The Weaver Bride
by Lydia Gregovic
480 pages

Book 1
Pub Date: September 30, 2025
ARC: @netgalley

Murder mystery (whodunit?)
Bride competition
Reluctant allies to lovers
Unique magic
Page turner
Plot twists
The Selection vibes

~blurb~
Lovett finds herself in a scheme with the son of a prominent weaver (Eliot) to find out who murdered his sister during the last bride competition. Lovett finds herself amongst the competitors in the next bride competition in somewhat disguise to search for clues to the murder mystery.

~thoughts~
What a beautiful cover and sprayed edges!

The mystery and intrigue aspect of this story kept me glued to the page. I enjoyed trying to figure it out while silently rooting for a happy ending for Lovett. I loved the pacing and the ever-present danger lurking around every corner.

The romance between Lovett and Eliot was a bit fast-tracked though. I would have loved more slow burn/tension development there, but I was still rooting for them. There is a love triangle happening as well and I’m not sure what is going to happen in book 2 with them three.

One of the main things that I loved about this book was the complex characters, not just the main characters but the side ones as well. Dorian is an intriguing character to me. Lovett told us that he was ‘the most beautiful man she's ever seen’ but then we didn’t get much from his character. Maybe in book 2?

The magic system in this book was truly unique with the strands of hair and the magical candles used to communicate.

I am glad that I saw a couple book lovers post about this book. It was highly entertaining. This is the first book that I have read by Lydia Gregovic, but it won’t be my last.

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬, 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐭." 👀

If you enjoyed The Selection by Kiera Cass and like unique magic, complex/morally grey characters, and mystery then I highly recommend this book to you!
Rating: 4.25/5

Overall, I really ended up enjoying this story. It was slow starting off, which concerned me a little, but by the end, I was hooked. It was one of those sit the book down and just stare at the wall in shock moments. A couple slight critiques: I found the magic system a little confusing, but I also think it makes sense why it's written the way it is by the end of the story. I also found the romance to be a little lacking, personally I just didn't feel the spark, BUT, I also didn't realize this was going to be a series so there is definitely room for development. I am definitely looking forward to receiving my physical copy later this year and also continuing this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this opportunity!

I loved this. It felt so fresh and original. Perfect for romantasy fans who are looking for something unique and different.

This is a beautifully written YA story for anyone who loves a bit of mystery and a slow burn romance. We follow Lovett who is a approached by a gentleman and asked to work under cover to find out why his sister died during a competition to be chosen as bride for a weaver. She cleverly navigates the competition while trying to remain unknown to the other competitors and the judges, including her unintended love interest. This is especially hard because everyone has a special gift that affords them different talents.

I loved the writing. Each sentence is so beautifully crafted with an elegant lilt, I felt like I was in a new Bridgerton episode. The characters feel real albeit a bit one -dimensional. The story follows a progression that will leave young readers wanting more. That being said, I don't think this will capture the attention of an adult reader.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
This gave major bachelorette vibes but make it witchy. The magic system was really cool and original, and I loved the idea of a deadly magical marriage competition. That said, I went in expecting enemies to lovers and got insta love instead. The ending also felt super rushed. It’s a fun concept overall, but the story felt very reminiscent of other YA romantasy books. Still, I had a good time reading and think others will enjoy,

💖 What You Can Expect
• Witchy marriage competition
• Bachelorette Vibes
• Insta love
• Unique magic system
• Murder mystery subplot

🗓 Pub Date: September 30, 2025
Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.
📖 Final Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 rounded up)

I love this and I also hated this!
It’s like a fantasy who-done-it, so many moving pieces and our poor FMC is thrust into a world she doesn’t understand, wholly unprepared for and with barely tentative (at best) alliances.

The raw fury and indignation I felt for her….
Woooooo I wouldn’t make it in a fantasy, yall, I’d just burn castles to the ground.
The final few twists, they are harsh! Fair warning

Being a woman in this kingdom sucks!!!!!

There is a romance but it’s YA, so more longing but also it’s like hate/love???? It’s hella toxic. Don’t come looking for Peeta and Katniss but expect Hunger Games levels of evil for those in power.

The Weaver Bride combines familiar tropes with refreshing twists. A murder mystery keeps the pacing tight, and the characters feel fleshed out and unique. Romantasy often feels a bit too familiar, with recycled elements and sophomoric prose, but The Weaver Bride is an excellent edition to any romantasy lover's collection.

Unfortunately, The Weaver Bride didn't work out for me. There are so many trial/games, Victorian Era (but not fully described as such), political scheming, magic filled, themed books that are coming out this year that I've read arcs for. The Weaver Bride just didn't rise to the top. I don't think it's necessarily a bad book, it just did nothing to wow me, captivate me, or convince me that it was the best-of-the-best of this type of YA Romantasy.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

“If I took you as a wife, would you lie down beside me in peace, or slit my throat while I slept?”

First and foremost, this is marketed as a romantasy with “thrilling romance”. To me, this read a lot more like a dark academia novel, which makes sense as the author recently posted on insta that her greatest inspirations were all largely dark academia books like The Secret History and Ninth House.

Even though this book revolves around a set of trails for marriage to the Weaver King’s heir there is little whimsy, action or romance. The focus of this story is a slow meandering mystery and I think marketing it as romantasy does the story a disservice by setting it up to disappoint readers.

Much of this book is centered around the Victorian Gothic atmosphere. Be prepared for long rambling descriptions, slow pacing, meandering walls of text, and lots of time just following the daily comings and goings of the FMC.

Nearly the whole first quarter of the book was all exposition with heavy handed info dumping about the complicated magic system and societal hierarchy of the world we’re in. I found myself scratching my head a lot and having to reread passages before I really had a grasp of how the magic system worked. After that, most of the story is all a slow build up until the last 30% where things are quickly revealed to us and then the story abruptly ends.

Honestly, this book just felt far too long for the actual mystery everything was working up towards. Much of the book was wasted in my opinion as we spent too much time with Lovett alone in her rooms, or describing the length of yet another corridor, or the weather beyond the lancet windows for the 100th time. There was little left for us to explore the other characters and their relationships, or for our FMC to have a more well-developed character arc. If you’re expecting any semblance of a found family amongst Lovett and her other competitors, you’ll be quite disappointed. Even her relationship with our MMC was pretty superficial, and the romance came out of nowhere. 



Now, it is clear that the author is a phenomenal writer. Her flowery use of language is very poetic. I loved the way she wrote dialogue and found the magic system she crafted to be fascinating. I appreciated the social commentary this book delves into and the set up for what will hopefully be a kick ass revenge plot in the second book. I just think she needs more heavy-handed editing and more work on the execution.

Am I intrigued for the second book? Possibly! It’s hard not to be after the abrupt ending, and boy do I love a FMC set on revenge. However, it will largely depend on whether The Weaver Bride’s plot stays with me at all after a few months.



Final Rating: 3⭐️

I really enjoyed this! I loved the world and magic system that was built, and this book presented mostly as a locked room mystery. I really found the relationship of the silkwitch hair to the weavers power and the purposeful hindering and caging of the silkwitches to harvest their power. I liked the main characters and mostly enjoyed the way the romantic relationships were built. I definitely want to see what’s next from Gregovic and I really really hope e<spoiler>that one day Lovett and the rest of silkwitches take back their power from the men. </spoiler>

3.8
Kind of the Bachelor, slightly Hunger Games, a vague gothic regency vibe with a handmaid's tale level patriarchal structure...Oh! And there's magic hair.

Thank you NetGalley and Lydia Gregovic for this ARC!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Where do I start? This was such an entertaining read. The magic system was so unique and I really want to know how Lydia came up with it. I loved the mystery and the way it evolved was great. The longing! 🤤 The FMC (Lovett) and the MMC (Eliot) really just ooze romance/hatred. The enemies to lovers is real here. Don't even get me started on the side characters. I normally don't care about the side characters. But this time, I needed to know more . I WANTED to get to know everyone involved.

I was excited for the read now option on NetGalley and the beautiful cover is what drew me in. This was my first time reading the authors work and I really enjoyed her writing style. I plan on reading her debut book now that I’ve read her work. The weaver bride is a suspenseful murder mystery that kept me intrigued, but I stayed for the slow burn romance. The main character Lovett is asked by Eliot to enter a marriage competition. Winning the competition would benefit Lovett, but Eliot actually wants her there to help him solve the murder of a previous contestant, his sister. I loved the tension between these two and I liked that all the characters in this book are a little morally gray. I went in thinking this was a standalone, but the ending left on a cliffhanger so I’m hopeful for a book 2! Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the chance to read this book early in exchange for my honest review. This book is set to be released on September 30th, 2025.

First, the cover is gorgeous! The premise sounded eight up my ally, and this really sounded like it would be a fun read. It did not disappoint! I honestly enjoyed this more than I thought I would and I'm so glad I got approved for this one. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I'm definitely going to change that after this book. I can't wait to read the sequel. The characters were great and had excellent chemistry. I loved the setting, and it never dragged. Will gladly be anticipating the next book!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Weaver Bride by Lydia is a unique and gripping story that had me hooked from the very beginning. I was addicted to the plot and couldn’t put it down! The world-building, especially the weaver system was fascinating, and the competition aspect kept things exciting throughout. I absolutely loved this book. I really hope there’s a second one because I need more especially after that ending! I’m dying to know who she ends up with.

Lovett is a silkwitch, she has magic running through her that must be harnessed through marriage to a weaver. Any unwed silkwitch is sentenced to a life in the clolisters. Lovett has an ability to open any door, she uses this talent to steal from wealthy families, but she soon steals from the wrong person. Eliot, who has been watching Lovett, offers her a proposition. Enter the Vanglory competition and solve his sister Ophelia's murder and he will ensure that Lovett has her pick of weaver suitors. Lovett soon finds herself going undercover in the dangerous competition.

The premise sounded interesting, and I like books that have a competition plotline. The competition itself was interesting, and I liked seeing Lovett working to solve Ophelias murder while keeping her true identity hidden. I enjoyed Lovetts interactions with Eliot.

Overall, I liked parts of this book, though there were times the pacing was a little slow for me. The ending leaves you on an interesting cliffhanger that leaves me intrigued enough to read the next book in the series.

This story had a very intriguing premise and all in all, it wasnt terrible. With that though, I have a few critiques with this:

A) there were a lot of possible antagonists posed in the first few chapters of this book by the MMC and basically all of them had little to no role other than random conversations here and there.

B) many mysteries were being investigated throughout this book and all of them had a very weak and non-satisfying conclusion. It felt like there wasnt an actual ending to this book. Almost as if the author didnt know how she wanted to wrap everything up and they didnt know how.


On a more positive note, I was very invested in the outcome of this story and it didnt start to truly disappoint me until the last 75ish pages. The main characters were slightly one-dimensional but interesting non the less. Im happy to have read it.

This book is a masterfully and beautifully crafted fantasy!! It was so addicting, I finished the witchy-ness of this novel. I loved the thriller-aspects. Everything about this book is what I love about (marriage) competition stories!!!

I really enjoyed reading this book! The author did a fabulous job with keeping the story interesting and flowing. I never really liked books that drag on but this book never did! The characters were very unique and I really enjoyed there journey. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know!

— 2.5 stars ★

I'm really not sure what to think about this book, to be honest. I feel like there was potential in this book with the plot and the magic system, but it felt like the magic system wasn't explained enough. I understood the basics of it, but I wish there was more to the world. It felt like something was missing and I'm not sure what.

There's romance in this, obviously - but it just... didn't hit! I don't really know where the feelings came from, as the FMC kept saying she hated the MMC. The two clashed so much that I was sure they wouldn't get together and that the FMC would end up with another character. I also just generally didn't like the characters. The FMC mentioned how smart of a thief she was and how she was always careful but she literally wasn't. Ever. She had no character growth and seemed very prideful. Not only did she not have chemistry with the MMC, she didn't have chemistry with anyone. I didn't feel like she was fleshed out enough to connect with others. However, no one else in the book felt fleshed out either.

I think with a stronger execution with more fleshed out characters and worldbuilding, this could be a really good book. The plot is good and sure, sometimes predictable, but it could be a favorite among readers if it was paired with good characters. By the end of this book, I just really didn't care what happened.

I must admit, though, the cover is gorgeous.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of The Weaver Bride in exchange for an honest review.