OVERVIEW:
Ms Wallace Peach has done it again. This is a wonderful book.
BLURB:
“Already the animals starve. Soon the bonemen will follow, the Moss Folk and woodlings, the watermaids and humans. Then the charmed will fade. And all who will roam a dead world are dead things. Until they too vanish for lack of remembering. Still, Weaver, it is not too late.”
In the frost-kissed cottage where the changing seasons are spun, Erith wears the Weaver’s mantle, a title that tests her mortal, halfling magic. As the equinox looms, her first tapestry nears completion—a breath-taking ode to spring. She journeys to the charmed isle of Innishold to release the beauty of nature’s awakening across the land.
But human hunters have defiled the enchanted forest and slaughtered winter’s white wolves. Enraged by the trespass, the Winter King seizes Erith’s tapestry and locks her within his ice-bound palace. Here, where comfort and warmth are mere glamours, she may weave only winter until every mortal village succumbs to starvation, ice, and the gray wraiths haunting the snow.
With humanity’s fate on a perilous edge, Erith must break free of the king’s grasp and unravel a legacy of secrets. In a charmed court where illusions hold sway, allies matter, foremost among them, the Autumn Prince. Immortal and beguiling, he offers a tantalizing future she has only imagined, one she will never possess—unless she claims her extraordinary power to weave life from the brink of death.
In the lyrical fantasy tradition of Margaret Rogerson and Holly Black, D. Wallace Peach spins a spellbinding tale of magic, resilience, and the transformative potency of tales—a tapestry woven with peril and hope set against the frigid backdrop of an eternal winter.
STORY:
Erith is the Weaver of the Seasons. She has inherited the job from her immortal, Charmed (magical) mother who decided to follow her mortal husband into the underworld on his death.
The young Erith is unconfident of her abilities, being only half Charmed. She doubts her magic is sufficient to weave the seasons.
It is winter, and human hunters entered the Charmed forest in pursuit of a stag. They killed some of the Winter King’s creatures, and now he is out for revenge.
Erith has to travel to the magical Isle of Innisholm to spread her magical tapestry, woven by her with her mother’s magic threads. At the equinox, the spreading of Spring’s tapestry will enable the change from winter to spring to take place. The Winter King will relinquish his throne to the Spring Princess.
Or will he?
Intent on punishing the humans, he captures Erith and destroys her tapestry, insisting she weaves only winter. This will cause the death of all living things, and eventually, as there is no one to believe in them, and to pass on their stories, the immortal Charmed, themselves.
Who can Erith trust? The Charmed courtiers? The Spring Princess? The Autumn Prince? The Summer Queen?
CHARACTERS:
Erith is full of doubt. She is very young to have this responsibility thrust upon her. We can understand how she feels. She is alone in the world.
She feels anger at her mother for leaving her to perform this task alone. This anger is mixed with love for her mother.
She is a character we can relate to. I think everyone has felt, to some degree, what Erith feels.
But she must find the courage from somewhere to stand up to the Winter King.
The Winter King is a typical depiction of winter. He has icy blue eyes and long white hair. His personality is cold and ruthless. He has little empathy for the humans he is destroying by his refusal to allow spring to arrive. Even when his actions are impacting his own people he will not relent.
The Spring Princess loves pastel colours. She has blonde hair and wears a dress with spring flowers on it.
She is slightly insipid, I thought, and does not have the courage to stand up to Winter King. She seems to think he’ll relent and all will be well.
The Summer Queen dresses in bolder colours than the Spring Princess, as befits a summer day. She doesn’t stand up to the Winter King, either, and doesn’t seem too bothered about what is happening.
The Autumn Prince is the only one of the season’s royalty who is on Erith’s side. He does all he can to help her, even if she doesn’t always appreciate it.
There are lots of other characters, many of whom are Charmed. I especially liked Erith’s hospet, a small, goblin-like creature who, in exchange for clothes and food, keeps the house clean and tidy.
WRITING:
Ms Wallace Peach writes like the Weaver of the title. Her prose and word choice weave magic, just as Erith weaves magic into her tapestry.
Her descriptions are beautiful. I could picture the cold beauty of Winter with the glittering ice and snow, and with Erith’s visit to the realms of the other Seasons’ rulers on the Isle of Innisholm, the delicate loveliness of Spring and the bountiful colours of Autumn.
I found no grammatical errors, nor typos.Definitely one to read if you are a fan of fantasy, and maybe even if you are not. The writing alone is worth it.
I give it 5*.
My ranking of books. In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.
5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.
4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.
3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.
2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.
1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.
Dragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author) 