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The Weaver Bride (Book 1) by Lydia Gregovic A witchy “marriage competition” with murder, magic, and enough twists to leave you breathless. Intrigue, romance, secrets—and a heroine you’ll root for even when she’s playing for keeps.

Lovett Tamerlane is a silkwitch—a girl whose magic sleeps in her hair and can only awaken when married to a Weaver. Trouble is, she’s broke, status-less, and already outgrown the time limit. Her secret to survival? She can open literally any door. It’s equal parts gift and curse—until it lands her in the Vainglory competition, a ruthless contest for Noé Alaire’s hand. But to enter, she must solve the murder of Eliot Lear’s sister—the previous winner. Welcome to the dark side of fairy tales.

What You’ll Love
Worldbuilding with texture: Think gothic halls, silk-thread magic, and a system that feels lived-in: silkwitches, Weavers, and cloisters make it all feel tactile—like climate control for intrigue.
Magic that’s potent, not pastel: Silk-thread enchantments are clever, original, and tied directly to Lovett’s emotional arc. The stakes feel intimate but wide-reaching.
Lovett = queen energy: She’s brash, resourceful, layered, and stubborn—but that vulnerability underneath? Pressure-build gold.
Mystery & romance intertwined: Murder investigation meets slow-burn tension with Elyot Lear, reluctant ally and puzzle personified. Their banter is sharp, the chemistry is simmering, and the stakes keep rising.
Twist-laced tension: Nothing is what it seems. The revelations leave you reeling, and yes—last-chapter gasps are real.

A Few Fringy Thoughts
Starting pace: The early chapters do take a moment to warm up—some readers found it slow amid setup, but it builds beautifully once the mechanics are in motion.
Secondary cast: Intriguing, but a bit under-utilized. I wanted more dimmed-lights character moments—maybe a deeper snare of side drama.
Romance timing: The slow-burn is satisfying, but if you’re craving fireworks early, know it’s a simmer before it blazes.

4 stars—for its lush magic, sharp mystery, and heroine who steals scenes (and doors). Lovett’s voice carries you through courtly manipulation, high-stakes drama, and illusions of security. This is fantasy that flirts with danger—dark, romantic, and impossible to ignore.
If you’re into:
Silkwitches whose hair holds power (and secrets)
Murder mysteries wrapped in silk ribbons
Political theater, emotional tension, and a heroine who surprises herself …you’re in for a treat.
The competition is brutal. The secrets are deep. And Lovett? She’s the bright, stubborn light that threads it all together. Bring a bookmark—this one hooks hard.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this eArc, all opinions are my own.

The Magic system was interesting but a bit confusing. I found myself rereading descriptions so I could try to understand it better.

I do love a competition story! Idk what it is about fighting for power, but I eat that up!

Suspense, thrills, forbidden romance… I was SAT. I loved the absolutely bloodthirsty backstabbing that happened in this book.

Definitely ready for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

This title will be released September 30, 2025!

I wish I could give half stars because this was more of a 4.5 start read for me! It had the slow-burn romance, minimal spice (I don't mind spice but sometimes, it's just not necessary for the story), and enough of a mystery to make me want to keep reading. I did get a little overwhelmed by all the characters and keeping track of who was who and who had which power but I feel the author did a fairly decent job of helping to remind the reader the pertinent details. I also really liked the end twist and I hope there is a second book, as I feel it was left on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Thank you to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book that is anything but a children's tale. Although the story features women in their late teens seeking a marriage partner, the general atmosphere is dark and adult. The story has several competing themes: finding a husband, mastering one's magical abilities, competing in a competition not too different than a beauty pageant but with a history of a fatality, and an investigation into the death of a past contestant. This all takes place in a castle built on the bones of it's past self, with long halls, hidden rooms and locked doors. With original magical elements, the story is as exciting as it is dangerous. I was quickly caught up in the magic, the mystery and the romance. This is a story that MUST continue, because I just cannot accept that ending.

The Weaver Bride is in somewhat of a Cinderella story - a poor young woman seeks a rich husband. It's also a murder mystery and a coming of age story.

Lovett has a magical power that must be harnessed in marriage to a weaver or she must spend a lifetime in the cloister. Elliot, a member of a weaver family offers to have her join the Vainglory - an elaborate selection competition. Elliot wants Lovett to find out why is sister died in last year's unfinished competition.

What is the dark secret and who if any will Lovett choose?

A pretty cover. An interesting blurb. Happily neither disappointed. The magic was a new and intriguing system. The mystery was compelling and the twists kept pages turning. I honestly can’t decide how I feel about the ending. I re-read it several times, so I guess that was a good thing. This was a new author for me, and I am motivated enough to look up her other works.

I ended up DNFing around 30%. I could not relate to the main character at all and didn't understand why she made the decisions she did. Her rationale did not align with the reasons given for decisions made. Rating higher since I DNFd.

This was a solid story! The magic system was very interesting and unique though I wish it was described more in depth, I’m still somewhat confused on how it works exactly.

I really liked Lovett and her getting to know and creating brief alliances with the other women in the competition. The romance was okay, I love these types of romances but felt that Eliot was a bit two dimensional.

The ending was shocking and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Overall, I enjoyed this read and appreciated the topical theme of women (silkwitches) being persuaded that marriage is best for them, but really the men (weavers) are the ones benefiting from marriage, at the detriment of women no less.

I did not expect to love this as much as I did! It seemed like it was going to be very kitschy but it was truly riveting and I was SO locked in. I literally hid in the toilet at work so I could get in a few chapters (shhh, don't tell my mgr!). You find yourself rooting for Lovett and Eliot despite their differences and their arguments. In the end, what Lovett chose is surprising but also gives me hope that a sequel is in the works?! This was a wonderful tale and I want to see what happens next!!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for having this chance to read this novel before publication. The opinion below is that of my own and I am making no money from it.

Our main female lead is a silkwitch, who can only harness their magic through marriage, but finding a Weaver husband is anything but easy. You must have money, refinement, and status. None of this is Lovett. So she relies on her Wit, a special ability that allows her to open any door, and she uses it to steal from the wealthy.

Unfortunately for her, she ends up targeting the wrong man. Eliot Lear is the son of a prominent Weaver, and he has been watching her, knowing she is also a silkwitch. He offers her a deal: enter the Vainglory and find out what happened to his sister. If she does solve the mystery, he will open doors for her to find a Weaver husband, but finding his sister's murderer might be more complicated than she ever imagined.

I LOVED this novel. It's a masterful blend of intricate storytelling, imaginative world-building, and a rather interesting magical system set in a historical setting. I have had this book on my radar since I caught sight of it somewhere. The premise sounded so intriguing: a magical system with a silkwitch, a Weaver, and a competition that could lead to answers about the mysterious death of the competing female sister of the Weaver. I was intrigued…interested to see where this story went, and before I knew it, I had spent my entire evening reading the book from front to back. I love stories like this that draw you into the world and keep you intrigued and interested until the last page. This one was a fun read.

This book is embroidered with danger, desire, and deception—and I loved every shimmering, stabby stitch of it.

The Weaver Bride is the kind of romantasy that wraps you in velvet prose and then casually rips your heart out with a gold-stitched dagger. Lovett Tamerlane is exactly the kind of heroine we live for: sharp-tongued, soft-hearted, magically gifted, and absolutely not here for patriarchal marriage games—unless she can rig them to her advantage.

Thrust into a deadly courtship competition (think The Selection, but with political sabotage and murder vibes), Lovett must navigate masked balls, magical tests, and one very intense partnership with Eliot Lear—her reluctant ally, resident brooding prince of secrets, and the man who might just know more than he’s letting on.

There’s intrigue, glamour, tragedy, and a murder mystery woven straight through the silk of the plot. The magic system is fresh and gorgeously strange (silkwitches?? literal power in thread?? obsessed), the romance is a slow-burn that simmers behind every verbal sparring match, and the world is lush, dangerous, and full of locked doors begging to be opened.

If you like your fantasy with morally gray men, ambitious witches, competition tropes, rich-girl-meets-thief energy, and a plot that unravels secrets one devastating revelation at a time, The Weaver Bride will completely enchant you. Just don’t trust anyone. Especially if they offer you silk.

I liked The Weaver Bride much better than this author's last book The Monstrous Kind. This was a fast read, I really liked the writing style and enjoyed the pacing. The main character's ability to unlock every door was perfect given one of the plotlines. I also saw the twist at the end coming and felt a bit conflicted about the main character's choice at the end.

A pretty cover for a pretty good book!

I thought that this was fun YA romantasy read overall! I loved how the plot weaved in a marriage competition with a murder mystery, all wrapped up with a unique magic system. While the plot started off kind of slow, it certainly picked up the pace as the story went on, which I appreciated. There were enough twists and turns to keep me engaged (though some of them were predictable, which I didn’t mind).

I liked that there was a forbidden romance of sorts in this story too! I do wish we got to see a bit more of romantic relationship being fleshed out, and had more of slow burn, but it was still fun to read overall. And I liked the characters for the most part.

I think fans of The Selection and fans of The Rose Bargain will really enjoy reading this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read the digital ARC!

I love competition books and this one blew me away!

A perfect book with great world building, I will definitely be reading more from Lydia in the future.

I really enjoyed The Weaver Bride. It has such a rich, atmospheric setting with an old-world feel, where every shadowy corner and winding street seems alive with secrets. The magic system is beautifully original, based on weaving threads that can bind or alter fate.
Those details were so vivid and gave the whole story a lovely, tactile quality.
It did take a while to really get going. The early chapters felt a bit slow, and I wanted more development for the main character right from the start. She grew on me over time, but her motivations and personality took a while to feel fully fleshed out.
Once the story hit its stride, though, I was all in. The later sections are beautifully written and full of tension and emotion. Overall, this is a unique, immersive fantasy perfect for readers who love carefully built worlds, creative magic systems, and slow-burn intrigue. Thank you for the chance to read it early!

A competition setting full of mystery, twists and sweet romance.

Hair being the source of power is something I’ve never read before but the individual wits added really made things interesting. I honestly had no idea where things were going and it took a while to really starting putting all the little crumbs of the mystery together. The competition part of the book was a great complement to the mystery plot. Lovett was my favorite character of the book. By the end I was happy to see how much her character grew. The ending completely shocked me and I’m really looking forward to the next book to see where things go.

The Weaver Bride was such a unique and refreshing take on "competition for a prince" theme. Lovett was a relatable FMC and her giftings were really cool. The end was such a plot twist and I can't wait for the next book.

The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic is a romance fantasy. Lovett is a silkwitch with a rare magic to open doors. Girls who are silkwitches like her have to wed a Weaver by age 21 before they are thrown in the cloisters. Lovett is given an opportunity to join the Vainglory, a competition to marry son of the Weaver King. In exchange, she has to help Eliot Lear find the truth of his sister's death. With her magic, Lovett is able to open the doors to secrets within the Weaver mansion while finding her own future husband.

I enjoyed the book but would've liked to see more world-building. I get the gist of the silkwitch/weaver world but the author could expand it more. I am expecting this will happen in the next book. I did not care for the romance in this romantasy and felt the characters were pretty dry. The male leads were kind of boring and I did feel much chemistry between them. The ending wasn't too surprising as it leads the way for a sequel. As a standalone book, this was okay, but it might be better as a trilogy.

Thank you to Netgalley, author Lydia Gregovic, and publisher Delacorte Press/Random House for providing me with an ARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The Weaver Brude by Lydia Gregovic was a book I really had trouble of following along. I just could not connect to this book. There was no great attention grabber to get you hooked and want to continue reading the book. I had to DNF so I do not think it is fair to the author for me to leave a Goodreads review.

I really enjoyed this book and would not be at all surprised if it became the next big regency hit in the book world. It was super well paced, had an engaging writing style, and I liked the characters! Not only that it packed a deep punch for feminism without being too on the nose or cliche.

Starting from the beginning, the story picks up with our main character Lovett, being invited to what I'm going to refer to as the regency version of the Bachelor, where she will be competing for the hand of a powerful sorcerer. However this is the second time this competition has taken place as the last one ended in the tragic death of its potential champion, Ophelia Lear. Ophelia's brother Eliot, the one who invited Lovett, wants her to figure out the cause of Ophelia's untimely death and unravel the secrets of the Alaire family, who's manor the book takes place in.

I appreciated this books fresh take on regency romance and the fact that the author did not make any of the female characters vapid or ditzy. They were all smart all capable and all struggling under their oppressive society. As silkwitches, young women with magical hair that can only be tapped by a male weaver, they are required to marry or be sent away to live out their lives in cloisters, which leads into this novels main themes. I actually enjoyed how this author addressed this topic in a deep but subtle way. Honestly it made me feel pity towards them for their reliance on men and how the men in their lives abused that and took advantage of them, all while addressing it in a nonsexual way that was apprpriate for a YA book. That with the characters and the beautifully atmospheric setting and prose, this was definitely an awesome read.

I loved Lovett (pun intended) and Eliot and thought they were perfectly suited for each other as both very smart, very stubborn, and very flawed. They felt real and genuine for 75% of the book and it wasn't until the end that things began to deteriorate in my opinion. Lovett became downright mean and manipulative and Eliot just took the abuse, which considering if the roles were reversed, did not really fit with the theme of the story and felt off and petty. Noe Alaire and the other girls in the competition also were well flushed out for side characters and all served a purpose which I appreciated. It was so refreshing to actually read smart characters in a modern YA book.

I also gotta take a minute to talk about the setting because it was chefs kiss. Gothic castle on the seaside cliffs where it rains 24/7? MOOD. Each scene felt fitting and well described which only made it match the writing style and vibes better.

Over all my main gripe was with the final two chapters and epilogue. AND BOY DO I HAVE A GRIPE. The whole ending felt slapped together as if the author had too many loose strings to tie up in too little space. There was a lot of info dumping and it deimersed em and made it feel clunky and awkward. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE EPILOGUE. OH MY WORD. If I had a physical copy, it would have been chucked across the room. I am praying that there is a sequel to fix that because I actually cannot accept it. PLEASE I'M BEGGING SOMEONE RECTIFY IT.

Also watch out there may or may not be a love triangle between what (appears) to be two actually good options.
4.25 Stars