A Thunderclap of a debut! (Sorry I had to)
Weave the Lightning
Bourshkanya Trilogy
Fantasy
Rebellion
July 23, 2024
Ebook
538
Rebellion. Magic. Romance.
It has been decades since magical storms have been seen in Bourshkanya’s skies. Their return should be Celka’s greatest moment—giving the resistance the weapons they need to overthrow the tyrannical Stormhawk—but after a lifetime of hiding her gift from the State, she’s had too little training. Hazy lessons from a father lost to the secret police aren’t enough, and calling down magical lightning with no clue how to control it is too reckless, even for her.
Gerrit, son of the Stormhawk, is unable to safely use his magic despite the State’s best training. Fleeing the Army, he stumbles upon high wire walker Celka in her travelling circus and senses the gift she’s hiding.
Fearing capture, Celka ambushes Gerrit. She can’t trust an arrogant tool of the State, but his knowledge of magic begins to fill the holes in her education, while her easy intuition unlocks Gerrit's own control.
As the resistance demands more from Celka and the secret police close in on Gerrit’s trail, the two must decide how much they’re willing to risk for their beliefs—and for each other.
Corry L. Lee’s Weave the Lightning is a spectacular demonstration on all fronts. I’m aggressively grateful for this rerelease for bringing this trilogy to my attention.
Celka’s performances with her family in the traveling circus are the perfect cover for supporting the resistance. It’s dangerous work, but so is living under the Stormhawk’s brutal regime. But it seems not even the circus can hide her when the magical storms that power her forbidden magic return. Gerrit has been waiting for the storms’ return for years. They’ll allow him to prove his value to the state and his father – the Stormhawk. When their first storm proves more difficult than anticipated they’ll both need to look outside their worlds if they want to survive.
The grittiness of Bourshkanya’s world was as encompassing as the moments of beauty found within. The world-building was encased in the magic system particularly elegantly, the religion and cultural tics bookending the experience. I found the magic’s practical applications particularly exciting. Storm mages can imbue objects to help them fulfill one of their six categories of need: combat, protection, strength, healing, hunger, and concealment. It’s fascinating to have a magical system broken into such concrete brackets, but simultaneously broad enough to let individual characters shape its usage on fundamental levels.
Celka and those around her are delightfully layered, providing rich perspectives on Bourshkanya and its struggles. I can’t really think of an example of another love triangle where I was genuinely unsure who I was rooting for. Lee presents two paths for Celka in these two boys that bring out different parts of her and fill her in unique ways. It was lovely to see Celka coming to terms with herself and her power in not only the resistance but also as a person who can make a difference. And these two young men through their support really highlight the choices she has to make about who she’ll become. It also doesn’t hurt that they’re both swoony in different ways.
Corry L. Lee has created something remarkable in this first installment and the next book is calling my name! There were more than a few twists that’ll be haunting me in the meantime, though. They’ve made something truly special and I can’t wait to see what else they do! Puns about this story being electrifying are low hanging fruit… and accurate.
Gabi grew up moving around the world with her family, making books in English a bit of a luxury that had to be rationed. Nowadays she lives in East London, where books can be read as voraciously as she likes. Fantasy books will forever be her first love, and she’s always looking for the next series to consume both of her brain cells. Her days generally consist of working as a software developer, squeezing in a chapter at her desk, and pining after the Picadilly Waterstones.
