Spinning Silver is another phenomenal novel by Naomi Novik, author of Uprooted and the Temeraire series. Uprooted won the 2016 Nebula Award for best novel. Temeraire is a hugely popular series that created an alternative history for the Napoleonic Wars fought by aviators manning dragons - unbelievably good for those who adore dragon fantasy or appreciate great historical fiction fantasy. Novik does not disappoint with her latest stand alone, and I believe Spinning Silver may be my favorite story out of all of her works, and I have read them all thus far. Novik is able to include details in all of her novels that show an adept knowledge of history that adds multifaceted richness to the stories. Novik creates detailed fantasy worlds with beautifully created characters. Her novels are full of adventure, action, danger, darkness and suspense. They read as true classic fairy tales with good overcoming the deepest evil. Spinning Silver features strong female protagonists who are able to outwit those who seek to destroy them. It is more than just a retelling of Rumpelistilskin - it is a gorgeous reimagining of this tale. If you love fantasy, fractured fairy tales, please read Spinning Silver. It is pure magic.

If you haven't yet encountered the writing of Naomi Novik, then you are in for a treat. Rich world building, complex characters, and a story that grows and deepens as it goes to always keep you eager to find out how it all ties together. Novik draws on her Polish heritage and adds in fantasy elements that delight and terrorize in all the right places.

Miryem is the daughter of a Jewish moneylender. When she takes over the collections and does a much better job of it than her father ever did, she attracts the attention of a Staryk lord. The Staryk raid the land of men and steal gold, so when their lord hears Miryem boasting that she can turn silver to gold, he takes her.

Irina is the daughter of a duke, relegated to a cold bedroom at the top of the house with her old nurse. But her father manages to marry her off to the tsar, and puts her life in jeopardy by doing so. Irina knows that the tsar is the son of a witch and suspects him of sorcery. Even being the tsarina will not be enough to save her if he decides he is tired of her.

How do the lives of a kidnapped Jewess with a talent for making money and a young noblewoman who was never out of her father's keeping become intertwined? What do the Staryk, the tsar, and the state of the kingdom have in common? And after all the plots and counter-plots, who will be left alive at the end? You will have to read to find out.

Highly recommended for YA readers who enjoy reimagined fairy tales. This is a combination of Rumpelstiltskin and other elements that fantasy readers will want to hoard like dragon's gold.

SPINNING SILVER is golden. By far the best book I have read in a while. Naomi Novik is a master story teller. Her writing flows from the pages into my eyes, through my brain and touches my heart in alternating hot and cold flashes.

I see this book becoming a classic. So much of life is captured in this tale that I found myself writing life quotes from the words floating magically in my mind. Thank You Ms. Novik and please continue to pour into your words the essence of living in the tension of life. This is a must read this summer.

Not exactly what I was expecting, but I appreciate Net Galley and the publisher for sharing the galley of this title.

Spinning Silver was good, but not as engaging as Uprooted. Novik has the same consistent style in this book, the plot just wasn't quite as engaging for me. Spinning Silver is a twist on the tale of Rumpelstiltskin set in a Russian fairy tale sort of background. The Staryk come in the winter and pillage the town at the center of the story. Miryam, the town moneylender, has caught their attention and the king of the Staryk wants her to turn silver into gold. Every time the Staryk and their kingdom came up, I pictured the white walkers from Game of Thrones. Maybe not accurate, but there wasn't enough description for me to put together a better picture of what they look like. Spinning Silver is more of a character driven plot, though it does pick up at the end. I think the major consequence is that I really struggled with the middle of the book. It has a satisfying ending, just beware of the slow parts. If you're a fan of Katherine Arden's Bear and the Nightingale, this book is definitely for you. They have a very similar feel and style.

After falling head-over-heels for Uprooted, I was already onboard for this semi-Rumplestiltskin-esque retelling and it did not disappoint. This was a bit of a slow burn story, with most of the juicy action coming in the latter half of the book. Replete with strong female heroes, and a fairy tale retelling that I now believe only Naomi Novik is capable of, the tale is spun from 3 main character's voices, with clever icons indicating when those voices switch. Several subplots help weave the stories together. I know that my library will place this book in the Teen collection and it does skew slightly towards that, any adult who is a fan of the fantasy genre will love this. I thoroughly enjoyed the sprinkling of Slavik and Jewish culture that lent such vivid pictures and brought life to the characters. The ending was awesome, surprising, and emotional for me! That's all I'm going to say about that. I'm looking forward to reading anything and everything that comes out by Ms. Novak!

Like Daniel Abraham's "The Dagger and the Coin" series this book has a strong plot line that touches on money lending and banking in medieval society, a subject matter that I find interesting and under explored in fantasy literature which makes the first third of the book fly by. As the story continues though I found the point of view changes were not as smooth as could have been expected luckily the narrative is so strong and compelling it pulls the reader through to truly enjoy this story with several very strong young female characters from differing lots in life. I'd recommend this book for most teens that are fans of fantasy novels and also adults that will appreciate the well depicted money lending and court intrigue story lines.

Masterfully done! I enjoyed Uprooted, but Spinning Silver blew me away. The pacing at the beginning of the book felt a little slow, but the wait was worth it. The character development was exceptional. The story was told from various characters point of view. Each one had a unique voice and less than a quarter of the way through the book I didn't need the symbols at the start of the chapter to know which character was furthering the story. The description of people and places made me feel as if I were right there in the story and could almost feel the cold that had taken over the land. Absolutely wonderful and would highly recommend.

This is a beautiful reinterpretation on the theme of the Rumpelstiltskin story,set in a land where winter seems to rule. The Staryk are mystical creatures seemingly made of ice who raid for gold and they are feared by all. there are three young women from vastly different circumstances who by their strength of character and perseverance manage to improve their lives.
I enjoyed the story itself immensely.; but the author's writing style of character stream of consciousness - where you are reading about one character and at the paragraph change you are reading about another character is a bit unsettling. The style draws the story out so that you feel the story unfold through every character. It is a fascinating idea of the interplay of silver and gold, spring and winter, poverty and wealth to bring together a reanimated fairy tale.

In Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik has woven together a handful of fairy tales to tell the stories of three women in a fantastical medieval Lithuania. Miryem is the daughter of a Jewish moneylender who is terrible at actually collecting money. Wanda is the daughter of a drunken, abusive father. Irina is the overlooked daughter of a duke. These women believe in their value and, as their stories take off and they mix with magic and danger, the three will finally have a chance to demand the respect they are owed.

We first meet Miryem before she takes over her father’s business. Her father is such a soft touch that its easy for the villagers to take advantage of him. But Miryem discovers a talent for making money when her mother falls ill and she has no choice but to go out and get money for food. She can turn silver into gold with her entrepreneurial skills—which unfortunately gets misinterpreted by the terrifying kind of the Staryk, who wants her to literally transform silver into gold and takes her away from her home to his snowy kingdom. Meanwhile, Wanda pays off her father’s debt by working for Miryem. In one of the less weird touches of magic, Wanda and her brothers is watched over by their mother’s spirit from where their mother lives in a snow tree.

It’s only later that we meet Irina, who attracts the attention of the tsar. This might have been the start of a dream come true except for the fact that the tsar is possessed by a fiery demon. For several chapters, the three women continue on their more-or-less magical paths, until they start to scheme their way out of their predicaments. Unlike other books with multiple narrators, I found all of the stories equally enthralling—maybe because I was busy trying to spot the fairy tales Novik was playing around with.

The themes of value and cost come up over and over in this book. Miryem has to bargain with the Staryk king for answers to her questions. Irina has to bargain with the demon to stay alive. Unlike Irina and Miryem, Wanda has to learn that she has value beyond what she can earn with her labor, but she has the spirit to say no when she’s pushed into deals she doesn’t want to accept. Spinning Silver is satisfyingly feminist as these women refuse to just go along with what the men (and supernatural beings) in their lives want. This book had me cheering for the protagonists as they battled whatever high stakes, seemingly impossible challenges came their way.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration. It will be released 10 July 2018.

What a great adventure. I’ve always loved fairy tales, but they never moved me like this one. I read through the first few Temeraire books by this author, and then kind of drifted on to other interests. When Net Galley offered me a chance to read this, I decided to see what Naomi Novak was up to these days. I had been aware that she was tinkering with folk tales and the like. Welllll - this one grabbed me and my wife from the very start (I shared it as a read aloud book), and by the end we were totally in tears, happy tears, because we had been totally drawn into this world that she created. This was one of the most satisfying reads in a long time - so inventive, and yet true to its sources. Needless to say, I have just picked up Uprooted, her previous folk tale novel, and I can’t wait to see what it’s like. I find it hard to believe it is better than Spinning Silver, bit if it’s anywhere nearly as good, I will be totally satisfied. Spinning Silver is one of my favorite reads so far this year.

Miryem is the daughter of a money lender so tender-hearted he would sooner see his family starve than collect on a debt. Irina's father the duke hopes to marry her off advantageously but she's too plain for a good catch. Wanda's lout of a father beats her whenever he's not in a drunken stupor. On top of their paternal difficulties, their land is besieged by the icy Staryk, who leave frost and death in their insatiable hunt for gold. All three must summon unsuspected depths of strength and cunning to overcome their fates. A rich and satisfying tapestry drawing on traditional lore but stuffed with strong, clearly distinguished female characters.

Spinning Silver is the fairy tale you always wanted to read and never want to end. Beginning with the story of Rumpelstiltskin, it weaves in many fairy tale plots and elements before a stunning conclusion of fire and ice. Told from the shifting point of view of multiple characters this wonderful story shares the lives of three girls who couldn't be more different. Radiating overarching themes of debt, gratitude, and deceiving appearances, Naomi Novik has written pure art.

Another fantastic tale from Naomi Novik! I so enjoy a tale with strong females that aren't made out to be strong. They are just doing what they do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of "Spinning Silver" by Naomi Novik. I adore "Uprooted" and this book is just as wonderful. I love that the author chose a less popular fairy tale for her second book. Rumpelstiltskin is not a commonly used source and this made the book all the more interesting. This book has an old fairy tale world feeling but is fresh and exciting which is not easily achieved these days. I will be purchasing a copy for myself and for the library!

I LOVED THIS BOOK. The characters were unique and their perspectives varied with their situations. I thought it was written with careful consideration and cultural accuracy, which is extremely important.

This book was superb! Flawless writing, intricate characters, steady plot, lots of great-world building. There aren't words enough to describe how great this book was. Fairy tale retellings are tricky--stick too much to the original, and the book becomes predictable and boring. Stray too far away, and it loses its "fairy tale" feel. Novik is a master--she gives deep enough nods to existing fairy tales that one never feels as if they have strayed too far from the genre, but she adds so much detail and depth, that you are kept continuously guessing and craving more.

Note for the editor: It took me until the 13th chapter to realize that the pictures at the beginning of the chapter were what indicated the narrator for the chapter. I was very confused for a good while. However, I tend to not pick up on small details in general, so this may not be an issue for others with that skill.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book was completely worth the wait! Miryem is a smart, strong heroine that hooked me from the very start. The multiple narrators, particularly the strong female characters, each add their own fascinating layers to a story that includes a girl who can spin silver into gold, mysterious winter warriors, a fire demon, and a fight to save an entire kingdom. I didn’t want it to end!

First line: The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard.

Summary: When Miryem takes over her father’s money lending business she excels at it. She has a talent for making silver into gold. Slowly bringing her family out of poverty, she garners a reputation but it may not be as all she thought it would be. She draws the attention of the Staryk king, a creature of ice and cold who preys on the people of Vysnia.

Highlights: This book is beautiful! It has classic fairy tale themes, Rumpelstiltskin, and the feeling of a Russian folktale. I wish that I had read this in the dead of winter because it is very atmospheric. The story is dark and rich. So much detail and story is packed into it that it takes a while to digest. This is not a summery beach read but one that needs to be savored.

There are at least six points of view throughout the plot and each character has a symbol to represent them. It is a nice touch to separate the narratives. Each character brings their own voice and thoughts to the story. Miryem is the moneylender’s daughter who is stolen away by the Staryk king. Wanda, the servant girl, gives us a peak into the prejudices of the village folk but also the wonder of girl who has been given a chance to better herself. Her younger brother, Stepon, is the innocent who watches and does not completely understand what is happening around him. Irina, the daughter of a duke, has been forgotten and neglected until her father hatches a plan to ensnare the Tsar and therefore putting her in danger. The young tsar, Mirnatius, has a dark secret. And finally Magreta, the nurse who raised Irina and is determined to keep her young charge safe.

With so many plot lines intertwining you would think it would get confusing but it does not. They all come together and conclude the story. The last few chapters are fast paced and the perfect way to end. Be prepared to spend time with these characters in this world. It is a hearty read but worth it.

The Staryk was a tale for a winter's night.



Lowlights: I love the detail of the story and the characters. Every few chapters though felt a little longer than they needed to be. I am a fan of short chapters so when one stretched on for 50+ pages it took me a little longer to get through.

FYI: Read Uprooted by Naomi Novik. It is fantastic! It is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast which is my favorite fairy tale.

Spinning Silver is a fantasy with a construct that at times felt a little flimsy. Fire and ice are personified as characters with magical interactions with silver and gold that were sort of arbitrary (like those common in traditional fairy tales). That said, I enjoyed it immensely. The narration shifts from character to character, driving along a shiny road of peril and drama. The conclusion of the book made me realize how much the story plays to the idea of a strong, pure woman making a real man out of a male, but, hey, why not?