March Book Club Review

Nightweaver by R.M. Gray

Violet Oberon had never stepped foot on land. 

Six hundred years after the Nightweavers claimed human lands for their own, the ocean is a haven for seventeen-year-old Violet and her family. Notorious pirates of the Western Sea, the Oberon clan are undefeated in battle—until an Underling murders Violet's brother, and she discovers there are monsters more fearsome than the Nightweavers that have taken them captive. 

When the son of a wealthy Nightweaver shows Violet and her family mercy, offering employment at his estate rather than enslavement, Violet vows not to forget that he is everything she hates. But as she adjusts to her new role as a kitchen maid at Bludgrave Manor, she finds that hatred is a curious thing. Arrogant, entitled, right hand to the wicked prince, William Castor might be the key to avenging her brother-and reclaiming her freedom. 

But mercy always comes with a price. As Violet hunts the Underling responsible for her brother's death, dark secrets threaten to unravel everything she thought she knew about the Nightweavers, herself, and her world. Torn between family loyalty and a chance at revenge, the cost of learning the truth about her brother's murder could be her life.

Nightweaver is Pirates of the Caribbean meets Cruel Prince in this gothic pirate romantasy novel. This was a surprisingly good read for a fantasy debut novel; it wasn't rushed but had a steady flow to the movement of the plot. The story combined several elements with magic systems, pirates, and mythical beings.

Setting-wise, it was enjoyable. R.M. Gray captured what it was like to live as a pirate while fleeing from Nightweavers. Although, I wish the lore and history of the Nightweavers and other beings were described in more detail. It could be confusing and at times there were large dumps of information that completely erased itself from my brain the moment I read it. 

In many fiction novels, the main character is an orphan whose sole purpose in life is to defeat their enemy, and then someone prevails because their trauma gives them plot armor, but that is not what happens in Nightweaver. Violet Oberon has a large family that she is furiously protective over, which comes into clutch with her stab first, ask questions second personality. One of my favorite scenes with Violet that showcases her loyalty to her family is when her sister is being threatened, and someone asks if Violet is willing to die for her sister, but instead, she answers that she is willing to kill for her sister. I liked how she wasn't some damsel in distress who waited for a man to save her. She was determined to save herself. 

Now, the part I struggled with was the love triangle. Very rarely do I like reading love triangles because they aren't often written well, and one character is obviously better for the main character, and the only reason for a love triangle is to cause drama in the story. And while I'm still not a hundred percent on the love triangle with Will and Captain Shade, I loved both of their characters. Will, a Nightweaver with enough tension with Violet to suffocate someone, is an amazing character. He is sarcastic and brooding, but the banter between him and Violet is one of the book's best parts. Captain Shade, whose secrets have secrets, to put it bluntly, is hot. That is all I'll elaborate on the topic. I couldn't decide who I wanted Violet to end up with, but that could all change in the second book. 

One of the big things that I didn't like was that I didn't feel connected with the characters on an emotional level, which could be because of the vast number of characters that were introduced so quickly. So many of the characters had an information dump upon appearance that it was a bit overwhelming and hard to keep track of who was who. But because I didn't connect with the characters, I couldn't help but feel there wasn't much complexity to the characters. I would have liked to see more complexity in the main characters, especially Violet. 

However, I applaud R.M. Gray for writing such a fantastic debut novel, and I can't wait to see what she does in the sequel. 

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

The Frozen River is a complex historical fiction set in the late 1700s. The story was inspired by Martha Ballard, a midwife who kept diaries of her patients. I loved how Ariel Lawhon was able to weave fact with fiction about what it was like to be alive during this time period and deal with being a woman in society and other things, such as childbirth. 

The story revolves around Martha trying to solve a man’s murder after he is found frozen in a river, but I also think it heavily focuses on what it was like to be a woman during this time period and live in a man’s world. At the time, women were seen as less than men, but Martha was a huge advocate of women's rights and was not afraid to voice her opinions.

I don’t normally read historical fiction, so I was a bit hesitant to pick up the Frozen River, but when the first chapter literally started with a very descriptive scene of Martha aiding in someone’s delivery process, I knew I was in for a wild ride.

Maybe it was the vivid description or how Martha's character was described, but I was immediately hooked on the story. Every scene was so vivid that I could almost picture myself standing right beside Martha and solving the murder mystery. 

Martha Ballard’s character was such a refresher, though. She didn’t roll over to societal norms, and she was willing to risk her life to bring justice to a girl that no one believed. Martha fought misogynists every step of the way while trying to solve a murder that the new doctor from Harvard was dead set on saying was an accident. 

I wasn’t expecting such an intense mystery when I started reading, and I found myself as intrigued with Martha’s life as I was by the murder she was trying to solve. The Frozen River had twists and turns at every corner of the story, almost giving me whiplash as I tried to guess the murderer. 

I will say that The Frozen River is not for the faint of heart. It has several dark concepts that are very detailed, which could be triggering for some people, such as detailed rape, brutal murders, gory injuries, and language, 

Overall, I really enjoyed The Frozen River. I have never read one of Ariel Lawhon’s books, but I can’t wait to pick another!

Written by Carlie Renee