Lovett betrayed her benefactor and beloved at the end of the Alaire’s Vainglory by choosing engagement to Noe Alaire over his love. She spends each moment loathing her betrothed and his mind-reading father while plotting with Eliot Lear to reveal the silkwitches’ secret from the depths of Fortblanche’s underground labyrinth. Bastian Alaire allowed Noe to make a final choice from the girls in the Vainglory, but he never trusted his son’s betrothed…just as well, because Lovett and Noe have a dastardly vow that binds them closer than their engagement. Simply walking to the altar isn’t in the cards for this couple, and they must discover which promises should be kept and which cast aside.
Lydia Gregovic’s The False Vow picks up almost immediately after the events of The Weaver Bride. Lovett’s father-in-law to-be manipulates her into a set of final trials to pass before her wedding day through the guise of solving the mystery of Sybil’s death and ceremony preparations. Gregovic continues to dance around YA tropes with ease while allowing Lovett the freedom to simply be her messy, angry, self-destructive, arrogant self. She, Noe, and Eliot must navigate how her choice affects all of their bonds while their shared desires to reveal the Weaver secret and topple Bastian’s reign muddy whether decisions are from affections or necessity.
I still adored Lovett in her latest adventure although some of her rough edges had to melt away for the overall plot to work. Her gradual friendships with some of the silkwitches from the Vainglory felt earned, and she never became docile or submissive. This young woman embodies chaos and destruction; she simply learns how to focus them into more productive paths.
Noe and Eliot also receive more depth and growth throughout The False Vow although not always in directions I wanted or anticipated. Lovett’s fiancé behaved like a spoiled, bored scion through most of book 1, while her sponsor seemed stable and kind although a bit rigid. Both young men reveal other facets of their characters, and I truly struggled with my emotions about which, if either, were a fitting partner for Lovett.
The other silkwitches from the competition also received more development, and their fates after failing to win Noe Alaire’s hand were both heartwarming and horrifying, depending on the girl. Each of them were presented as people, not tropes or mean girls, and female friendships play a strong role in Lovett’s development.
I didn’t reread The False Vow (largely because I have three other books in my review queue), but I was not disappointed in this sequel. While it didn’t surprise me like The Weaver Bride since I now understood Lovett, I couldn’t predict the conclusion. Sometimes, it takes other people to tell us what we actually need and to open our hearts…and if we can bring down a powerful tyrant at the same time, good on us!
5 Partners that Let Us Break Things out of 5
Creative Team: Lydia Gregovic (author)
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books | Delacorte Press
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