Review: Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

 

 Title: Brightly Woven

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Published: March 2010

 Hardcover: 368 page

Reading Level: YA

My copy: ARC rec'd via trade on Book Mooch

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 wicked stars

  

Blurb:

Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.

In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.

Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.

 

My thoughts...

I honestly didn't expect to like this book as much as I did.  I had read a few reviews on it stating that there wasn't much romance in it...what??? no romance?? Well, there was definitely enough drama to make up for it and there was some prelude to a romance, so if you gotta have it - there is some boy-girl interest there.

Sydelle is a strong character that doesn't put up with a lot of crap from anyone, and I liked that about her.  North was a mysterious character at first and I wasn't sure if I trusted or liked him much, but as the story evolved and his inner demons came to light, I started to like him more.  As Sydelle comes to realize the truth about herself and her powers, she grows even more as a character...and toward the end you are biting your nails to know how it ends!

The author has created a beautiful and sometimes heart-wrenching story.  I did check her website and there is not a sequel planned as of yet and this really makes me sad!  There is definitely more that could be told on this story between Sydelle's powers and the blossoming romance between her and North.