The Web of Time by Flavia Brunetti – YA Fantasy Review + $25 Giveaway + Author Interview
A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour. 
Quick Summary:
Time is falling apart—and only art, language, and kindness can stitch it back together. In The Web of Time, Flavia Brunetti spins a YA fantasy where history is fragile, and two young creatives hold the thread that may save it all. Mythology, emotion, and ancient cities collide in this imaginative, unforgettable read.
Giveaway:
Win a $25 Ben & Jerry’s Gift Card courtesy of the author of WEB OF TIME (ONE winner) (USA) (ends June 16)
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Book Details
The Web of Time
By Flavia Brunetti
Published by Blue House Literary/Media on May 20, 2025
Genres: Grounded Fantasy, YA Fantasy
Formats: Paperback
Pages: 298
Far beneath the ground, a web quietly spins.The threads are keeping time, marking history. What's done is done. Until now.
Protected by the gods and powering the three Great Portals of Kindness, Art, and Language, The Web of Time re-arranges itself as humans change their minds, fall in love, or cause empires to rise and fall. When the Great Portals close from the world, time begins erasing itself, histories start to disappear, Earth falls into chaos, and the gods don't know how to stop it-until Jack meets Anna.
Anna is a passionate and solitary writer who is protected by her companion, Nafusa of Libya, the cat god. When Jack, a young painter harboring a traumatic past, falls through the Great Portal of Art in Tunis, he stumbles into Anna, and his fate.
Helped and hindered by a rotating cast of deities, the two embark on a journey that connects three ancient cities in different times: Rome, Tunis, and Tripoli. They realize that it is Anna's gift for healing words and Jack's natural talent for drawing places as they were that can reinstate the Great Portals and restore the world's balance, but some of the darker gods who thrive on chaos will stop at nothing to derail their quest.
As time tears faster than they can heal it, Anna and Jack must come together in time to save history, and the possibility of a future.
Source: iRead Book Tours
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Purchase Links for The Web of Time
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Also available on: BN & the WEBSITE
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My thoughts on The Web of Time
What if the key to saving the world wasn’t brute strength or epic battles—but art, language, and kindness?
The Web of Time by Flavia Brunetti is a beautiful YA fantasy that blends myth, emotion, and creativity into a story that feels both timeless and urgent. We meet Anna, a quiet but powerful writer, and Jack, a young artist whose past is shadowed by trauma. When Jack stumbles through a crumbling portal in Tunis, he meets Anna and the fate of time itself begins to shift.
This book is grounded fantasy at its finest. Instead of flashy spells or sword fights, Brunetti gives us portals powered by human expression. The story spans Rome, Tripoli, and Tunis, three ancient cities humming with history and mystery, as Anna and Jack navigate not only shifting timelines but also their own healing. Accompanied (and occasionally hindered) by a divine cast of gods and goddesses, they must restore the broken portals before history erases itself completely.
I loved the fresh take on mythology. Nafusa, the Libyan cat god, steals the show more than once, and the balance of divine chaos and mortal purpose adds both humor and heart. The Web of Time feels deeply personal. The themes of trauma, identity, and resilience are handled gently enough that even the heavier moments feel safe for younger readers.
This is the kind of book that reminds you why art matters, how stories can shape the world, that images can preserve what we’ve lost, and how kindness can literally hold time together.
The Web of Time is a thoughtful journey through time, myth, and the healing power of creativity. YA fantasy fans, especially those who love stories with emotional depth and artistic magic, will find something truly special here.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love to read books through my Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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Born just outside of Rome, Flavia Brunetti grew up bouncing back and forth between Italy and California and has lived between a myriad other countries, so her writing often revolves around place and identity and is usually written on a plane where she inevitably apologizes to the person sitting next to her for bumping their elbow. She is the author of the novel All the Way to Italy. Her second novel, The Web of Time, a YA grounded fantasy adventure set in Rome, Tunis, and Tripoli, will be published by Blue House Literary in May 2025. Today, Flavia continues learning about the world while working for a humanitarian organization and getting lost in her Eternal City, writing flash fiction and non-fiction stories, and connecting with other readers, writers, and adventurers (also the armchair travel variety).About Flavia Brunetti
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Author Interview: Flavia Brunetti on The Web of Time, Mythical Gods, and Lemon-Soaked Dreams of Italy
As part of my review of The Web of Time, I had the pleasure of interviewing author Flavia Brunetti about the mythic world she created, the powerful presence of gods and humans alike, and—of course—her favorite Italian meals. Enjoy this thoughtful and delightful conversation!
Much of The Web of Time is in different places. Where do you feel most at home?
The book is set in three ancient cities: Rome, Tunis, and Tripoli. Two of these cities I’ve lived in (Rome and Tunis) and one I spent a lot of time in (Tripoli). All three of them have colored pieces of my heart, and I carry them with me wherever I go. But my home, my roots, are deeply ensconced in Rome: no matter where I am flying to in the world, when the wheels of the plane touch down, for a moment, in my heart, I am always a Roma.
The Web of Time is filled with both humans and gods. How did you decide that?
One of the most interesting things for me growing up reading about mythology was not just the presence of gods, but their ties with humans, and vice versa. I wanted to explore a world where there were gods, yes, but also explore a bit more that power dynamic, where blame lies for portentous events but also redemption, relationships, love, friendship, and the mythological dynamic (and patriarchal nature, which I wanted to turn on its head) of what a human hero is.
Are the gods in the book “traditional” gods?
Goodness me, no! The gods of The Web of Time are a combination of the embodiment of places: Nafusa the cat god is named after the Libyan mountain range he hails from; Tevere is the Italian word for Tiber, the river that defines Rome; and Vulturnus, the most darkly chaotic of the gods, is the east wind in Roman mythology and a river god himself. Some of them instead are concepts, elements that humans are fascinated with, like memory, chance, and fate.
Let’s switch up the questions a little. You’re Italian: what’s your favorite Italian meal?
I recently came back from Sorrento in the Campania region, so my answers right now are going to heavily lean toward the lemons that scent that area. My favorite summertime pasta dish is any pasta al limone, but it has to be made well so the flavors are intense (there’s a restaurant in Pienza and a restaurant on Capri that make the most incredible variations of this dish that I spend the rest of the year dreaming about – let me know if you want the recs!)
And summertime dessert is from the Sorrento region of Italy, and it’s delizia al limone, which are these amazing little lemon custard sponge cakes that will change your life, especially if you’re using the lemons from the region.
In all of that, maybe a veggie on the side? But also, maybe not.
Back to books! What are you reading right now?
I just started Chroncicles of a Cairo Bookseller by Nadia Wassef. I’m only about twenty pages in but I love it so far. I’ve spent some time in Egypt and find it so full of history, magic, and culture: you’ll also find a different part (and time) of Egypt in The Web of Time!
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Giveaway!
Win a $25 Ben & Jerry’s Gift Card courtesy of the author of WEB OF TIME (ONE winners) (USA) (ends June 16)
Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for The Web of Time
Full Tour Schedule:
May 20 - Working Mommy Journal - book spotlight
May 20 - Cover Lover Book Review - book spotlight / giveaway
May 20 - @bearyintobooks * - book review / giveaway
May 21 - Liese's Blog - book spotlight
May 22 - GetUrBook - book review / author interview
May 23 - @thebookishren * - book review / giveaway
May 23 - @adriftinfictionalworld - book review
May 26 - @acourtofspinesnpages * - book review / giveaway
May 27 - Frugal Freelancer - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 27 - Book Corner News and Reviews - book review / giveaway
May 28 - FUONLYKNEW - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 28 - @this.human.reads * - book review
May 28 - Gina Rae Mitchell - book review / author interview / giveaway
May 28 - @jilljemmett * - book review / giveaway
May 28 - @michellegodardricherauthor * - book review / giveaway
May 29 - @Leannebookstagram - book review
May 30 - Happily Managing a Household of Boys - book review / giveaway
June 2 - @reader_ceygo * - book review / giveaway
June 3 - Ilovebooksandstuffblog - book spotlight / giveaway
June 4 - Deal Sharing Aunt - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 5 - @readsandmusic * - book review
June 6 - @lizzies.reading.recs * - book review / giveaway
June 9 - Locks, Hooks and Books - book review / giveaway
June 9 - @nissa_the.bookworm * - book review / giveaway
June 9 - @kiv_coffeeandpages * - book review / giveaway
June 9 - @theliteraryescapade * - book review
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Book Title: THE WEB OF TIME by Flavia Brunetti
Category: YA Fiction (Ages 13-17), 298 pages
Genre: Grounded Fantasy
Publisher: Blue House Literary
Release date: May 2025
Tour dates: May 20 to June 9, 2025
Content Rating: G + M: While this is fully G, it does touch on matters including physical abuse and trauma. This is done in a very gentle way, but perhaps worth noting.
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question for author-What personal experiences or observations influenced your writing?
This should be a great novel. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds very interesting.