Caris is an outcast hiding a deadly secret. She is a skilled blacksmith, much to the chagrin of her male counterparts, and the only woman to craft legendary swords. It is all a cover to seek vengeance for her mother's murder, and to do so she needs to enter into a deadly tournament disgusted as a man. In her pursuit of vengeance, she has two allies: a fellow blacksmith and a captain who saved her life as a child, but their loyalty may not be enough when her secret surfaces.

Dark, enchanting, and brimming with secrets, The Shadow Weaver is the kind of gothic fantasy that pulls you in and refuses to let go.

Ivy Cliffwater weaves a hauntingly dark tale full of mystery, forbidden magic, and a world where nothing is quite as it seems. The writing is lush and immersive and takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. The atmosphere is so thick and evocative it feels like actually stepping into this world. I loved watching the tension build with every chapter - secrets unraveling and alliances shifting, and emotions brimming to the surface.

If you enjoy morally grey characters, slow-burning intrigue, and a story where magic comes at a price, The Shadow Weaver will absolutely be your next obsession.

Thank you Hachette for an e-arc of The Shadow Weaver, all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia & NZ for giving me this opportunity to give my honest review of The Shadow Weaver!

This book was an experience like no other. It's taken me a while to write this review because I have so many thoughts and feelings about The Shadow Weaver, it's been so hard to put into words.

The Shadow Weaver is a dark (check your triggers), beautiful, enchanting tale about a tall 6ft female Blacksmith named Caris who is out for revenge, along her journey she meets another blacksmith, joins a tournament to become a Knight, meets people from her past (brooding, tall, dark, handsome Captain of the Guard) and new people along the way.

Found Family.
Love Triangle.
Forbidden Magic.
Revenge.
Prophecies.
Betrayal.

These are just some of the delicious things you will find in this book. The snippets that Ivy has been teasing on social media is just the BEGINNING! You are in for a treat as she is a master at weaving this tale.

<i>'Impatient people annoyed me, but rude people made me angry. I considered dismounting and standing over the man, who was a head shorter than I, and telling him to be quiet.'</i>

I have not read a book that has put me through such a roller coaster of emotions in such a very long time. I was giggling, laughing, screaming, crying, even cringing (in a good way) all through the book.

I loved every second, Ivy kept me on the edge of my seat trying to guess what could happen next.

I admit, I don't get surprised in books much anymore, but Ivy kept surprising me, I may have guessed one thing or two but then she would throw something else in the works that would pull the rug out from under me, which was really refreshing.

We definitely have our cliche moments, but I ate it up! Ivy's writing is just so enchanting and refreshing, you can tell the love, research and effort she put into the book, with all little details and facts spread throughout the pages, that weren't glossed over and gave the book the structure and detail that I love to see.

It is so very fast paced, at first, I was like 'oh wow, its moving very quickly from one scene to the next' but it never felt jarring, or out of place, it felt right for the book and the characters and while I would always want more of Ivy's writing, I didn't need more to understand the progress of the story.

Now let's talk about the Characters, oh boy they are all amazing! So very many who I loved, but I will name just the main few.

Cillian, precious golden retriever.

Atlas is like the mischievous and adorable younger brother.

Captain Tor.... the love I have for this man, his utter selfless devotion he has for Caris is next level, the way he lives and breathes for her made me want to jump into the book and slap her when she let her own insecurities get in her way again and again and doubted him.

<i>'I had struggled with a simple hand touch a few months ago, and now I craved his embrace.'</i>

<i>'Survive, no matter what' </i>

<i>'Death couldn't stop me coming back to you.' </i>

Caris herself was such a refreshing FMC, she was strong in ways and had confidence in her craft but yes, she was naive in other ways and had massive insecurities, but she is only human and coming into herself and exploring a world much bigger than her little village. I did want to smack her several times though.

Lastly... the Villains, the depth of hate I had for some of these characters was absolutely next level! Well done, Ivy.

The magic is so very intriguing, we don't learn much in book one, as this is very much in Caris's perspective, therefore, as she is still in the dark with the magic, so are we. We learn along with her as she gets little tidbits of information here and there that opens up her world and cannot wait to learn more.

I could honestly talk about this book forever, I don't think I can do it justice with this review, but I hope everyone picks it up and gives it a go for themselves!

Because, if this is what Ivy is giving us with book one, I can't wait to see what she gives us in book two, let alone her future works.

Think Knights Tale meets Quicksilver, it’s beautiful chaotic fun.

I’ll hold your hand when I say this, and stare intently into your eyes… YOU NEED TO GET THIS BOOK ON YOUR TBR!

The Shadow Weaver is set to release on October 21st, 2025- and to say that I am honoured to have been an ARC reader of this incredible book doesn’t quite cut it.

The emotions that TSW put me through were something else. I had so many feelings, from HECK YEAH to OH GODS IM A BLUBBERING MESS.

Ivy has not only created an incredible fantasy world, with a unique magic system and an incredible premise ripe with feminine rage and revenge~ but a romance so beautifully written it’s etched into my soul. The romance doesn’t overshadow the plot, and the world building is easy to grasp and follow.

Caris, our FMC, is coming in hot with everything we wish we saw more in Romantasy- she’s hot, she’s strong, SHE’S the blacksmith, and… SHE IS A TALL WOMAN! She’s got a body fit for her roll, and I feel like that’s so underrepresented in traditional fantasy. She’s also got trauma, we can’t forget that.

We’re not going to talk about the MMC’s too much, you’ll have to read and find out, and know that my DM’s are open to chat- but Cillian and Torgrin both have my whole heart 🤍

Ivy also crafted a beautiful found family, something I always value in a novel. I truly look forward to seeing more of their adventures in the next book, because I am equally as in love with the side characters (as always) as I am with the MC’s.

What’s a first book without a good old cliff hanger? The Shadow Weaver comes in clutch with this, but don’t worry- the wait for book two won’t be too long so we will only have to suffer for a little while… right? 👀

This book has every single check box ticked for me, making this a fantastic read and one i will read again!

Thank you to Ivy, Moapress and Negalley for the ARC 🤍

DNFed 25% in.
This book is in desperate need of developmental editing. It was messy, chaotic and confusing. Very much read like a first draft. I found the dialogue cringey and there was also a huge cliche thrown in during the tournament. There was also mention of naked minors having pubic hair? Very weird and completely unnecessary.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette for this eArc to review.

I enjoyed the promise of the book and the characters were both funny and had great development.

I struggled with the storyline and found it confusing at times with the story not feeling connected throughout the book.

Thank you @ivycliffwater @moapress @netgalley for the privilege of reading this eARC!

I remember watching Ivy's reels way back and being intrigued by the hints of forbidden magic, of the FMC Caris who was a blacksmith.

The world building is gentle. Caris is a strong FMC, determined to fulfill her quest and along the way discovers some of her heritage.
She discovers first love, gentle and caring.
There is found family, betrayal, loss.....

I just need book 2 because, answers are needed!

4.5 (but leaning more towards 5) ⭐

Firstly I'd like to thank Netgalley, @moapress & Ivy for an Advance Reader Copy of The Shadow Weaver!

Wow, I went into this after a little bit of a reading slump and it absolutely threatened to put me in a hangover!

What an amazing debut fantasy romance!
The world building in this is probably one of my favourites I've read, it's not too overwhelming and Ivy describes the world in such a beautiful way!

The characters are diverse and not bland at all! If you are a lover of side characters like I am you will not be disappointed, my favourite character! 🤭

I absolutely recommend The Shadow Weaver to any fantasy or romance lovers!

Well damn, The Shadow Weaver absolutely wove its way right into my heart.

I knew from the beginning that I was going to love this story and then there were elements that caused me to LOVE this story.

The balance between the romance and fantasy plotlines was exactly what I crave in a romantasy and I am dyyyyying to see how the two sides continue to intersect.

I actually don't think I have the right words to describe how much I loved this without spoilers, so just know that you are in for a thrilling story with a beautifully complex, strong character in Caris and a compelling connection between her, Cillian and Torgrin.

Don't even get me started on how excited I got when I started noticing the Easter eggs regarding my favourite deity. I may straight up pass out as we see that side of the story play out in the sequel.

I completely loved reading The Shadow Weaver. I will probably be reading it another couple of times before release.
Thank you so much for the arc copy

Thank you for allowing me this ARC read.

' 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴. '

I was first lucky enough to experience this book in Beta format. at the time I knew it had potential. after reading the finished piece... wow. Ivy has not disappointed.

I intend to keep this review spoiler free, so it will be short.

The world we find ourselves in within The Shadow Weaver is complex, without feeling overwhelming. Cliffwater has created a unique magic system, but also a societal system that echoes a lot of the issues we face today.

The characters we come to love are individualized, and even the seemingly minor ones add value to the plot in ways you dont quite anticipate.

The level of detail put into things, down to how to forge a sword that bends before it breaks, makes me curious to see the authors' research folders - because they must be INTENSE.

This story was heartbreaking, hopeful, tense, amusing, and everything in between.