What do you think?
Rate this book
The Spider Silk Scarf: A Short Story
From the New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines comes a haunting short story about grief, growth, and regret that asks the question, “What do you get when you steal from a witch?”
Nora has always gotten a thrill from stealing things—from shoplifting nail polish as a young teenager to now, in her twenties, reaching higher than a receptionist’s salary allows. Her handyman fiancé, Ben, doesn’t ask questions when she shows up with a new necklace or cracks open a bottle of high-end cognac that they clearly can’t afford.
When Ben comes home from a repair job for a notoriously reclusive neighbor, he passes along rumors of an extraordinary object hidden away in her gloomy old house. A scarf, woven from the silk of black widow spiders. It’s priceless, not only because it’s completely unique, but also because, as legend has it, it took twelve weavers seven years to create. Only eleven survived.
As obsession takes hold, Nora finds herself breaking into her neighbor’s home. But what happens next defies explanation. One glimpse into the world of a witch could change Nora’s life forever—if she makes it out.
Nora has always gotten a thrill from stealing things—from shoplifting nail polish as a young teenager to now, in her twenties, reaching higher than a receptionist’s salary allows. Her handyman fiancé, Ben, doesn’t ask questions when she shows up with a new necklace or cracks open a bottle of high-end cognac that they clearly can’t afford.
When Ben comes home from a repair job for a notoriously reclusive neighbor, he passes along rumors of an extraordinary object hidden away in her gloomy old house. A scarf, woven from the silk of black widow spiders. It’s priceless, not only because it’s completely unique, but also because, as legend has it, it took twelve weavers seven years to create. Only eleven survived.
As obsession takes hold, Nora finds herself breaking into her neighbor’s home. But what happens next defies explanation. One glimpse into the world of a witch could change Nora’s life forever—if she makes it out.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2026
About the author
Ana Reyes
2 books1,282 followersAna Reyes has an MFA from Louisiana State University. Her work has appeared in Bodega, Pear Noir!, The New Delta Review, and elsewhere. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and teaches creative writing to older adults at Santa Monica College. The House in the Pines in her first novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 713 reviews
Review of advance copy
Amazon First Reads for August
Nora has always gotten a thrill from stealing things
So when her husband Ben comes home from a repair job for a reclusive neighbor, rumored to be a “Witch”, and tells her about a priceless object he overheard her talking about-she has to have it!
Apparently it’s a scarf, woven from the silk of black widow spiders and as legend has it, it took twelve weavers seven years to create, and only eleven survived.
I was intrigued about the scarf, and hoped we would be hearing more about all of its weavers, and what made them give up on the job before it was complete, but it went in another direction entirely.
A short story, just 32 pages
It just didn’t cast a spell on me! 🕷️ 🕸️
Nora has always gotten a thrill from stealing things
So when her husband Ben comes home from a repair job for a reclusive neighbor, rumored to be a “Witch”, and tells her about a priceless object he overheard her talking about-she has to have it!
Apparently it’s a scarf, woven from the silk of black widow spiders and as legend has it, it took twelve weavers seven years to create, and only eleven survived.
I was intrigued about the scarf, and hoped we would be hearing more about all of its weavers, and what made them give up on the job before it was complete, but it went in another direction entirely.
A short story, just 32 pages
It just didn’t cast a spell on me! 🕷️ 🕸️
August 25, 2026
Short story, but very strange! Started off strong and then went weird real fast. All for a spider scarf 😂
Review of advance copy
I don’t know if you can give zero stars on Goodreads but man oh man this deserves zero. This was awful, thankfully it was free through the Amazon first reads program. The writing was confusing, it jumped around way too much and the story was dumb. Just an awful story. Would’ve been a DNF if it wasn’t 32 pages.
August 1, 2026
This was actually one of the better short stories I have gotten for free from Amazon First Reads. It definitely sucks you in right away and halfway through, you think that you are in a fantasy world but then it all makes sense in the end.
Really weird, but very interesting and well written! I enjoyed it!
Really weird, but very interesting and well written! I enjoyed it!
September 9, 2026
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴… 🕷️
I liked the creepy, eerie atmosphere and found Nora interesting, but the story went in a very different direction from what I expected. I was hoping for something more gripping, and the mystery/thriller side just didn’t quite get there for me.
I did enjoy the ending, though, and Meg Runyan’s narration was fantastic. Her expressiveness and emotional delivery really brought the story to life.
Definitely worth a listen if you enjoy witchy, atmospheric short stories with some intrigue—but don’t go in expecting a twisty thriller.
Thank you to Ana Reyes, Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ALC. All opinions are my own.
I liked the creepy, eerie atmosphere and found Nora interesting, but the story went in a very different direction from what I expected. I was hoping for something more gripping, and the mystery/thriller side just didn’t quite get there for me.
I did enjoy the ending, though, and Meg Runyan’s narration was fantastic. Her expressiveness and emotional delivery really brought the story to life.
Definitely worth a listen if you enjoy witchy, atmospheric short stories with some intrigue—but don’t go in expecting a twisty thriller.
Thank you to Ana Reyes, Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ALC. All opinions are my own.
September 25, 2026
This is a very quick read at just over 30 pages. It has a good premise, but I expected more.
Nora stays with her fiancé Ben. She likes to steal stuff and keep all of it. Ben once tells her about a visit he made to an old lady Ms Martin’s house. She has a rare scarf made of spider silk. Nora decides to steal it but as she enters the house, she finds that it is not the easy task she assumed it would be.
The sections where Nora enters Ms Martin’s house have a good atmospheric feel. The ending has a touch of charm. But otherwise, the story comes across as trivial and pointless, going nowhere.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher Amazon Original Stories and the author for a free electronic review copy.
Nora stays with her fiancé Ben. She likes to steal stuff and keep all of it. Ben once tells her about a visit he made to an old lady Ms Martin’s house. She has a rare scarf made of spider silk. Nora decides to steal it but as she enters the house, she finds that it is not the easy task she assumed it would be.
The sections where Nora enters Ms Martin’s house have a good atmospheric feel. The ending has a touch of charm. But otherwise, the story comes across as trivial and pointless, going nowhere.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher Amazon Original Stories and the author for a free electronic review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Klepto meets Witch?
A review of the Prime First Reads Kindle eBook edition (August 1, 2026), released in advance of the official publication by Amazon Original Stories (AOS) in eBook format & by Audible Originals in audio format (September 1, 2026).
This started off really strong and headed into what seemed like very creepy horror territory, only for it to wimp out in the end and leave you wondering what the heck happened. Very polarized reviews are the result and I can only say it earns both Write Your Own Meaning Alert™ and an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™ tags.
In brief, kleptomaniac Nora learns that a local old woman, who is thought of as a witch by many neighbours, is in possession of an extremely rare scarf woven from black widow spider silk. She will stop at nothing to get it, but when she sneaks into the rather foreboding house she discovers horrors beyond her imagination.
What could have been a 5 star plunges into a 3 star compromise "Like" thanks to the early part of the writing.
You may be curious and want to google "Do black widow spiders spin silk?" So I did it for you:
Image sourced from Earth.com.
Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
A review of the Prime First Reads Kindle eBook edition (August 1, 2026), released in advance of the official publication by Amazon Original Stories (AOS) in eBook format & by Audible Originals in audio format (September 1, 2026).
The only known garment in the world woven from the silk of black widow spiders. A scarf. Apparently the silk could only be extracted by hand, and it took twelve workers seven years to harvest that much silk. One of them died halfway through after being bitten.
This started off really strong and headed into what seemed like very creepy horror territory, only for it to wimp out in the end and leave you wondering what the heck happened. Very polarized reviews are the result and I can only say it earns both Write Your Own Meaning Alert™ and an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™ tags.
In brief, kleptomaniac Nora learns that a local old woman, who is thought of as a witch by many neighbours, is in possession of an extremely rare scarf woven from black widow spider silk. She will stop at nothing to get it, but when she sneaks into the rather foreboding house she discovers horrors beyond her imagination.
What could have been a 5 star plunges into a 3 star compromise "Like" thanks to the early part of the writing.
You may be curious and want to google "Do black widow spiders spin silk?" So I did it for you:
Image sourced from Earth.com.
Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
August 3, 2026
A scarf cannot be worth all that effort bffr.
August 13, 2026
All I can say is I’m glad this was free.
August 16, 2026
Good Short Story
Amazon First Reads August 2026.
Spooky and creepy good.
Atmospheric.
Emotional.
I enjoyed this short story.
I look forward to reading more of Ana Reyes writings.
Thank you, Ana Reyes & Amazon.
NOTE: I read this short story on August 16, 2026.
GR will not permit me to have the same start & finish date.
Amazon First Reads August 2026.
Spooky and creepy good.
Atmospheric.
Emotional.
I enjoyed this short story.
I look forward to reading more of Ana Reyes writings.
Thank you, Ana Reyes & Amazon.
NOTE: I read this short story on August 16, 2026.
GR will not permit me to have the same start & finish date.
August 6, 2026
1 ⭐️📕 ARC Amazon first reads. This book did not seem to come together for me in its short story glory. The story line didn’t make a lot of sense. Definitely liked the house in the pines better, although had a ton of questions after reading that one too…
October 18, 2026
Thank you Ana Reyes and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook of this novel.
Kind of annoyed I didn't realize this was a short story because I was really thinking it could be a good novel.
That being said, wtf was that? It was so short that nothing really happened and everything happened all at once. I was left quite unsatisfied.
Oh well.
Meh read.
Kind of annoyed I didn't realize this was a short story because I was really thinking it could be a good novel.
That being said, wtf was that? It was so short that nothing really happened and everything happened all at once. I was left quite unsatisfied.
Oh well.
Meh read.
Review of advance copy received from Book of the Month
I got The Spider Silk Scarf as a free bonus with my Kindle First Reads book of the month, and while it was a quick, easy read, this one just didn’t do much for me. The premise was actually really interesting, I just kept waiting for it to become darker, crazier, or more shocking than it ever did.
Nora is a receptionist in her twenties with one particularly problematic hobby: she’s a thief. And not because she’s desperate or stealing things she needs. She genuinely gets a thrill from taking things she can’t afford. It started with little things like nail polish when she was younger and eventually escalated to expensive jewelry and alcohol. Her fiancé, Ben, is a handyman and seemingly just looks the other way when Nora magically appears with luxury items that obviously aren’t coming from her receptionist salary.
Then Ben does some work for their mysterious, reclusive neighbor and tells Nora about an incredible scarf supposedly hidden inside the woman’s creepy old house. This isn’t just some designer scarf either. According to the story surrounding it, it’s woven from black widow spider silk, took twelve weavers seven years to make, and only eleven of those twelve survived.
Obviously, telling a kleptomaniac that your mysterious neighbor has a priceless, possibly cursed spider scarf hidden in her house is basically handing her an engraved invitation. 😂
Nora becomes completely obsessed with it and eventually breaks into the woman’s house intending to steal it. This is where I thought the story was finally going to go completely off the rails. The whole setup is basically asking, “What happens when a thief steals from a witch?” Between the creepy house, the black widow silk, the dead weaver, and the rumors surrounding the woman, I was READY.
And then…that’s not really what the story ends up being.
Instead, Nora’s relationship with the woman changes. She saves the woman from cabin monoxide poisoning. She ends up spending time with her and ultimately taking care of her, and we realize there’s much more going on than Nora originally understood. The story becomes less of a horror/thriller and more about Nora confronting who she is, the choices she’s made, and the grief and regret surrounding this strange woman and her home.
Then comes the twist: Ben knew Nora was a thief all along.
That was probably my favorite part because Nora has spent all this time thinking he’s either oblivious or simply doesn’t question where all these expensive things come from. Nope. He knows exactly who he’s marrying. And apparently he loves her anyway. 😂
But the biggest irony comes at the end. Nora spends the story obsessing over this scarf and initially goes into the woman’s home prepared to STEAL it…and ultimately she doesn’t have to.
The woman gives Nora the spider silk scarf.
She receives the exact thing she wanted, but instead of acquiring it through stealing, it’s given to her because she cared for this woman when she needed someone. The scarf essentially becomes a reward—and a symbol of Nora’s growth—rather than another trophy from one of her thefts.
I understand what Ana Reyes was going for. The story is described as being about grief, growth, and regret, and that’s ultimately much more accurate than the creepy witchy thriller I thought I was getting.
Unfortunately, I think that’s also why this landed at two stars for me.
The concept was SO much more interesting than the execution. A compulsive thief breaks into a suspected witch’s house to steal a priceless scarf woven from BLACK WIDOW SPIDER SILK?! That sounds like the beginning of something absolutely insane. Instead, the story becomes surprisingly quiet and sentimental.
I also think the short-story format hurt it. There wasn’t enough time for me to become deeply invested in Nora, Ben, or the mysterious woman, and the supernatural elements never developed into what I hoped they would. The ending is sweet and I appreciated the full-circle moment of Nora finally receiving something valuable honestly instead of stealing it, but I wanted a much bigger payoff.
Maybe that’s on me for expecting something darker, but when you give me witches, thieves, black widows, a dead weaver, a creepy old house, and a priceless scarf, I expect some CHAOS. 😂
It wasn’t terrible. It was readable, had a cool premise, and I liked the irony of the ending. But as a free bonus story, I’m glad it was exactly that—a free bonus.
Nora is a receptionist in her twenties with one particularly problematic hobby: she’s a thief. And not because she’s desperate or stealing things she needs. She genuinely gets a thrill from taking things she can’t afford. It started with little things like nail polish when she was younger and eventually escalated to expensive jewelry and alcohol. Her fiancé, Ben, is a handyman and seemingly just looks the other way when Nora magically appears with luxury items that obviously aren’t coming from her receptionist salary.
Then Ben does some work for their mysterious, reclusive neighbor and tells Nora about an incredible scarf supposedly hidden inside the woman’s creepy old house. This isn’t just some designer scarf either. According to the story surrounding it, it’s woven from black widow spider silk, took twelve weavers seven years to make, and only eleven of those twelve survived.
Obviously, telling a kleptomaniac that your mysterious neighbor has a priceless, possibly cursed spider scarf hidden in her house is basically handing her an engraved invitation. 😂
Nora becomes completely obsessed with it and eventually breaks into the woman’s house intending to steal it. This is where I thought the story was finally going to go completely off the rails. The whole setup is basically asking, “What happens when a thief steals from a witch?” Between the creepy house, the black widow silk, the dead weaver, and the rumors surrounding the woman, I was READY.
And then…that’s not really what the story ends up being.
Instead, Nora’s relationship with the woman changes. She saves the woman from cabin monoxide poisoning. She ends up spending time with her and ultimately taking care of her, and we realize there’s much more going on than Nora originally understood. The story becomes less of a horror/thriller and more about Nora confronting who she is, the choices she’s made, and the grief and regret surrounding this strange woman and her home.
Then comes the twist: Ben knew Nora was a thief all along.
That was probably my favorite part because Nora has spent all this time thinking he’s either oblivious or simply doesn’t question where all these expensive things come from. Nope. He knows exactly who he’s marrying. And apparently he loves her anyway. 😂
But the biggest irony comes at the end. Nora spends the story obsessing over this scarf and initially goes into the woman’s home prepared to STEAL it…and ultimately she doesn’t have to.
The woman gives Nora the spider silk scarf.
She receives the exact thing she wanted, but instead of acquiring it through stealing, it’s given to her because she cared for this woman when she needed someone. The scarf essentially becomes a reward—and a symbol of Nora’s growth—rather than another trophy from one of her thefts.
I understand what Ana Reyes was going for. The story is described as being about grief, growth, and regret, and that’s ultimately much more accurate than the creepy witchy thriller I thought I was getting.
Unfortunately, I think that’s also why this landed at two stars for me.
The concept was SO much more interesting than the execution. A compulsive thief breaks into a suspected witch’s house to steal a priceless scarf woven from BLACK WIDOW SPIDER SILK?! That sounds like the beginning of something absolutely insane. Instead, the story becomes surprisingly quiet and sentimental.
I also think the short-story format hurt it. There wasn’t enough time for me to become deeply invested in Nora, Ben, or the mysterious woman, and the supernatural elements never developed into what I hoped they would. The ending is sweet and I appreciated the full-circle moment of Nora finally receiving something valuable honestly instead of stealing it, but I wanted a much bigger payoff.
Maybe that’s on me for expecting something darker, but when you give me witches, thieves, black widows, a dead weaver, a creepy old house, and a priceless scarf, I expect some CHAOS. 😂
It wasn’t terrible. It was readable, had a cool premise, and I liked the irony of the ending. But as a free bonus story, I’m glad it was exactly that—a free bonus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2026
A really boring story. Couldn't feel any empathy for the MC. Another free book that I'm glad I didn't pay for. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless they're looking for something to read to help them fall asleep.
August 6, 2026
What a waste of time. Even though it was only thirtyish pages, I wanted to DNF it.
August 2, 2026
Really short story, provided by Amazon first reads. It was an interesting story and well written. As a quick read you would think it’s totally confusing and pointless but you have to think deeply about the symbolism behind the story. The MC is still grieving the loss of her sister and if you tie in how the sister died, with the story of the mirror, and the MCs compulsion to steal and think about how the spider silk scarf was made you’ll see the brilliance of the writing. I really liked how layered this story is once you actually take the time to think it through. 4⭐️
Review of advance copy
Amazon First Reads short story August 2026
Generally I feel short stories should be linear and not interrupted by flashbacks, but in this case the flashback in the middle was the best part of the story. Certainly it gave a more nuanced view of the main character and showed a sympathetic motivation for her kleptomania. The rest of the story was muddled and could have used a good edit. I would rate it 2.5 stars, raised to 3. Goodreads, when are you going to give us half stars??
Generally I feel short stories should be linear and not interrupted by flashbacks, but in this case the flashback in the middle was the best part of the story. Certainly it gave a more nuanced view of the main character and showed a sympathetic motivation for her kleptomania. The rest of the story was muddled and could have used a good edit. I would rate it 2.5 stars, raised to 3. Goodreads, when are you going to give us half stars??
October 25, 2026
A surprisingly atmospheric read! I had low expectations for this short story, but the audiobook completely swept me away. I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in it.
September 17, 2026
Review to follow
August 8, 2026
Does the author at least know what this book was about?
August 7, 2026
2.5⭐️
I was intrigued in the beginning, but then it took a weird turn that wasn’t my vibe. Only 30 pages so you can read in one sitting.
I was intrigued in the beginning, but then it took a weird turn that wasn’t my vibe. Only 30 pages so you can read in one sitting.
September 13, 2026
A spooky short story - the perfect intro to fall reads! 🕸️🕷️
August 3, 2026
great short story
I’m not sure some of the other reviewers even read this book in its entirety, which is a very short quick read. The story was excellent with a very crazy unexpected twist. I loved it!
I’m not sure some of the other reviewers even read this book in its entirety, which is a very short quick read. The story was excellent with a very crazy unexpected twist. I loved it!
August 9, 2026
Free short story from Amazon First Reads. Mediocre at best.
October 1, 2026
The Spider Silk Scarf is a short story by Ana Reyes. Twenty-seven-year-old Nora has been stealing things she wants since she was twelve. When fiancé Ben tells her about an unusual item. Doing some plumbing work for the reclusive Ms Martin (who might be a witch?), he overhears talk of her donating a beautiful and unique item, the spider silk scarf, to a city museum. It’s made from the silk of the black widow spider, costing time and lives to complete. He even reveals a way to get into Ms Martin’s house. Inside, it’s like a fever dream: the story takes a weird turn. A quick read, but not really gripping.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories.
September 8, 2026
I really enjoyed it at first but then it turned out to be much different then expected and I know it’s a short novella but the end was way to rushed! I did like the writing style though!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my arc.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my arc.
August 2, 2026
What an amazing story all in only a few dozen pages! Nora is a clepto, but there is a sad reason behind it. Ben is her fiancé - does he know what she does? Ms Martin is an old woman next door who is rumoured to be a witch and who has an expensive black widow silk scarf Nora wants.
Who would think you could put this story with two life lessons into such a short format? Loved it!!
Who would think you could put this story with two life lessons into such a short format? Loved it!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2026
The Spider Silk Scarf by Ana Reyes is a super short story about sticky fingers and spider webs. The witch is an old lady and the thief wants to steal something precious from her. The thief finds out in the end what is truly precious. ALC was provided by Brilliance Publishing/Amazon Original Stories via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this feedback voluntarily.
This is a review of the audiobook.
This is a review of the audiobook.
September 6, 2026
What was the point of this lol
Displaying 1 - 30 of 713 reviews