I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I felt the characters were fun - though not fully well rounded.
I enjoyed the trials/games. I'm always a sucker for those. But I wish there had been more given to each trial. They felt very surface level.
With all that being said, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to owning a copy.

Very promising romantasy and lovely packaging are hurt by the last 50 pages and a very unsatisfying, frustrating ending

✨ A spellbinding romantasy you won’t be able to put down! ✨

The Weaver Bride is a dazzling blend of magic, murder mystery, and slow-burn romance that pulls you into a gorgeously imagined world of silkwitches, deadly secrets, and forbidden desire.

Lovett Tamerlane is the perfect heroine: fierce, clever, and deeply human. Her rare magic—paired with a knack for opening any door (literal and metaphorical)—makes her impossible to ignore. When she enters the dangerous Vainglory competition to win the hand of a powerful Weaver, the stakes are high, the gowns are stunning, and the secrets are deadly.

Eliot Lear is the morally gray, sharp-tongued ally (or is he?) we all love to obsess over. The chemistry between him and Lovett crackles from their very first encounter. The mystery of his sister’s tragic death adds tension, twists, and emotional depth.

Final thoughts:
The Weaver Bride is a hauntingly beautiful fantasy about power, choice, and love found in the unlikeliest of places. With a murder to solve and her heart on the line, Lovett’s journey is as thrilling as it is emotional.

A Woven Tapestry of Magic, Mystery, and Romance

Lydia Gregovic's The Weaver Bride is a unique fantasy/mystery novel that seamlessly blends elements of mystery, romance, magic, and competition into a real page-turner. From the first page, Gregovic immerses the reader in a world populated with compelling characters and shrouded in an intriguing mystery.

One of the greatest strengths of The Weaver Bride is its characters. The protagonist, Lovett Tamerlane, is a complex and resourceful silkwitch whose journey has given her very few choices in life. She's strong-willed, intelligent, but possesses a vulnerability that makes her desperate enough to tempt fate. Eliot and Noi are both hiding things from her and each other. Lovett has to make decisions about herself and who she can trust without ever feeling there is someone at her back that she truly believes in.

The descriptions of the Weaver society, the silkwitch culture, and the castle within the story are evocative and immersive. The author's attention to detail brings the world to life, making it a character in its own right.

The mystery at the heart of the novel is skillfully plotted and unfolds at a perfect pace. Gregovic keeps the reader guessing, with twists and turns that are both surprising and satisfying. The investigation into Ophelia Lear's death is intricate and engaging, drawing the reader deeper into the world and its secrets. The way the mystery intertwines with the larger themes of the book, including power, society, and magic, elevates it beyond a simple whodunit.

In conclusion, The Weaver Bride is a compelling read with a satisfying ending that hints at another book coming in the series. Lydia Gregovic has crafted a novel that is hard to put down, with memorable characters, a richly detailed setting, and a compelling mystery.
M.Roberts

The Selection meets The Rose Bargain meets The Bachelor in this excellent romantasy. I’ve read both books and loved them. Despite the similarity in tropes, The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovi offers a unique spin. The premise is familiar—a marriage competition to win a husband—but the execution is original.

Written in first-person POV, the book follows a silkwitch named Lovett Tamerlane, who uses her wit (a.k.a. secret ability) to open any door—to pilfer from the gentles to survive. In this world, all silkwitches must find a husband who is a Weaver by the age of 21 or be banished to the cloisters.

A meeting with Eliot Lear, the notorious son of a prominent Weaver, changes her path. The two strike a deal: she will enter the marriage competition of his best friend, Noé Alaire—heir to generations of Weaver wealth—and, in return, she will help him uncover what happened to his sister, who died under mysterious circumstances in the previous competition, a.k.a. the Vainglory.

This is no simple competition. Ten silkwitches will be tested, ranked, and gradually eliminated until only one remains—the lucky bride. What follows is an incredible story chock-full of mystery, slow-burn romance, cutthroat rivalry, betrayal, magic, and all the other hallmarks of a great fantasy novel.

I loved the book! The world-building is incredible. There are different kinds of wits, the magic is inventive, and unexpected twists keep you on your toes. Silkwitches’ hair can be woven into objects, making them magical—how cool is that??

The writing is compelling—you can vividly picture each character, setting, and scene. The two main characters are strong and obstinate. You can't remain indifferent to them; you either love them or hate them. I loved them both and found them fascinating. The supporting cast is colorful and kept the book engaging, though not all of them felt fully three-dimensional.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was how easy it was to slip into this world. Lydia Gregovi definitely knows how to capture the imagination. I was hanging on her every word. The book is well-written, well-plotted, and kept me hooked from start to finish. It combines all the elements I love: mystery, witty repartee, a magical world, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a convoluted plot.

Mystery, suspicious deaths, and intrigue woven into a magical world make for an entertaining ride! The twist at the end was fantastic and left me breathless. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I’m eager for the sequel. The author takes familiar tropes and spins them into something entirely fresh and exciting. Highly recommended to fans of the trope who are looking for an original read!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

I actually really enjoyed this book. It was a great book to read when in between series as sort of a palate cleanser that would definitely keep you on your toes.

4.5 Stars (rounded up!)

This was such a fun read! It was part murder mystery and part marriage competition with trials that felt fresh and suspenseful. The mystery felt so captivating that I couldn’t wait to figure out what was going on!

I also really liked the magic system and thought that it was pretty unique and creative. I enjoyed learning about the silkwitches and how their magic tied into their society and how it affected each of the characters and their choices.

I do wish there was a bit more romantic chemistry/ build up before the characters confessed their feelings for each other, but it didn’t bother me too much since the mystery/ magic system was so intriguing!

The ending was also very satisfying and left me excited to see what happens in the sequel!

Thank you Random House Children’s Books/ Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was first drawn in because of the cover. It is BEAUTIFUL! Then the story kept me here.

This book was very unique as far as the magic system goes. Silk witches and weavers, I loved this aspect! The atmosphere that was created felt like an actual fantasy....if that makes sense. It felt like it was written in the old world times. There is lies, romance and tension. The plot was very engaging.
Lovett and Eliots chemistry seemed a tad rushed. But I really enjoyed the hate to love things they had going on. I will say, I had no idea this was the first book in a series and it ended on a cliffhanger 😅 but that is okay. I'm going to get the next one.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants something fresh and a new/unique magic system that I had never seen before and was very refreshing.

Wholly, fully, truly unputdownable. I loved this book so fiercely. It may just be my favorite read of the year.

If you live for romantasy but also can’t say no to a good mystery, and like me, are firmly in an era of wanting to read books with strong women protagonists eager to tear down the patriarchy, then this book is absolutely for you.

I will be impatiently awaiting the sequel!

For fans of books like The Inheritance Games and Trial of the Sun Queen. Full of secrets, backstabbing and a sprinkle of romance - this one kept me engaged from the beginning. Each character has their own motives that help to really since the story and keep you guessing on who you can really trust. It was unique and wonderfully written and I really wish I didn’t have to wait so long for the next one!

Lydia Gregovic’s Weaver Bride centers on a magic system where a subsect of the female population, silkwitches, have hair that can be woven by wizards into magical objects. These same females each have a special skill and have the three years past their eighteenth birthday to marry a wizard, else they are shut up in the mysterious Cloisters where they are never heard from again.

Lovett Tamerlane is one such silkwitch. She has given up on the marriage market in favor of using her skill for unlocking doors for more profitable purposes, but then she is approached by Eliot Lear who promises to find her a husband in return for her finding his sister’s killer. To achieve this, Lovett enters into the marriage competition for the prince—the same competition where Eliot’s sister died, killing the competition the year before.

Weaver Bride is a great story with a lot of twists and turns, and a surprise ending that will leave everyone excited for the sequel.

Fantasy books always take me a little longer to get into as I want to make sure I completely understand the magic system as well as the culture and traditions of the land the story takes place in. I also am not a huge fan of ebooks and prefer physical copies so getting into an ebook also take me a moment but as you can see we’ve made it! The beginning was a little slow and I almost DNF the book (because of the ebook thing), but I’m glad I didn’t.

I digress, the storyline had a fascinating premise and I enjoyed it generally.
The issue arises with both Lovett as a main character and her rushed romance. Lovett just wasn’t a super strong main character and her personality occasionally came off as flat. She had her moment where I was changing my mind but then she’d do a silly and I would just be sitting here like… why. I do approve of Lovett and Eliot as a couple, however I felt like the “romance” between them was kinda just… almost randomly added.

The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic weaves a captivating tale set in a richly imagined world of magic and intrigue. I felt like the author masterfully blended elements of fantasy, romance, and suspense, creating a fascinating story where love and betrayal are intricately intertwined. While I felt like the story was a little difficult to get into at first, the plot began to move along much more quickly as the competition continued. All in all, I felt like it was a good debut novel of forbidden love and a unique magic system.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for letting me read the e-arc of The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic. The premise of this book’s magic system was a very interesting and unique, at first there were bits and pieces of it that made me skeptical but the reveal/twist at the end was extremely satisfying. This is one of the rare books where I was more interested in the plot than the romance, there’s definitely potential for book 2.

Looking for a book that feels like The Bachelorette but with witches, murder, and a dash of mystery? The Weaver Bride might just be your next obsession. Set in a lush, magical world, this romantasy follows Lovett Tamerlane—a silkwitch with the rare ability to open any door—who finds herself thrust into a deadly competition where marriage is power… and someone’s already died trying to win.

I was immediately hooked by the darkly enchanting premise and found the magic system, especially the silkwitches and their connection to Weavers, to be refreshingly unique. The stakes are high, the setting is eerie, and Lovett’s role as a thief-turned-impostor adds a delicious layer of tension. Oh, and the Weaver King? Creepy doesn’t even begin to cover it.

While the romance didn’t hit quite as hard for me, the central mystery and the book’s moody atmosphere kept me turning pages. The ending left me very intrigued—I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel (if there is one) to see where this story goes.

And let’s not forget: this book has a stunning cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books | Delacorte Press for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

⭐⭐⭐ "The Weaver Bride" had an intriguing premise with its silkwitches and the marriage competition, and the world-building definitely showed promise. Lovett's secret ability was a cool twist! However, I felt like the mystery aspect could have been more tightly woven in, and the romance didn't fully sweep me off my feet. While there were moments that held my attention, I wasn't completely captivated. It had potential, but some threads felt a little loose for me. Still an interesting read if you enjoy fantasy with a romantic element and a touch of intrigue.

This was such a fun read. The magic system and world building were both unique and easy to follow. I really enjoyed the mystery aspect, it kept me intrigued and invested the whole time. The focus was definitely on the fantasy and mystery aspects of the book, while the romance was more of a subplot and all of it was done well. The twist at the end did surprise me and while the main plot was mostly wrapped up, it definitely ends on a very open note leaving me wanting more. I’m unsure if this is going to be a series or just a standalone (I’ve noticed a lot of fantasy books being unclear about this as of late). I’m hoping there will be at least another book as there’s still questions to be answered and plot to be explored. If this is just a standalone, the ending will have disappointed me a bit. I wish authors/the synopsis would be a bit more clear about this matter. Regardless, this was a fun YA fantasy and I enjoyed it the whole way through, well worth the read.

I Loved this book! The world of the characters is so interesting. The main character Lovett is a great herione! I can't wait for more installments of this story and to learn more!

This was a beautifully done fantasy novel, it had that element that I wanted from the description. It uses the romantic fantasy element and was hooked from the first page. It uses the witch element that I was looking for and thought the idea of a marriage competition worked with the storyline. Lydia Gregovic has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this.

Obsessed is an understatement. I love this story so much and the world building is so easy to follow. The characters are so well described and you feel like you are right alongside them. The descriptiveness of the surroundings make it so easy to imagine! Highly reccomend! It's lush and emotional and definetly a must read!