Cobweb Bride: The Complete Trilogy:

Cobweb Bride Trilogy #1-3

by Vera Nazarian

Contains the following complete novels :

- Cobweb Bride (Book One)
- Cobweb Empire (Book Two)
- Cobweb Forest (Book Three)

". . . Nazarian writes clean and true prose . . ."
--Publishers Weekly

"Set in an alternate Renaissance Europe, this series opener by Russian-born Nazarian combines the stylistic manner of a folktale with the trappings of an epic fantasy, one driven by compassion rather than heroics.... Fans of period fantasy and those who like stories that feel like fairy tales should appreciate this skillful novel by the twice Nebula Award-nominated author of Dreams of the Compass Rose and The Duke in His Castle."
--Library Journal

"I really enjoyed the rich, complex and highly unusual storytelling in the Cobweb Bride. Nazarian does an excellent job of painting the Renaissance world of her alternate reality and bringing in interesting twists of fantasy to the story.... Everything about this story that was fresh and new. I loved the premise it was built on and I loved the story itself. The characters are rich, multi-dimensional, and so easy to get to know and identify with. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy when it comes out and in finding out more about what happens to the characters that still have a mission to carry out and how the story eventually resolves by the end of the trilogy. I recommend this book to readers of YA, lovers of fantasy, alternate-history, and alternate-reality. It was a terrific read."
--Tracy M. Riva, Midwest Book Review

"Cobweb Bride is astonishing and captivating; a lush fantasy of imagery and magical realism. The visuals are illustrated by the author's lyrical and metaphoric writing. Every chapter and scene revels in this mortal coil, surrounded by an expansive collage of characters immersed in a plot as rich and decadent as a Verdi opera.... The vibrancy of Ms. Nazarian's writing is sheer kaleidoscopic visualization. The folkloric-fable twists and turns recount shavings from the mythos of Hades and Persephone without boring you with a full-blown serving of predictability. The romance is as subtle as it is grim, with glimmers of hope taking us further to our doom--perhaps.... The overall tone is introspective, hauntingly quiet with elements of horror-fantasy that are as provocative as the works of Tanith Lee and Storm Constantine."
--Patrice, Romantic Historical Reviews , a 5-Star Top Pick

Many are called... She alone can save the world and become Death's bride.

COBWEB BRIDE is a history-flavored fantasy novel with romantic elements of the Persephone myth, about Death's ultimatum to the world.

What if you killed someone and then fell in love with them?

In an alternate Renaissance world, somewhere in an imaginary "pocket" of Europe called the Kingdom of Lethe, Death comes, in the form of a grim Spaniard, to claim his Bride. Until she is found, in a single time-stopping moment all dying stops. There is no relief for the mortally wounded and the terminally ill...

Covered in white cobwebs of a thousand snow spiders she lies in the darkness... Her skin is cold as snow... Her eyes, frozen... Her gaze, fiercely alive...

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Historical

1117 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 18, 2014

About the author

Vera Nazarian is a two-time Nebula Award Finalist, award-winning artist, and member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, a writer with a penchant for moral fables and stories of intense wonder, true love, and intricacy.

She immigrated to the USA from the former USSR as a kid, sold her first story at the age of 17, and since then has published numerous works in anthologies and magazines, and has seen her fiction translated into eight languages.

She is the author of critically acclaimed novels Dreams of the Compass Rose and Lords of Rainbow , romantic Renaissance epic fantasy trilogy Cobweb Bride , as well as the outrageous parodies Mansfield Park and Mummies and Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons , Pride and Platypus: Mr. Darcy's Dreadful Secret in her humorous and surprisingly romantic Supernatural Jane Austen Series , and most recently the bestselling high-octane science fiction series The Atlantis Grail , now optioned for film.

After many years in Los Angeles, Vera lives in a small town in Vermont, and uses her Armenian sense of humor and her Russian sense of suffering to bake conflicted pirozhki and make art.

Take the fun quiz to find out Which of the Lords of Rainbow do You Serve?

Reviews

[Sharon Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming and stirring mythology

I bought the trilogy after reading the first book free as a monthly prime option. Could not put this series down. The primary characters were a bit too "perfect" in nature, but I was strangely pleased that Percy was of common, maybe even less than average appearance. She made for a wonderful struggling heroine. The extreme pathos of grappling with life and death matters, as well as human and "divine" weaknesses, made this a story to laugh, cry, and muse over. While not excessive, the typos and editing issues were vexing. If you're a natural proofreader, these inaccuracies tend to pull you out of the story momentarily. That may be a good thing though as it is easy to get lost on this epic journey through a fantasy Realm and Domain (and Underworld).

[moxieBK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cobweb Bride: The Complete Trilogy

I'll break it down per each book and then give my final review of the overall trilogy at the end.

#1: Cobweb Bride. March 31-April 2.
When I first downloaded and read this book (back in Sept.-Oct. 2014,) I knew I would download the complete trilogy at some point; and I did. (I reviewed the book then. For a more in-depth review, check that one out.) Then I sat on it for a year and a half before I had my backlog of books read. I decided to read this one again, because it had been so long ago, I forgot the story. It did come back to me as I read, and fell in love with the characters all over again. And getting to the end of book one, I realize now why I had to download the trilogy! A very good start to this set. Can't wait to see where book two takes me.

Book #2 Cobweb Empire (4/3-4/6)
[Note: Book #2 contains a lot more horror and violence. But I didn't find it gratuitous. It was central to the plot.]

Percy and gang are back, and while they head home, more adventure awaits them and the reader. As trouble brews for the gang, deep relationships are revealed, some more painful and heartfelt than others. But every person involved has a contribution to make to the whole plot of the story.

Not often do I read a trilogy that really grabs me, pulls me in, captivates me and keeps me interested, and is a fun adventure to boot. I really did not know how a second book in this set could be just as good or any better than the first one. But this one tops it. It is a continuation, but it also feels like a completely new book.

Ms. Nazarian has drawn out an excellent story here. The characters are deeply and richly drawn. The book is broken into several groups of people; I worried that it would become muddled as the story progressed, but the individual groups were so intertwined in this story, each groups ends up blending together well.

I cannot stress how much I enjoyed this second story. But I am also glad that I bought this as a full set, because this book ends with a real cliffhanger. Also, other characters are left dangling and I hope they get brought back into the story.

I may have originally given the first book four stars, but the second book, Cobweb Empire, is very much worth five stars.

Book #3 Cobweb Forest (4/6-4/9)

O my GOODNESS GRACIOUS!

Never before has a third book read as strong (if not strongere!) than the first and second books in a trilogy. At least, not many I have read. This book is an accumulation of the whole story and what a wonderful, delightful story it is.

I'm not sure how to descrube it, but as I read, it the sttory, this third book, was like reading an modern epic poem. No, not in the exact way a classic epic poem was written, but by the repetition of certain things. The repeating of: "Snow was falling," became like a mantra, over and over and over; like, a build up; like a viewpoint from each different eyes. Like an epic poem. Not sure if that was intended but it really worked during that period of the book. I like to read complete chapters before stopping, but i found myself stopping, at times, in the middle of a chapter where it was getting particularily good because I wanted to savor this story. That does not happen very often with me. I really fell in love with all these characters.

Cobweb Bride trilogy is one that you cannot, indeed: must not, jump ahead in. (If you read ahead...not saying I did, mind you...no, not saying that at all...BUT, if you DO read ahead, it will make no sense, and in fact, reads very bland and boring. Please, don't do that for this book set.)

The first and second book can be read seperately, but the second ends in a cliffhanger, and the third absolutely can not be read alone, or as the first book you read in the series. But why would one? These books is very rewarding for the reader.

Each book felt like a new adventure. In each book, characters grew. It is not a book series for everyone. What book is? But it is a very nice, original story, based on classic fables; classic Greek mythology. (This wasn't overly apparent until the end of the second book, so if you don't like re-telling, or expanding of classic mythology, you might be best to skip this trilogy. Also, once you start the second book, be prepared to finish the whole trilogy. However, if you make it to the second book then I'm fairly certain you are locked in for the long haul.

I've have stated many times that I do not like long stories. I like to get my book read in a night; two at the most. But I like to be entertained; I like to feel fulfilled. Long book tend to become unwieldy to read. There are exceptions that proves the rule. Ms. Nazarian has done it in this trilogy. These stories will live long in my memory. And I am certain I will be reading this set again. Bravo to the author. Definitely will be following this author, and reading more.

Overall rating: Five stars.

[Embla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating read. Enjoyable characters, vivid descriptions, interesting plot. I first downloaded book 1, Cobweb Bride, four years back, and then put off finishing the trilogy because I didn't want to pay for the ebooks at the time. But the story stayed with me, and I kept wondering about it; so at last, I gave in and bought the remaining two.
Just goes to show how much I liked it. I think some of the imagery in these books will stay with me for life.

I did find some of the liberties taken with the original Greek myth somewhat... confusing, however... but I won't go into that, for fear of spoilers!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cobweb Bride trilogy is my all time favorite series. I discovered this trilogy when I was searching for a Hades and Persephone retelling and let me tell you I got way more than the typical mythological retelling. This series had an amazing protagonist ( Percy ), several different beautifully written love stories (that did not over run the story), and it tackled an interesting yet morbid outlook on death and mortality.
The one thing that I truly loved about this series is that while the love stories are important they are not the main focus of the novels and they do not subtract from the main issue addressed throughout the series. The love helps to mold the story but it is not always front and center nor is it always what you expect. I loved the relationships that develop throughout the series and I love how some of the dynamics change dramatically while others have subtle changes that affect the plot as it moves towards its climax.
I would strongly recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys a refreshingly new outlook on an age old myth or to anyone who loves a truly unique story line. I must warn you that this book is rather graphic and I would not recommend this book for younger children or anyone who is bothered by gore, blood, mauling of bodies/dismemberment of bodies, etc

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing take on what would happen if death suddenly stops for all things, including animals and plants. Death cannot continue to take souls to to their final resting place until he finds his cobweb bride. The books are absorbing, and a fun read. The first book sets up the world, and explores the idea of the cessation of death, and why death is looking for his cobweb bride. As the series goes along, deeper symbolism starts to be incorporated and explained, with death having several aspects, including as the white bridegroom, and thus his cobweb bride counterpart. By the third book, the plot starts to get very complicated, intertwining Greek mythology of death and resurrection with Gods and Goddesses living on Earth. Although I enjoyed it, the end felt a little too neatly wrapped up for the main characters, while still leaving the ending and symbolism a little unclear for the world as a whole.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trilogy, fiction/fantasy. The first book was a bit of a slog to get through but as you keep reading the story gets much more interesting.

Death is no longer an option. Everything stays "alive" after dying, some people become horrid nasty dead people and some stay the same as always. This also has an unexpected side effect of messing with the food supply.

Our heroine is just a poor peasant girl who doesn't really fit into her family. She becomes the heroine by doing what is necessary when necessary.

The rest of the books are the story of how our heroine solves the problems in her world and deals with the gods who caused them. A good romance is part of the story and enduring friendships come about.

[Candice Kamencik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of these books in this series is a quick, interesting read. The story does drag a bit here and there, but still a very good read. I originally gave each book in this series 3 stars, but have changed it to 4. Every one of theses books has it's own story that is resolved and complete. The trilogy as a whole has an over-arching story that they all fit into, but none of the individual books feels incomplete or leave the reader feeling flat, which I've come to find is a real issues with series recently. I definitely recommend this series, this author, and I will be checking out some of her other works as well. :)

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well it took me all of two days to read the trilogy. The novel was incredibly intriguing and drew me in with its midevil setting, Greek mythology, and the fact that the world needs to be saved by a young girl. I would recommend the novels to anyone who like fantasy, historical fiction, and mythology with a bit of romance dashed in but not too overpowering.

[Victoria Case · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it was an interesting take on the question of death and what would happen if death stopped. It was a little long in places and overly descriptive (like way too much sometimes) that the plot would stall but overall it was an enjoyable read.

[Lolita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all three books

I read all three books as fast as I could. I was fascinated by the complication and the continuation of the relationship between the characters. Love stories between impossible lovers. Mortals are again in the middle of the drama of the Ancient Gods.

[V Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really got into these. Great twists, and totally unexpected changes. Worth a read for something different in the paranormal sense.

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good world building and interesting.

[Summer Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story

This story made me cry a little, especially towards the end. this will go into my Favorites shelf. Definitely worth the time to read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found much to identify with in mad, grieving Persephone. And Percy was a heroine I could really admire and love. I was dubious at first but I fell in love with these books.

[Jennifer Poland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Tragic. Epic. Amazing.

[Wendy Thoenen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this story

I enjoyed these three books so much; What a different story line ! I am looking forward to more b books

[Michael Fortenberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent series. I liked the original idea and characterizations. An interesting mix of classic and fiction.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* I enjoyed this trilogy despite the fact that it rambled at times and probably contained more characters and side stories then necessary. In the end it all come together and makes sense, for the most part. Overall, it was a well written, entertaining and satisfying telling of Greek Myths with a twist. I really liked that our heroine is not described as some great beauty. In fact, she is described as plain, overweight, and in the beginning, not even particularly likable. Of course, we learn she is smart and witty. But more importantly, she is a hero because she is brave at an opportune time, and willing to sacrifice herself for others. Even if at the start that willingness comes from a belief that she is somehow less deserving of happiness.

The only strong negative I felt toward the actual plot was the whole part about Beltain’s “desire” followed by Hades explanation of his own. I’m not sure what the author was even trying to do. Perhaps give a hint of erotica to an otherwise very clean romantic tale? It didn’t work for me on many levels. Plus, I hate any trope that hints toward the idea that male sexual needs are somehow always greater then women’s.

But really, that is a very small portion of the overall trilogy. In the end, the primary characters are likable and the story arcs work. I especially liked the story of Claere and Vlau.

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that I started with great expectations and enthusiasm. It took me several chapters to get into the first book, and then I was hooked! I cried a few times, a sure sign that it is a great story. The second book started expanding on the plot and characters, and I couldn't wait to figure out what happened next. I got to the third book. My heart broke with disappointment. The story and plotline is all over the place, the characters are hard to follow, and the chapter where Hades explains to Percy and Beltain what happened made absolutely no sense to me. He spent so much time describing in way too much detail his sexual encounter with Persephone that it just put me off completely. Was that really necessary? I enjoy reading a good romance and am certainly no prude, but how is the fact that he had sex and orgasms that lasted months have to do with saving the world?
I'm sorry to say I had to put the book down without finishing. I am no longer interested in knowing the end because the story no longer matters.

[Lauren]

Cobweb Bride (Cobweb Bride Trilogy, #1) - 3 stars
This book is about an alternative Renaissance style world in Europe. Death comes to claim his bride and stops everyone from dying until she is found. While that might seem very nice on the surface the terminally ill and mortally wounded are suffering, just because you can’t die doesn’t mean you still don’t feel pain.

Overall I thought this to be an interesting storyline however I did feel like parts of the book dragged on and there was a little too much explanation taking me out of the story. The ending left me at a disadvantage because it seems like there should be more to the story. My recommendation is wait until the sequel comes out or this story might leave you a little frustrated at the end.

Not finishing series

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent.