Adoration is a small word for Realmweaver

I enjoyed Realmweaver by L.K. Witt so much, I feel like punching the air. This Wonderland meets LOTR, as the author describes it, is wonderfully refreshing romantasy with magic dripping from every word and a love you can root for.

Out: November 10th

Rating: 4 and a half stars

Lorelia is the light-weaver destined to save them all from Abadonis, the tyrant god. Her world is dying: The stars are dwindling, chasms are opening in the earth and there is a blight gradually decaying the vegetation. When she accidentally falls into one of those chasms, she finds herself in the Netherdark. The Netherking takes her prisoner. But his son, the prince, becomes her ally. While the threat from the abyss is stirring and both worlds may be lost, Lorelia & Malakai find out that their destiny is much different than they thought.

The prologue sparks the intrigue for what is coming, as it makes you anticipate the mysterious character mentioned. Witt has a way of making you feel you are with the characters, accompanying them in their endeavors. She has envisioned this world fully and is adept at sharing it. Presenting figurative speech that evokes wonderful imagery, there are examples of wording that are linguistic beauties. Staples of magical tales that we love are successfully coupled with the author's imagination, bringing us immense wonder & delight. The creativity really roars when we arrive in the Netherdark and I would read the descriptions slowly, so as to savor this world.

Good-natured humor threads through the prose which always has embers of hope, even in its darkest hours. There were parts where I outright hee-hawed like a donkey. You can feel Witt's enthusiasm in delivering this story and it is contagious. There is so much sentiment in this tale that has been woven in such an engaging manner. The "Aha!" and "What the..." moments will excite you with their cleverness. The lore embedded in this story is wonderful.

The FMC is not badass because she is a trained fighter or due to her power to weave starlight (awesome), but because doing the right thing is imprinted on her soul. While being kind-hearted, she takes no 💩 and I'm here for it. Not going to spoil, so Malaki being ******** and ******** is sensational. The iresome prince (chuckle-inducing for us) is supposed to be someone our heroine hates, but the clashing of wits turned into dancing of words and brought forth feelings that cannot be denied. He is so swoony. There are many great characters to love, who are not ornaments but breathe warmth and are integral to the narrative.

I must admit — even though I adore this book — that there were some bumpy choices of words or phrases and editing. There was a need, in places, to balance punctuation like em dashes or italics. And no em dashes are AI baloney please; Hemingway and Charles Dickens used them, and this fantasy is obviously written by a lovely human being. It just threw me out of my marvelous immersion. There were a few often-used types of subplots I was not too crazy about; one ended up being important to the story, the other disappeared thankfully.

There are two sides to every story and this book explores it beautifully. Things may not always be as they seem. I believe Realmweaver is fundamentally about finding the power within and chasing the shadows away. A Fae-vibed glittering Wonderland, a radiance in the dark full of sticky danger that brought to mind wonderful films such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Legend. It evokes Lord of the Rings, for me mainly, in its inclusion of a quest, great allies and pure evil. L.K. Witt is a grand new voice in fantasy you do not want to miss. And Realmweaver, the start of a more than exceptional duology.