Kristen’s Take: The Weaver’s Loom by Jessi St. John
Note: Kristen read this via an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) gifted to her from the author, Jessi St. John. The Weaver’s Loom will be published on June 1, 2026 (and Book 2 is slated for August 2026!)
The Weaver’s Loom transports us to 1893 London, a time during which witches guardedly coexist with humans, having given up their immortality in exchange for acceptance into society. While most witches accept their new reality, a disgruntled and dangerous faction of witches, angry about losing their immortality, hunt down and kill all the remaining Death Witches in an effort to regain this immortality. The story starts here, in a society where Death Witches no longer exist.
Our protagonist, Edith Ashton, is a witch who also works as an Inspector, investigating crimes against witches thanks to her gift of being able to see a victim’s last memory. That’s not where her power ends though, and she’s worked for years to effectively hide that true power. But when Edith gets put on a case investigating missing high-profile witches, she begins to think something more nefarious is at play and she might be the key to solving the mystery.
This book was very fun and a quick read. The pacing felt on point the whole story - medium-paced, good character development while also keeping the story moving forward - until the final climax, which admittedly felt a bit rushed. I would have preferred the climax to be given a little more breathing room to develop and build tension, but considering that this is the first book in a series, there is plenty more story ahead to continue the excitement.
If you’re looking for romance, this book is not it (yet)… Jessi St. James is embracing the slow in slow burn to the point where I honestly am not even sure who the future love interest will be. As a frequent romantasy reader, I actually loved that this book focused less on our FMC’s potential love life and more on her character development and acceptance into who she is (and what she is). Strong female protagonist who doesn’t take shit from no man? Yes please! The story is certainly setting up for a romance to feature in the future books, but I was happy for this series to start with a focus on Edith and her past, and establish her as coming into her own.
I’m a complete sucker for novels set in Victorian London, so the setting of this book hooked me immediately. It was such an interesting time historically, toeing the line between a simpler, more old fashioned way of life with an imminent explosion of industry. I especially loved seeing a female character embrace a profession completely dominated by men, and Edith is just genuinely likable. Definitely check this book out if, like me, you’re low key obsessed with Victorian London gaslamp murder mysteries.
Read this for…
Gaslamp Victorian London
Murder Mystery
Unlikely Hero
Magical Society
Slow Burn
Found Family
Spice: 0 / 5
Vibes: 4.25 / 5