The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic
Lovett Tamerlane is a silkwitch. Like all girls of her kind, she holds a rare magic—a magic that can be harnessed only through marriage to a Weaver. But finding a Weaver husband requires status, refinement, and money, all of which Lovett sadly lacks. Her one secret ability, to open any door, is her saving grace. Hidden in plain sight, Lovett spends her days using her gift to steal from wealthy families and her nights avoiding the fate imposed on all unwed silkwitches: a life confined to the cloisters.
But opening doors can be dangerous, and when Lovett steals from the wrong person, she finds herself face to face with Eliot Lear, the notorious son of a prominent Weaver. It turns out Eliot’s been watching Lovett. He knows she’s a silkwitch, and he offers her a life-altering opportunity: entrance to the Vainglory, a competition with the ultimate prize—marriage to Noé Alaire, heir to generations of Weaver wealth. The catch? Last year, the Vainglory ended in tragedy. The winner died. And the winner was Eliot’s sister.
The arrangement is simple: If Lovett solves the mystery of Ophelia Lear’s death and unmasks her killer, Eliot will ensure she has her pick of Weaver suitors, regardless of who wins the competition. Yet unraveling Ophelia’s murder proves far more complicated than either of them anticipated. And Lovett should know better than to take a Weaver at his word.
After all . . . what is love without betrayal?
Review: Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lovett Tamerlane is a silkwitch, meaning she has a rare magic that is harnessed through marriage to a Weaver. The only issue is that in order to find a Weaver husband, a silkwitch must have status, refinement, and money. And if a silkwitch fails to secure a husband by her 21st birthday she will be forced to a life in the cloisters. Lovett's particular gift is the ability to open any door, which is how she ultimately comes face to face with Eliot Lear, son of a prominent Weaver. Eliot's sister died the year before in a competition to marry Noe Alaire, son a wealthy Weaver. The competition is set to happen again, and Eliot wants Lovett to enter to help him discover what happened to his sister.
This was a unique fantasy premise in terms of the magic system. I liked that all of the girls had unique abilities, and it wasn't immediately clear what each could do. I also appreciated that this read like true young adult fiction in that it felt appropriate for a younger audience without inappropriate content but yet the writing still felt mature and compelling.
This was fun in that it is a mystery story set within a fantasy world. But it did end up feeling like a dinner party murder mystery with magical elements. Which is fine! Except I am not a huge fan of dinner party murder mystery plots. I found the first chapters, when Lovett is trying to survive on her own through stealing using her magic compelling. But once she is totally isolated on the estate where the competition is happening, the world feels much more hemmed in, with different magical elements thrown in constantly to create suspense and surprise. The middle of this also dragged significantly. It felt like Lovett was just wandering around this estate endlessly. I also wasn't particularly blown away by the great reveal and the way this all concluded.
I also felt like a lot of the characters felt very flat, to the point where I had trouble keeping them separate. All the girls in the competition felt mostly the same, just with different abilities. There was little chemistry between the two love interests, and the romance just fell flat for me. And there was so little back story to everyone. It was like they didn't exist before or beyond the competition they were all caught up in.
Stars: 3
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