Brightly Woven

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

One moment, Sydelle and her friend, Henry, are hanging out on the rocks and then next, it's raining. Their village hasn't seen rain in ten years. Shortly after, they spot a wizard. They all head into the village, not knowing just how much their future is about to change.

Wayland North, the wizard, takes the credit for bringing the rain. The chief, Sydelle's father, offers him a reward. He's stunned when he finds out the wizard wants his daughter.

Wayland believes he can stop the upcoming war with Sydelle's help. Together, they set out across the country to deliver their information.

Sydelle can't help hating the wizard who took her away from her friends and family. In time, she grows to understand him more and appreciates him. They must overcome obstacles: rogue wizard attacks, a new queen trying to find her place, and two country leaders determined to go to war for all the wrong reasons.

Sydelle wants to help stop the war so they can get on with their lives, but then she overhears Wayland talking about her and she can't believe her ears. Suddenly, her world's turned upside down and she doesn't know who to trust or what to do next.

This is an awesome debut and a great way to explode onto the YA scene. I love the high fantasy romance with tensions between countries and a probable war on the horizon.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Love this book!

This book really is just great! I couldn't put it down! If I hadn't had to go to school, I would have finished it in a day. It's expertly written, and the plot is flawless save that it drags just a tiny bit. There is always something going on, never a dull moment. While there are a few problems I had with characters and her relations to them (how Henry and Sydelle are so close, but there are very few examples of this except for Sydelle's word), I loved how she made good, bad, and evil characters with ease. This may sound like another paranormal teen romance by the description (mysterious wizard comes to town and steals her away), but it is far from it. The book is not dominated by dark, doomsday-ish romance, but by suspense and nice, enviable romance. I loved this book and it is definitely worth reading!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

dimensional, funny and completely captivating

The day the rains finally come to Cliffton, Sydelle Mirabil doesn't know her life is about to change. She has no idea foreign soldiers are preparing to invade her small village. She doesn't know that her country is on the precipice of war. She certainly don't know anything about wizards.

All of that changes with the rain.

Wayland North does know all of those things. When the town offers the young wizard a reward for bringing the much-needed rains he also knows exactly what he needs: the young weaver named Sydelle.

Sydelle has no choice but to accompany the wizard on his long journey to the capital. Much as she detests being tied to him she knows they have to get to the capital if the war is to be avoided. Plagued by foul weather, Sydelle's temper and North's black mood, the trip is not easy. Wayward wizards and dangerous secrets threaten to derail their journey long before they reach the capital.

As the pair make their way across the country Sydelle begins to understand there may be more to North than his vague statements and mercurial temperment. There might even be more to Sydelle herself. Like any good weaving, it is going to take Sydelle many layers to see the full picture in Brightly Woven (2010) by Alexandra Bracken.

Brightly Woven is Bracken's first novel.

While the story could have used slightly more resolution in some areas, Bracken has created an appealing fantasy here. Sydelle's narration is lyrical and Wayland North is one charming mess of a wizard. In a story where the two main characters are mostly crossing varied terrain, Bracken's ability to build drama and maintain tension is impressive.

Without giving away too much, the weaving aspect of the story added a nice dimension to the story. The combination of textiles and magic makes the premise of the story unique. Sydelle's focus on weaving also fleshed out her character and only helped to enhance the narrative.

Brightly Woven has everything readers hope to find in a traditional fantasy. Beautifully written, this novel evokes not only the physical landscape of Sydelle's world but the culture as well. Sydelle and North are wonderfully rendered characters that are dimensional, funny and completely captivating. In other words Brightly Woven is absolutely a must read for fantasy lovers and Bracken herself is definitely an author to watch.

Possible Pairings: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore, Warped by Maurissa Guibord, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Hourglass by Myra McEntire, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An Engaging Adventure

Wow! This was one exciting adventure. Sydelle lives in a poor small village where there is currently a drought. It hasn't rained in 7 years. One day a wizard, North Wayland, comes and makes it rain. At his request Sydelle's father gives her to North for this service. Both begin their journey to warn the queen about the upcoming war and who truly poisoned and killed the King. Clearly upset at being forced from her home, Sydelle tries to ignore him, but actually ends up yelling at him quite a lot. North ignores her yelling, especially when he's drunk. After several messy encounters with other wizards, Sydelle finds it difficult to be mad at him. Her hatred turns to compassion.
Sydelle is 16 yr. old weaver who has the ability to repair magical talismans. I really respected her strength and determination. She also has a habit of attracting the worst sort of trouble. However, North doesn't mind rescuing her and playing the part of hero. I just loved North. He reminded me of Howl from Howl's Moving Castle (the movie). On the outside he is strong, stubborn, very good looking, and optimistic. On the inside, he is cursed and tortured. Both North and Sydelle are very selfless characters. Their willingness to do anything to save their country, even sacrifice their lives, was touching.
Magic is a large part of this book. However, the relationship between Sydelle and North forces the reader to look beyond all the magic, war, and secrets and watch as two people see the good and importance in the other. Both characters have always felt insignificant and do their best to fight that feeling. That doesn't mean the feeling goes away. Their love and kindness for each other removes their insecurities making them all the more powerful and useful.
Behind this love story, there is a journey involving a war. The upcoming war is based on rumor, and therefore does not need to be fought, especially since it is a false rumor. Alexandra Bracken handles the issue of a reason-less war with care. The threat of many lives lost hangs over the characters giving them a very real consequence if they fail. It gave the story a sense of urgency.
Alexandra Bracken built a beautiful and very original world. The countries had their own religions, myths, legends, etc. She established guilds, abundant resources for the regions as income, and different terrains. It was all very engaging. I would love to jump back into the world, even though Bracken currently has no plans to write a sequel. I adored this book. The writing flowed easily and Bracken's word choice and phrasing made Sydelle's voice clear and relatable to the reader. Brightly Woven is an enthralling adventure that will leave you eager for more.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Still reading

I am almost done reading the book and might finish it tonight if i can and overall it was a excellent book and i would recomend it to anyone who is looking for adventure.

Snowstorm

Wait, what did I do?-Snowstorm

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sharktooth

I suspected this....i said i wouldnt be on until monday. I fooled the imposter

To sharktooth

A$$ H0LE!! MY HOLE CLAN IS CALLING U THAT AND ITS BECAUSE OF UR MATE!!

Great book!

Only one thing to say.....Amazing!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

LOVE this book

This book was totally awesome. I read this whole book in one day, it was just that great.

I love how each character has more depth and personality, it made totally fall in love with the characters. The most interesting character is Sydelle, because she's so mysterious and relatable.

If you're looking for a really fantastic fantasy read, this book is IT!

I LOVE it.

The first time I read it, I couldn't put it down. I fell in love with the characters. Sydney, is amazing as well as North's and watching them butt heads but slowly and surely fell in love through all they had to go through was fantastic.

Luved it!!!!

this book was a truely beautiful book. not only the romance, but the magic the story was told around, wich gave ths story a unique sort of twist and tell. it's a very fun read and i ighly recomend to those who luv romance, action, and magic. it a really amazing book. =)))))

great read.

Really enjoyed the story and the characters. Hoping there be a sequel soon.

Check it out!

Very interesting and a whole new story line that I have never read before. The two main characters are so unique and when you put them together you are sure to get either laughs or suspenseful moments.

wished there was a sequel

i loved it from the way the main characters fell in love to the magic

Purely Great

The story tells of a distant village girl Sydelle lives in a small desert town that is about to be invaded by soldiers from another country. She's saved from whatever fate occupation will entail by a traveling wizard called Wayland North. North claims that he needs Sydelle as his assistant (and guide - he has no sense of direction and can't read a map to save his life), but there's something he's not telling her, some other reason she's important to him. Syd is a talented weaver and has always dreamed of leaving her town, but under t ...more Sydelle and an unfortunate run into a young Wizard, Wayland North, who says he'd like her to accompany him in return for his good deeds to the place where she lives.

Unable to ignore North's bringing of rain to the village, Sydelle lives in a small desert town that is about to be invaded by soldiers from another country. She's saved from whatever fate occupation will entail by a traveling wizard called Wayland North. North claims that he needs Sydelle as his assistant (and guide - he has no sense of direction and can't read a map to save his life), but there's something he's not telling her, some other reason she's important to him. Syd is a talented weaver and has always dreamed of leaving her town, but under t ...more Sydelle and her family have no choice but to accepts the wizards request. At first Sydelle lives in a small desert town that is about to be invaded by soldiers from another country. She's saved from whatever fate occupation will entail by a traveling wizard called Wayland North. North claims that he needs Sydelle as his assistant (and guide - he has no sense of direction and can't read a map to save his life), but there's something he's not telling her, some other reason she's important to him. Syd is a talented weaver and has always dreamed of leaving her town, but under t ...more Sydelle is appalled by everything having to do with North and his sloven ways but soon realizes the importance of the task in hand.

I rather not spoil the story so I'll just say that the books side trips involve wicked fights among magical beings, suspenseful drama involving royals and battles that will keep your eyes glued to the pages. I'm impressed by Alexandra Bracken first novel, she mixed all these enticing elements with a glimmer touch of fantasy romance...it's not everyday an author gives their all into a true passion of writing.

To me, books such as this shouldn't be labeled a quick read because I like to relax as I get lost into a world of magic and absorb all the enhancement and battles that come way...just as long as the story comes together and makes sense, which Bracken does for her debut novel. I really hope there's a sequel for it.

Just to explain why I didn't give this a 5/5...there were times in this book where it got a little cliche which naturally zapped back into New York 2010, but for the most part it was imaginative.

I recommend this book for any young adult reader, there isn't much to dislike. It's a simple yet complicated, fantastical read.

Enjoyable Read

I truely enjoyed this story. Hope there is more in the future!

Some problems with the heroine, but a good YA high fantasy overall

Sydelle's village has gone ten years without rain, but one day when the whole kingdom is in turmoil--the king has died leaving no heir and an inexperienced young queen, and two neighboring kingdoms may be about to attack--a stranger appears and makes rain pour from the skies. North is a young wizard and when Sydelle's dad, the town elder, offers North anything he wants as payment for the rain, North chooses Sydelle. And thus begins a high fantasy Journey Story, with North and Sydelle trying to reach the capital city and save the kingdom, all while being chased by an evil dark wizard, plagued by inclement weather, and frustrated by each other's personal shortcomings.

Sydelle is a nice strong heroine who's at least as skilled as her wizard companion, but in different ways. She's an excellent weaver, and she must have some latent magical ability because she can mend North's magic cloaks without spoiling their power. In one town where North is finding wizarding work, Sydelle finds work of her own when she needs some money, which shows great initiative. She did have a few less than wonderful behaviors, though--she stays mad at North for most of the first half of the book, and she keeps running away from him when he says or does the wrong thing. Now, coming along with him wasn't her choice, but he didn't kidnap her--her parents are the ones who sent her with him, and he actually saved her from an impending attack on her village, so even if he's a bit of a jerk at times, it doesn't seem to be in her best interest to keep walking out on her only protector. Sydelle makes a few very unsmart moves, like one time when North is getting into a fight and he clearly doesn't want his opponent to know that he has magical power, but Sydelle turns to him and basically says out loud, "North, you're a wizard, aren't you? Use your magic."

North was my favorite character, and I excuse his occasional loutish behavior by telling myself that though he gets drunk a few times, he has terribly good reasons for it, and though he doesn't always handle Sydelle's emotions with finesse, his missteps mostly happen because he wants her approval. After she finally runs away for real, he's devastated, and the two of them come to an understanding--she'll stop running and he'll stop being a jerk. No matter what they're doing, North and Sydelle's interaction is fun to watch, and he gets his share of witty lines. When North steps inbetween Sydelle and a man she's trading insults with, the man asks North,

"You interrupt my business?...Do you know what this wench just accused my of being?"

"A filthy pig," North said good-naturedly. "But there's only one filthy pig allowed in her life, and the position's been filled." (pg 44)

One small problem: maybe it's because I was reading an ARC copy, but it seemed like there were a lot of places in Brightly Woven where the transitions needed smoothing. Sometimes I felt like a phrase or sentence was missing, and I had to re-read small sections to be sure what happened. But overall, the environment is convincingly drawn, there are a few really good twists (each new revelation about North's past or Sydelle abilities is more shocking than the last), and lots of adventurousness, which should make the story work well for Mid-Grade readers, though it's classified as YA.

AMAZING

I picked up this book because the title and cover picture interested me and after read only a short number of pages into the book you feel hooked beyond belief. Through it all the author makes you feel as if you truely are the main character sharing in every emotion. This book has everything from magic, action, and adventer to love, mystery, and bertal.
The story is about a young girl named Sydelle. Her small villae on the edge of the country that due to a 10 year drought has become a trading post for the sand found there. One day it starts raining due to a young wizard,Wayland North, trying to slow down the neighboring country from envading to set up a post for a war to claim the crown of the recently died king. To thank him for all he has done for the village her father offers him anything and after she fixes his magic cloaks he asks to take her with him. As they are start on a race to the capital to show proof to stop the war from happening the one question she keeps asking herself is why he really choose her and what is he hidding from her. Face danger from all over leads her to fall for North but can she truely trust him as he lies to her to keep from find out a secret about herself and in the end will he be the one to stab her in the back with the trust she put into him.

Intricate tale of a magical new world

BRIGHTLY WOVEN, by Alexandra Bracken, was an epic fantasy tale that will weave its way into your heart from the first page. The new world that Bracken created was intricate and imaginative. And the characters that lived there were genuine especially in their magical abilities. Bracken definitely did her homework and made this world believable in every aspect.

I really loved this book. The story was unlike anything I have ever read and my imagination was stretched to this wonderful and dangerous world that Bracken illustrated. Her specific concept of magic in this world was unparalleled. Sydelle was extremely special and a joy to read. The way weaving took over her soul was breath-taking. And I liked how she was intelligent and always asked questions. Sometimes her independence turned into stubbornness, but she had the perfect amount of sass and finesse to keep me drawn into the story.

The relationship between Sydelle and North was dynamic. Forced together by magical circumstances, these two gained each other's trust and love gradually. Bracken put these two characters into dangerous situations which amplified their bond. They were both selfless and would do anything to protect the other. These two make a memorable pair.

The magic itself was its own character. I liked how there were many different types of magic that each wizard could perform. I liked the rules that were created for magic. It was very thoughtful that wizards had to be ranked, trained, etc. to perform magic. This created a interesting dynamic in creating the good versus evil in the story.

This book definitely stands out. The world that Bracken created was stunning and once of a kind. I hope there is a sequel in the future!