I don't even know where to start with this book. I'm going to attempt to form coherent words and sentences, but if I don't, know that it's the book's fault for scrambling my one brain cell.

When I saw that this book was up for request on Netgalley, I was quite excited. I'd seen the book doing rounds on the internet, I was on a bit of a desi literature kick, and the premise sounded genuinely intriguing. The thing that sold me on it was the fact that the setting was a country called Kasmira, which sounds very similar to Kashmir and I thought "HEY! I've never read a fantasy book that's set in a Kashmir-inspired place before!!" And that made me very excited. Oh, boy, was I misguided in my excitement!

Now, this book doesn't have the worst premise. It's something that you see a lot in fantasy, and it's something that could be worked with to make a great book. There's this girl who's been orphaned. She's got secret magic, and a best friend. Her father left her a secret magic book she could use, she's got an entire kingdom hunting for her as she comes into her powers...I mean, you've seen this stuff before. And you've loved this stuff before. And you'll probably love it again. Just...not here. Because, see, the concept doesn't make the book. The execution does. And the execution in this book was…..abysmal!

The pacing was all over the place, the character dynamics were not worked at well - every change came out in a moment, like there was a switch flipping inside these fake people's heads. The writing itself started out well in the prologue and the first chapter, but it was downhill from there. There were so many infodumps, and I don't usually mind them when they're part of the story, but there WAS NO STORY! This book is riddled with plot holes and contrivances and it's just...not a good experience!

Before I completely rip into it, there are a few things that are…bearable about this book? I guess? For one, it tries to be wholesome, and halfway succeeds. I guess? The writing isn't bad, just very rushed, but like I said, it did start out nicely enough. There's no romance? So that's good? Kind of? And...ugh…there's this 15-20% of the book post the halfway mark where if you shut down your brain, you'll probably not hate it. And...that's about it for me. I know I've rated it two stars instead of one, but that's just because I have respect for a finished book that doesn't anger me to the point where I'm pulling my hair out. So that's not really an indication of anything for you xD

Now that that's out of the way…let's talk about THIS BOOK!

My first and biggest issue with this book is the REPRESENTATION. Yes, you heard it right. The REPRESENTATION. I'm aware that this is an OwnVoices book, but I am also an OwnVoices reviewer and I have to tell you, this is by far some of the worst, haphazardly thrown together desi representation that I've EVER seen!? There was definitely no research that went into the writing of this book. The author borrows from cultures from all over the sub-continent, but doesn't put them together in any meaningful way. They're just all mashed together, and it's supposed to be…..what, exactly? All I saw was a mess.

The book alludes to "ancient Kasmiri" being a language and has multiple characters mention it and talk about it, but it just sounds like words of sanskrit and Latin thrown together to me. It's kind of sad. The contemporary language that the characters use, however, is also not desi. It's just English. The Zakirs have a "Z" on their turbans? BTW THEY HAVE TURBANS. When Reya is teaching Nina how to read, she starts with the alphabet and IT'S ABCD??? LIKE NO MA'AM PLS STOP???

The rulers of this Kasmira kingdom are called Zakirs, which is clearly a name that is inspired by Persian/Muslim culture. But the prince is called Devendra??? Which is VERY MUCH a Sanskrit name. Why?? What does that even mean?? How does that make any sense??? Are you trying to imply that your culture in this fantasy novel is secular? If yes, then why is this secularity not in every other aspect? Why is it that only the- to use my friend's words - discount Zuko who gets the Hindu-esque name??? IT MAKES NO DAMN SENSE!!!

And speaking of this whole thing, the mages and the Yogis and all are clearly inspired by Hindu mythology. They are scholars and are respected by the whole country pre-Zakir invasion. After the Zakirs seize the throne, they're all exiled and/or killed, leaving very few of their families in any decent social standing in the country. If this Muslim regime shoving Hindu people out of "Kasmira" sounds very familiar to you, then you are not alone. I was APPALLED at the similarities between this and the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of 1989! And I was even more horror struck by the fact that THIS BOOK was written NOW, IN THE YEAR 2020, when the tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities all over the country are at an all time high because of a facist regime. WHEN THE GOVERNMENT HAS USED THE VERY EXODUS AS A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ANNEXATION OF KASHMIR!!!!! How out of touch from reality do you have to be to put something like this in your book???? I get that the author is a diaspora author, and she's very young, but this is NOT AN ANCIENT, OBSCURE THING!!! This is a very important, contemporary issue that's being talked about EVERY DAY in India and if you had even done an OUNCE of research, you'd have known it right away!!!

Just to be clear, I don't think the exodus was something that was excusable. It wasn't. I don't understand the political context well enough, and I am still educating myself, but throwing someone out of their home because their beliefs are different from yours is just not acceptable. But the same can be said for what the state has been doing to Kashmir recently. And while I understand that all stories need to be told and heard, there is also the contemporary context that you must keep in mind. At a time when the state itself is villanizing a religious community, and touting another one as the superior one, you writing a book elevating the status of the oppressor and villanizing the oppressed just DOESN'T SIT RIGHT WITH ME! And that's why I'm angry.

Just this whole implication and veiled Hindutva nonsense (intentional or not, that's how I saw it) made me so angry that I didn't even register the technical problems with the novel until someone pointed them out for me. There are constant changes in tenses and voice throughout the novel. There are even places where the perspective feels off - it's supposed to be first person perspective but I think third person slipped in here and there. The words "naan bread" were used. These are definitely small things, if thought of as isolated incidents, but they are mistakes that appear all over the book and make the reading experience that much worse.

To add to this, the Bookweaver's daughter being an instant target has NO EXPLANATION whatsoever - at least not until the very end. And why does everyone think "she is their only hope, their beacon of light, etc.,"??? How do people conveniently either know or not know about her father and her family?? How does this idiot protagonist LITERALLY FORGET what her uncle looks like??? Why do random hunters who have shown no indication of kindness and have to be incredibly wary and careful to escape the king's forces allow two random girls into their camp FOR NO REASON??? What even is the magic system here?? Even if all these things aren't 100% impossible, there is a way in which you need to write them to sell the reader on them. But that didn't happen here. Again, not the worst of premises, but really terrible execution.

To top it all off, this book baits the shit out of you. Nina and Reya's relationship is platonic, but it doesn't read that way. It definitely carries a lot of sapphic subtext, but Reya just shows up at the end and is like "she's LIKE MY SISTER" *eyeroll of the century*. Reya also "develops" (nothing develops in this novel tho lmao) this intense friendship with a character that's introduced at like the 60% mark called Naveen - who is also conveniently a mage- and there is SO MUCH SUBTEXT there too. Nothing happens anywhere and it's fine but what is even going on??? YOU DON'T GET IT, I DON'T GET IT, NO ONE GETS IT. It's like the opposite of Oprah in here.

Overall, I think an attempt was made, but it failed spectacularly. This book needed a lot more editing and a BUNCH of sensitivity readers from the Indian subcontinent. The plot itself wasn't unsalvageable, but it needed big edits. It was too convenient and contrived and a lot of elements came out of nowhere and went nowhere and I just didn't understand what was even going on! All that, coupled with not-so-good writing and horrible representation just made this book a very very sour reading experience for me. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this to anyone. I know it's still an ARC though, so I hope the publishers take criticism well and try and push back the release date so some more edits can be made.

The author is young and a woman of colour, and I know that the industry is not very forgiving of mistakes when you're someone like that. I truly believe that if she educated herself and redid this story, she might have something important to say to the world. And I really hope that is what happens. I would hate to see another WOC's voice silenced for mistakes that white authors don't even get a slap on the wrist for.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this ARC in return for my feedback.

While I cannot say that I enjoyed my time reading The Bookweaver's Daughter, mainly due to trope choices, plot point decisions, and what feels like little oversight from the editing side of things.
However, I am so incredibly pleased to see such a young woman of colour becoming published. I cannot wait to see what Malavika Kannan weaves next for us. It is an incredible feat to not only have a manuscript by 17 but also having it published and winning awards.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

This definitely beat my expectations! At times I felt you could tell this was a debut novel from a young author, but then the next moment the poetic narrative would draw me in again. I don't know how I feel about the main character- I felt she was just a little too one dimensional at certain moments. I think this is a great read for young readers, and I would enjoy any future novels by this author!

2.75
Thanks to NetGalley and Tanglewood publishers for me eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

When I saw the gorgeous cover I was immediately gravitated towards it, upon further knowing that it is #ownvoices novel with Indian rep I was very excited. Before I say anything I have to tell that the author is an 18 year old and this is her debut book, I have to give full credits to her writing which flowed softly from chapter to chapter. She is good with creating atmospheric ambiance with the third person poetic narration that is included in the book, the plot is greatly influenced by Indian mythology with a vivid imagery and a good representation of Ancient India.

I loved the strong friendships between the characters along with the premise, but I have to say it unfortunately didn't deliver though it started off great.I was extremely confused with the timelines because there is no specification of "period" in the book, although it is advertised as "Ancient India" there are times at which her writing felt pretty "modern" with her references. My other qualm is also with the rushed plot and weak Protagonist Reya and equally week antagonists- the emperor and the crown prince.

Reya the MC's character oscillates a lot leaving you puzzled because you can't comprehend her notions and hence you can't form a clear picture of her character thus failing to establish any emotional connect with her. I found the ending to be very week because the emperor's final "test" didn't make sense as it contradicts the core point of the plot on which the entire story revolves.

That being said, this can be considered as a great first step by a young author who definitely has an appealing writing style. I think she will have a promising future with YA writing and I would definitely want to read more from her in the future as she evolves.

I immediately fell in love with the feel of The Bookweaver’s Daughter even without knowing too much about the story. The vibe it gives off is very 1001 Arabian Nights, and I adore that. It’s very different from the fantasy books that I usually read, so a completely new experience for me.

The story itself is about Reya, the Bookweaver’s daughter, who has to take over her father’s duties when he is brutally murdered by the King. She flees the city along with her best friend Nina and tries to avoid being captured by the Crown Prince , and given over to the King as well. While on this journey she triest o come to terms with who she is and how she wants people to perceive her.

For me the story moved much too fast, Of course, that was tob e expected for a 250 page fantasy novel, but I think this book could have benefitted so much from a more elaborate and descriptive writing style as well as more explanation about the past and the set-up of the world and characters. There is so much potential tot his story, but I think it might just need a bit more work to make it all that it could be. Additionally, I learned that the author of the novel, Malavika Kannan, is only 18 years old, so I am thoroughly impressed with her creativity and talent. I think with a bit more practice she could be a brilliant author, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The Bookweaver's Daughter" is set in a fantasy world inspired by India and I really liked learning about it, especially that the book is #ownvoices.

The characters are typical for YA genre - young girl hiding enormous magical powers, her best friend, evil king, rebels, dead parents etc. Most of them, even though they were cliche, were also likeable and I enjoyed the friendships and familial relationships presented in the book.

The plot sometimes felt a little bit rushed and they were tiny moments when it didn't really make sense. The book is only 250 pages, so it definitely could be lengthened a little bit and the plot would definitely benefit from it.

The magical system is also very interesting and I liked how it fits into the book.

If you want to read a #ownvoices book about a girl with magical powers, set in an India-inspired fantasy world, this book is for you.

Overall a captivating read of "The Bookweaver's Daughter". Though it is felt in writing that debut author was doing first steps, however, I have to admit these are very promising steps.
The reading was fast and very lyrical, pretty atmospheric at times.
I have to appreciate the author for the idea that was cutting like a silver lining throughout the novel: literacy, education, learning, that's is the key for survival, freedom, and independence. This ide was craftily implemented in the work and I wish more authors articulate this idea in writing. I also appreciate the author not using slur language ( which is a big deal for me). At some points, the protagonist is presented not to be aware of how powerful she is and what exactly she has done and in 2 scenes I wish we had a bit of evolution in magic use, however it didn't make writing any worse.
2 sayings, very powerful, need to be articulated more and I really do appreciate the author verbalizing this despite her young age:
"When things got dangerous, he smuggled a lot of intelligence that kept us alive" and "Being able to read will let me make my decisions for myself. I won't be a slave to whatever the king wants me to believe"
Still wondering if her mother is not the Spider...

Langauge: 4.5*- though language was not too complex, I really appreciate the referenced to Indian language which make the read definetely more engaging
Idea/Plot: 3.5*- the plot of the chosen one and coming of age, but presented in beautiful manner
Evolution: 3*- I liked the evolution of story, character evolution was a bit rushed, especially when the protogonist considers herself "Fully trained mage" after 2 weeks.
Conclusion/Climax: 4*- engaging climax, predictable, yet beautifully escalated
References: 5*- perfect references to Indian language and introduction to culture and basic belief system

Overall a good read, will be awaiting new works from the author and I trully hope she continues on presenting Induan Folklore.

"The Bookweaver once told me that when we die, we all leave something behind."

Okay I had very high expectations going into this book and I have to say they did not deliver. The one thing that bothered me was the lack of world building. I really expected to find how this world works and to explore the magical side of this a lot more. That said this book is definitely light and easy to read and once you start you will probably read it in 1 sitting. I definitely had fun reading this and would recommend it as a quick fun read.

"The Bookweaver once told me that when we die, we all leave something behind.⠀
A cobbler leaves behind a legacy of warmly cad feet; a baker leaves behind memories of sated stomachs; a writer leaves behind a testament to our humanity. You can leave behind a book or a house or a child.⠀
Really, it can be anything, as long as it was once warm from your touch and alight with your fire and carries a piece of you within it forever."⠀
⠀
Reya Kandhari was born from a lineage of powerful mages who could breathe life into their words, in a kingdom where people with powers are hunted down by the prince himself.⠀
When time comes, the Bookweaver’s daughter must embrace here destiny in order to save Kasmira from tyranny.⠀
THE BOOKWEAVERS'S DAUGHTER by Malavika Kannan was such a joy to read.⠀
The author was able to infuse her story and characters with her magic, just as Reya was able to discover the power she had over words: she is the true Bookweaver.⠀
Danger, conspiracy, secrets, we find all these elements in this coming of age novel where a brave young woman will question everything she has ever known in order to find out who is supposed to become.⠀

THE BOOKWEAVER'S DAUGHTER will be released on September, 8th, 2020.
⠀
Thank you Netgalley and Tanglewood publishing for sending me this ARC book.

I love the concept of a diverse story, and that part definitely was my favorite part of the book. However, the writing has an amateur side to it that chased me the entire time I was reading. The prose felt messy and half-baked at times, especially in the beginning.

I tried so hard to find charm in this book, to find something that made it stand out from books like <i>Inkheart</i> and <i>Fablehaven</i> and other books about a place where story and/or magic are forbidden. The setting, Kashmira, is supposed to be a part of a country inspired by India, but to me that was only because of the name of the country and the characters names. There wasn't anything that really said this is new, rather it felt like a kind of rewrite of other YA books.

Now, having said that, I do know that the author is pretty young and the quality of the writing was not bad. With luck, the writing and the imagination will blend and she will become a force in the YA world.

eARC provided by publisher.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Though the copy I had needed to be read on a laptop, instead of a kindle (which made it harder to get into), this was a pretty good story for a debut. It was a quick read, I think mostly because I knew how it was going to go. It was fairly predictable with no surprising twists or anything. I think that it is definitely on the younger side for a YA book, it is almost middle grade. It is more about friendship and sticking together and there is no romance.

Reya was a good character who had even better friends and allies to help her in her fight against the evil king and figure out what it means to be the Bookweaver. I wouldn't have minded more history about the yogis and the Bookweaver.

I think, especially since the author is so young, she could do better writing in the future and maybe spice it up a little as this book was a bit bland (but is still good for a first try).

Thankyou to NetGalley, Tanglewood Publishing and the author, Malavika Kannan, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Bookweaver's Daughter in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Such a beautifully written and detailed book. I thought it was a good read.
The premise of the storyline draws you in , but the actual storytelling immerses you.
Worth a read.

✨✨✨Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this ebook in exchange of an honest review✨✨✨

First things first, I love the premise of the story. I’m trying my best to have more diverse reads and this is a step in the right direction. I was really intrigued by the myth/story within this book. However, things seemed to be dragging for me. There were parts where the details and imagery was too much, that they take up pages and pages.

Next thing, while I do love how the story goes despite how it drags, I’m not feeling any connection to the characters 🙈 They don’t have a pull in me. And I really finished the book to see what would happen. The ending left me feeling okay... It didn’t blow my mind, but I think it was a fitting end to wrap up the book.

This book and its author has great promise, though, and I think after a few more books, the writing would be up to par with my usual YA reads 😉

This was an interesting story and it really inspired me to look more into the history behind the inspiration, but it didn't blow me away. It feels magical and dreamy, but some elements weren't really believable and they didn't seem to fit the story and the vibe.
The characters were fine, but I don't really have favorites or someone that I hated. Maybe if they were done in more detail, some might become my favorites.
I liked the writing style and the words used.

The Bookweaver's Daughter is the story of a girl Reya and how she comes to terms with her magical abilities as the last bookweaver. The story has some odd pacing which did not sit right with me. It just felt off with weeks skipped over and too much time spent on insignificant parts. The characters were pretty much like all the “teen girl uses magic for the first time” fantasy stories. Girl becomes orphaned, girl finds magic, etc. The main characters came across a bit flat and boring. However, the setting is great, the cover is perfect, and it is a pretty fun quick read. It will be a hit with YA fantasy fans.

"The Bookweaver once told me that when we die, we all leave something behind.
A cobbler leaves behind a legacy of warmly clad feet; a baker leaves behind memories of sated stomachs; a writer leaves behind a testament to our humanity."

Rating: 2.5 stars

I wanted so badly to love this. I mean, an #ownvoices book about storytelling and Indian folklore? Also, Prince Devendra was introduced fairly early on and was giving off major Zuko vibes which got me excited. Unfortunately, neither he nor the other characters have much of a character arc or any kind of development. Despite the promising premise, but the world building and characters needed to be fleshed out a lot more. This story actually had a lot of potential, but it just didn't feel done. If this were a rough or early draft, it would've easily gotten a higher rating from me. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there will be enough time between now and the expected publication date in September for the kind of heavy lifting that this book needs.

The pacing is a jerky, and Kannan isn't able to establish any kind of flow. After the first half of the book, I thought I was in for a trilogy, but the last half was a whirlwind of action, drama, and (light) romance that left much to be desired. The ending, especially, felt rushed and unsatisfactory. I'm all for standalone fantasies-I think YA has developed an unnecessary obsession with series-but this is much too short of a book for what Kannan is trying to accomplish. This really should be the type of story that draws a reader in and makes him/her sit and stew in the world that's been created, but in actuality, The Bookweaver's Daughter can easily be read in an hour or two and then forgotten. It follows familiar themes and tropes in fantasy without building off of them in an original way, so the story feels shallow and flat. Again, the bare bones of the story are there, but it just suffers from a lack of polish. There are some sections of gorgeous writing that hint at what Kannan is capable of but bits of colloquialism slip in from time to time, disrupting the tone she's trying to set.

This is a valiant effort. I mean, props to Kannan for getting a book published at 18. When I was 18, I was...reading a ton of YA. (I guess not much has changed). Unfortunately, Kannan didn't capitalize on the world building or develop her characters much, and the story just feels like it's lacking in terms of execution.

The problem with weaving stories is that you can never quite know when yours begin." - Favorite quote and such a beautiful way to start a fantasy book.

This is a fast paced story with a lot of promise but the pacing is too fast for my taste; it's a continuous stream of descriptive scenes without any room for the reader to guess, explore or wonder. None of the characters felt like fleshed out humans; with goals, dreams or desires. The only thing this book did for me was describe what happens, which made me feel disconnected.

The summary is very promising and the lore behind it is something really intriguing and rich. I really find the magic being described beautiful but it needs more depth and development for me. The main character didn't have any raw emotions either, which would be great to read seeing what happens to her. Although the style might not be my cup of tea, the writing was enjoyable and this is a promising author I'm curious to see more of.

In The Bookweaver's Daughter we follow Reya, a young girl who lives in the city outskirts with her Father in an attempt to stay hidden from the King. When her Father, The Bookweaver, is murdered, his magic is passed on to her and she finds herself running for her life from the Crown Prince, Devendra. We follow along in her journey as she meets friend and foe alike.

I found this story to be chock full of immensely beautiful imagery! The world was enchanting and the cultural elements woven in to the tale were absolutely lovely.

Although I felt like this book had many wonderful components to it, my main issues came from pacing. The storyline felt rushed and as a result instead of allowing the characters to feel everything, it seemed as though everything was just described. Instead of the reader being able to witness emotions, the characters tended to say aloud exactly how they felt. I wanted to be able to sit with those moments of love and pain and unfortunately felt like I didn't get the chance to. I also found that I struggled the fully understand the magic system. Mages appeared to have varying levels of power but I was confused as to how (and why) that power tended to differ between them. Adding a few more pages in regard to the inner workings of being a Mage would have been greatly appreciated.

With that being said, I absolutely felt that this story was unique and overall I enjoyed it!

I think it is important to note that as a debut, Malavika Kannan has done a wonderful job and I truly think her craft will only get better with time. I look forward to seeing what she creates in the future! Huge thank you to NetGalley and Tanglewoood Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an excellent read for young adults. The author did a fabulous job weaving the tale and keep your imagination thriving in the world that was portrayed. A great first novel.