I was immersed instantly into the story as the world building really had me within the first few chapters. I really enjoyed the characters as I continued to read. It’s got twists and turns that keep you wanting more.

“If you’re going to ask me to help you make my brother jealous, the answer is yes.” 👀

I finished Nightweaver last night and I need to talk about it!

THE TROPES *chef's kiss*
THE FMC *badass*
THE ROMANCE *on edge!*

Aster is an epic FMC, she's strong and her backstory of being a family of pirates is unique and kept me hooked from the beginning. The fight scenes and depiction of grief was heart breaking. The characters we're so different but also some of my favourites and I ate up all the twists this took and I can't wait to continue in this series either!

My only criticism is that it was a little predicable at times and the shock factor of one of the reveals was lack lustre because it was so predictable.

If you like books such as One Dark Window or To Kill a Kingdom then this is the one for you. Or even if you're a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean I'd get this one! 🦜🏴‍☠️

I give it 4.25 stars🌟and I can't wait to see what book 2 has in store for us either!

I devoured Nightweaver—it’s an intense, gothic-infused fantasy full of intrigue, rich world-building, and unforgettable characters. Aster Oberon is a fierce yet flawed protagonist, navigating a world where humans are hunted by Nightweavers and forced to survive at sea as pirates. Her journey from captivity to uncovering dark secrets within Bludgrave Manor is filled with tension, foreshadowing, and brilliantly executed twists. The three male leads were captivating in their own ways, adding layers of depth to the story, and the slow-burn romance was woven beautifully into the plot.

While Aster’s stubbornness and occasional whining could be frustrating, it made her feel real, and her relationships—especially with her family—were a refreshing departure from the usual lone-wolf fantasy heroine. The gothic atmosphere, political intrigue, and action-packed sequences kept me hooked from start to finish. If anything, the complexity of the world-building could have been a bit clearer, but as a debut, Nightweaver is an impressive start to what promises to be a phenomenal series. I can’t wait for the sequel!

I was not sure what to expect from this book being first pirate book and I can say with certainty that it did not disappoint me!!

I did struggle slightly at the start to get into it as I felt was coming in halfway through something and I had missed the start. That being said after I read abit further I found it so easy to read and enjoy to the point I finish this within 48 hours of starting!

The plot had been guessing with twists and turns I never could have seen coming with a few moments had me out loud saying what!!! I loved the magical elements to the story aswell i wasn’t sure how pirates and magic would go but I had left me wanting so much more. I found this read to be the perfect length and at no point did any of it feel dragged out to me!

I cannot wait to read the rest of this series just sad I have to wait!


Special thanks to PRH UK children’s, the Author and NetGalley for letting review and read

Aster Oberon is a pirate through and through. Born and raised on the family ship, she's never set foot on land, which is ruled by the mythical Nightweavers an unsafe for humans. When tragedy strikes, the Oberon are taken prisoner and end up being taken by Nightweaver Will to serve his family at Bludgrave manor. Slowly adjusting to their new life, Aster starts unraveling the secrets of the Bludgrave family and slowly developing feelings for Will...

Nightweaver is fast-paced and action packed from beginning to end (especially at the beginning and the end, now that I think about it). 17-year old Aster is a relatable character (angry teenager), the writing flows smoothly, and the plot is engaging. I did feel that the strong focus on the plot did occasionally mean the character motivations and world building weren't as in-depth as I would have liked them to be - I'm a fairly character driven reader though.

While I'm a big fan of the chosen family theme you find in most pirate books, I really appreciated the originality of it being a biological family in this instance. Aster's relationship with her family was especially interesting.

All in all, this was a solid YA and a really good set up for the sequel. I'm looking forward to it already. I fully recommend this to plot-driven readers who enjoy a healthy amount of action. If you have triggers, mind the warnings.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Children's and Netgalley for letting me read this pre-publication. All opinions are of course my own.

With thanks to PRH UK Children's and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ahead of publication.

Life at sea is all that Aster Oberon has ever known. Offering her and her pirate family protection from Nightweavers – the mystical beings with elemental powers that rule over the land – she can’t see herself living anywhere but on the water. But when the family is defeated in a battle that shatters her world, Aster finds herself working for and living amongst a Nightweaver family on their opulent estate. And the longer she spends at Bludgrave Manor, the more Aster is forced to reassess everything she thinks she knows.

Right from the opening page of this book we were thrust into the action. R.M. Gray offered an intense and compelling introduction to Aster’s story. While generally I appreciate this as a plot-driven reader, I have to that this was partially at the expense of the world building and I found myself quite confused early on in the story with everything that was happening. I do think this developed as the story went on but I could have done with a bit more set up to help me get solidly situated in the narrative.

The book is divided into three parts and the first part was, dare I say, frustrating at times. I struggled a lot with the reactions of characters in the early part of the story – particularly when the Oberon family moved to the Bludgrove estate. Because there was that slight lack of context, I didn’t understand certain decisions that were made. These did become so much clearer as the book went on and my enjoyment increased the more I read and understood as a result.

In parts 2 and 3 of the book, we really saw Aster start to come into her own. She developed so much as a character to grow into the strong, independent and clear-thinking FMC her background suggested she should be. Having been frustrated with her earlier, I soon found myself rooting for her so much more and was excited to see what she would do next and what she’d make of certain events and the trickles of information she received. Her character development was a real strength of the book.

The action ramped up again a lot more in these parts with the book keeping an engaging and rapid pace. I found the world building much stronger with us learning alongside Aster in a really compelling way. I also enjoyed seeing the development of Aster’s relationships with other characters beyond Will, her early saviour, – particular highlights included her interactions with Henry.

I do think that some parts of this book are quite predictable and I found myself drawing several conclusions early on, many of which proved themselves to be right, although it was never 100% sure that this would be the case. The book left off in such a way that there are multiple options, and the author has put themselves in a great position for future books both in terms of storyline and romantic plotline so I am excited to see where it goes.

While I did feel this was a bit slow to start and I had some frustrations, I found myself completely hooked as the book went on. This was a great start to a new series that I can’t wait to continue. It’s perfect for fans of: intense action and fast pacing, a strong and authentic FMC, secrets, and family ties.

Have I just finished reading the first book in a series that I think will be the next best thing since sliced bread?

Yes, yes, I have 😭

I am in utter awe of this book. It was everything I wanted and more, and oh boy, am I love right now. I don't think I begin to describe how entranced I have been reading this, I never wanted to finish work so badly to carry on reading this.

Aster, our sweet and slightly angry pirate, takes this book, this plot to another level. She was angry and soft and tired and mischievous and scared and an absolute delight to read. She bought depth to the story that made it so loveable.

Right from the first sentence, you are transported straight away to this world and caught in the chaos and dance of these characters. There weren't any moments where I felt it dragged or lacked, I found the writing consistent and entertaining throughout. There were so many twists and turns, but I loved how the writing gave pause for a moment of settleness, to try and process everything before it all go red back up again.

After that ending, I'm very much excited for book 2 so we can get more answers and more justice being served 👀

4.5 ⭐
Nightweaver has so many layers within it, a regency pirate adventure with monster hunting and a forbidden romance wrapped up in an intriguing fantasy world.

I loved the writing and how from the very first page this captivating dark fantasy had me gripped and this continued throughout the book, Aster was such a strong and fierce FMC and I felt so much for her, a pirate who has never set foot on land, faces heartache when her brother is killed by Nightweavers. (beings who have long since claimed human lands for themselves leaving many humans to make the sea their homes) Aster and her family are taken captive. When mercy comes from a Nightweaver lord who buys their indenture, Aster finds herself along with the rest of her family as servants at Bludgrave Manor living with the very monsters she has been taught to hate. Though what awaits her there is court intrigue, a forbidden romance and as she sets herself on a course of vengeance, secrets about the people she is working for and learning that everything she has always been led to believe might not be the full truth.

The world building is darkly atmospheric and I loved how vivid everything was in the descriptions from creatures to very fine details it is all woven into a story that is slowly built and well developed the pacing did dip towards the middle but soon picked up again. Family loyalty is the forefront of this story with the romance as more of a subplot and I was more intrigued with another character than the love interest so I'm really looking forward to seeing how everything plays out with that.

I can't wait to see where Aster's journey takes her not only learning more about herself but getting answers to some more secrets and whether they should have stayed hidden.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this before publication.

This was another book I approached with medium expectations and was pleasantly surprised. In many ways, Nightweaver picks up many of the usual tropes and plot points from books of its kind, I'd venture to say that it's following a formula. However, I personally like to see certain tropes and can't say I tire of seeing similar stories provided each has their original spin. For this particular book, I would argue that the skeleton of the plot follows a well known formula but the author pads it out with interesting combinations that make it well worth picking up.

I may have been a tad unsure at the opening chapters but this was ultimately a super fun read and a page turner that had me staying up later than I should have. Our main character Aster is a pirate although arguably not by choice; humans have fled the land which is now under the control of Nightweavers which are beings original to this story with vampiric attributes. Our journey starts with an attack on Aster's pirate ship upon which she gets captured and taken back on land along with her parents and numerable siblings. Once on land she discovers that the stories about Nightweavers she grew up with aren't perhaps entirely true. She and her family end up working for an aristocratic Nightweaver family where there's more than one mystery to solve.

Ultimately, this is a fun mash up of Pirates of the Caribbean meets Downton Abbey with gothic and whodunnit sprinkles on top. This was also surprisingly dark - it's probably about as gory and gut-squishy as you can get while still calling it a young adult book. Of course, this book wouldn't be complete without a dose of romance either, and truth be told, it was one of the reasons I was a bit unsure when I first started this book.

We are introduced to Will very early on - he is the Nightweaver in charge when Aster and her family are captured as well as the eldest son of the family they later serve. On the non romance front, I thought it was a little odd how this supposed pirate family would so easily give in and meekly joining the household staff. I found it equally puzzling how quickly Aster and Will took an interest in each other given their starting position. It made it a little harder to buy into their budding romance but I felt there was enough non romance plot to keep things going well enough. There is also a second love interest [of course he's the blonde counterpart to Will's dark hair] and while I know many don't like a love triangle and it did at times feel like a case of everybody-loves-the-main-character, I didn't mind it so much - especially as it was introduced quite late. Additionally, we have a pretty large cast and there are quite a few budding relationships (romantic and otherwise) and it made Aster having two love interests stand out less. Interestingly, the character I thought Aster had the most chemistry is was not a love interest and I don't see him becoming one later either.

In any case, the romance wasn't perhaps my favourite part of this book altogether, but the way it wraps up leaves a lot of possibilities for the sequel and in hindsight makes some of Will's and Aster's interactions a lot more plausible. Ultimately, the way this first instalment ended has me entirely clueless as to who the actual love interest will be and how things will play out. There were other more predictable elements such as some characters' true identities, but I wouldn't really call this out as a flaw. Part of it was surely the well known formula, but a good chunk of it was also nice foreshadowing and despite having an inkling of what would come, it didn't take away from wanting to add chapter upon chapter to see what happens next.

I think this will appeal to readers who enjoy sticking close to their favourite tropes whilst still bringing fresh things to the table. I very much enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to the sequel.

A pirate romantasy with monsters, magic, and mayhem.
The Nightweavers have claimed human lands for their own, so Aster and her family (they gave me The Umbrella Academy vibes but violent pirates) and a lot of other humans have made the sea their home.
Their lives are uprooted (upwaved?) when they are taken captive by a Nightweaver Lord who buys their indenture.

Aster had been taught that the monsters on the land eat humans and now she is living among them and maybe falling in love with someone she really shouldn’t.

The romance was not a huge focus of this book, instead it is about relearning everything Aster thought she knew and the different factions at play.
My favourite character was not the love interest, so I’ll be interested to see how that plays out.

<b>“You’re too late,” I say, my voice a quiet breath. “I don’t need you anymore.”
As if those were the words that he waited three months to hear, a tentative smile breaks out over his face, though it doesn’t reach his heavy-lidded eyes. “You never did.”
</b>
We have great action scenes.
A ball.
Jealousy.
A captain saviour with a secret identity.
SARCASM AND WIT.

Family loyalty is a key theme of this book. I loved this as I love families represented in fiction. Especially stabby ones.
However, the behaviour of Aster’s family frustrated me. They are supposed to be these fearless, violent pirates and yet they adapt and accept to being cooks, maids, housemaids, etc so easily.

WARNING: This doesn’t really play into the whole pirate thing. The first 25 pages sees the family being taken from their ship to be sold/rescued.

This would have been a four stars, had it not been for certain inconsistencies in characters and plot conveniences.

Physical arc gifted by Penguin Random House UK.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

I had high hopes for this from the blurb, but as the rating will show, it didn't live up to them. I think I'm realising that I'm not a pirate book person - I think I've only really liked one series of books with pirates. So that might be a me problem.

Aster is a 17-year-old pirate who has spent her entire life on a ship - humans fled the land centuries ago when the Nightweavers arrived. We're told that Nightweavers are horrifying creatures who eat humans and all that bad stuff, and the only way for humans to survive is to flee to the seas.

Personally, I find this stupid because how would humans survive on ships? It's not like ships are renowned for growing things or being sources of nutritional food, etc. This point is reinforced by the fact that Aster has never been on land, yet apparently, there are pirate ports that her ship goes to occasionally. Yet she never left the ship. But also, I thought humans were all in the sea, so why are there ports, and where are they getting their supplies if they're not in the sea?

Aster lives on the ship with her six other siblings (that's right, six) and parents. If there's anyone else on the crew, I wouldn't know as they don't get mentioned. At the start of the book, they're attacked by a Nightweaver ship and taken prisoner. This raises another question - why would humans flee to the sea if Nightweavers could just follow them? Of course, we discover that Nightweavers aren't these horrific monsters that Aster and her family have been talking about, but generally normal, there's another type of creature out there that's the bad guy. The difference is that Nightweavers aren't human; they use magic and are the ruling class.

The Nightweaver who ends up saving Aster and her family is called Will Castor, and of course, his family is Not Like Other Nightweavers because they're nice to humans! They actually care and acknowledge that their race came from a different world and subjugated the humans (admittedly, the humans were stupid and brought all this strife into their world, but still).

As a result of Will saving them, Aster and her family are bound into a contract to serve his family on land. As you might expect, Aster rails against this and wants to return to the sea, while her family is actually pretty okay with how things have turned out. Will and Aster sort of bonded together over the creature that killed Aster's brother and put Will's sister at risk, and they vow to kill it. Thus, truly begins the story.

My main problem is that I didn't care for the characters. Aster annoyed me; Will was a bland YA male love interest who was impossibly good-looking and talented, and the rest of the characters all sort of melted away. Aster had so many bloody siblings that I couldn't track who was good at what, and I wasn't interested. It also has hints of a love triangle, and I'm a staunch anti-love triangle person, so that was a no to me.

Alongside this, the world-building was just...lacking. I realised that I couldn't imagine what this world looked like because it blended too many elements together and made it confusing.

As you'll see from reviews, this book has many lovers and I have no doubt it will have many more. Unfortunately, for me, it just didn't hit the spot.

Thank you to the author and publishers for allowing me an ARC via NetGalley!

*spoiler free review*

Summary: this book follows a young female pirate on a journey where she discovers who she is, makes new friends, and learns secrets about both herself and those perceived to be her enemy.

What I liked:
- the female character feels very authentic and self-aware. I love that she is independent and stubborn in the best way
- the plot is very unique. I have never read a book about pirates before and I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, but I truly could not put this book down.
- there are plot twists that the reader would never see coming. I literally had to take a few minutes after reading the last plot twist
- every character has depth and is so interesting. There’s a few characters who you don’t like at the beginning but they redeem themselves
- the pace and length of the book are perfect
- this book is addicting. I was so excited to read this and finish it, and now I’m desperately hoping there is a sequel in the future! This is a book I couldn’t stop thinking about, and I’m deeply sad that I’ve finished it as I want more!!

Rating: 5/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The world in this is just gorgeous, layered on top of each other with so many different details and layers that it somehow feels like a pirate adventure, a regency demon hunting romance and yet a vivid fantasy world in its own right! Every location in this world has a vivid crispness and distinctness which I really enjoyed from the delicate magical feel of the manor conservatory to the rough decks of the Lightbringer ship at the beginning.
I also really loved the supporting characters, the depth they had to their reactions and how it connected to their experiences. The main character Aster felt realistic and pirateish while maintaining a revenge driven plot which I always find interesting to read. I was hooked from start to finish – this is a pirate romantasy like none other!