Stephanie's Journal

The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic

Genre:
Magic, Fantasy Romance, Romantasy, Magic, Young Adult, Witches and Wizards, Netgalley, Gothic, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction

Publication Date:
September 30, 2025

Page Numbers:
480

Read/Finished Date:
July 10th, 2025 - July 11th, 2025

Rating:
5/5

Premise:

A sweeping fantasy about a witch who must navigate a ruthless marriage competition—and try not to fall in love along the way. Part twisting mystery, part thrilling romance, The Weaver Bride is an unputdownable romantasy steeped in a lush magical world.

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, 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.

Similar Books:

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs
Thorn Season by Kiera Azar

Girl, Goddess, Queen (Girl, Goddess, Queen #1) by Bea Fitzgerald

Genre:
Hades and Persephone, Retellings, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Fantasy, Romance, Rantasy Romance, Romantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Netgalley

Publication Date:
September 2, 2025

Page Numbers:
464

Read/Finished Date:
July 5th, 2025 - July 7th, 2025

Rating:
DNF'ed @ 50%

Premise:

To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...

Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.

The real story is much more interesting.

Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.

Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.

But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .

A fierce, fresh and enormously fun YA fantasy re-imagining from a growing TikTok superstar.

Review:

Before I begin this review, I would like to thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this novel. All of the review is of my own and I am not being paid for it.

On that note, I have had this book on my radar since it first came out. The premise sounded promising and honestly, anything Hades and Persephone is something I will devour within no time. This book, however, disappointed me. Kore comes across a brat. I get it; she doesn't want to marry the god her mother and father pick out for her so she decides to inconvenience Hades himself. I understand why he is so suspicious of her and why he just general feels like she is invading his space. I would be in the same boat as he if some god or goddess decided to come into my realm and hide here. She doesn't listen either when he tells her not to go out there. She literally does the opposite and that annoyed the hell out of me.

Honestly, I ended up DNFing this book at fifty percent. The premise was promising but the execution of it was disappointing.

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Medea by Rosie Hewlett
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