Woven in Darkness is the first book in a new fantasy series by Lucy Holden. Zaria is a slave that is just trying to get a better life for herself and her siblings. But she finds herself claimed by Harken, the Savage King. They both have secrets and an enemy that wants them dead.

The worldbuilding in this book was magical. There were aspects of it that reminded me of a much darker Maggie Stiefvater’s “The Scorpio Races”. Zaira is such a rich and wonderful character, you just want to cheer for her.

The reason that this book wasn’t rated higher was because I just didn’t get as engaged in the story as I wanted to be. There were also parts of the plot that seemed rushed, while others were drawn out – pacing was a definite issue for me. Trigger warnings for torture and abuse, it was very descriptive in a way. If you are a reader similar to me then these this book might not be for you.

Overall, I will probably check out this author again because there was so much good. I probably will not continue the series, but was glad to read it. I think this is an excellent world that Lucy Holden built and a great base for a story, there were just some pacing issues that I struggled with.

I made the mistake of starting this book quite late in the evening so wasn’t perhaps as pulled in initially as I’d hoped for as this book has quite a complex world with magic and very ambiguous characters. Zaria is our protagonist and as this begins she not only loses her brother but meets Harken, the terrifying Savage King. Zaria is used to looking after her siblings and making hard decisions but when she enters a race hoping to find freedom for herself and those she loves things go badly wrong leaving her connected in more ways than one to Harken !
So we have a heroine who it’s easy to empathise with coupled with a somewhat tortured hero who keeps everyone at a distance. This story felt like a game to the characters with their own agendas as the tenuous peace is under threat. There are definitely two sides in play here as some seek to repeat the past although cleverly the author manages to include flashbacks which help the reader understand the history. If it’s romance you seek than I have to caution that it’s incredibly slow burn with scenes that perhaps are not as hot and detailed as some readers might prefer so definitely felt more young adult.
The society here is very much divided with slavery, Demons , Alchemists and even a Dragon ! There’s lots of action here too as Zaria faces trials that surprised me as it involves gondolas so almost a Venetian feel at times. I think once the reader sinks into the story and understands the history of these characters it is very much a page turner. That ending though is very much a cliffhanger so you have been warned !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This book was a little slow, but so enjoyable. If you are looking for a romance or spicy book with some fantasy underneath, this is not for you! If you enjoy world building, slow burn, and mystery, then you should definitely pick it up!

Due to the world building and magic system being introduced and explained as events or conversations happen, I have to admit that I was confused for a portion of the book, but once the pieces starting clicking together and more history and backstory was revealed, I was hooked.

Overall I thought the magic system, world, and storyline was unique. Zaria & Harken's relationship took me some time to adapt to due to both of them being guarded for similar yet different reasons, but I came to enjoy them and there sometimes difficult personality traits.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well, firstly, I did not know this book was over 400 pages when I set out to read it, and not once the entire time did I realize it, thinking instead it was going to be on the shorter, cheesier side… Which is wrong I know. But I was also wrong!

I breezed through Woven in Darkness, and it was a delight. The MC was actually likeable and her determined, strong will shone through adventure and violence on the page. I think the comp titles are accurate, and if you enjoy The Cruel Prince or ACoTAR, you'll enjoy Woven in Darkness. The characters, world-building, and story are all excellent.

I found this to be a bit confusing, I felt like I was thrown into this new world a bit too fast (although the world building and magical system are great and incredibly detailed) it took me a while to get a grasp on things and what was happening. I think this might be better suited to a younger audience, however I did enjoy the romance and I think the premise/ideas behind this are strong and lots of people will like this.

I was so intrigued by the idea of this book, but I couldn't stand the main character. Her thoughts were all over the place. The author had the right ideas, but there was some flow missing of how the character changed her mind completely at certain times. Unfortunately, this really threw me out of the story.

This fantasy was absolutely fantastic! It’s so fast paced and jam packed with everything someone needs to hold their interest - mythology, romance, mystery…there was so much to it and I really enjoyed watching everything unravel into an amazing story!

The narrator for the audiobook was absolutely perfect. Between the tone and voices of the characters, there was no way I was putting this down. Much of that is thanks to the narrator as well as the story. It was a perfect pairing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook and ebook!

Zaria and her four siblings have been slaves as long as they can remember. Found as small children with shadow braids around their necks, they've dreamed of a day where they could be free.

Zaria sees their chance in the Braid Race, a race where slaves compete for their freedom. The winner has their braid unwoven; the losers are killed. If she can win the race, she can be free and find a way to buy her siblings' freedom.

Strange forces are at work to stop her. A tall, savage stranger saves her life, heals her wounds, and sparks her curiosity. Powerful enemies emerge. And a forbidden temptation may be Zaria's salvation...or her undoing.

Woven in Darkness is one of the best fantasy novels I've read this year. It has a strong FMC, morally grey hero, immersive worldbuilding without info dumps, a slow burn romance, intrigue, and a dragon!

What more could you ask for??

Harken is a fascinating character. I love that we're given glimpses into his past through their connection. It makes it more heart-wrenching to see it all unravel. His care for Zaria is exactly how I'd imagine someone created vs born would act.

Zaria and her siblings have so much potential, and I hope we get to see more about their futures. Her sisters have been through hell and her younger brother may rival her older brother for the title of Strong Stoic.

The cast of side characters made the story rich and easy to get lost in. Exactly how much does Gemory know? What happened to Huxley? Will the wolves play a pivotal role in the next book? Can Harken's sworn enemy be redeemed? I feel like that meme of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory - I MUST KNOW!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lucy Holden for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐
I went into this story with a little trepidation, and at first I was a little confused, however, as the story continued, and things started to make sense, I was able to appreciate the intricate worldbuilding. It was actually a fascinating magic system, which, by the end, I was thoroughly enjoying. I did get a little frustrated with some of the repeated descriptions...how many times were Harken's eyes described as mercurial? In my opinion, way too many. And I also struggled with the instant hot to cold to hot again attitude of Harken. Despite these things, the story moved along at a good pace, there was action and adventure, a little romance, not too steamy, and a good deal of character development. I enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to reading the next instalment.

The book starts off slow and doesn’t really pick up the pace.

What I didn’t like: The main character Zaria (who’s name I forgot until another character said it halfway through the book), is so self centered it borders on the ridiculous. Because the book is from her point of view there isn’t any real character development with the exception of the male main character Harken. Intriguing side characters are introduced and are pretty much forgotten about.

What I did like: The mystery surrounding the villain’s identity.

I don’t think I will be continuing with this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book! WOW WOW WOW. I was hooked from page one! The world and magic system is so interesting. I fell in love with the character (at least most of them)! And Zaria and Harken…. Amazing. Enough said. Read this book if you’re a romantasy girl like me!

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding story. Zaria wants to win the race to free.her siblings and herself from. slavery, but instead is bought by the Savage King, Harken, who needs her to be the bait. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of captivating characters, mystery, and romance, and must read riveting story engaging the reader from the first page of the story until the last page.

dnf 25%

I’m sorry, I can’t do it. 😩

Maybe my head is just not in it, because the story sounds really promising, but I’ve got 50 chapters to go and I’m completely lost. 🤷🏼‍♀️
I think this might need some fine tuning.

Incredible world building in a narrative jam packed full of magic, danger and mystery - you don’t want to miss this! I loved how Harken’s and Astria’s past were pieced together throughout the novel in snippets as well as seeing how he slowly became part of the world again, albeit incredibly reluctantly. Who knew all it would take was a threat to land and life? Zaria was a strong character in a vulnerable position as a slave, and her emotions and self-awareness were so well written into this narrative that it was impossible not to connect with her. She has so much love and an overwhelming amount of bravery and determination, and seeing her fight her battles and also to interact with her community of people was so absorbing. She’s a total badass and I respect that.

This was a fantastic read and I’m completely hooked on this world and on Zaria, Harken and all their friends and family.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Zaria lives only to protect her siblings. Her goal is to enter the dangerous Braid Race, a win-or-die competition that gives her freedom from the shadow braid she's had for her entire life. With that freedom, she will be able to free her siblings as well. However, everything goes wrong when her brother falls into a Dark Rip and her sisters were bought by Indigold lords. Harken, the Savage King saves Zaria from meeting the same fate as her brother, but at a cost. When she is edged out of winning the Braid Race, Harken does the unthinkable and claims her as his slave. They both know she's bait. What they don't expect is to have feelings for one another.

I normally don't enjoy fantasy books. I just can't get into them. This one, though, pulled me in immediately. Zaria is a young woman whose only purpose has been to free her siblings, so when she loses that, she has to discover who she really is. Likewise, Harken is a mystery, even to himself, and he punishes himself greatly for mistakes of the past. They both have to come to terms with the choices they've made and learn to move on.

There is a cast of characters in this book that are interesting and dynamic. The world-building is vivid and complex. It can be a little hard for me to get into that normally, but I enjoyed the writing in this book so much that I got swept up in it all. I am also a huge fan of found family stories, and this one fits the bill.

While this is meant to be a spicy book, the levels of spice are quite low. If you are new to spicy books, or just don't enjoy the really spicy ones, this one is probably just right

I am so honoured to have received an Advanced Review Copy ahead of this books release and am leaving a willing and honest review!

This is a complex world filled with both lovable and hate-able characters 😄 all dynamic and realistic (read grey) and well woven into the plot. (Pun obviously intended!)

Our underdog FMC is a harden slave, protective of her sibling and with high hopes of winning her freedom and buying that of her found family’s.

She is thrown into an intricate plot, used and bought and moved around the chess board of politics and interest, never losing her cunning intelligence and natural kindness and sense of purpose.

Our MMC is a grey af hero, with a soft heart under a harden shell, just like we love them 😏

The flashbacks give us the story we need to understand our hero and the story that brought us to the present time intrigues and games.

The romance is a sloooow burn and the eventual spice is YA level (for those that aren’t fans of spicy scenes, this is perfect!)

There’s soooo much feeling reading this Ooooof!

Disgust, hate, rage, love, friendship, caring, wonder, passion, violence, grief,… You name it, i felt it! 😂

If I haven’t convinced you to read this yet, here’s some glimpses to what you can find:

Slaves, masters, “Who did this?”, found family, street urchins, magic, dragon!, fluid characters, krakens, a flying carpet, shifters, intrigue, political games, Venice Carnaval parties, Rome carrick racing - Hunger Games style, dubious characters, darkwine, Veneza canal’s racing, training, flower gardens and a priest island hidden in the mists!

Tw: slavery, violence, war, death, brutal games, none is overdone or too explicit.

I ended up DNFing this book 28% through. The writing style was not for me. I was also lost/confused about the world-building and magic system talked about. I wanted to stick with it the best I could, but unfortunately, I do not think this book was for me.

Zaria has been claimed by the infamous savage king, Harken. His court is in danger from an old enemy. If Zaria reveal her secret, she will lost her chance at freedom.... but she will betray Harken if she keeps silent...

A swoony romance. Terrific world building and wonderfully complex characters. I enjoy the magical world a lot. Really enjoy the romance and the plot too.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.