Character Profile

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Summary

A girl whose oral stories create physical sculptures ends up on the run after telling a forbidden story.

Stats

Genre: YA (16+ years) high fantasy with threads of political intrigue and romance.

Series length: Three books

Violence: Moderate to strong fantasy violence

Magic/Supernatural: Strong supernatural

Romance/Sexual: A light romantic subplot, plus one secondary character struggles with results of having been raped multiple times (raped implied, not explicitly spelled out and occur prior to the story's start)

Christian/spiritual element: Overt allegorical elements

Recommendation: Excellent for boys or girls who enjoy medieval fantasy and high adventure

You might like this book if you liked... 
The Lord of the Rings or X-men

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Opening Lines:

Colored ribbons of light poured from my fingers. One strand broke free and soared above the crowd's head, glowing golden in the afternoon sun. 

A child in the crowd gasped. "Look, Mam!"

I swallowed my smile and pushed all my focus back to my words--practiced over and over until I could say each phrase in fancy, schooled Tirian. Couldn't let any common village speak bleed into the stories all Tirians know so well. My storytelling mentor, Riwor, loomed near the edge of the crowd, eyes narrowed and watching my every breath. She'd make me pay for it if my practiced peddler words slipped into my usual lowborn drawl. 

​Again. 

The Story Peddler (The Weaver Trilogy, Book 1)
by Lindsay A. Franklin

Selling stories is a deadly business

Tanwen doesn’t just tell stories—she weaves them into crystallized sculptures that sell for more than a few bits. But the only way to escape the control of her cruel mentor and claw her way from poverty is to set her sights on something grander: becoming Royal Storyteller to the king.

​During her final story peddling tour, a tale of treason spills from her hands, threatening the king himself. Tanwen goes from peddler to prey as the king’s guard hunts her down . . . and they’re not known for their mercy. As Tanwen flees for her life, she unearths long-buried secrets and discovers she’s not the only outlaw in the empire. There’s a rebel group of weavers . . . and they’re after her too.

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Opening Lines:

Naith Bo-Offriad hurried down the main thoroughfare of Afon. Of all places.

How had it come to this? The High Priest of the Tirian Empire skulking down the cobblestoned streets of some peninsular town, praying to the stars not to be noticed by the provincials, should they still be milling about at this hour. 

The Story Raider (The Weaver Trilogy, Book 2)
by Lindsay A. Franklin

Deceiving an empire is a treacherous game. 

Tanwen and the Corsyth weavers race to collect the strands of an ancient cure that might save Gryfelle. But Tanwen has a secret: Gryfelle isn’t the only one afflicted by the weaver's curse.  

As Queen Braith struggles to assert her rule, a new arrival throws her tenuous claim to the Tirian throne into question. Braith’s heart is turned upside down, and she’s not sure she can trust anyone—least of all herself.  

​The puppet master behind Gareth’s rise to power has designs on the story weavers and will stop at nothing to reclaim the throne. A plot to incite the angry peasants of Tir takes shape, and those dearest to Tanwen will be caught in the crossfire. As the fight for Tir consumes the realm, no one can remain innocent.

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Opening Lines:

I stood before the capital city of Urian, unable to breathe. Wispy strands of pearl-gray sorrow cascaded from my hands and pooled on the ground. 

The city, the one I'd spent most of my young life dreaming about, hadn't been all I'd hoped for--that was true. It hadn't fulfilled me and my desires the way I'd once fantasized it would. But it had been my home for a while. It had been the place where I'd rediscovered my father, alive, after thirteen years apart. The place where we had triumphed over a tyrant, where Braith had rightly been crowned queen, and where I'd thought my future might lie.

And now, it was enveloped in chaos.  

The Story Hunter (The Weaver Trilogy, Book 3)
by Lindsay A. Franklin

Redeeming the past is a fatal quest.

In the wake of a deadly coup, the capital city of Urian has descended into chaos. Heartbreak and bloodshed await Tanwen and her friends as they discover the unlikeliest leader now rules Tir.

If they want to save the realm, Tannie and the Corsyth weavers must rescue Queen Braith and unmask the Master, ending the strife once and for all. But the success of their hunt depends upon an ally no one trusts.

The Master has a new target in sight: fragile, trauma-scarred Digwyn, whose unique weaving ability could turn the tide of any war. When the desire for vengeance proves too powerful for Digwyn to resist, Tanwen must face a terrifying truth: the fate of Tir rests in the hands of a volatile, shattered girl.