My Rating
Book Review
Authors I believe have incredible power in their hands, especially those that write fantasy, to create a magical world so dazzling that for a time, one loses sense of the reality existing outside the book. Lucy Holden’s fantasy story set in Astria is brimming with intense electricity, the kind that is stunning in impact.
Woven In Darkness starts off with Zaria losing her brother Doron to the Dark Rip and her other brother Levin blaming the whole fiasco on her. The first chapter of the story itself packs a punch, a stranger helping her, snippets about Zaria’s and her siblings’ past, silverscye, Pathfinder, Darkwine, DarkRip, Zumi, a whole avalanche of words that make absolutely no sense to the reader and it feels like chaos. But then the story like the desert rose mentioned in it grows slowly as the fantasy world and the varying plots threaded thru with the minutest details begin to take shape.
The world created by author Lucy Holden is rich and described in extensive detail and honestly breathtaking in its scale, which makes it a tad confusing initially. Once Zaria is claimed by Harken, the woven lord, and given a chance to compete in the Maverick’s race, the reader is made aware of each square piece woven into the quilt. The politics, the intrigue, the different races of people, the magic and the danger that threatens them, the mystery of the past, the history of war and the reasons for it, and the game of chess being played around, Zaria did have her task cut out in that high flying Indigold world. The arcs of the characters is another highlight of the story. There are quite a lot of them to keep track of, but even without going into too much depth, the decisions and reasoning become clear.
Zaria is the protagonist that everyone can root for, protecting her siblings and being free, her only driving force and hence, all her thoughts are predominantly explained but Harken is more or less like an enigma. The flashbacks surely give the reader an idea about him though his actions in the present are kept mysterious but in spite of his morally greyish character, one can’t help but fall for him. The romance I felt was kind of running in the background, it is a slow burn and for readers looking for spice, this definitely is not it.
Woven in Darkness is book #1 in the Woven series and it offers such an exciting start as the past about Zaria and her ability to hold a needle for magic work and her connection to animals, the storm dragon that befriends her, Anahita the evil queen plotting in the background is waiting to be explored.
Let the party begin!
Book Blurb
A bargain. A race. And a secret that binds us, body and soul.
Woven in Darkness is a swoon-worthy fantasy romance set in a fully-realized world with a seductive, intricate plot, and complicated, realistic characters.
Zaria is a slave with one dream: freedom.
Her brother is lost to a Dark Rip. Indigold lords have bought her sisters. And now Zaria has been claimed by Harken, the infamous Savage King.
Harken trusts no-one, not even the immortal Weavers he is sworn to protect. He keeps his Savage Court locked away behind the Woven mists.
Along with his past.
And his heart.
But now Harken’s court is in danger from an old enemy. And whoever is behind the plot seems determined to kill Zaria, making her the most valuable piece in a savage game.
In a bid to expose his enemies, Harken offers Zaria a bargain: play the part of his slave for Astria’s glittering season of Revels, and in return, he will help her win freedom and riches in the Maverick’s Race.
But Zaria has secrets of her own. Secrets that bind her to Harken, body and soul, and show her the past he guards so fiercely.
Telling him the truth means losing her chance at freedom. Concealing it means betraying his trust, and the Savage King doesn’t tolerate betrayal.
But the darkness is coming, and when it does, Zaria’s secrets might be the only thing that can save them all.
Woven in Darkness is a rich, sensual fantasy romance, and a fabulous read for fans of Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series, Seanan McGuire’s October Daye, and Sarah Maas’s Court of Thorns and Roses series.
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Many thanks to Net Galley, Fehu Press, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
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