4.5 stars
"Weave the Lightning" is an excellent fantasy book, with a very unique magic system.
It got me hooked from the first chapter ; everything was laid so perfectly to captivate my attention. The reader get to know a little about the context (there is a resistance, so that must mean an authoritarian state) and one aspect of the magic, which get expanded in the second chapter.
I just need one moment for the magic system. Storm pulling? Genius. Loved it.
The dual pov was great because, together, we could (and they could) understand everything about the world. We learn more about the resistance and sousednia through Celka, and more about the State and the weaving of nuzhda through Gerrit. Also, we see the world through those two different set of eyes, who have different background, and it shows the indoctrination of the State.
The book didn't feel like it had a "strong" plot, but i don't mean that in a negative way. It followed Celka and Gerrit as they learned to control the storms and to imbue, with sometimes a sidequest from the resistance. But it was really good, as it makes the reader really understand the magic and the politics of the world, and feel familiar with it.
Also, the plot twists were plottwisting. Loved it.
Honestly, I don't know why I've never heard anybody talk about this book, but I hope more people will read it because it's just so good.

I rated this book 5 stars because it was so good and I wasn't expecting some things that happened in the story (NO SPOILERS HERE!) and the characters were so good and immaculate.

Definitly an interesting point of you.. I love everything that includes mythology and story and the idea was great but it remind me a lot of the Night Circus and I don't know if that was the idea but it kind of bother me sadly

3.5 stars

I liked the world – it’s a Soviet-type world (as clear from the cover) complete with secret police and a modern, brutalist feel. It’s not the typical Imperialist Russian setting, which helps set this book apart.

However, the use of a quasi-religion around the magic storms and with the only “Russian-esque” words being linked to the magic (no words in italics slipped in for food or as swear words as you often find in obviously inspired worlds) made it feel more distinct, like the story was pulling on ideas from various cultures rather than just one.

The magic was rather confusing. It took a while for the book to explain what the different “categories” of magic were, so they were yelling about category three and category one for a while without me understanding any of it.

The sort of alternative-plane-thingy they went to when doing magic felt explained at first. However, as the book progressed, I found myself more and more confused by the way the planes interacted and how the magicians did stuff in one but not the other. It became harder and harder to keep track of as more information was added without full explanation.

It all needed a bit more time and set up. I feel like I was expected to have some prior knowledge of this sort of magic system in order to follow it.

As for the plot, I enjoyed it. The layers of deception were really fun to unravel alongside the characters and I loved not knowing who I could trust. There was a real sense that anyone could be an informer, and yet Celka and Gerrit needed to trust someone in order to get anything done.

As the action sequences relied a lot on magic, they weren’t the easiest to follow, and so I enjoyed the moments when they were deliberately not using magic more. As such, it meant I found myself drawn to the characters more than usual, because I was most engaged by the moments of quiet interaction. They both have similar pasts with their parents, and both have been warped. It meant they really got each other.

De manera esporádica surgen libros de fantasía con inspiración rusa y he de reconocer que llaman mi atención, como por ejemplo los de Peter Higgins de la serie Wolfhound Century. Así que no es de extrañar que tuviera Weave the Lightning en el punto de mira, con sus personajes de circo que a la vez que artistas son espías para la resistencia contra el estado opresor.


Esta primera entrega de la trilogía The Bourshkanya, nos sirve para ponernos en contexto y conocer a los dos personajes principales de la historia, Celka y Gerrit. La narración se basa mucho en la contraposición de ambos, de extracción muy diferente y sin embargo con muchos puntos en común. Celka es artista de circo junto con su familia y a la vez ejerce de correo para la resistencia, aunque comienza a realizar cada vez tareas de mayor implicación en este movimiento reformistas. Gerrit es el hijo del General Supremo del régimen, pero a diferencia de sus hermanos, no es capaz de contentar a su padre con sus esfuerzos para controlar la magia de la tormenta.

Lo que quizá debería ser más ilusionante de la novela, el sistema mágico, es sin embargo lo que la condena a no destacar. Y no porque no parezca atractivo, si no porque no está bien explicado. Se entiendo que hay unas tormentas especiales que ocurren cada cierto periodo de tiempo de las que ciertas personas con capacidades especiales son capaces de extraer magia. Pero, como digo, la explicación es muy confusa y no solo por la profusión de términos eslavos (al fin y al cabo, cuando leo en inglés tampoco es que los términos anglófonos que se inventan los autores me resulten especialmente intuitivos) si no por que no se entiende el funcionamiento. Hay una especie de universo paralelo al que los tocados por la tormenta pueden acceder, pero es exclusivo de cada uno como una interpretación del mundo actual. Y como cada uno accede de una manera, tampoco queda claro qué se puede hacer y qué no . Solo después de acabar el libro descubrí que la autora ha colgado en su web una explicación más profunda (a buenas horas, mangas verdes) que a lo mejor me hubiera ayudado a comprender mejor el libro, pero creo que esto tiene que hacerse dentro de la propia novela, para que mientras que estoy leyendo no tenga necesidad de recurrir a fuentes externas.

Este escollo del sistema mágico lastra mucho la evolución de todo el libro. Aunque me gusta sobre todo cómo se utilizan los viejos sistemas de espionaje para transmitir información (buzones muertos, lenguaje de signos, falsificaciones…) al final la rémora de no entender qué está pasando con la magia rompe la inmersión en la lectura.

No sé si seguiré leyendo la serie, porque aunque me interesa ver cómo evoluciona la lucha contra el poder establecido, lo cierto es que no tengo muchas ganas de volver a pelearme con la Bourshkanya y demás parafernalia.