Thursday, September 9, 2010

Review: Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

(summary from goodreads) 

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.

Review: 

This was a very interesting book. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet, so I'll put it this way, I've never read about this kind of magic before. Until this book I'd never even heard of it. And that's one of the things that made this book so good. I didn't have high or low expectations because I didn't know what to expect. Bracken did a great job weaving this story, and all of its magical qualities, together. 

The characters also helped move the story along. Each had separate personalities that made them unique players in the story overall. I enjoyed seeing the interaction between North and Sydelle. And this is what was wonderful about it: They INTERACTED! It wasn't "love at first sight we're soul mates forever nothing will stop our love." They hated each other at first! But then they used the magic (no pun intended) of interaction. 

Unfortunately this book did leave me with unanswered questions. Did North have to have his capes to do magic? Because that could've led to some serious problems. *SPOILER* Who poisoned Sydelle and WHY did North and Lady Aphra not try to figure this out hmmm? *END SPOILER* Also, what was going on with Owain and his horse? And the most important of all questions, will there be a sequel? The ending made it seem like a sequel was in order. Either way, you will not hear me complaining if there is a sequel. I look forward to seeing what other magical works Ms. Bracken comes up with.  

1 comment:

Small Review said...

I really hope there is a sequel for this one. I want to find out what happens to North with his problem.

I also just want to read more North and Sydelle. I agree, I loved that they interacted. They played off one another well and were both good characters in their own right.

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