I'm sitting here after finishing this book with only one thought on my mind: Where is book 2!?
This was an exceptional debut. The worldbuilding, the characters, the ideas and the plot, everything worked together to suck me into this book and I found myself cursing because I couldn't read fast enough and also dreading the moment the book ended. This is everything that I wanted to see in a gothic fantasy and it was absolutely brilliant. I can't get that last scene out of my head, that final line was just perfect. I want more already. I want to buy this for the readers in my family and then smile when they get to that last line because the more of us that have to sit and wait for the next book, the better. The moment I get my copy, this book is living on my shelf of absolute favorites. I see myself reading this again and again in the future.
Weavingshaw follows Leena Al-Sayer, who woke up three years ago with the ability to see the dead. She has done everything she can to keep this secret safe. When her beloved brother Rami ends up ill, Leena knows the only choice she has is to sell her secret in order to get the medicine needed to keep her brother from dying. She goes to the Saint of Silence, a merchant that takes the confessions and secrets of the public, and makes a deal. She must find the ghost of Percival Avon, the last lord of Weavingshaw, or stay working for the Saint of Silence for the rest of her life, telling him the things that his customers won't admit by seeing any ghosts that follow them. When Leena finally gets to Weavingshaw, Leena finds a land that feels cursed. She works with the Saint of Silence, fighting the growing connection between them, all the while trying to understand what the ghosts are trying to tell her about Weavingshaw and Lord Avon. Leena also want to understand why this is so important to the Saint of Silence. As threats start to come at them from all sides, Leena starts to realize that the secrets buried at Weavingshaw are better left alone with the dead that keep them.
Oh Leena, my dear sweet Leena, I love this girl so very much. This is a girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She's determined to keep her impulsive brother safe, she's determined to find a way to save her father who was imprisoned years earlier. She's a young woman who feels on the fringe in her country, considered not a part of the country she lives in and yet not able to return to her home country either. She has done her best to make the most of her situation and has done everything to figure out how to keep herself safe from the ghosts that follow her day and night. I wanted everything for this girl, she deserves the world. Her brother Rami, as much as I wanted to love him for Leena's sake, at the same time I felt so exasperated by his choices. Every time Leena worried for him, I was in the same boat, wishing he'd be more careful for his sister's sake if not his own. As for the Saint of Silence, I watched this guy like a hawk, taking in the little sneak peeks about his better character because there has to be something to root for with this kind of character. At the start of the book, I wanted to wring this guy's neck but I was confident that Al-Wasity was going to surprise me and I was not disappointed by the development of the Saint of Silence. The slow reveals about the motivations behind the Saint's actions and the secrets about his past made for a character that I wanted to swoop in and take care of along with Leena. This pair together kept my attention riveted to every page.
The worldbuilding was brilliant. I wanted to know more about everything, about the history of the country, how the gentry works and I got so many answers about it all. I'm hoping the final copy has some kind of map, that would be the cherry on top for this release. I thought the development with Leena's ability and how she fits into this world was well-done. Her interests and beliefs and her family kept my attention and I feel like I know so much about this world and yes, I do have questions that I hope will get answers in the next book. That's the sign of a good writer, able to hook the reader with what is given and keep them wanting to come back for more. This book was long and yet I still want to keep reading, I want that next release already, it is my hope that it'll be released some time next year to put me out of my misery.
The writing was clear and concise, able to give descriptions without feeling like the book was being bogged down by information. The majority of the chapters followed Leena but there were occasional chapters from Rami and from the Saint which were able to round out the story, giving the readers more chances to see the different sides of this world. The depth of the feelings, the slow reveals, the discovery of every facet of this book were exceptionally written and honestly, I will be following Heba Al-Wasity for every book release from now on. I want to talk more about the plot of this book, about the search for Lord Avon, but the clues deserve to be discovered by every reader who wants to experience this book because that is what this book is, an experience. I loved every page of this book, the insights that closed every chapter were so poetic that once I get my copy, I plan on marking each and every one of my favorite quotes. Al-Wasity has a way way with words that weaves a spell on the reader and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars. Seriously, sincerely, read this book. If Gothic fantasy and mystery are your genres, this is the book you need to read. This is the kind of book that kept me up reading into the small hours of the night because I needed to know what happened next and only the best books keep me up all night to read.
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