This novel is the first in an epic series, but unlike most epics, it is not about knights in shining armor (though there are knights), or kings, queens, and nobility (though those are present as well) but rather it is the tale of an overlooked, homely peasant girl who finds her place in the bigger scheme of things.

The Cobweb Bride starts, like many of the great tales, with an Event (capital E required). The beginning may feel slow to those of us used to the modern format of jumping into the story and struggling to keep up, and I’ll admit to having trouble with the broad cast introduced as an aspect of the Event at first. However, every person you meet in the beginning has an important role to play, no matter how small. It might take a bit for the lines that link each piece to become clear, much like how a spider builds a web one thread at a time, but once enough of the structure is visible, it’s too late. You’re caught in the web of this story.

The Event is simple: Death informs one group he will no longer collect souls until his cobweb bride is brought to him. And all dying, no matter how grievous the injury or illness, ends.

Vera Nazarian offers a complex, deep look at how people respond to both death and duty. She gets into the true nature of humanity in all its grace and flaws by focusing on the little events that come to pass because of the Event.

Cobweb Bride is the story of Percy (full name Persephone) and how she discovers her own value despite being raised by a mother who had married down and two sisters who are all that is beautiful. Hers is the main thread, and Percy the main character, but running in parallel are tales of loyalty, trust, greed, obsession, hope, and hatred to name a few, each given a face and a reason.

Some books are fun reads but nothing more.

Cobweb Bride might start in a style unfamiliar to most, but once it catches hold, you’re thrown into a kaleidoscope of people and events, some frozen for a twist of the barrel so you can appreciate the pageantry and some savored in all their brilliant colors and amazing patterns.

Why yes, this story throws me into metaphors. It’s that kind of tale, with that level of complexity. At the same time, the actual writing is most times clean and clear, with occasional forays into heavier description than I prefer which is not to say it’s poorly written, and there’s no confusion as to what is happening or why.

Cobweb Bride is a novel full of questions and answers, full of characters wanting to understand, wanting to know. This is not a story in which people are pushed along by events (little e) against their will, though there’s an aspect of that. It is a story where even in the face of no options, choices are found and decisions made.

A touch of Russian folklore, an opening style that isn’t even listed in the Point of View catalog, and a huge cast of characters (which narrows down past the opening to a smaller number of key characters). These are the elements that make Cobweb Bride different than most epic fantasy I’ve read, and these, along with characters who each have a compelling reason for the actions they take, are what make Cobweb Bride such a good read. And if you’re worried about predictability, don’t be. While nothing felt like it came out of nowhere once it had happened, there were several times where I’d predicted a path based on my understanding of events and the traditions of the format only to have the story twist aside at the end with something even more compelling and no less true to what came before.

I read Cobweb Bride as a NetGalley ARC in return for an honest review, which means it hadn’t gone through final edits. There were some typos and like that I hope are fixed in the final version, but even that did not disrupt my enjoyment of this title, which is saying something because those things bug me.

Cobweb Bride is not the style of writing found most commonly in modern novels, but its style suits the nature of the story, and works together with wonderful characters to draw me in.