Review: Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Brightly Woven
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Available: Now
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Number of pages: 368
Reading Level: Young Adult

5 out of 5 Stars

I purchased my copy from Amazon







Description 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.

My thoughts:


Gratuitous fawning ahead! If that type of thing insults your senses you probably don’t want to read my review. You were warned ;)

This beautifully written book caused me to feel something that has only happened a few times during my reading adventures. As soon as I reached the last page I wanted to flip to the beginning and start again. This book was that amazing! That is the number one symptom that I have fallen into book love ♥


Brightly Woven is packed full of colorful characters, evil villains, and an amazing world for them to dwell in. Wayland North is a wizard, and the classic damaged hero. I spent half the time hating him, and the rest wanting to kiss him. Sydelle Mirabil, while naive, is also one of the most fearless female characters I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  Neither were without faults at the beginning of the story. Even by the end they weren’t perfect, but both had changed for the better because of the trials they faced. The author handled the growth of both main characters so skillfully. It was gradual, seamless, and truly perfect. I was so engrossed in Sydelle and North's adventures, that I felt a pang of grief when I came to the final page. The ending has left me with the hope we may see a sequel. Ms. Bracken if you're listening, this reader would love more adventures with Sydelle and North.


This is a book that will satisfy even the most picky fantasy fan, and lovers of epic adventures. It is one of the rare books I know I'll want to read again and again. It now claims one of the coveted spots on my shelf of keepers.

This book does contain some violence, but otherwise I’d consider Brightly Woven family friendly.

Read the first chapter of Brightly Woven here.

Alexandra Bracken on the web:

Website | LiveJournal | Twitter