Oh my goodness this was such a nice surprise! The pink cover and edges sort of threw me off, as it doesn't quite match the aesthetic of the book in my opinion, But I really enjoyed the aesthetic of this book! The author did such a good job with descriptive writing, I really felt like I was in a damp and spooky castle at many points. Has kept me thinking about the setting because of how well it was written. The story itself isn't anything new, but it was enjoyable. Slow beginning, but once it picked up I was hooked.

I’m sorry but I dnfed it because it bored me. I did however enjoy the title and the cover! It’s just not my kind of genre. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for letting me read an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

The premise for this was really fun. Young women born with magic, is tied to the shed of their hair, called Silkwitches, they are all blessed with a Wit, a specific type of power unique to each witch.
They marry into bonds with male Weavers who utilize the power in the shed hair to produce mage silk, which is used to power much of the things in their world.

Weaver men are usually high nobility, and they court Silkwitches for their power, beauty and poise. Hair is the most valuable thing a silk witch can possess and every single strand is worth more than gold, all shed hair is usually collected for their dowry to be given to their weaver husbands family to stack the power, most wear a metal caul over their heads to protect and contain every single strand. But they have a finite window to find a weaver husband by 21 or they are taken to the cloisters and shut away to protect them and their magic is valuable and short lived.

Lovett is a silkwitch from a peasant family, with no wealth or connections to find her a wealthy husband, she's more feared as a oddity in her family than praised for the power she should bring to them, like most silkwitches. So she flees on her own to a major city hoping to net herself a husband before her time is up. But without connections, she finds her Wit makes her a very talented thief- the ability to open any door.

Through an encounter with a spoiled noble son of a Weaver family, she finds herself enmeshed in a complicated and dangerous political scheme and competition for the hand of the son of the Weaver king- the Vainglory. If she wins she will become the wife of the most wealthy and powerful family in the country, but she has to make it through the rounds, and survive the competition first.

This was a really cool magic system, I liked the main characters quite a bit, its got good intrigue and twists, a love triangle, danger, magical oppression, a little bachelor competition, backstabbing, and subterfuge.

I can't wait to see where the next book goes!

Fascinating start to a series. While the book does resemble the Selection series some, the magic system gives it a unique edge. I enjoyed the twists and look forward to the next book.

Thank you NetGalley, Author Lydia Gregovic, and Random House Children’s books for the advanced review copy! The design of this book is beautiful! This was a great book, it was easy to get lost in the magical world of this marriage competition romance. I have been looking for a book with this theme similar to selection and this one definitely did with added magical components and mysteries, I could not predict what was happening with all of the twists, and they kept coming!I found myself being swayed by both potential suitors at times and am still undecided after the way the book ended. Will definitely be anxiously waiting for this book and then the next one to come out, I need to know what happens after that ending!

This is literally… “you are the bane of my existence.. and the object of all my desires” in book form.

Honestly this was such a good time. It had everything I want in a YA fantasy! But with the added elements of a murder mystery and lots of intrigue! I loveddddd the tension and romance and the trials/competition aspect was well done! There was enough that was different about it too that I wasn’t bored or annoyed.

The tension and romance really had me blushing and giggling and I can’t wait for book two!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

First off thank you so much for allowing me to read this early! I really enjoyed this book. I had selection vibes which I absolutely loved. I will say I thought this was a standalone so when I got the end I was very surprised. I will be looking forward to reading the sequel and am curious to see what happens.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful, fun read!

There's much to recommend this book, and the highlights for me were:

The FMC: Lovett was a wonderfully well-rounded main character; her intelligence and strength were balanced with moments of vulnerability that served to make her more likeable and real. She could be selfish and temperamental, but she also had moments of brilliance and kindness. Her wins felt earned, and her romance with Eliot was filled with tension and intrigue.

The Writing Quality: Lydia Gregovic knows how to spin magic with her words, and I appreciate a novel that isn't 'dumbed down' for its audience, as is seen at times in YA romance novels. The dialogue felt natural, and the intricacy of description was appreciated. The asterisk to this is the presence of almost too much internal monologuing and exposition. I would have liked to have seen more action and dialogue and a little bit less time ruminating in Lovett's thoughts.

The Worldbuilding/Magic System: A relatively unique magic system I haven't seen before; the existence of Silkwitches and Weavers, and the power dynamics between the two, was very interesting. There is a parallel here between the timeline of the Silkwitches' power to the perceived power of women in our society, i.e. women in their most fertile years carry the most 'power' but are still beholden to men (Weavers), whose power never wanes with age, but grows, and who, at all times, hold power over the women in their lives. I don't know if the author intended this comparison, but it was intriguing.

I would certainly recommend this book, particularly to those who like YA romance, romantasy, marriage competition tropes, mystery, and beautiful prose.

3.5 ⭐️

The Weaver Bride is a mystical look into elite society of weavers and silk witches. Full of trials, mystery & court intrigue; there were lots of twists and turns as you raced to uncover the truth.

About half way through we had a Chaol/Dorian situation on our hands where I legit did not know what MMC I was rooting for her to end up with more. 😏 if you know what I mean. Prince Noé is very mysterious, charming and an enigma. Eliot is hot headed, brash, smart and sassy which unfortunately makes him charming as hell.
Our FMC, Lovett is very lovable, endearing, strong, intelligent and witty.

The tension in this book is CHEFS KISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I love yearning and I was highlighting quotes left and right. The banter is written perfectly. You could feel the tension seeping out of every word.

The reason why I dropped stars was this book is very wordy, though it is done prettily so, for the most part, at times it was just done too much. It is heavily flooded with similes to fluff up descriptions almost to a fault (as in at least once almost every single paragraph).

Full of regal grace, tension, and mystery; fans of Belladonna and Once Upon a Broken Heart would love this book so much!

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for this arc review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic!

Wow, wow, wow! I went into this book not really sure what to expect, but I was instantly hooked. The writing and prose were absolutely beautiful, the premise was original, and I loved the murder mystery aspect so much. The FMC was written flawlessly!

Lovett Tamerlane was such a perfectly flawed character, and I was proudly rooting for her the whole time. She’s grouchy, temperamental, and unbelievably brilliant. I loved how she constantly analyzed those around her and found ways to outwit both her competitors and the judges. Her voice was so strong, and the small moments of weakness we glimpsed only made her feel more well-rounded and real. From the very beginning, I knew she would do everything in her power to come out on top.

And Eliot Lear, I loved that man so much. He was just as ruthless in his scheming as Lovett, but it was so obvious he had a soft spot for her. I only wish we had even more moments between them!

The magic system in this book was so fun. The relationship between the Silkwitches and Weavers felt fresh and unlike anything I’ve read before. It was fascinating to watch Lovett’s internal battle between her rebellious streak and her craving for the security of finding a husband.

There were so many twists and turns, I was pleasantly surprised by how many of them I didn’t see coming! I will say the book ends on a rather open-ended note, and I’m hoping there will be more to this series.

My only small complaint is that some parts felt a bit slow, but overall this book was such an incredible ride. I highly recommend it!

Oh my god this was so, so good. I am obsessed and hope to god there will be more books. I will also definitely be buying a copy when it comes out. (Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review).

The world building and magic in this were so intriguing and the mystery had me up reading way too late into the night.

Premise: Lovett Tamerlane is a low born silkwitch, unlikely to find a husband before her twenty-second birthday and doomed to a life in the cloisters. A mystery Weaver offers her the chance of a lifetime - enter the Vainglory, a competition to wed the Weaver King’s heir and with it safety and prestige. However, she will secretly be investigating the death of Ophelia, a silkwitch that died and brought an end to the competition the year before.

I was hooked the whole time and cannot recommend this enough. If you liked One Dark Window/Two Twisted Crowns, I think you would also really love this as the mood and vibes were similar.

4.5 Stars ⭐ If you took Rumpelstiltskin inspired hair magic, threw it into a The Selection style marriage competition, and wrapped it all around a murder mystery: that’s The Weaver Bride!

I don’t know what kind of spell Lydia wove into this book, but I was personally offended every time I had to put it down to deal with real life. The gorgeous prose and strong opening had me hooked immediately.

Lovett is a smart, driven main character whose strength lies in her mind. I was so here for her detective energy as she worked to uncover what was really going on behind the scenes.

Between the three judges (each more handsome and angsty than the last), potential love interests, and all the magical women in the competition, I was constantly guessing who to trust. Secrets, deception, and looming danger gave the story high stakes and serious bingeability.

The romance was lighter than I expected, I was hoping for more slow burn tension between multiple characters, but the mystery absolutely stole the spotlight. That said, the moments we did get (like the dancing lesson scene)? Perfection.

The cliffhanger ending surprised me and while I wasn’t expecting a sequel to this before now I neeeeed it. Such a fun read you'll definitely want to check out this fall.

Content Notes:
Themes: YA Fantasy, Marriage competition, murder mystery, magical abilities, lower class disguised as nobility

Warnings:
Graphic: Violence, blood, death, trauma,
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content (PG13 Level: kissing, petting, suggestive language)

Recommend for fans of: Sorcery of Thorns, The Selection, The Kinder Poison, Defy the Night & The Winners Curse.

Huge thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's Books for the ARC provided.

✨Big big thank you to Lydia Gregovic, Random House (Delacorte), and NetGalley for the privilege of being able to read The Weaver Bride in digital format. I will share my review to Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble upon release.

✨The Weaver Bride is a YA suspenseful romantasy - perfect for those who like a slow-burn romance and a murder mystery all in one. The characters are morally grey, and the backdrop is a marriage competition. The cover immediately hooked me, because, well, it's absolutely gorgeous and amazing. The sprayed edges also look sooo pretty. I know the final edition will be beautiful and I can't wait to see how it turns out in person!

✨Heavy vibes - worldbuilding is lovely, and the unique magic system brings something new and interesting to the table. The whole atmosphere was very looming and gothic. The imaginative nature of the magic, tied to the hair of women called silkwitches, kept me interested throughout the story. I always appreciate a critique of gender dynamics and this one had a nice little dollop of it, along with a juicy plot and characters that kept me guessing. The similes in descriptions could've been adjusted a little bit to not seem quite so repetitive, but I like the author's rhythmic writing style. I would've liked more description of the competition, for sure. But the murder mystery did seem to be thrust into the plot, and I would've liked for more development there. But overall, I thought this one was a really high-stakes witchy fantasy tale that surprised me in more ways than one. The ending was definitely unexpected - looking forward to reading more from Gregovic in the future!

✨Lovett is such a fun main character, and her fierce, practical nature was a good counterbalance for Eliot's more mysterious and brooding visage. Their romance was sweet and simmering, and I would be interested to see if their romance goes anywhere further in a second installment (if there will be one!) I think this book would make for a great start to a dark academia duology. If you like unique magic systems, worldbuilding, and strong, resilient female main characters, you'll enjoy this one. It gave me The Shadows Between Us (Tricia Levenseller) vibes. If you liked The Rose Bargain or Heartless Hunter, you'll probably like this one as well.

Major Tropes & Themes:

🔮 Magic & Witchcraft
👰 Marriage Competition
🕵️ Murder Mystery
🖤 Morally Gray Characters
🌹 Forbidden Love
🕯️ Dark Academia Vibes
👑 Wealth & Power Struggle
💔 Suspense & Betrayal

4/5 stars!

This was quite the read! Fans of The Rose Bargain and the marriage competition trope, this is definitely for you.🌹

The world building, the characters, the little details that contribute to the twists and turns? This book can stand on its own. It had me on the edge of my seat and was amazing!😍

The characters themselves were next to none other. Conniving and ruthless and backstabbing in the best of ways.🖤 If you want a love hate relationship with the people on the pages this is the book to read.

The romance felt a bit rushed, somewhat lacking. Slower burn would've been a great fit here but there was enough intrigue to keep me hooked.

It was fast paced, dark, dangerous, and just overall *chefs kiss*. Will definitely have my eyes out for the next!👀👀

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

first, thank you @netgalley for the ARC of this book! i really liked the concept of this book and found the first half super entertaining. the description of everything was so detailed and easy to picture. however, the second half was kind of far fetched and hard to follow a bit. the characters and concept of the story was really clever and hooked me from the start! look out for this on september 30th! perfect spooky season read 🫶

Witches, thrilling, fantastical, and suspenseful. What more can you ask for in a story? The characters where my favorite. Ruthless and conniving. I love to hate them. I need the next book asap. I hope there's a next book, I don't fell like there was a cliffhanger, but it had me craving for more.

If you love thrilling and magical adventures, then this book is up your alley. It's engaging, thrilling, yet cozy. I loved it.

Look for some reason I love the idea of a marriage competition. I have no idea why, it honestly makes no sense, but suffice to say I was hooked on this concept first thing. Then adding in some mystery and forbidden love? And a satisfying ending with many twists and turns to get there? Honestly I loved this book.

The description had me hooked, marriage competition? Sign me up.

I didn't pay enough attention and I realized after starting the book that this is YA and not my usual adult fantasy romance.

That being said this book was still very cute and lovely. I enjoyed the fantasy world created and I know my teenage self would have absolutely devoured this book and been obsessed. My tastes have evolved a bit, and that was completely my fault/mistake.

I did find this book to be original and the magic system unique, but there was a lull in the book towards the end that I had to get myself through. I also, wasn't convinced by the romance at all. The cliffhanger was a surprise as I thought it was a standalone, but it did want me to read book 2 immediately though.

Oh. My. Stars. 🌙✨ This book swept me into its lush, magical world and did not let go! I was hooked by the murder mystery, the deadly marriage competition, and the incredible tension between Lovett and Eliot. The gothic vibes? Immaculate. The twists and turns? Deliciously shocking! I adored Lovett’s fierce spirit, her wit, and her power — and the chemistry between her and Eliot had me on edge the entire time.

This is the perfect blend of mystery, romance, magic, and suspense, with beautifully layered characters and a plot that had me gasping more than once. Lydia Gregovic has crafted a fantasy that’s impossible to put down — I’m OBSESSED! 💀🕯️✨