

***

I think The Weaver Bride will get marketed as romantasy, which is fine, because that’s likely to generate the most hype (and this book deserves ALL THE HYPE). But if you’re choosing (or not choosing) to read based on that marketing, you should know that this is much more similar to YA fantasy (like Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series or Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer/Muse of Nightmares duology) than it is to ACOTAR or Fourth Wing. There is trickery, there is societal commentary, there is mystery, there is murder, and, most importantly, while there is romance, the plot does not revolve around it. Our whip-smart FMC, Lovett, might fall in love… but it’s a minor inconvenience. She’s not going to let it get in her way. (And our male MMC knows it 😈)

In case I haven’t made it clear enough, I absolutely loved The Weaver Bride. I read it very early, which is only going to make the wait for book 2 even longer. Surely there’s a book 2, right? That was a WHOPPER of a cliffhanger… ugh. I’m so sad it’s over. (And so glad it happened.)

Finally, just for fun, here are some of the (borderline hysterical) notes I made while reading:

* The tropes are troping, but this is GOOD
* This writing is so good!
* This writer is truly talented wtf
* This is seriously so f*cking good
* I love you Lovett
* I’m head over heels for this book omg
* I can’t get over it. A SMART HEROINE

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Omg this was amazing! i read with a voracity that very few books give me. The characters were so well written and complex. The plot twists and betrayals were many but still spread out enough to engage me continuously. There was intrigue and world building- despite most of the book being within one small setting. I read this so fast and loved every second of it!

I always love a good regency-inspired story as well as romantasy so when I found out this was a mashup between the two? Super exciting!

And while the story premise and plot are interesting, I had a very difficult time with the writing style used for this. I can tell the author intended to use Austen-like prose to give the reader a full feel of the regency era, but in this case I am afraid it was overkill.

The "fluff" added to the sentence structure made it difficult to read through to find the actual substance of the plot to the point where it felt like it was tripping over itself trying to be something it is not. If you were to just pull out an excerpt from the story you can count just how many random off-hand little comments or comparisons the main character states to overexplain things. That and just the excessiveness of comma use whenever the main character would be shuffling through her thoughts.. What should be one or two sentences becomes 1-2 paragraphs. It's very distracting and is very easy to lose the reader amongst the drabble of unnecessary filler words.

That being said, there is a good story in here and the mystery unfolding will keep things interesting.

(Review will go live 2 weeks before the publishing date)

I’m emotionally devastated in the best way possible. While the beginning of The Weaver Bride starts off a bit slow (as is often the case with fantasy worldbuilding), once I hit the 20% mark, I was hooked. The pacing shifts into a thriller vibe that kept me on edge, and the forbidden romance (my weakness) was beautifully AGONIZING.

I felt everything: her anxiety, her fear, her guilt and self-loathing. The emotional depth was INCREDIBLE. The world felt like a Gothic blend of The Selection meets Phantasma—a marriage competition layered with murder mystery, secrets, and a haunting atmosphere I couldn’t get enough of.

What surprised me (and not necessarily in a good way) was the ending. Although it was on character for her & I can understand her motives, it was a slap in the face (I’m a romantic). Also, the sudden absence of a certain character at the end was a bit confusing as well. The ending also felt a bit too open-ended if this is a standalone. But if it’s part of a series, I’m willing to be patient.

Overall, I ABSOLUTELY loved this book. The tension, the yearning, the mystery, the setting—I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I just need to know if this story continues, because my heart can’t rest like this!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Lydia Gregovic and Random House Children's Books | Delacorte Press for this digital advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was first drawn to this book because of the pretty cover, and I'm glad I read it! I was hooked from the very beginning of the story, and there were so many twists and turns throughout that kept me on my toes. There was a lot more suspense in this book than I was expecting, but I ate up every word of it. The ending doesn't end on a cliffhanger per-se, but I really hope there is a book 2 because I need to know what happens next for the characters!

The magic system in this book is so unique, and I loved reading about it. At first I was hesitant about women needing to get married or be forced into a life of misery, but I was pleasantly shocked that things aren’t always what they seem to be.

There was a lot of character growth for Lovett, and I will be rooting for her and Eliot until the very end!! I really hope Lovett and Eliot are endgame! If we get Tamlin-ed, I'm going to be so sad. I need a book 2 to see how her and Eliot can be together :(