Review – The Story Raider (Weaver Trilogy, Book 2) by Lindsay A. Franklin (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Enclave Publishing
Release Date: July 23, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1621840787
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Weaver Trilogy
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Tanwen and the Corsyth weavers race to collect the strands of an ancient cure that might save Gryfelle. But Tanwen has a secret: Gryfelle isn’t the only one afflicted by the weaver’s curse.
As Queen Braith struggles to assert her rule, a new arrival throws her tenuous claim to the Tirian throne into question. Braith’s heart is turned upside down, and she’s not sure she can trust anyone—least of all herself.
The puppet master behind Gareth’s rise to power has designs on the story weavers and will stop at nothing to reclaim the throne. A plot to incite the angry peasants of Tir takes shape, and those dearest to Tanwen will be caught in the crossfire. As the fight for Tir consumes the realm, no one can remain innocent.”
This is the second book in the Weaver Trilogy. I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first book in the series…there just wasn’t as much of the cool creative magic as in the first book. That being said this was still a very solid adventure fantasy.
Tanwen and crew must take off to search for a cure for the curse brought on by suppressing Tanwen’s magic. Both her life and Gryfelle’s are completely dependent on finding this cure. Meanwhile Braith is trying to secure her throne and stabilize Tir, healing the ills her father has committed. Unfortunately the general population does not feel kindly towards Braith and there is great unrest in the kingdom.
I was concerned by how preachy the end of the first book was. Fortunately this book didn’t come off as preachy at all, which was a relief. There is some discussion about the Creator and occasionally the characters pray to him, there are also heavy themes around sacrifice. However, it doesn’t come off as heavily religious or overpowering.
I continue to enjoy the adventure and the characters. I enjoyed the questing type of adventure the characters go on to recover different strands for the cure. This ended up being a pretty quick read for me. I did find the constant POV changes between Tannie, Briath, and the priest to be a bit distracting.
Overall this was a good adventure fantasy book that I enjoyed reading. I didn’t think it was quite as exciting or magical as the first book in the series but I plan on continuing the series. I would recommend to those who enjoy adventure fantasy reads.
