Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Sydelle Mirabel has lived in the desert border village of Cliffton weaving and pining for water for her entire life. She longs for a different, more exciting existence full of new places – hoping that one day it will come. When a sudden rain storm happily forces her indoors Sydelle meets a strange wizard named Wayland North just passing through. And since he brought the rain he’s offered any reward of his choice. Surprising to all he chooses Sydelle. She wonders what she has to offer him but shows no hesitation to leave home.

Before long Sydelle questions North’s motives even more as their journey is accompanied by bad weather and both puffed-up and dark wizards. How can she be of any use to a wizard and his array of brightly colored cloaks if she doesn’t know anything about magic? As North remains selective in his answers Sydelle begins to learn on her own what she’s capable of and how it might weave her fragile nation back together.

This little YA fantasy that could picks you up from the first page and never puts you down until its over. A lot happens in little pages and it’s been awhile since I’ve read anything so quick-paced. Before you’re standing on your own two feet in Cliffton the story’s already moved swiftly yet seamlessly to Sydelle’s next adventure so you’re not left behind or feeling rushed. At the same time the mid-chapter breaks still felt sudden but appropriately so as the pace mirrored the nature of Sydelle and North’s urgent pick-up-and-go flight. As such the description was minimal but enough to get a grasp of the world in its alternating whimsy and earnestness.

Sydelle, with her inexperienced but capable charms is endearing and North in all his fun-loving spontaneity yet steadfast efforts is cute. Although the dark wizard wasn’t nearly threatening enough and I never felt the full gravity of the impending war that seemed to be intended, I loved the unpredictability and freshness of the world. There were a few times I felt at once clueless and intrigued by the plot twists and turns and my overturned expectations. Overall a fun and light YA fantasy. Alexandra Bracken is an author to watch.