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A review by kkimlyreads
Woven in Darkness by Lucy Holden
3.0
Woven in Darkness
Plot: .5
Writing: 1
World building: .5
Characters:.5
Themes: .5
3/5
Spice: .5/5 There really isn’t spice in here, just some angst
What you can expect:
- Morally Grey, dark MMC
- Extensive World building
- Interesting magic system based on needles and “weaving” openings between spaces.
- Political intrigue
- Tournament-esque games
Woven in Darkness had a strong start. I was instantly sucked into Zaria, her family, and their slave status via braid. There was a lot of world building, which is expected for a fantasy book, so I didn’t mind it. However, as we went on, the world building never really stopped. I remember looking at how far I was and thinking, “How is there STILL worldbuilding 70% into the book?!”. Because the world is so expansive (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a story like an epic fantasy series), we get chunky worldbuilding. As a slave, our FMC (Zaria), is completely oblivious to the world and how it works. So we have a lot of world building being explained to her because she asks questions (FBAA flashbacks) and the other big chunk of worldbuilding is through flashes of the MMC’s past. I do appreciate getting the info in different ways but man, it was a lot. I wish there was a glossary of terms or something I could flip to and refer to when something comes up because honestly, I’m still confused.
There were some plot points that I felt were repetitive. I love a good tournament but the way it was done in this book made me question if there could have been a different type of game that could still be used to further the story. I really enjoyed the beginning and I really enjoyed the end but that middle chunk took a bit for me to get through. The pacing was a lot slower. Slower pacing + dense worldbuilding = an almost DNF. I did a light DNF and read a couple spicy books so I wouldn’t burn out. The story has so much potential, I think it could have benefited from less information.
I liked Harkan as a character. He’s old and doesn’t act like he’s 19. That’s a win in my book. I felt like we got to see so much into his life and by the end I knew him better than Zaria. I felt more invested in him as a character even though we don’t get too much growth in the current story.
I loved Huxley. I wanted more of Huxley.
The overarching story was not resolved as this is a series but the ending felt like it was a stand-a-lone. It wouldn’t hurt to give this one a shot because even if you choose not to continue with the series, you’re getting a satisfying ending.
This is NOT a starter fantasy book. This is NOT a spicy book. This is a high fantasy for those who love a unique and extensive world and magic system.
I listened to some of the audiobook and I have to say I enjoyed it much more. The narrator did a wonderful job.
Thank you to Booksirens for an eArc and Netgalley for an advanced listener copy of Woven in Darkness. This is my honest review.
Plot: .5
Writing: 1
World building: .5
Characters:.5
Themes: .5
3/5
Spice: .5/5 There really isn’t spice in here, just some angst
What you can expect:
- Morally Grey, dark MMC
- Extensive World building
- Interesting magic system based on needles and “weaving” openings between spaces.
- Political intrigue
- Tournament-esque games
Woven in Darkness had a strong start. I was instantly sucked into Zaria, her family, and their slave status via braid. There was a lot of world building, which is expected for a fantasy book, so I didn’t mind it. However, as we went on, the world building never really stopped. I remember looking at how far I was and thinking, “How is there STILL worldbuilding 70% into the book?!”. Because the world is so expansive (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a story like an epic fantasy series), we get chunky worldbuilding. As a slave, our FMC (Zaria), is completely oblivious to the world and how it works. So we have a lot of world building being explained to her because she asks questions (FBAA flashbacks) and the other big chunk of worldbuilding is through flashes of the MMC’s past. I do appreciate getting the info in different ways but man, it was a lot. I wish there was a glossary of terms or something I could flip to and refer to when something comes up because honestly, I’m still confused.
There were some plot points that I felt were repetitive. I love a good tournament but the way it was done in this book made me question if there could have been a different type of game that could still be used to further the story. I really enjoyed the beginning and I really enjoyed the end but that middle chunk took a bit for me to get through. The pacing was a lot slower. Slower pacing + dense worldbuilding = an almost DNF. I did a light DNF and read a couple spicy books so I wouldn’t burn out. The story has so much potential, I think it could have benefited from less information.
I liked Harkan as a character. He’s old and doesn’t act like he’s 19. That’s a win in my book. I felt like we got to see so much into his life and by the end I knew him better than Zaria. I felt more invested in him as a character even though we don’t get too much growth in the current story.
I loved Huxley. I wanted more of Huxley.
The overarching story was not resolved as this is a series but the ending felt like it was a stand-a-lone. It wouldn’t hurt to give this one a shot because even if you choose not to continue with the series, you’re getting a satisfying ending.
This is NOT a starter fantasy book. This is NOT a spicy book. This is a high fantasy for those who love a unique and extensive world and magic system.
I listened to some of the audiobook and I have to say I enjoyed it much more. The narrator did a wonderful job.
Thank you to Booksirens for an eArc and Netgalley for an advanced listener copy of Woven in Darkness. This is my honest review.