The only thing better than a good fairy tale is a good fairy tale with a strong cast of heroines. Naomi Novik has turned Rumplestiltskin on its ear by introducing us to Miryem, a Jewish money lender who breaks tradition by taking over her father's business and creating a reputation for herself: she can turn silver into gold.

Spinning Silver is filled with complex characters, unpredictable twists and turns and magic. Naomi Novik's story held me in enchantment the very beginning. She weaves a magic spell over the reader and then makes you want to stay in the book forever. Easily one of the best books I've read this year, I will be recommending this to everyone I know.

I thought the range of narrators got a little unwieldy towards the end; it was difficult to keep the characters and their perspectives straight. Still, an engaging world and surprisingly complex story.

Miryem is the daughter of a moneylender who never collects his debts. When her mother becomes sick, her father wastes away and winter rages ever harder, Miryem hardens her heart and starts collecting her mother's dowry from the condescending townsfolk. She's good at it, so good that the villagers whisper she can turn silver into gold...

Wanda is a poor farmer's daughter, doing everything she can to save herself from her father's drunken abuse. She doesn't give a damn about her surviving brothers, because what have they ever done for her, but when the new moneylender comes to collect Wanda's father's debts, Wanda is sent to work as a housekeeper for the moneylender's parents. Suddenly, there's hope for a future away from her father, but the ice demons are lingering around the door...

Irina is the plain daughter of a duke, shuffled into the highest room in the palace with only her nanny to care for her. But the tsar wants a wife, and her father has ambitions...

I'm...not even sure what I read. Right when I thought I had it figured out, it twisted and then twisted again. Parts were confusing as hell, other parts were beautiful and lyrical and delicious, and occasionally I wanted to smack one or other of the heroines over the head with a shovel and the hug them tight and never let go.

I felt like the tone was more similar to The Bear and the Nightingale than Uprooted, which seriously had me questioning which book I was reading several times and probably led to a lot of my confusion of what was happening since I kept combining the two into my mind.

There are three different heroines, plus two different points of view, plus two monsters, all with their own agendas, worries and motivations. Sometimes those dovetail, and other times they didn't—and it was deliciously twisty and magical and terrifying all at once.

At the end, it was a story about finding your family and your future, and realizing that you are bigger and better than what society intends for you. And it's also a love story.

Highly recommended for fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Desert Isle Keeper
Spinning Silver
Naomi Novik


Buy This Book
Spinning Silver is a lush, richly imagined, gloriously magical fantasy novel that takes its inspiration from Russian and Jewish folklore. A story full of adventure, wit, dangerous fey and clever queens, it is everything, EVERYTHING that a fairy tale for adults should be.

Irina is the plain daughter of the first wife of an upstart duke. Her father earned his title rather than being born into it and while men deeply respect him and his accomplishments, theirs is not the noblest blood. She expects a simple marriage, to a man of moderate importance. She gets far more than she bargained for. When her grand marriage to the most important man in the land turns into a fight for survival, she meets a most unexpected ally.

When Miryem Mandelstam’s mother becomes ill, Miryem’s patience with her father’s sloth comes to an end. As the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, she should be living in modest wealth but instead, the money her father lends out never makes it back. While they go hungry, other men dower their daughters with Mandelstam coin. But no more. She goes door to door, collecting what is due. Before much time has passed there is food on the table, they have a floor made of wood rather than straw, her mother has a warm fur to sleep under and they have Wanda whose father, unable to pay, has the girl working off his debt as their maid.

When Miryem’s grandfather congratulates her on her ability to “turn silver to gold”, he is referring to her hard work reaping profits. When her mother, on the sleigh ride home, whines about the fact that Miryem has had to be tenacious in order to change the family fortunes, Miryem justifies herself by repeating the compliment. When Miryem’s next deal involves selling two dresses for gold coins that she had bought for silver, her father says, “My daughter really can turn silver to gold”. And thus, her fate is sealed.

“A power claimed and challenged and thrice carried out is true; the proving makes it so.”

So Staryk magic believes. These men of ice, the lords of winter, love gold and have long raided and killed in the mortal realm to claim it. Their king, who caught the compliments made to Miryem on the wind, issues her an ultimatum:

“Thrice you shall turn silver to gold for me or be changed to ice yourself. And then, if you manage it, I will make you my queen.”

To fulfill his demands, Miryem launches a quest that pulls her into the darkest realms of magic, where she will battle a demon of fire, a king made of ice, and fight for the survival of humanity.

The characters in this novel are amazingly, vibrantly drawn. I loved the way the author is able to capture the reality of an era in which women could be expected to be treated as little more than chattel, and yet create three clever, talented young ladies who work within and around the confines of their environment to excel. Miryem does not resign herself to slow death through starvation and cold but develops an icy resolve that enables her to change her family’s lot in life. She utilizes that same resolve to survive when she is taken to the Staryk kingdom, a an unwilling ‘bride’. Quiet, calm Irina becomes a force to be reckoned with when she finds that Tsar Mirnatius is a far worse monster than she could ever have expected. Wanda slowly, painstakingly builds a new life for herself and her brothers against incredible odds. These ladies are so smart and resilient; I loved that the author has them use their nimble minds to outwit their assailants. They are good, kind people as fables tell us to be, but their goodness and kindness has an ingenuity and farsightedness to it that makes it more than just passively accepting one’s lot with good cheer. When they see evil, they act against it. When they see need, they allocate resources to deal with it. When they are in danger, they fight for survival. They don’t wait on luck or fairy godmothers but twist that concept so that they become their own source of salvation. Their moral purity is their ability to think beyond themselves and their own need and deal with the bigger picture.

I also loved the author’s exploration of the bigotry of the times. Miryem, as a young Jewish woman, knows that plenty of people despise her for no reason other than her birth and latch on to any excuse for their hatred. The story shows repeatedly how it was, in fact, their Russian neighbors who stole and cheated, not the money lenders. I spent a great deal of time in fear for Miryem and her family and friends; they lived in such danger, between the horrible ant-Semitism and the heartless, fey Staryk, their lives seemed endlessly in mortal peril.

The Staryk are another element handled absolutely brilliantly. In many fairy tale retellings, the monsters are defanged, changing them from dangerous, cruel enemies into misunderstood victims. Not so here. While wrong has been dealt on both sides, the fey are not shown as misunderstood. They treat humans with contempt, having no respect for mortal lives which end so quickly when theirs last so long. They take what they want or need and give no thought to those who suffer as a consequence. They snatch women from their homes and families, and those are the lucky ones. They rape others. Yet the author also does a fabulous job of turning them into individuals for whom we can have some empathy as she shows, that like us, they can be redeemed, can learn to care and can have good in them along with the bad. Miryem is instrumental in showing them how being open hearted makes us better neighbors to those around us.

I loved the HEA storylines here. Both women come to be appreciated for their worth; not looks – both are rather plain – but their actual value as clever, caring people. Fantastically done is the depiction of married life. Neither Irina nor Miryem nor their partners looked for romance, but they did seek love. They wanted people who placed worth in them, who saw beyond the surface and were interested in building genuine partnerships. Sex is a right and privilege of marriage, but desire comes in far behind other attributes. Very true to the times.

The writing is beautiful, lyrical, incandescent. It reads like a fairy story and but one with real depth, carefully crafted and heartrendingly poignant and lovely.

I’ve re-read portions of this tale a dozen times already, it was that good. I finished it, restarted it, visited various parts over and over. Spinning Silver is that rarest of all things, a brilliant, creative idea perfectly executed. Filled with enchantment, thrillingly, chillingly scary and ultimately, having good triumph over evil, this book is wonderful, and not to be missed.

Spinning Silver is breathtaking, magical journey that follows three very different women who end helping one another to overcome great odds against them. This is a fantastic follow-up to Novik's Uprooted and is sure to be a hit.

Spinning Silver would be the perfect book for a cozy winter read--it's practically the opposite of your typical 'summer read'--but I understand that winter is not the prime time for book releases. Fortunately, however, no matter when you actually do read it, it's still going to be a wonderful, breathtaking story. Also, for those wondering if they need to read Uprooted before Spinning Silver: the two novels are not connected and do not need to be read in any order; they share the same general magical atmosphere and it feels like a similar world, but the two are not connected and are not in the same universe.

This book is bewitching, both in terms of its appeal and captivating manner and also in terms of the plot and events of the story itself. There is something so miraculously engaging about Novik's writing that just completely pulls you in and holds you tight until the story is over--and even then it's hard to let go of this world and the characters. I've always been interested in the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, so I was pleased to see how Novik took elements from that story and incorporated them into a variety of different and even surprising aspects of Spinning Silver. She has created an incredibly clever, subtle, and carefully-plotted story that is not one I will forget, and one that I am sure to revisit.

There are a lot of different threads going on in this story at the same time and it's easy to find yourself a bit lost at times if you aren't paying close enough attention. This book is also definitely on the slower side and is very much about the journey and the slow changes in the characters and how they take small but important steps in attempts to improve their lives while also improving the lives of them around me. There are still plenty of interesting events and plot developments in addition to the slower aspects, but this book is not based on a fast-paced storyline and is one to be savoured rather than plowed through.

There are a few different POVs that we follow in this book, but the main ones are that of Miryem, Wanda, and Irina. Each perspective is identified by a specific symbol at the start of each chapter, which I personally thought was a rather clever way of delineating who would be the speaker for each chapter, as it wasn't an overt name thrown in your face, but instead a symbolic image that guided you into each narration. It took me a minute to remember a few of the different symbols, but once you catch on it is not difficult to keep up.

Miryem seems to also be the binding force among these three young women, and she is a character that I came to greatly admire. She has not grown up in much comfort, but she has always had the love of her family. She is someone that sees a problem with something, such as people taking advantage of her father's kindness, and decides to get things done in order to make both her and her family's lives better. It doesn't matter if people do not like what she has to do, what matters to her is fairness and making sure her family is provided for. I loved Novik's decision to make Miryem and her family Jewish--Novik herself being of Lithuanian-Jewish descent--and how she incorporated that entire aspect. I do not have personal experience, but I felt it was very well written and it seems to be getting positive praise from those who are Jewish or of Jewish descent as well.

Wanda, unlike Miryem, does not receive much in the way of love or positive attention from her father, who is abusive to both her and her two brothers. She is an incredibly strong person, though her strength was born out of a necessity to take care of her family and to survive the harsh life she has grown up with. However, her fate slowly begins to change in extremely unexpected and occasionally fortuitous ways as the story goes on, and we begin to learn more about Wanda and how far she will go for her and her brother's survival and to ultimately live out better lives.

Irina, unlike both Miryem and Wanda, was born into royalty and a fairly privileged life, but her privilege ends at material wealth and goods, as her family is not overly warm or loving towards her. Irina is the character that probably most surprised me. When we are first introduced to Irina, she is pretty much told what to do in her life, and as she grows throughout the novel and is thrust into new and unforeseen situations, we get to see her fully come to life and take charge of her own strengths in life.

All three of these women's' storylines eventually merge in different ways and at different times, and I loved the way that Novik brought everything together. The magical elements were so strong and brought so much intrigue to the story that I couldn't pull myself away from it. I was also enormously pleased with the ending of this book, and I cannot think of a better way Novik could have ended it, as it is more on the bittersweet side, which is something that I felt matched perfectly with the story.

I know I've already mentioned Novik's writing style, but I just want to touch again on how compelling it truly was. She writes in a rather simple and uncomplicated style, which leads one to initially wonder how she could write something quite so captivating and beautiful, but it is the simplicity that makes this book so wonderful. The true depth and beauty is found within the narration, and it is so delightful to discover.

Uprooted was such a wonderful book that I wondered whether Naomi Novik would be able to match it when I found out she was doing a second fairy tale retelling. The answer is, no, she doesn’t, but she set herself a high bar, and this novel is still very, very good.

Spinning Silver takes Rumpelstiltskin as its jumping off point and infuses the fairy tale with a Slavic setting and myths. The story is told by six different voices (switches between them are denoted by a picture at the head of each new section). There are three primary narrators: Miryem, the daughter of a poor Jewish moneylender (he’s too tenderhearted to be good at it); Wanda, a peasant girl with an abusive father; and Irina, the plain and neglected daughter of a duke. When Miryem takes over from her father and starts to collect what is owed to her family, she comes to the attention of the king of the Staryk, a fey folk associated with winter. The Staryk crave gold, and Miryem’s canny business practices can transform the Staryk’s magical silver into gold. The Staryk’s interference in Miryem’s life then becomes the catalyst from which all the rest of the story’s adventures flow.

Part of the reason the book is less successful than Uprooted is that it takes a while for those adventures to get started. The first third of the book sets the stage for the more exciting parts of the story, which occur after Miryem, Wanda, and Irina are all forced from their homes by various circumstances. I found that first third to be a bit of a struggle to get through, because the pacing is so slow. However, my patience was rewarded, because the rest of the book was a captivating read.

The central theme of the novel is transformation, and not just the transformation of silver to gold, but the transformation of the lives of the characters and ultimately, their world. Miryem, Wanda, and Irina, as well as the other narrators, are all in some way powerless, whether because of their family situation, social standing, religion, or magic. That holds true even when they might be supposed to be powerful; Irina is the daughter of a duke, but as a woman, she holds little influence. The heart of the story is really about the characters finding a way to overcome their limitations, so that even the least among them has a role to play in transforming their lives and the land in which they live.

The story ends the way all the best tales do--the good are rewarded, the evil punished, and love flourishes, even in seemingly stony hearts. Really, what more can a reader ask for in a fairy tale?

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

A fresh retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, Naomi Novik creates a magical and sometimes frightening world with strong female characters who must rise above their situations to take control of their destinies. I really enjoyed the story and characters in this tale. I was captivated from the start by the struggle to survive in a world being slowly frozen by a very proud king from another land. I must admit that once again, I was captivated by the beautiful cover as I was with her previous novel, Uprooted.

This was a great book with a slow beginning, but as it was the second I read by Naomi Novik, this time I wasn't particularly worried as I was when I read Uprooted, and I was right, The plot slowly begins to unravel and it gets better and better, such a powerful women were involved that it was a pleasure to read about their brilliant mind instead that reading about their long legs and boobs ;) It is a must read!

Questo é stato un bel libro con un inizio lento, ma siccome era giá il secondo libro che leggevo della Novik un po' me lo aspettavo ed ero molto meno preoccupata della volta che stavo leggendo Uprooted e non ce la facevo ad andare avanti fino a quando non sono riuscita a smettere di leggerlo, ed é stato così anche stavolta. La trama si dipana lentamente fino a diventare piena di donne meravigliose e tostissime, che era un piacere leggere delle loro menti brillanti invece che delle loro tette e culi. Da non perdere!

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

3.5 of 5 stars

I know I’m in the minority here, but I didn’t love this book. Oh, I enjoyed it well enough, because it’s Naomi Novik and her prose is always excellent, and Spinning Silver was beautifully written. However, I’ve also had enough experience with work (especially with the Temeraire series) to know her books can be very hit or miss. Believe me, I was thrilled when she started writing fairy-tale-inspired fantasy novels, and I absolutely adored Uprooted, but I just wasn’t as taken with this one as I expected to be.

The story of Spinning Silver contains several POVs, but the closest we have to a main protagonist is Miryem, the daughter of a very bad moneylender. Everyone knows her father will let late payments slide, and is too timid to chase down what is owed. As a result, Miryem’s family lives in poverty while her father’s borrowers flourish, until one day, our protagonist has had enough, and she sets out into the village to knock on the door of everyone with outstanding payments. And as it turns out, Miryem makes a rather formidable moneylender. Very quickly, she turns a pouch of silver pennies that her father loaned her into a big bag full of gold.

But even more quickly, rumors of a girl who can change silver to gold began to spread far and wide, eventually reaching the ears of the Staryk, cold-hearted beings of folklore who desire gold and riches above anything else. Miryem catches the attention of their wintry ruler, who orders her to transform his vast stores of silver into gold, and in return he will make her his queen.

First, I’ll go into what I loved about the book: the atmosphere and folksy fairy tale vibes that bring to mind the dark, mysterious charms of a Brothers Grimm story. If the plot of Spinning Silver reminded you a bit of Rumpelstiltskin, that’s because the novel is loosely inspired by that tale, though you’ll also likely catch snippets and elements from a lot of different fairy tales while reading. One of the most impressive things the author has done here is the way she incorporates these stories and their themes into a new narrative, focusing on relatable and genuine characters while still preserving a lot of the original wonder and magic. This has always been Naomi Novik’s forte whether she’s writing about dragons in the Napoleonic Wars or a persistent moneylender’s daughter from a rural village. Whenever she reimagines a world, she does it in a way that’s rooted in history and folkloric tradition, but the end result is always complex and creative enough to make it stand out from the rest.

And now, for the things I didn’t like so much. Unfortunately for me, the second half of this book was kind of a slog. Part of the problem was Spinning Silver wasn’t just a story about Miryem, and over time, more characters are introduced to the mix. I didn’t mind it at first; Wanda for one was a wonderful new addition, and I loved the strength she showed even through hard, trying times. Then there was Irina, a girl born into the royal court, but while she may be rich in possessions, she is poor in love. Despite her upbringing though, she is selfless and caring, only wanting to do right by her people. Later on, however, we also have a few other minor POVs join their voices, and that’s where things started to get a little messy. First of all, I didn’t feel that all these perspectives were really necessary, as overall they didn’t add as much as I would have liked. Second, whereas I found myself completely rapt by the intro and first half of the novel, the rest of it felt convoluted and a bit bloated. Also, the book was probably longer than it had to be, which, admittedly, was an issue with Uprooted as well. The difference there was that I was able to push through some of the slower and more meandering parts, but here I found it was a struggle to even stay focused. It’s a shame because I loved the first half of the book, but the momentum and interest I found there did not extend all the way through to the end (though to be fair, things did pick up again just in time for the conclusion).

Like I said, I enjoyed Spinning Silver, but I also don’t think it’s a standout for the genre, especially when fairy tale retellings and stories grounded in folklore are all the rage at the moment, with so many recent book releases that feel thematically and narratively similar. It’s also not my favorite book by Novik, and incidentally, I preferred Uprooted a lot more. Truly, I wish I had loved this one just as much, but I simply couldn’t get over some of my frustrations with the slower, more tedious, and convoluted parts. Still a very good read, however, and I encourage you to pick this one up if you are a fan of the author or imaginative retellings.

It will come as literally no surprise to any of you who saw my <a href="http://www.thebookrat.com/2018/06/favorite-books-of-2018-so-far-book-chat.html" target="_blank">Favorite Books of 2018 (so far)</a>&nbsp;video, but <span style="font-size: large;">this review is about to be a rave</span>.
So.

<strong>Spinning Silver</strong> is just… it’s so beautifully complex. It builds on itself in ever-expanding layers in such a strong, smart way. If it had started out with as many pov characters as it has (and it has more than I was expecting), it could have easily been overwhelming or confusing. Instead, each character is added in as needed, at interesting times and in interesting ways, expanding the story and playing their part, without bogging it down. My one note would be that a couple of the characters' voices (the two main, actually) do sound pretty similar, and that's mostly in the fact that they both sound very reserved and cold*. But in some ways, I think they both <em>are</em> very reserved and cold, and each have their reasons for it; the important thing is that, as they grow and change, their voices do a little bit, too.

The story – a retelling of Rumplestiltskin -- works really well <em>as</em> a fairy tale retelling; one of the better, actually, imo, because it feels so rich and fully-realized. But it is so much more than that, and works so well as a story on its own, independent of the fairy tale. It doesn't rest on the laurels of the tale, but it also doesn't dismiss the fairy tale, or use it as a bare framework only in name, as so many “retellings” do. It very much IS Rumplestiltskin, and it very much IS its own thing. Of course, because I loved it, and loved the main characters, people are going to call it slow. I already know. I already know! But I loved these characters and found it really brilliantly paced. There is a sense of time passing, so that it moves quickly when it needs to, but doesn't feel rushed or glossed-over, and I feel like that exact thing — the sense of time being a real thing that people have to live with and go through — is something that's ignored or even intentionally abused in books nowadays. The trend is all for flash-fast and uber "readable," leaving a lot of books feeling rootless and easy to forget, which is patently not true of <b>Spinning Silver</b>.

I don't recall this from <b>Uprooted</b>&nbsp;[<a href="http://www.thebookrat.com/2017/01/best-of-2016.html" target="_blank">review</a>], though maybe it's a known strength of Novik's, but in <b>Spinning Silver, </b>at least, Naomi Novik does gray <i>SO well</i>. There are levels to villainy, to victimhood, to strength, to family. It deals with racism and abuse very well, both in the framework of the story, and as a general, non-didactic approach, again adding more layers to the delicious, elaborate cake that is this book. Everything is so, so complex. I know I've already said that, but it bears repeating -- there's a lot to sink your teeth into here, and I feel like further readings would just uncover more and more. And I <i>do</i>&nbsp;want to reread this. I want to reread it and I will reread it. Absolutely beautiful.



* And yes, of course, this made me love them even more. Reserved, cold characters are <a href="http://www.thebookrat.com/search/label/cold%20fish" target="_blank">Misty catnip</a>!

Spinning Silver was an interesting read, full of vivid characters and story-telling, just as one comes to expect from Novik's writing. There's no denying that she is a masterful story-teller and can weave a mesmerizing tale.

In this novel, she creates an intricate world in which I was completely submerged and enjoyed every second of it. There were so many plot twists that I did not see coming, and I am so pleasantly pleased that was the case.

While this is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, it's more of a reimagining since its based loosely on the tale, but still enjoyable for anyone who loves fairytales.

My only complaint reamains in how complicated the story was, which made it hard to follow at times and often times needlessly so. I wish some of the added plots were taken out since they didn't add very much to the story. But otherwise, this was a fantastic story any fantasy and fairytale lover will enjoy.

I adored this. It was so original, and the characters were distinctly wonderful. It’s a slow build, but well worth the time. I’ll always miss Temeraire and Laurence, but Novik’s stand-alone novels (this one and Uprooted) have been fantastic.

“Bring me the winter king, and I will make you a summer queen.”

Spinning Silver is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I loved this story with every fiber of my being. And Naomi Novik is a master at storytelling and interweaving stories together. You all know that this is a very loose reimaging of Rumpelstiltskin but I’d stay it’s more of an empowering tale of three girls, all on three different paths, all promised to three different men, while all being looked over by three different mothers. Three is such a constant theme in this book, too, and it really helps reinforce that this story feels like a tangible piece of magic in your hands while reading. This book is nothing short of a masterpiece.

“The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard.”

The Three Girls:
➽ Wanda - a girl who has had to be strong, because it’s the only life she has ever known. Wanda has spent her short life taking care of her brothers and trying to please a father who is impossible to please. But that all changes once she is the only way to pay back his debts.
➽ Irinushka - a girl who has been born into royalty but has never known love from her blood family. Irina is still determined to save her people, by any means necessary.
➽ Miryem - a girl who will do whatever it takes to save her family. Miryem is strong, and relentless, and one of the very best characters I’ve ever read in my entire life. And she becomes one of the most feared moneylenders in her village, and she discovers that she awfully good at turning silver to gold. But she is not the only one that notices.

“That part of the old story turned out to be true: you have to be cruel to be a good moneylender. But I was ready to be as merciless.”

The Three Mothers:
➽ A Passed Away Mother who continues to look after her children.
➽ An Adoptive Mother who has unconditionally loved her child from the start.
➽ A Birth Mother who wants nothing more than her child safe and happy.

“A robber who steals a knife and cuts himself cannot cry out against the woman who kept it sharp.”

The Three Marriages:
➽ Filled with Hate because even in 2018 some men want to believe that they know what’s best for a woman, no matter the cost.
➽ Filled with Fire because some people are born into a world without a chance, regardless of money, power, and privilege.
➽ Filled with Cold because protecting the thing you love is sometimes something you’re willing to do anything for.

“...someone had climbed down and looked through our window: someone wearing strange boots with a long pointed toe.”

And these three girls, with their mothers, forced into their three marriages, all come together and create something so beautiful that I don’t even have words to express it. I will say that Miryem is for sure the main character. I will also say that we get to see a lot more points of view than these three girls and their betrothals. And the story is something that is so whimsical, so feminist, and nothing short of an honor to read.

Trigger and content warnings for hard scenes to read about loss of a parent, siblings, and death of children, for extreme parental physical abuse, brief mention of animal deaths, mention of past rape, sexual assault, alcoholism, torture, violence, murder, and use of the word Jew (not negatively, but it still didn’t feel good to read at times).

But one thing I did want to touch upon is how much Judaism plays such an integral role in this story. Miryem and her entire family are Jewish, and from the first to last page this plays a pivotal role in the story. I am not Jewish, but I still loved this inclusion so very much. Also, I’m adding “go to a Jewish wedding” onto my bucket list immediately. To my Jewish friends: please, invite me to your weddings.

Spinning Silver is such a love letter to found families everywhere, too. You guys know I love reading about found families, but all three girls in this book are the epitome of found families. Unconditional love is truly the strongest force in this universe, and not only does this book showcase that, it also celebrates that.

Overall, this just felt like a story that was single-handedly created for me. From the Staryks, to the Winter King, to the traveling between places, to the so very strong female cast, to the magic, to every single word on every single page. I swear, opening this book felt like magic and I never wanted to shut it. And I know I am being rather vague with my synopsis, but I truly believe that this book is probably best to go in not knowing much, and to just experience this otherworldly story firsthand. Without a doubt, this will make my “best of 2018” list and will forever have a place on my favorites of all-time shelf. Thank you so much, Naomi Novik, for a story I will cherish forever. And that last line will take my breath away every reread. Perfection.

“Because that’s what the story’s really about: getting out of paying your debts.”

I wanted to like this more than I did. It didn’t take long to get into the story. Winter was lasting longer and longer every year. Crops were failing. The Staryk came with their magic when the snow came and stole all of the gold they could. Exactly what the Staryk were is never defined although they are similar to fae with their deals, bargains, and loopholes.

Miryem was tired of suffering. She found a way to help her family although it made her somewhat selfish and cold. Her money making skills quickly drew the attention of the Staryk. Miryem was my favorite of the three main characters. Her bargaining skills often made her seem heartless but she always remained fair. I immensely enjoyed the changes in her character throughout. Her storyline was my favorite because it was the most unpredictable. The Staryk were a wildcard since their motives were unknown.

Wanda had the most boring storyline. It was important in the end, but I’m not sure why so much page time was devoted to her and her family. They were good people but not very interesting. There wasn’t any character development in any of them. Their story fizzled out about halfway through and really slowed the pace of the story by focusing on their mundane issues.

Irina was fun to read about. She didn’t grow as a character, but as the layers of her were revealed, she was not the person I thought she was. At first I really liked her. All I will say is that she was a true politician to the core. Her dealings with the demon and her unique heritage made her part of the story interesting. It was spelled out how she wanted things to go, so her fate wasn’t shocking. It was how she got there that was unexpected.

The end was amazing! I loved it. It made suffering through the boring middle of the story worth it. The book was told from the POV of several people. It didn’t specify before each section who it was about, which was confusing at times. It was unnecessary when it started adding in some of the side characters’ POV. The biggest failure was the lack of depth in the demon and the Staryk King. The demon was straight up bad. I was hoping the Staryk King would be more of a gray character. Instead he was just a jerk for most of the book. Another thing I didn’t like was that Miryem and Irina were making decisions that affected many people but neither of them gave considerable thought to the consequences of their actions. Although the book had some issues, I’m glad I read it.

While the official introduction talks of one young woman Spinning Silver really follows three young women and their families as they forge their own paths. Each of these womans have difficulties to overcome and succeed. As these three woman’s paths cross the story of Rumpelstiltskin comes to life in a new way.
This was a fun and interesting read. Naomi Novak created a world where hardship is real and the characters are flawed. I do recommend picking up this book. At first I did not know if I wanted to read this because I was not a fan of Uprooted but I am glad I did. The only real complaint is the there are a lot of point of views. It gets hard to keep track and there is indication. I still recommend reading this book.

'Uprooted' has been on my to-read list for quite awhile, and (shamefully) I have not yet gotten to it. I picked up this book thinking it would spark my reading of the first one too, and it has certainly made me more eager to go for it. This book is so well-written, and the world-building feels so real. I'm happy to recommend it to any fantasy reader at my library.

Like Uprooted, Spinning Silver is built with transporting, unforgettable world building and slowly unfolding mysteries laid out before a pair of clever, magic-touched young women. I loved this and wholeheartedly recommend it for any readers who've ever had their imagination caught by a fairy tale.

This one did take me a while to read because the chapters were longer (I could only do one a night) but I wanted to devour this and kept thinking about it when I put it down. OH MY GOSH. The story and characters are so good that I wanted to return to them desperately.

I also appreciate the integration of Jewish traditions into this: I think that is what really makes it shine by addressing the stereotypes placed upon Jewish people and exploring that in relation to the money lending. One of the many "heck yes" moments was Miryem is basically away from her home (I won't say why because..spoilers) and wants celebrate the Shabbat and she is very firm in her beliefs. It's great.

My first ever netgalley. Thank you so much to the publisher!
I liked this book, but I did struggle a bit getting through it at times. There were some narrators I felt we’re a little dragging out the plot and I would have liked to hear more about Irina at the end, but I did like how the story ended for my fave Miryem.
(Also I hated the Staryk so much I have issues with blind evil so...)

while not nearly as good as the author's previous book set sort of in this world, uprooted, this was really well written and had great fairy tale mythology woven in. definitely recommended if you liked uprooted or maybe catherynne valente's deathless or katherine arden's winternight trilogy (both have some similar russian themed fairy tale elements and awesome female protagonists)

I absolutely loved Naomi Novik's Uprooted and I was so incredibly excited to read Spinning Silver. I thought this book had a fantastic take on the story of Rumpelstiltskin. Novik's writing is something almost too good to be true. It's magical, and incredibly intricate. I thought Miryem was a great anit-hero. She was neither good nor bad in my opinion, she was a survivor and to me that made all the difference.I'm currently writing my full review for this beautiful book and will be sharing it on goodreads as well as retailer sites. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.