Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Rich world-building, frequent gore in rousing fantasy debut.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Solid ground has been NIGHTWEAVER territory for 600 years, since the time when humans unleashed catastrophic destruction in their greed for power, and as punishment were driven from the land and onto the water. Now the Oberon family—dad, mom, and seven kids ages 8 to 21, including 17-year-old narrator Aster—are feared, ruthless pirates of the high seas who plunder and rob their luckless victims but also dodge many perils from Nightweavers and dark spirits. Captured by Nightweavers after a brutal battle that takes the life of eldest brother Owen, the family has no reason to expect anything good when they're dragged back to land as prisoners, with a gallows looming in the background. A young Nightweaver lord's act of kindness is a surprise—but what's really behind it?
Is It Any Good?
R.M. Gray builds a rich, complex world, introduces star-crossed lovers with inner conflicts, magic powers, and lots of secrets, and piles on stunning amounts of gore, corpses, and body parts. Nightweaver is the first of a two-part series packed with pirates, mortal combat, dark spirits, and moral dilemmas. Seventeen-year-old pirate girl Aster, taken prisoner along with her family and expecting the worst, finds kindness in the strangest of places and learns to question a lot of the narratives she's always heard. There are plot twists, conflicts, romantic sparks, and complex characters aplenty, with more to come in Book 2. The intense, frequent violence makes this series starter better suited for older teens, though younger readers who can handle gore will be just fine, too—just be prepared for lots of blood, dismemberment, hacking, and slashing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about pirates and why they're such an enduing theme in storytelling over the centuries. How does Nightweaver compare with other pirate tales you know?
A character says, "The more people fear you, the less you need actually give them a reason to be afraid." Do you agree or disagree?
Some stories of forbidden love end in tragedy, some in happiness. Have you ever known people who fell in love with each other even though they knew it would be big trouble from the start? How did it go?
What are some examples of courage and perseverance in this story? Amid so much violence, do these character strengths matter? Why, or why not?
How did all the violence in this story affect you? Is it different to read about killings and other brutality than to watch it in movies or on television?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Pirates
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : March 4, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
- Number of pages : 432
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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