Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Synopsis: When Wayland North brings rain to a region that's been dry for over ten years, he's promised anything he'd like as a reward. He chooses the village elder's daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabil, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she's hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she's heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past. The pair rushes toward the capital, intent to stop an imminent war, pursued by Reuel Dorwan (a dark wizard who has taken a keen interest in Sydelle) and plagued by unusually wild weather. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers North's dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.

My Review:
I really liked this book. It was a different story than I was expecting but I enjoyed it all the same. The author included her own map of the fantasy world in which the story takes place on the inside cover of the book which was refreshing since I feel most authors with a visual of the world they have created are male. I thought the pacing in this story was well done with spurts of action and slower more calm moments which made me feel like I was really on the journey with North and Sydelle and made what was happening in the story more realistic for me. I loved the descriptions of Sydelle weaving with all the beautiful colors and images she put together and it was interesting that her skill as a weaver was magical in and of itself. I felt North’s love for Sydelle was somewhat shallow since most of the time he referred to her looks and not very much about her character even though I do believe it was something deeper. I liked Sydelle as a character since she was brave to leave her family to save them, she was selfless putting North’s needs before her own, and forgiving of other people’s faults. I thought it was neat how the author intended for this story to be a birthday present for her friend and then it grew into a book. I will be interested to see how this story plays out in the next book so I am ready for it to come out!