Emmeline has a secret. Her parents hide it. Her servants fear it. And her enemy seeks it with ruthless abandon. She doesn’t know it yet, but she holds a gift that has the power to destroy her, or set her free.

Shadow Weaver is the first in a new middle-grade fantasy duology by MarcyKate Connolly, and it’s one of the books I discovered on National Take Your Child to the Library Day. After the more challenging Midnight Without a Moon that I shared with you last week, it was a lot of fun coming back to the type of book that tickles my scales!

“What a tangled web we weave…”

Emmeline was born with magic. Not just any magic, mind you, but the ability to control shadows. She can form them into puppies that scamper through grass or weave them into a cloak that hides her from prying eyes. She can even twist them into a rope bridge to support her weight as she works her way across a deep ravine!

But Emmeline’s parents and her servants are all afraid of her. Her only friend is her own shadow, Dar. Unlike the other shadows that surround us, Dar can speak. But only Emmeline can hear her.

After her parents threaten to send her away to cure her of her magic, Emmeline and Dar flee into the night. But not before Dar reveals that she wasn’t always a shadow. As a Shadow Weaver, Emmeline is the only one who can free her from the curse and restore Dar to the little girl she used to be.

As Emmeline hides from soldiers sent to hunt her down, she discovers a new, unexpected friendship and a massive plot to round up all the magical children in the land. Along the way she’ll face a choice that will test everything she’s come to believe about loyalty, friendship, and trust.

Where one story ends, another begins.

I read this book twice already! Once by myself and once out loud while visiting the newest member of our family. The story was even better the second time around.

Shadow Weaver has a quick pace from beginning to end, but it doesn’t leave you feeling breathless when you finish. Instead, it leaves you hungry for more. Which is good, because there’s still more to come.

One thing I like most about this book is that the end doesn’t leave you hanging. It resolves one story but makes it clear Emmeline’s adventures aren’t quite over yet. I’m excited that there’s going to be another book because there are so many things about Emmeline’s world that I want to learn more about!

I’m giving Shadow Weaver 5 dark chocolate eggs. This is one story that bookwyrms as young as 8 would enjoy. I can even imagine it being read out loud in a classroom and then having fun drawing or writing about what you would do with shadows if you could weave them together like Emmeline!

The only sad thing about this book is that I borrowed it and have to turn it back in this week. But that’s okay, too, because I hope it means that another young reader grabs it off the shelf and enjoys it as much as I did.

I can’t wait to see what comes next for Emmeline!

Note: No goods or services were exchanged for this review. The opinions belong solely to the reviewer.