SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL NAMES THE NIGHT WEAVER TO
FRIENDLY HAINTS AND MACABRE ADVENTURES
36 Seasonal Titles for Middle Grade and High School Readers
SNYMAN, Monique. The Night Weaver. 266p. (The Harrowsgate Series).
Vesuvian. Oct. 2019. pap. $16.99. ISBN 9781645480068.
Gr 9 Up—Stephen King’s It meets Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight in Snyman’s first installment of a new series. In the town of Shadow Grove, an ominous presence seeks to be fed and cause destruction. Children mysteriously vanish into thin air; all the while, adults put a veil over the history of the town, developing lies to cover up a hidden truth. With no sane adult to turn to, 17-year-old Rachel Cleary, her neighbor Mrs. Crenshaw, and teen grandson Dougal Mackay brave their way through the town’s forest to search for the missing kids and ward off the Night Weaver (the evil Black Annis of folklore) before she captures and devours all of the children. This is a frightening story of horror and fantasy woven together to create a delectable tale of the macabre. Snyman effortlessly transforms an ominous story into one of romance and action, as love blossoms between Rachel and the mysterious Fae named Orion who aids her on her quest to save the town’s children. The mature content intensifies the story while backing up the need for the teenagers to take on adult roles. Readers will fall in love with Rachel’s no-nonsense personality and witty banter.
VERDICT: Snyman’s storytelling will have people lining up for the next book in the series.
~Beronica Puhr, Oak Park Public Library, IL
For full list of reads, please click: Friendly Haints and Macabre Adventures