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jnishi's review
3.0
Super quick read. It was okay. It picked up after the pivotal moment but lacked the world building to make it memorable. It could have used stronger character development and explanations of the society in which they lived. I hope the main character gets stronger and more complex in the sequel because she was kind of lacking in this one.
heyshay07's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tiffani_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
maeghin's review against another edition
3.0
‘To most people, shadows are things that remain stuck to walls and floors, but for me, they become whatever I wish-tacky, like clay, or as thin as smoke. I can mold them all to my will.’
Emmeline can control and manipulate the shadows that are around her. Her friends and family do not understand her powers and are afraid of her. She will meet others that are like her and she learns how to trust and form strong bonds of friendship.
I felt like the story was slow going. The main characters fickle childlike decisions bothered me...but I guess since she is a child that is to be expected. Though the same fickle decision making came from the adults in the story also. The adults in the story could have been more well rounded.
The plot points were a bit predictable but I bet a younger audience would eat this up since they are the intended audience.
Emmeline can control and manipulate the shadows that are around her. Her friends and family do not understand her powers and are afraid of her. She will meet others that are like her and she learns how to trust and form strong bonds of friendship.
I felt like the story was slow going. The main characters fickle childlike decisions bothered me...but I guess since she is a child that is to be expected. Though the same fickle decision making came from the adults in the story also. The adults in the story could have been more well rounded.
The plot points were a bit predictable but I bet a younger audience would eat this up since they are the intended audience.
maximus_midnight's review
2.0
This book was kind of just... a book. There were parts I liked but a lot of it just felt kind of eh. I've read other middle-grade books and found them great, but I think this book is lower than others I've read. The character development fell flat. The characters felt like beings to act out the story, not their own creatures. I really enjoyed the worldbuliding of this book, but the characterization was kind of nonexistent. I could tell this was not just readable for middle grades but very much aimed at them.
Spoiler
Lucas felt like a one-sided character, like he existed only to be a companion to the main character. In the end, Emmeline blames basically all of her past bad behavior and mistakes on Dar's influence. Although the characters are young and personality development doesn't happen the same way it does with teens and adults, I still feel Emmeline should've been able to recognize something inside herself that was also a factor in her behavior with Dar.fallingletters's review
4.0
Review originally published 7 Oct. 2020 at Falling Letters.
This is one of those books that I should have reviewed shortly after I read it but I didn’t and now I can barely remember anything except I maybe liked the book more as it went on, so now I will attempt to cobble together a coherent if fragmented review from my notes…
What an opening! Absolute killer. While the book doesn’t sustain that style for the whole thing (I think that would get tedious quickly), I did find the narration style relatively unique for a MG novel. For example, another early passage sounds innocent enough but actually suggests something a little darker…
Dar, Emmeline’s shadow, delights in sinister deeds and manipulation. It’s a bit heartbreaking watching Emmeline come to realize that. Emmeline makes for a unique protagonist among middle grade heroines because she spends much of the story trailing behind Dar, fretting about her (Emmeline’s) actions yet not taking ownership. Because of their relationship, I would argue that, at its core, Shadow Weaver is a story about learning to think for and stand up for yourself.
Shadow Weaver takes place in a secondary world. I found this book, the first in a duology, hits the sweet spot between 1) providing enough information about the world to hook the reader, 2) resolving enough questions by the end to make a satisfying conclusion, and 3) keeping enough open to make the reader reach for the second book.
The Bottom Line
This is one of those books that I should have reviewed shortly after I read it but I didn’t and now I can barely remember anything except I maybe liked the book more as it went on, so now I will attempt to cobble together a coherent if fragmented review from my notes…
The first my shadow spoke to me, I was a mere infant in the cradle. They say that on the night I was born, even the stars fled the sky and the moon hid under a dark cloak. That I was a quiet thing, with a shock of black hair and eyes like glittering onyx. I did not scream like other newborn children. And I did not reach for my mother like instinct should have instructed me.
Instead, I held out my tiny arms and smiled at the shadow in the corner of the room.
And it smiled back
What an opening! Absolute killer. While the book doesn’t sustain that style for the whole thing (I think that would get tedious quickly), I did find the narration style relatively unique for a MG novel. For example, another early passage sounds innocent enough but actually suggests something a little darker…
Dar buzzes with excitement as we wait around the corner of the back stairwell the servants always sue. It is darker and dustier than the stairs in the main part of the mansion, which is why my shadow suggested it. We are always on the hunt for new games to amuse us. Today is no exception. (6%)
Dar, Emmeline’s shadow, delights in sinister deeds and manipulation. It’s a bit heartbreaking watching Emmeline come to realize that. Emmeline makes for a unique protagonist among middle grade heroines because she spends much of the story trailing behind Dar, fretting about her (Emmeline’s) actions yet not taking ownership. Because of their relationship, I would argue that, at its core, Shadow Weaver is a story about learning to think for and stand up for yourself.
I may live in shadows, but I fear I am more in the dark about Dar than I ever suspected. (68%)
Shadow Weaver takes place in a secondary world. I found this book, the first in a duology, hits the sweet spot between 1) providing enough information about the world to hook the reader, 2) resolving enough questions by the end to make a satisfying conclusion, and 3) keeping enough open to make the reader reach for the second book.
The Bottom Line