Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This beautifully written, and imaginatively illustrated book is fantastic! It follows an 11-year-old girl who spends some time with her grief-stricken Grandpa on Shetland. She feels abandoned, lonely and trapped. She meets an unusual old lady, Tamar, who will change her world to one off magical mystery - but it's not straightforward.
I felt that I was partly responsible for Stella's wellbeing! I became really invested in her finding happiness and stability in her young life; I felt for her.
A difficult book to put down.

I had high expectations of The Weather Weaver; it's set in Shetland, has elemental magic, and clouds! The cover is gorgeous mix of colours and I was interested how big of a role puffins had. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me.

Stella returned to Shetland to spend holidays with her grandfather. She'd been moving around with her parents which she did not like as she always missed Shetland. The return to Shetland, however, did not go as planned when Stella's grandfather seems distant and grumpy. Things changed when Stella met Tamar, who showed her what weather weaving is.

I felt like the execution lacked something. Stella got a bit annoying, because she has basically no agency for most of the book - she did what she was told to do and reacted to things instead of being proactive. Stella was also a bit whiny, which I don't personally appreciate on characters. Mostly I was disappointed of the lack of description of Shetland. Honestly, the book could have been set anywhere and it wouldn't have made any difference. There's no sense of place, and when the setting is something as unique as Shetland, it demands to be made noticeable. For example, Catherine Doyle took her readers to Arranmore and made it magical. Here, it did not happen which dampened my reading experience. Overall, the story just did not have that special thing that made it gripping as the characters and setting were a bit lacklustre. It did get better towards the end but by then I hardly cared. The Weather Weaver was not a book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and pub for this ARC

I adore this book. So much fun from the Shetlands! This lived on my Booksellers Fav table since its been released love it!

It was nice to read a book where for once the child isn't immediately allowed to run around on their own, straight into danger. Though of course she finds a way! Poor Stella is so shy and apologetic. Trying hard not to upset her grandpa or anyone else, even though she is so unhappy. On the other hand, she can have quite a temper though!
I enjoyed this book a lot but felt the second half was a bit rushed, everything suddenly happened so quickly after the build of the first half.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Uclanpublishing for approving me to read the wonderful Middle Grade Book called The Weather Weaver by Tamsin Mori. I was very excited to read it and was not disappointed this book was not only imaginative and poignant at the same time.

Our main character Stella is sent to spend her holiday with her grandpa but when she arrives she realises that her grandpa is not the person he used to be after Stella's Gran passed away and I thought that Tamsin wrote about grief in such a wonderful way she turned the grief into a character and was discussed and not ignored. I also loved the descriptions of the Shetland Isles and I felt like I was there.

I am not going to give anymore away about what happens in the book as you really need to pick it up and read it. You will not be disappointed but I shall tell you this I fell absolutely in love with NImbus what a character. I really hope we are going meet these wonderful characters again.

So for all these reasons I have to give The Weather Weaver 5 big fat stars .

I received this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley UK and the publisher.
I have to admit I found this story a little slow to get going. That said, it was enjoyable and a lovely imaginative idea. Stella grew into a feisty young lady and her relationship with her cloud Nimbus was wonderful. The second half of the book certainly picked up pace and the adventure came to life as Stella is called on to use her newly developing skills as a Weather Weaver. The book leaves us with lots of threads to be explored and questions to be answered as the series continues.

Stella is such a lovely, memorable character - full of determination and adventure. I really enjoyed this story and the lovely setting of the Shetland Islands. My favourite thing about this book was the characters and how realistic, relatable and well developed they were - even Nimbus the cloud had a brilliant personality!

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This was just as adorable as I hoped! And Nimbus the cloud has such a vivacious personality, I want my own cloud now...

I really ended up liking Stella’s relationship with her grandfather, and that we get to see her understand some of the things that have gone on in his head. There is a little bit of an easy fix it, but I did also like how that was handled in the end. Stella herself is lovely, and I’m really looking forward to getting more time with her in future books.

My only real complaint is that this feels a bit like half a story. Not in a bad way, but that we don’t get as much time doing all the things as I wanted! Haha. It is clearly setting up a series though, and I am very happy about that. So there is so much more to learn about Stella and her powers, and how magic works.

Not to mention Tamar. There is definitely more to who Tamar is and what she does. And spinning magic, I want to see that!

I will definitely be picking up book two of this series! 4 stars.

This was a really enjoyable debut novel. I loved the characters and how the story developed. The ideas behind it, mixing folklore and a real sense of the Shetland environment, worked incredibly well. I felt that Stella was a wonderful character, although all of them were well developed. The story deals with grief, separation and relationships in a sensitive way, adding depth to the story. Easy to read and definately one I'll be promoting in my reading groups.

This was sweet but a bit rambling. I wanted a bit more danger, a bit more 'get rid of the adults and get into trouble'.

After reading this book I would like a pet cloud!
Great read with lots to offer KS2 children so I have added this book to my website and will be recommending to schools. It will link well to certain areas of the curriculum, but more importantly has lots to offer in terms of developing readers and writers. I can see children being engaged by this book.

Sophie’s first book this month was The Weather Weaver by Tamsin Mori. This middle-grade magical realism book follows twelve-year-old Stella who is spending the school summer holidays staying on a remote Scottish island with her grandpa. It’s been years since the pair last spent time together and with her gran no longer around, grandpa is much angrier and more miserable than Stella remembered.

After an accident that leads to a blazing row, Stella storms outside and bumps into Tamar, a mysterious old neighbor who teaches Stella how to tame her very own cloud. Stella quickly discovers that she has magical powers – much like her grandmother did – and that she is a weather weaver, capable of taming and controlling all types of weather from sunshine and rainbows to blizzards and tornadoes. However, the peaceful island is under threat from a malevolent sea witch so Stella and her impetuous cloud Nimbus must learn to control their powers if they are going to help prevent the storm to end all storms.

The Weather Weaver was a fun, quirky story that will make sure you never think of phrases like “brain fog” or “every cloud has a silver lining” in quite the same way again. While none of the characters were quite as fleshed out as Sophie would have liked, the interesting plot carried her along for an exciting ride and saw her finish this book within a day. This might not be the type of gripping story that sticks with you for years after you read it, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable adventure nonetheless and the descriptions made Sophie want to revisit the Scottish countryside again once it is safe to do so.

Stella is back on Shetland to stay with her grandfather while her parents are working away. But now that her grandmother has gone, her grandfather seems distant and the island is nothing like she remembers. Then she meets a mysterious old woman named Tamar, who can apparently control the weather. This is a lovely, whimsical story which weaves a sweet family story in with a unique magic system. Stella is a very plucky protagonist and the ethereal nature of the island fitted the story perfectly. I loved the mythological elements and had never realised that clouds could be so cute!

This book was an exciting read with good pace. The main protagonist, Stella, is a compelling, trusting character who develops her own inner strengths in a shared battle against the sea witch of the island.

Stella has fond childhood memories of living in The Shetland Island’s near her beloved grandparents. Her parents allow her to spend the summer with her grandfather while they are working. However, nothing is as Stella expected or remembered. Her grandma had died and her grieving grandfather is distant and firm with her, keeping her close to the family home.

When Stella is finally allowed to explore, she meets Tamar, who turns out to be a local witch - or weather weaver. She helps Stella recognise her own weather weaving abilities and together they join forces to fight the sea witch who is threatening to flood the whole island.

This is a wonderful story with lots of comic moments. Stella quickly discovers that she catch clouds, which can then be used to weave magic garments. An early training exercise between Stella and her cloud, Nimbus, results in Tamar being attacked and Stella thinking she has killed her ‘was Tamar fried to a crisp?’and Stella’s grandfather is subjected to brain-fog which makes him kinder and malleable.

Tamar taps weather in jars and uses it to fight the sea witch but it takes both Stella and Tamar to work together to face this formidable force. As Stella learns about her magic, her grandfather’s prickly nature softens and reveals secrets about her grandma that she had not known.

This is a unique read that I really enjoyed. Lots of geographical/ weather related cross curricular opportunities for teaching, too!

Fantasy middle grade books about the weather are rare, so when I saw this title coming up on Netgalley I asked for a review copy in return for an honest review.

From the moment I picked this book up until I finished reading the last page, I was magnetised with the story that unfolds on this Shetland island where Stella spends the summer with her granddad, the weather magic that comes into play and the story linked into folklore that unfolds.

The story comes in multiple layers. In one we see Stella having to deal with her quite changed grand dad and the feelings about her parents who dropped her off over the summer on this island without further explanation.

On another Stella makes a new acquaintance and sets soon out with a handbag to collect a cloud, finds new friends, discovers the magic she holds, learns more about herself and confronts a darkness that threatens all that live on the island.

This is a debut novel with sad and scary and funny moments very well mixed together. You cannot but love Stella, who is plucky, opinionated and with her own take on the world. And honestly, who would not want to have a cloud as a friend.

I keep my fingers crossed that this weather weaving magical storyline is not fully over yet.

Set on glorious Shetland, this debut novel follows the adventures of 11-year-old Stella. Due to her parent’s careers as researchers, she has to go and stay with her grandfather while they head off on an expedition. However, since her beloved grandmother’s death, he isn’t the same warm, friendly, fun-loving grandad she remembers. Following a big row between the two, Stella meets the mysterious Tamar and instantly Stella’s life is changed forever.

Stella’s gran was a ‘storyteller’ who regaled her with tales of mermaids and sea witches. A firm believer in magic and nature, it’s her presence Stella misses the most when she first joins her grandfather at his cottage. All the small touches of her grans that made it a warm, comfortable and loving environment are gone. Instantly, this sets the relationship between Stella and her granddad on the back foot. He refuses to grant her any freedom to explore or investigate – the very things her gran used to encourage. When the relationship breaks down in an emotionally charged scene, Stella flees the cottage. Before long, she meets Tamar; an older woman who exudes mystery and a no-nonsense attitude, and who wastes no time in revealing Stella’s destiny.

The Weather Weaver
Tamar spontaneously sets Stella task – catch a cloud. Stella is tasked with controlling and catching her very own cloud as Tamar thrusts a bag into her hand while rapidly firing instructions. Eventually, she is successful, proving to Tamar (and subsequently to Stella herself) that she is a Weather Weaver – a person with the ability to manipulate the weather. Over the course of a few days, Tamar trains Stella in many aspects of her ability with varying degrees of success. This is mainly down to her relationship with her partner, the cloud that she has named ‘Nimbus’.

During one of these lessons, Tamar and Stella spot an ominous figure lurking on the beach. Sending Tamar into a spiral of panic and anger, Stella soon realises that this is a force that she will have to combat if she wishes to save the island. It’s up to Stella and Nimbus to become a strong enough team to help Tamar take this force down and prevent a long-foreseen prophecy from becoming reality.

Characterisation
Rarely have I instantly connected with a group of characters so quickly as I did when reading The Weather Weaver. I lost my own mum three years ago, so consequently, my children lost their gran. As with Stella, she was the ‘teller of tales’ and hunter of fairies under the trees, the one with a house full of trinkets, each with a story. Likewise, they saw a similar change in the grandad. So when Stella and her grandad fight (and later reconcile) the realism of Mori’s writing jumped out at me. Here are two people both mourning the same person, but for deeply different reasons, and neither willing to see the other’s perspective until forced. Mori gets under the skin of both Stella and her grandad, exposing their faults and reasoning with a level of intelligence that (thankfully) is becoming more prevalent in middle-grade literature. Much of this is due to the maturity of Stella herself.

Stella is one of the most believable girls of that age I’ve encountered for a long time. Her anxiety about leaving her parents for the entire summer break is counterbalanced by her excitement at the adventures that await her on the island. Of course, this is then shattered by her grandfather’s overprotectiveness, which juxtaposes nicely with Tamar’s abandonment of any structure and complete disrespect for any rules and regulations – apart from her own that is. By the way – Tamar is great! Many actresses ran through my mind while reading; part Helen Mirren, with a dash of Emma Thompson, garnished with a smidgen of Dame Judy. No doubt you’ll have your own ideas. Tamar is intelligent, brusque (but not un-caring) with just enough ‘kooky’ to be relevant for her character development without coming off as irritating.

There are many scenes in the novel which have a ‘Pixar-esque’ feel about them as Stella and Nimbus get into scrape after scrape. Nimbus’ personality develops and changes depending on his interactions with the world and the humans in it; ‘good’ and he’s fluffy and bouncy, ‘bad’ and he’s a dark greyish-black, sparking lightning and skulking. Having your third main character be a mass of water vapour is a brave move for an author. Don’t get me wrong – comparison to Pixar is not a bad thing. They are known for making the inanimate relatable, and Mori manages this through language as spectacularly as Pixar do with animation. During certain (incredibly emotional) events, Mori’s use of Nimbus as a character helps the reader visualise and comprehend some difficult concepts. Considering the novels target audience this is an impressive feat.

Location, Location, Location
Of course, I couldn’t go without mentioning another important character in The Weather Weaver…the location itself. Setting the story in a place as mystical as the Shetlands immediately gives the reader a gateway into the narrative. Anyone who has ever visited or even seen Shetland knows the weather can change in an instant and Mori uses that to her advantage. One minute beautiful, free-roaming and fresh, the next dark, dangerous and foreboding. Mori uses the location to it’s greatest effect during the action scenes in the latter stages of the novel. As characters face perilous situations, the surroundings and weather play a major part. As winds get wilder, and rocks get slippier you find yourself gripping as hard to the story as the characters to the crag under their feet.

Overall
The Weather Weaver is a funny, touching, thrilling adventure full of realistic characters, taking you on an adventure through grief, adaptation, learning and understanding. I can’t wait for Stella’s further adventures. I highly recommend the book for ages 8-100 as Stella and Nimbus have lessons for us all, no matter our age.

The Weather Weaver is a beautifully heart-warming and vivid story that swept me away into a captivating world that I didn’t want to leave. This is a breath-taking and fresh adventure that sparkles with magic, wonder and mystery.
Eleven-year-old Stella has been sent to spend her summer holidays with her Grandpa on the Shetland Islands whilst her parents work on a research vessel. She has not seen her Grandpa in six years and, when she does meet him, finds that he has changed. He is grieving the loss of his wife and is grumpy and unwilling to spend time with her, or to let her explore the island, which is not the fun and adventurous Grandpa that Stella has such fond memories of.
Stella loves to read and has her own copy of ‘Shetland Myths and Magic’ which proves to be extremely apt! After an incident with her Grandpa, Stella finds herself racing off and meeting an elderly lady, Tamar, who seems to have been waiting for her arrival. Tamar has an incredible, magical ability that is at one with nature: she is a weather weaver. Stella discovers that she too is a weather weaver and soon fetches a spirited young storm cloud, Nimbus to her, a young cloud that will change her life, and together they will go on the most incredible adventure …
As Stella learns the art of weather-weaving, she also discovers that the island is facing a terrible threat from The Haken, a local sea witch, who has a deep hatred of weather weavers. Will Stella have the courage and inner strength to confront the terror unleashed on the island?
The author weaves a spellbinding story which is perfectly paced, building tension and impending danger and revealing secrets and twists that definitely took me by surprise, and which made the story a rich and touching one.
I felt a real sense of wonder from delving into the ingenious magical system of weather-weaving which allowed me to appreciate the power and beauty of the elements.
Stella is an incredibly sympathetic young girl. She feels alone and disconnected from her grieving Grandpa and, whilst she desperately tries to get to know him again, he seems reluctant to spend time with her. Her time on the island seems destined to be rather unsettled and unhappy until she meets Nimbus. I love the friendship that forms between Stella and Nimbus. Is this the time to say that I really, really want my own cloud and I’m sure many young readers will too! Why? Who wouldn’t want a playful, enthusiastic, mischievous, loyal and loving cloud-friend who is also sensitive to your moods? There are some touching and humorous moments as Stella tries to train her new friend. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Stella and her Grandpa as he opens up to her. As Stella comes to accept herself, she shows admirable courage and strength when defending those she loves.
This is an exhilarating adventure, imbued with magic and myth, that took me on an exciting journey of discovery, danger and daring.

Tamsin Mori uses the atmospheric setting of Shetland to great effect in her magical Middle Grade novel - The Weather Weaver - a story about family and friendship, and weathering the storms that shake those all-important foundations.
When 11-yr-old Stella arrives on Shetland for the summer holidays, she is filled with expectations and excitement about spending time with Grandpa. But Grandpa is nothing like the man Stella remembers from her early childhood. Changed by his grief over the loss of Stella’s beloved Grandma, Stella’s dreams of exploring the island together evaporate like morning mist. Grandpa even seems determined to keep Stella indoors, and is as moody as the Shetland skies.
By attempting to make things better, Stella somehow manages to make everything worse; and when she accidentally breaks Grandma’s special mug, she and Grandpa have another big fall out and Stella runs away from the cottage.
A woman called Tamar finds Stella on the cliff paths and takes the younger girl under her wing, spotting a vein of her own weather-weaving magic in Stella. The beginnings of a lovely, intergenerational friendship develops, and so Stella’s own magical ability. With a new purpose and a pet cloud called Nimbus, Stella is soon busy whipping up winds and training puppy-like Nimbus to stop brain-fogging Grandpa. Mastering new skills seems to be helping her master her own stormy feelings, too.
All too soon, however, the time for practicing is over and Stella finds herself in the eye of a powerful storm conjured by The Haken; a sea witch who is determined to destroy the beautiful island and the weather weavers who protect it.
The striking cover art by David Dean captures the elemental power of Stella’s magic, which is as intense as her love for her family and her island.

Many of us long for that nostalgic homely feeling of the place we spent our childhood, and eleven-year-old Stella is no different. Having moved away from the Shetland Islands as a young child so her parents could follow their careers, Stella is delighted to be returning, albeit alone, to share the Summer with her grandfather. But her delight soon fades, as she realises that the island, and her Grandpa, aren’t quite how she remembers them. Everything seems duller, somehow, and Grandpa is just not the same without Grandma, keeping her stuck in the house and forbidding her from exploring the island. Nomatter how hard Stella tries to cheer up Grandpa, she just keeps missing the mark and upsetting him more, so after a particularly difficult moment, she takes off alone to explore the island. But instead of finding the birds and wildlife she’s hoping for, she comes across a mysterious lady called Tamar, whose unique skills and ability to control the weather entice and intrigue Stella. As Tamar mentors Stella in the ways of weather-weaving, she begins to hone her own unique skills, but will her power grow string enough to take on a malevolent being, hell-bent on raising the seas and destroying the island?
The Weather Weaver is a beautiful story of discovery and finding your true self. Stella not only contends with her new found skills, but also her sense of belonging to the island and to her family. As she uncovers new talents, she also uncovers truths about her family and their choices. Tamsin explores the issue of grief, bereavement and separation so delicately and sensitively, there are difficult and uncomfortable moments, and poignant moments too, but all pitched perfectly for a middle grade audience. It’s so important that these issues are included in fiction so children have the chance to experience these emotions along with Stella. I have to say my favourite part of the whole story was Nimbus – who knew it was possible to feel so much fondness for a cloud? The backdrop of the Shetland Islands was so perfect, I couldn’t imagine the story taking place anywhere else. I felt the strong winds on my face, and the sea spray on my face. The whole concept of weather weaving is original, exciting, and brilliantly written and explored, I do hope Tamsin explores it even further in her future work.

Thankyou to NetGalley and UCLan Publishing for advanced access to this book in exchange for an honest review.