Thursday, October 4, 2012

Vouched Book! "Weaver of Darkness" by Melissa L. Webb

Seventeen-year-old Liss Taylor wants nothing more than to be normal. All she wants is to graduate high school, go to college, and marry her childhood sweetheart. But she knows normal is something she can never be. The constant nightmares of desolate wastelands and the tattoo she was born with is proof enough; normal is not in her future.

A Darkness is now creeping into her town. A Darkness which is weaving its way into the fears of those around it, causing terror to come alive and death to stalk the night.

Who is the new guy in school? What part does he play in all of this, and why does he seem to awaken a piece of her she never even knew existed?

Now Liss is in a race against time, joined by friends, old and new. It will take her places unknown and show her things she never dreamed possible. Will she be able to rise above the darkness and save those she loves, or will she lose everything, and succumb to the evil known as the Weaver of Darkness?


Find it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords
Find Melissa L. Webb on: Her Website | Twitter | Facebook



Courtesy of the author, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and, quite honestly, ended up liking it—but only after trudging through the first half the book. While the beginning is okay—with the prologue of the Raggedy Ann Doll saving it and offering promise—the second half is fantastic.

The plot direction, Liss's true history, and every player's role are revealed at the halfway mark and can only be described as fairytale-like. Being that Liss and all her friends are writers (or "tale spinners"), it's apt and made me gush a little. The flow and dialogue improve—though yes, you should still expect the teenage pity-party and "forgive me/why me" conversations from Liss often.

I didn't connect with the her as much as I would've liked. She's not a "strong" female protagonist; she whined a bit too much for my taste, and I felt I was being told who she was than actually seeing it. Yet, Liss's band of friends and their loyalty to her despite her faults kept me reading. I fell in love with a few of them. Their personalities are much better developed than Liss's, and I'm contemplating getting the companion book, Restless Highways, just so I can read more of Hunter, Raven, and Cedric.

Weaver of Darkness isn't perfect, but Melissa L. Webb weaved some chilling scenes, wrote some great one-liners, and presented a couple twists and a good love triangle. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy and mystery, druids and a heroic shapeshifter, and who can overlook some writing/character mistakes.

Content warning: Mentions suicide—though the story doesn't include suicide in any way, the protagonist is falsely accused of it by other characters and repercussions and emotions involving sensitive matters are real.


LUV'NV Rating:
Amazon.com Rating: 3.6 out of 5 stars

0 comments:

Post a Comment