I enjoyed Uprooted quite a bit, so I was eager to read Spinning Silver. It was everything I wanted but didn't realize I wanted. It took me so much longer to read (I read Uprooted in 2-3 days, Spinning Silver took about a month) but this is a book meant to be savored, not plowed through.

At face value, this is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, but it is so much more. It's the interwoven stories of five different narrators. It's adventure. It's political intrigue. It's fairy tale and fantasy. And it's all headed up my three badass women, who each have their own strengths and weaknesses-- they don't feel like cookie cutter "strong female protagonists". I also appreciated the main character being rooted in her Jewish faith; it added an interesting dimension to the story.

I can easily imagine this becoming a beloved movie a la The Princess Bride-- the imagery was so vivid that I could picture everything clearly in my head.

My only teeny tiny quibble is that small images are used to denote the changes in narrator; I would have preferred the character's name as well. I get how the use (and disuse) of names is significant in a book based on Rumplestiltskin, but from a narrative perspective it made it confusing to follow-- my eyes are used to scanning right past pictorial markers like that. I missed the change in narrator multiple times, and had to go back.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

If you have read Naomi Novik before you know that she writes gripping stories and this latest book is inspired by Rumpelstiltskin but that fairy tale is only a beginning to a multifaceted story that becomes Spinning Silver. Miryem knows that old story but is bitter about it because as the daughter of a Jewish moneylender in a small village (which evokes Poland or Russia of long ago), she knows that her family is not rich but in fact quite poor due to the fact that her father is a gentle soul who has lent out his wife's dowry but never manages to collect what he is owed. When Miryem's mother becomes ill, Miryem takes matters into her own hands and starts collecting the family's debts. It turns out she's very good at it and word gets around -- to her very successful grandfather in the nearest big city and, more ominously, to the Staryk king.
The Staryk are magical creatures of winter and their knights have crossed over into the human world to pillage and steal gold. It seems as if their depredations are increasing as is winter - the summers are becoming shorter, the harvests become less each year. Hearing that Miryem is good at turning silver into gold (actually buying, selling & investing), the Staryk king requires Miryem to produce gold from silver he gives her three times.
Told from the multiple points of view of Miryem, Wanda (a local girl who starts working for Miryem's family to pay off a debt), Mirnatius the Tsar, his wife Irina as well as the Staryk king and other characters this is an intricate story. The chapters move from character to character as well as different settings and it's a story worth re-reading to understand all of the intricacies. This is not a sequel to Uprooted but if you enjoyed that book you will love this one.

Spinning Silver is a true treat for fans of Novik’s early fairytale inspired Uprooted, as well as those looking for something to follow up Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy. The story follows three young women in the kingdom of Lithvas, where kings and peasants alike live in fear of the Staryk, cold elven beings that populate a kingdom of winter and cross the barrier between worlds only to raid and murder. The protagonists, Miryem, Wanda, and Irina all have inherited a unique set of problems based on the flaws of their fathers. As they seek to gain agency in their world, they become embroiled in the supernatural issues plaguing their country. Each woman must forge her own path, with the help of those around her to save not only themselves, but their families and their lives.
I was especially delighted by the treatment of Miryem’s Judaism in this novel. The realities of diaspora Jews living in Baltic/Eastern Europe during this medieval time period were incorporated into the plot in such a way that felt appropriate and integral. The setting overall sings, with vibrant details that make it come alive. I was sad to see it end and I can only hope Novik will write another like this.

This was a slow read with a beautiful slow burning romance! Slow in that way that you wish to savor every word rather than gobbling them up quickly. I adored Uprooted, and Spinning Silver was a glorious follow-up! Wholly unrelated, but similar in the way that it clings to your heart after you close the book.

I can't wait to see what Novik does next!

3.5 stars. Overall, this was a good book, but not a great one. The book has a great premise and started off great. But, much like Novik's Uprooted, I felt like the author lost her way about halfway through the book. One of the major problems I found with the book was the number of POVs. The book started off with just one POV, but as the book progressed she kept adding more and more POVs until she was up to 6 or 7. I felt like there were way too many, and that some of the POVs were unnecessary. I think she could have stuck to the three lead female POVs (Miryem, Wanda, and Irina) and still been able to successfully tell the story. It felt like the other POVs were just filler (like the many pages about the maid making a dress for Irina) or a convenient way for the author to get information across to the reader. The author also needs to work on her relationship development, another issue I found with Uprooted. All of a sudden the Winter King and Miryem were in love? It didn't make much sense to me. I also would have liked a little bit more story at the end with Irina and her husband. Their story just ended suddenly and it wasn't clear to me how they felt about each other in the end. Despite all of this, the book kept me interested, and the writing was quite good at times.

In Spinning Silver, Novik has produced what will surely be the hit of the summer with fans of fantasy and fairytales. She has taken the bones from multiple folk and fairy tales and built them into a wholly original and compelling skeleton of a story that is told from several perspectives. Typically in a story with so many protagonists, a couple of them suffer from poor characterization and neglect. No so here. Every character has a role to play, whether it’s our “Queens” Mirayem and Irina or little Stepon or old Magreta, all provide the threads that Novik weaves into a luscious, fascinating story. The base story of Rumpelstiltskin where a maiden must turn straw (in this case, silver) to gold is the foundation of the tale, but Novik weaves elements of European folktales in all over the place. The mountain of glass, the neverending battle between fire and ice/summer and winter, even the moneylender from Shakespeare gets a nod. Oddly enough, the archtype that kept coming to mind towards the end was of the holiday cartoon characters Heat Miser and Cold Miser. The last few chapters could have been that cartoon reworked as an action/adventure movie.

I do hope there’s some editing done before the final version is published. It was just a bit too long - around 80% through I started skimming through to the end. Some of the build up to Mirayem’s turning the massive amounts of silver to gold could be trimmed, as could some of the early chapters. The real action happens in the last quarter, which is where I started to get impatient. Otherwise, this is sure to be on all the “Best of” lists for 2018. Very well done and recommended.

Like a good fairy tale, Spinning Silver begins with a strong foundation of historical fiction. Miryem is a moneylender's daughter in the Jewish ghetto of a small town. She takes over her father's accounts while still a young girl in order to put food on the table, thus "turning silver to gold." Wanda is the daughter of a spendthrift, who is thrilled to work off her father's debt to Miryem's family because it will mean freedom from her father's abuse. Irina is a plain Duke's daughter who feels she is a disappointment to her father because she will not be attractive enough to bring him a powerful alliance. Hard lives in a hard world.
But... there is another world that sometimes overlaps this one. A silvery road, the Staryk road, glimmers into existence in the forest, and sometimes knights from that icy kingdom ride it to raid for human gold, destroying all obstacles in their path. And they have heard of a girl who turns silver into gold....
This is but the beginning to a rich and layered tale of survival, adaptation, debt and payment, family, heartbreak and flickers of love and hope. The author tells the story through the eyes of her characters, mostly from the three girls' viewpoints, but occasionally from more minor characters, including Wanda's little brother, and Irina's elderly nanny. These changes in viewpoint help create an intricate tapestry of experience, adding still more depth to the story. An emotionally involving, complex and beautifully written story. Highly recommended.

I loved this magical fantasy based loosely on the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. It is wonderfully written, and I grew to really care about all of the characters. I think Naomi Novik does an excellent job weaving the story lines together and I liked how the characters end up being tied together. There is excellent world building in this book and I loved learning about the Staryk people and their kingdom.

Spinning Silver is a unique fantasy, with a background that feels medieval and one main character who is Jewish. Using this world grounds the book in a recognized world with room for invention. The three main female characters are individual each with unique problems.
Spinning Silver stands head and shoulders above most of todays fantasy. The next book by Novik cannot come to soon for me.

Wow! I could not stop thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it. I love stories that are a retelling with a twist and this story is definitely that! I love how there are different strong female perspectives and yet they are represented in a way that will not leave you confused. Very creative and so different from any other fairy tale versions that I have read. Great job!

I'm thrilled with this book. What a powerful story. I particularly appreciated the ways in which the main characters were strong in different and real ways, and how they interchange of their strengths is what saved their kingdoms.

Engrossing. Fleshes out the Rumpelstiltskin tale in unexpected ways, and - as expected after Uprooted - introduces fairy folk in a way that's both terrifying and fascinating. Sticks to a strong theme of debt and repayment without veering into pedantry.

I did not expect a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin (with several other tales woven in) to be about the lives of women and anti-semitism in an alternate medieval Russia, because my imagination is much more limited than that of Naomi Novik. This was really, really well done.

5 stars, only because Goodreads doesn't offer a higher rating.

About a quarter of the way through this book, I paused to email a friend with the following line: "This book is so good I want to cry." And I felt that way the entire time I was reading it. I had thought that Uprooted was the best of Naomi Novik's work that I'd read, but Spinning Silver blows it out of the water.

I'm honestly not sure I could point to a single thing, either, that makes it so good. Is it the main characters, each of whom is a completely different woman with her own ambitions and inner lives? The cooperation between them, even when their goals are sometimes at cross-purposes? The setting that springs* to life with Novik's evocative language? The really awesome magic battles near the end of the book, complete with ice swords?

One thing I do want to single out is Novik's focus on Judaism and Jewish culture. I loved that Jewish traditions and customs were woven into the story (and explicitly named as being Jewish!) as well as seeing how important Miryem's religious and cultural heritage was to her. It was meaningful to me to see that kind of steadfast faith rewarded, even though I am not Jewish. I would guess it'd be even more meaningful to someone who is part of the Jewish culture.

I do not buy hardcover books very often, but for this one, I'm definitely making an exception.

This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher, through NetGalley.

*this pun will be hilarious after you read the book. or groan-worthy. same thing.

This book, guys. What can I even say?

The advanced reader copy I got from Netgalley said it would be about Rumpelstiltskin, so I went into this armed with that knowledge and my love for Novik's previous novel, Uprooted. At no point during this was a unhappy with the novel (obviously, I gave it five stars), but it was so different from Uprooted that I didn't know how to judge it at first.

I'm awful with reviews, so all I can say is read it if you have ever fought to protect people and places you love. Read it if you've ever made a decision that came with hidden consequences. Read it if you feel like a placeholder for the ambitions of others, if you feel like you have to prove your worth every moment -- if you feel like you can't.

Absolutely fantastic! I was a huge fan of Uprooted and was, therefore, very hopeful about Spinning Silver. It did not disappoint. It was a little confusing at times with the multiple viewpoints in first person, but once I figured out (probably later than I should have) that the symbols at the chapter/section head told me who was narrating, that issue was quickly resolved. I loved her take on the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, though it is not a strict retelling (and all the better for it, in my opinion.)

I loved the message of knowing you have to do the work, even if you don't know what the outcome will be, as Wanda says. Sometimes you have to be bigger, stronger, faster, cleverer than you think you can be, and by acting as though you are (putting that work in), that skill is gained. So good!

*I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I read and loved Uprooted, and couldn't wait for another retelling! While I initially felt like there was a slow start in the beginning, I think it was more of me just getting used to the characters' voices, as this story is told from multiple perspectives. The author does a great job of taking a well-known fairy tale--"Rumplestiltskin," in this case--and weaving a completely different story from it. The main character, Miryem, is tired of her father's overly charitable moneylending causing the ruin of their household, and decides to become a moneylender herself. This catches the eye of the feared Staryk lord, who values gold above all else. In addition, the other female main characters have similar arcs involving finding their own voices and standing up for themselves. I feel like I can't discuss much of the plot without giving away spoilers, so I'll just say that it was a delightful read with many twists and turns. None of the characters are completely good, but many are incredibly likable. Another excellent book from Novik!

Novik's second stand-alone fantasy novel is, like "Uprooted," entrenched in fairy tales. But as much as I liked "Uprooted," "Spinning Silver" is a far better story that shines with excellent characterization, inventive use of the Rumpelstiltskin story, and an immersive plot.

"Spinning Silver" begins with Miryem, a young Jewish moneylender with a shrewd business sense. When a bitter boast that Miryem can change silver coins into gold (through the power of interest), she gains the notice of the cold creatures who live in the wood--and soon her skill is tied up with the magic of winter, demons, politics, and faith.

Somewhat miraculously, the novel is told from six different first-person perspectives. While these perspectives aren't marked--they can occur over the space of a paragraph break--each voice is so distinct that it's easy to follow along, and each story is as intricately told as the last. I enjoyed this book so much that as soon as I finished it, I immediately read it again. I cannot recommend it highly enough, especially to fans of Robin McKinley, Neil Gaiman, and Katherine Arden. Most of all, this will appeal to lovers of intricate stories that combine action, peril, and politics seamlessly with farm life. it's the kind of magic that should also appeal to readers whoa rent sure if they enjoy fantasy--it's more practical than it is fantastic.

Netgalley review.

Uprooted is one of my all-time favorite books. I've been looking forward to Naomi Novik's next new book ever since I read it...and yet I worried that she couldn't live up to the magic of the first one. I didn't need to worry. Spinning Silver is just as beautiful, just as fantastical, as Uprooted. It was sometimes difficult to keep track of the large cast of characters and it started a little bit slower than many other books, but the buildup was worth it. Spinning Silver is a gorgeous work, and I cannot wait for Novik's next book.

Thanks to Random House via Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

An absolutely stunning novel. Loved it. Will recommend both professionally and personally.