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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Solid debut novel. 3.75 stars
This is more of a story of romance that just happens to also be fantasy. I think if you are a huge fan of fantasy perhaps you will be let down as there is not over-description of world around our main character. But if you like a good slow burning romantic build up, I'm a sucker for those, then this is a book for you.
Sydella has grown up in a small village that has been plagued by drought for years. The village on the outskirts of the providence is invaded by the neighboring country's soldiers in preparation of an upcoming war. A wizard comes to town and with him came rain that has not been seen for ten years. For his reward he asks for Sydella to come with him. There the journey begins, Syd and North race toward the capitol in hopes they can stop the war trying to avoid those that would stop them along the way.
The ideas behind magic and how different wizards used magic was so interesting. I especially liked the way North changed with Sydella. How with her fire and determination she helped him be the best man he could be. The story had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and wanting to turn the page to see what happened next.
The only things that lowered the rating was sometimes the conversation seemed a little disjointed and I had to re-read sentences to get the emotion that was trying to be conveyed and
Good fantasy lite romance that left me wanting to read more about the characters at the end.
This is more of a story of romance that just happens to also be fantasy. I think if you are a huge fan of fantasy perhaps you will be let down as there is not over-description of world around our main character. But if you like a good slow burning romantic build up, I'm a sucker for those, then this is a book for you.
Sydella has grown up in a small village that has been plagued by drought for years. The village on the outskirts of the providence is invaded by the neighboring country's soldiers in preparation of an upcoming war. A wizard comes to town and with him came rain that has not been seen for ten years. For his reward he asks for Sydella to come with him. There the journey begins, Syd and North race toward the capitol in hopes they can stop the war trying to avoid those that would stop them along the way.
The ideas behind magic and how different wizards used magic was so interesting. I especially liked the way North changed with Sydella. How with her fire and determination she helped him be the best man he could be. The story had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and wanting to turn the page to see what happened next.
The only things that lowered the rating was sometimes the conversation seemed a little disjointed and I had to re-read sentences to get the emotion that was trying to be conveyed and
Spoiler
Even though Sydella talks about how she feels something more toward North and she pours love into the cloak she makes him they never really have that moment when both say I love you. It is always implied and North is home to her now and she chooses him but never actually says "I love you". It is another reason I didn't give it a higher rating.Good fantasy lite romance that left me wanting to read more about the characters at the end.
Awfully amateur book, the plot is all over the place, but 3 stars for the few truly great moments and mostly for Wayland North.
Well done! Terrific plot and well develop characters….This story has all the ingredients to be one of the best books of 2010! I just love a strong-independent heroine! And you are just going to get that in this book.
The romance was just the perfect dose and the perfect time! I will recommend this book to Fans of “Graceling” and the “Fire” trilogy
The romance was just the perfect dose and the perfect time! I will recommend this book to Fans of “Graceling” and the “Fire” trilogy
2 stars
I remember reading this the first time when it came out never thought the author of this book would write one of my favorite dystopians trilogy. The blurb on the front compared this to Graceling and Song of the Lioness series no honey. This book is not. More like contemporary with a splash of magic. They just added a map in here and mystical stuff and called it fantasy. Mrs. Bracken just stay with dystopian.
Greyland Reviews
I remember reading this the first time when it came out never thought the author of this book would write one of my favorite dystopians trilogy. The blurb on the front compared this to Graceling and Song of the Lioness series no honey. This book is not. More like contemporary with a splash of magic. They just added a map in here and mystical stuff and called it fantasy. Mrs. Bracken just stay with dystopian.
Greyland Reviews
reading this immediately after wayfarer was incredibly jarring, to be honest. it's crazy just how much alexandra bracken's writing, plot, and characters have grown since this book! this wasn't bad, but it was almost painfully obvious this was a debuting book. it felt very very very 2010, though, so im sure if i had read this back when it was first published i would have enjoyed it more. oh how trends in YA grow.
Not very well written, full of misogyny, I didn't find it particularly immersive or believable and in general disliked all of the chacters except maybe two. Not good even for YA.
So actually I had read this book before. I thought it was familiar, the different colored cloaks, and the part about the jinx, but it wasn't actually ringing too many bells so I continued onwards, thinking it was a book that did copy a lot of the other books I had read.
Then I realized I had read this book before! And it had been so unmemorable that i didn't even remember reading it.
Brightly Woven is a story about a girl who lives in a land that doesn't get any rain. However, one day, a wizard comes to their village who immediately can call upon the rain. His only request is that he gets to take Sydelle along with him, because he finds out she has lots of magical potential.
His magic stems from his many colored cloaks, which Sydelle is the only one he knows who can mend them without affecting their magic.
Lots of adventures (or lack of them) aside, they fall in love, something happens, Sydelle saves North, blah blah blah.
I'm not sure really. I wish there was more to the story than what there was.
Everyone knows Howl's Moving Castle? yes? well, this story sort of felt like that. Not plotwise, although there are quite a few similarities. But in the writing. I don't actually like howl's Moving Castle either, even though I've read it twice AND the sequel, god knows why I keep torturing myself, because I always just felt distant from the characters. I never felt inclined in anyway to feel sympathetic towards Syd or north or anything. It just felt like a really slow read.
Very little is properly explained.
dude, I cut myself on things at least twice a year. Paper cuts, random hitting walls, scraping my foot on rocks, etc. Yet Syd has never bled or anything? Why the hell does she never notice her blood sets things on fire? -rolls my eyes-
Such one dimensional characters... Especially the villain. He wants to use Sydelle to become the most powerful wizard. yay.
then the ending. What even happened. Somehow, magically Syd and North won, but I'm not sure why. It felt like GOOD WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL SO LET'S STICK SOME DEUS EX MACHINA INTO HERE!
Okay, maybe for like elementary school students, I would have appreciated this book, but right now. I can't remember a single thing about it. Also as much as I love the title, it really does nothing for me in the way of the book. Which I guess is both good and bad.
Then I realized I had read this book before! And it had been so unmemorable that i didn't even remember reading it.
Brightly Woven is a story about a girl who lives in a land that doesn't get any rain. However, one day, a wizard comes to their village who immediately can call upon the rain. His only request is that he gets to take Sydelle along with him, because he finds out she has lots of magical potential.
His magic stems from his many colored cloaks, which Sydelle is the only one he knows who can mend them without affecting their magic.
Lots of adventures (or lack of them) aside, they fall in love, something happens, Sydelle saves North, blah blah blah.
I'm not sure really. I wish there was more to the story than what there was.
Everyone knows Howl's Moving Castle? yes? well, this story sort of felt like that. Not plotwise, although there are quite a few similarities. But in the writing. I don't actually like howl's Moving Castle either, even though I've read it twice AND the sequel, god knows why I keep torturing myself, because I always just felt distant from the characters. I never felt inclined in anyway to feel sympathetic towards Syd or north or anything. It just felt like a really slow read.
Very little is properly explained.
dude, I cut myself on things at least twice a year. Paper cuts, random hitting walls, scraping my foot on rocks, etc. Yet Syd has never bled or anything? Why the hell does she never notice her blood sets things on fire? -rolls my eyes-
Such one dimensional characters... Especially the villain. He wants to use Sydelle to become the most powerful wizard. yay.
then the ending. What even happened. Somehow, magically Syd and North won, but I'm not sure why. It felt like GOOD WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL SO LET'S STICK SOME DEUS EX MACHINA INTO HERE!
Okay, maybe for like elementary school students, I would have appreciated this book, but right now. I can't remember a single thing about it. Also as much as I love the title, it really does nothing for me in the way of the book. Which I guess is both good and bad.
Reading some of the other reader's reviews of this book, I was thinking this book was going to be so bad that I would want to throw it against the floor in a heartbeat. The thing is, it's not AS bad as people make it sound.
In fact, I like it because it doesn't take itself seriously.
I've known far too many writers who aren't that good take their work so seriously that impedes on the reading experience. Ms. Bracken is writing a fun, breezy, and adventure romp story. It's not going to be a great love story, earth shattering prose, and intelligent dialogue. Most books aren't that to begin with. I got what I wanted. A story about an average girl and wizard falling in love. I wish there were a lot of other books out there, seeing as with how many stories about vampires, werewolves, changelings, angels, or demons are out there one would think they do have a story about a girl and wizard.
The writing is amateurish, yes that's true, but the dialogue, although stilted, is believable for the characters. (However beautiful, beautiful girl did get on my nerves). In a lot of ways I rather an author go the believable route than try to be witty. I will say as the book progressed, probably closer to the last 1/4 of the book it got a lot better.
The pacing is good, however I wish this book was a bit longer for world building and for some scenes. Sometimes things moved so quickly and there were parts that seemed left out I was like "what?" and had to read it again.
The characters are tropes themselves, paper-thin and a lot of times just added for the story. However, it doesn't mean they don't have their quirks. Wayland North being my favorite. I mean the way he acts one would think he's one kind of person, but he's a completely different kind.
The world building, compared to some other fantasy books I've read, isn't done as well as it should be--however it does have some better structure than other fantasy books I've read.
You think you know everything that is going to happen, but by the end there were a few surprises left.
Overall, this book is a breezy read. I certainly had higher expectations for it, but it's not as bad as a lot of reviewers are saying it is. It's better than a lot of recent books I've read, just for the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously. An added bonus: It's not a part of a series!
I would recommend someone who wants to harken back to a whimsical, b-grade fantasy, and "Princess Bride-like" adventure. It certainly has it's highs, along with it's lows. It's corny, light, and nothing we haven't seen before. However, does that make it so bad? No, not really. Not when the magic system is quite interesting, and certainly the characters are not as annoying as some others I've read.
In fact, I like it because it doesn't take itself seriously.
I've known far too many writers who aren't that good take their work so seriously that impedes on the reading experience. Ms. Bracken is writing a fun, breezy, and adventure romp story. It's not going to be a great love story, earth shattering prose, and intelligent dialogue. Most books aren't that to begin with. I got what I wanted. A story about an average girl and wizard falling in love. I wish there were a lot of other books out there, seeing as with how many stories about vampires, werewolves, changelings, angels, or demons are out there one would think they do have a story about a girl and wizard.
The writing is amateurish, yes that's true, but the dialogue, although stilted, is believable for the characters. (However beautiful, beautiful girl did get on my nerves). In a lot of ways I rather an author go the believable route than try to be witty. I will say as the book progressed, probably closer to the last 1/4 of the book it got a lot better.
The pacing is good, however I wish this book was a bit longer for world building and for some scenes. Sometimes things moved so quickly and there were parts that seemed left out I was like "what?" and had to read it again.
The characters are tropes themselves, paper-thin and a lot of times just added for the story. However, it doesn't mean they don't have their quirks. Wayland North being my favorite. I mean the way he acts one would think he's one kind of person, but he's a completely different kind.
The world building, compared to some other fantasy books I've read, isn't done as well as it should be--however it does have some better structure than other fantasy books I've read.
You think you know everything that is going to happen, but by the end there were a few surprises left.
Overall, this book is a breezy read. I certainly had higher expectations for it, but it's not as bad as a lot of reviewers are saying it is. It's better than a lot of recent books I've read, just for the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously. An added bonus: It's not a part of a series!
I would recommend someone who wants to harken back to a whimsical, b-grade fantasy, and "Princess Bride-like" adventure. It certainly has it's highs, along with it's lows. It's corny, light, and nothing we haven't seen before. However, does that make it so bad? No, not really. Not when the magic system is quite interesting, and certainly the characters are not as annoying as some others I've read.