Tapestry, Hallie Burton

- Review by Trisha

4 out of 5 stars

Tapestry by Hallie Burton was a wonderful story. It was a story that interested me from the blurb. I am always looking to read great YA novels and I enjoyed this one immensely. I think a lot of people will love this novel.

Tallie was happy with his life. He was doing his best to excel and was about to become a Journeyman in the Design Guild. He had a young man who was interested in being his partner and Tallie was about to accept. But his friendship with Jonis, a guildless Bonder, changed things for him. It also caused the two of them to flee with a young, unmarried, pregnant girl, who was the girlfriend of Tallie’s friend, Tommin, a fellow apprentice.

The reason their friendship was an issue is because Ollas was a very cold place. Music and dance were banned. Mothers could not comfort their babies. And physical contact outside of family and marriage/partnership was not allowed. In fact it was punishable to be found in the embrace of someone you were not committed to.

In the beginning, for me anyway, it was obvious that Tallie was meant for Jonis. Worran, the man who was interested in him, did not seem to have his heart the way I like in my main couple. But when he spoke of Jonis… the emotion felt real. With Worran, it was more lust than love. And for me, that was the reason I felt okay about rooting for them. That and the fact that Worran betrayed Tallie.

Tallie and Jonis had a great journey ahead of them and a lot of the time I worried. There were a few scenes throughout the book where one of them was injured, sick, or close to death. If you like that kind of tension, then this book is definitely for you. It captivated me, and while sometimes the pace was a little slow, I still enjoyed the book. The story felt fresh, the characters were lovable, and the romance aspect was sweet.

The characters were all essential to the story. Even the ones I hated were something I loved about the story. It brought the overall story together. Without Worran, we wouldn’t have had the large part of the plot. Without Cather, we would not have had any of the sadness or realism. His part in the story was my favourite as far as secondary characters go.

The ending of this story was a happy one. For me, that is one of the most important things, a happy ending. And we did get closure on a lot of the things brought up here. I was happy to see that because for a while I was in doubt about the ending. So anyone who worries about the ending needn’t worry. This would not be a four star for me without it.

Tapestry is definitely a four star read. But because of it being a little slow in some spots I cannot give it five. But it is definitely a book I would recommend to fans of YA MM novels. This is not short, but it is a very good read with an excellent plot, lovable characters, and a wonderful ending. Tissues might be needed.

This book was provided by Harmony Ink Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.