The Game Weavers
Rebecca Zahabi
ZunTold, 2020
Paperback, 326 pages, £9.99
ISBN 9781916204225
In this compelling novel we follow the life of Seojun Kuroaku, adopted alongside his brother Minjun, from an orphanage in South Korea. From a young age, Seo has excelled in Twine, the popular, but high-stakes, national sport. Competing alongside some of the world’s best players, Seo crafts fierce creatures to battle his opponents from across the globe, as thousands watch.
Living in a conservative society, Seo is outed by the media, causing great outrage in the Twine community. As Seo struggles to deal with the aftermath with the help of Minjun and his partner Jack, he must also prepare to play one of his toughest matches yet.
This book is written with a multi-narrative, which really enables us to identify with each character as the story unravels. Seo is a reserved and unrevealing character, and this leads to frustration from the other characters as they try to understand what he is thinking. Minjun has a very strong relationship with his brother, and their love is an important theme throughout the book. We also have the contrast of the confusing, complex relationship between Seo and Jack as they both try to understand their feelings for each other.
The Game Weavers is an intriguing tale that explores love, passion, and the struggle with identity, as well as dealing with topics like homophobia and sexism. It blends our world with an exciting, futuristic society, making it a great read for teenagers and young adults.
Brónagh Davis, teen reviewer
Blending elements of Japanese and European folklore, Skye brings us a familiar and rounded civilisation in Kichona. Each chapter alternates between young and old characters, giving us a wide view of the world. At times this distracts from the story and flattens the pacing, especially when a character’s viewpoint only appears two or three times, and the reader is left wondering what their purpose is. The use of magic veers between being straight forward spells (taiga magic) and manipulating the environment (ryo magic), accentuating the differences between the two groups of fighters and making the eventual confrontation feel a little one sided. Though, as this is book one in the series this is undoubtedly deliberate. This is a story of love, loyalty and revenge and it is the conflict in the main characters that drives it forward, leaving us wanting to discover more about them as they discover themselves. 
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striking allegory for the harsh reality behind Communism. However, throughout the book powerful insights are made about the truth behind various forms of political power, including capitalism, and imperialism. One aspect I liked about the book was the accessible language. Orwell is able to break these very complex ideas down into simple English so that a wide audience can understand the points he is trying to make.
