This book was a fun and enjoyable read with a very unique magic system and love interest. The magic system and shapeshifting love interest were enough to set this book apart and keep me reading.

Magical and imaginative, Spin the Dawn is a beautiful retelling. The world is well thought out and immersive with characters that are easy to fall in love with.

I loved the premise of the book. The characters had a lot of depth and I liked how their relationships developed. The lore was unique and I liked the thought behind the dresses. I am interested to see where book two goes.

Say what you will, but I’m about to start the second book.
This story was fantastic to me. Heavy Mulan vibes, but that is one of my favorite movies, so i’m biased.
I love traveling stories, and this turned into one about halfway through and focused on the romance between Maia and Edan, the enchanter.
Thoroughly loved this story, and can’t wait to see how it resolves in the second book.

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

Synopsis is misleading. Cover is beautiful. Story is a little boring. Could've done without the romance. Overall it's a meh for me.

*Disclaimer: I have a lot of Netgalley ARCs I requested when I was working as an Assistant Librarian. These ARCS are years old at this point, but I still want to post my reviews as soon as I get around to reading the books. I want to honor my agreement with Netgalley by reviewing as many books as I can this year, and getting my backlog down significantly. Thank you for understanding, and my apologies for the delay.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I also had a hardcover, finished copy of this novel that I purchased which is the version I will be basing my review off of.

Spin the Dawn was one of my most anticipated reads, and an ARC I deeply coveted. I’m so disappointed that it took me so long to finally read this story, but I think I read it right when I was meant to. This story is a young adult fantasy novel that follows a young girl on her quest to become a Master Tailor, a title that is forbidden to women.

As we learn about Maia’s family life, we also learn about her culture. Magic, demons, gods, goddesses, and enchanters, are all well known elements in the stories her brothers weave for her when she’s a child. We learn that Maia is a character who relies heavily on what she can see – which includes her innate and natural skill.

I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing of this novel. We spend just enough time with Maia and her family to understand her motivations for becoming a Master Tailor, and how that quest has the potential to save her family from starvation. The first step involves Maia’s first of many deceits: becoming her brother and entering the Emperor’s competition to become his Master Tailor.

Maia is described time and time again as a character who cannot lie. That is her one major ‘flaw’, and the one aspect of this character I deeply connected with. As I’m writing this review I’m realizing how interesting it is that the one character who is known to be incapable of lying, lives her life masquerading as an injured man. If her scheme is detected, not only does she face execution, but the same fate could be brought down on her family she is so desperately trying to save.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed the construction of the romance in this story. (Minor spoilers ahead). We meet Edan, the Emperor’s Enchanter, after he takes an interest in Maia. Their dynamic was so much fun to watch as they evolve from his curiosity versus her animosity, to a mutual understanding after he saves her life (twice), to Maia realizing he might even be her friend, to them both realizing they are in love.

The romance was so beautifully woven into this journey that when our characters finally come together in a vaguely described, mostly fade to black sequence of events, I found myself overcome with emotion. I may or may not have started sobbing, but you have no proof of that. I could lament on and on about why this romance worked so well, but we would be here for days. You’ll just have to take my word for it.

The other aspect of this novel that worked for me was the continuous, sometimes life threatening, trials Maia had to overcome to try and win the title of Master Tailor. Whether her life was being threatened by her competitors, the Emperor, the soon to be Empress, or the Gods and Goddesses themselves, I was filled with anticipation as we followed Maia from one outlandish task to the next.

My only teeny tiny, miniscule complaint is that I wanted more world building. Maia has an incredible opportunity to travel far and wide from the kingdom, and we only get brief snippets describing the landscape and weather. I would have loved to see more of the people, or fun facts and stories from Edan about his past in these new places. What was provided in this novel was enough to satiate, but also just enough to pique my curiosity.

If you’re like me and you haven’t picked up Spin the Dawn yet, let me persuade you to wait not a minute longer! The magic system, demons, ghosts, and fated interventions were so interesting to read about alongside our main character who learned to assert herself while falling in love. I was super excited to see that this series is a duology (I love duologies), and I’ll be picking up book 2 on Kindle as soon as I post this review.

Reading this book was like eating raisin in a dish—I indulge in them, from time to time, but I’d rather set them aside or not have them part of the dish in the first place.

I saw the allure of the story when I began reading it. The strong semblance to Mulan—one of my favourite Disney films—attracted me and really compelled me to keep on reading.

The story follows a young seamstress, Maiai Tamarin. Her father was called upon by the emperor for a test to become the imperial tailor; however, Maia’s father is in no shape to perform (not even inserting a thread in a needle) nor was her brother who’s supposedly the one to take over the tailoring but he was ruined by war. In a land where women are appreciated to do nothing but housework, Maia, then is not in any way, shape, or form qualified for the task. But that’s where they are wrong.

Spin the Dawn is a good example of why I became distant to young adult fiction. They are far too trope-y for my liking and a huge chunk of the book feels like they are there just to make the story longer. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of the events were important yet they feel so rushed as if they weren’t even valuable to the story.

Part of why young adult fictions are accessible is the way they are read. They are relatively simple and quick-paced. However, that’s what makes them disappointing as well. Sometimes it becomes the detrimental point of the story or the writing. It’s too rushed that most of the more important aspect of the books are set aside for something shallow.

Don’t even get me started with the characters of the story. Living in an era where the entire world is dominated by monarchy, you’d think these people will have better maturity than we do in our age, but no, not even the 500 year old (I forgot his exact age) mage knows how to control his personality and urges that it’s quite appalling to me.

I can see why people would like this book. There’re so many points of interest to see—the magical world, strong female protagonist, interesting side-characters. But it lacked, still, in the substance I was looking for in a character and events in a fantasy story. I was hoping for the main character to be more selfish, the villain from the story could have better light considering they are the side of the coin that propels the main characters adventures, and I despise the absolute obvious romance that I wished never happened but rang true towards the end.

Commercial fictions, to me, are becoming weaker and weaker as publishers begin to focus more on quantity and hype for the sake of sales than the overall quality of the story. I forget books are more products designed to entice consumers at a glance and not just something that we enjoy at our leisure. But, alas, Spin the Dawn isn’t the worst book I’ve read. I enjoyed parts of it yet it’s not enough for me to pick it up again.

From the start, the writing is absolutely gorgeous. It sucked me in and never let me go. I don't think anything I can say will do this book's writing justice, but just imagine the way fairy tales are told, but with a YA book spin to it. I will share the first chapter later in this post so that you may better understand what I'm talking about.

You've probably seen a main character like Maia Tamarin as the protagonist of a fairy tale--hardworking and extremely loyal to her family, but unfairly overlooked for one reason or another. In this case, Maia is a highly skilled tailor, better than most men--certainly better than her brothers--but she's told over and over that she won't find success in her abilities as a tailor because she's a girl. All of this made her such a compelling character to root for. She's more a quiet force, true to her name meaning obedient, but she's a force nonetheless, and that makes her a stand-out main character of 2019.

Besides that, the way the relationship between her and her family is built, especially with her brothers, is so well-done that I would actually die for the Tamarins. In the first chapter (which, again, I will share later in this post), Maia talks about her brothers--their most notable qualities and what each of them taught her, and it's seriously one of my favorite first chapters ever. All of this made seeing the state of this family in the book's beginning all the more heartbreaking.

I am a sucker for competitions in books, so of course that aspect of Spin the Dawn immediately appealed to me. I love fictional tournaments because we get to meet a variety of personalities competing in them, and it's so fun to figure out what characters are to be reckoned with, who's just a bully, and who the main character can actually trust. Doubtless, these character archetypes appear in the competition to become the imperial tailor.

Not only that, but because we accompany Maia to court, we're introduced to a political intrigue plot line. The Five Winters' war, a war between Emperor Khanujin and the shansen, has come to an uneasy ceasefire, and Lady Sarnai, daughter of the shansen, is residing in the palace in preparation to marry Emperior Khanujin. There's definitely more going on there than meets the eye, and I loved getting to meet Lady Sarnai and Emperor Khanujin so that we could learn more about their arranged marriage.

The competition arc did end halfway through, but I didn't find it jarring at all. The author carefully guided her story from a competition between the best tailors in the land, to Maia and the lord enchanter Edan's journey to capture the goddess Amana's children. However, the fairy tale quality of the writing diminished a little during this part of the story. The writing and plot started to resemble your more typical YA quest story, but not to an extreme degree, and it didn't bother me too much.

The romantic relationship between Maia and Edan follows the trope of a teenage girl and a centuries old magical being falling in love. Though I don't automatically hate books that feature this trope, I can't say that I love reading about these kinds of relationships. But I completely understand that your mileage may vary! One actual complaint I do have about Maia and Edan's romance is that one moment, Edan was suppressing his feelings for Maia due to some very valid reasons about why they couldn't be together, and then the next, he simply decided that he was gonna court her? Their relationship could've used some more development.

But I will admit that their romance still appealed to me despite my quibbles. I mean, who isn't a trash for star-crossed lovers? The story throws so many obstacles in between Maia and Edan finally being able to be happy together, and that made the moments between them all the more special. Yes, even though the romance had its flaws, it still managed to appeal to my cold dead heart, so the point goes to this book I guess.

The land of A'landi is inspired by Asia, but I wouldn't say that it's overly Asian-inspired. It just has a few nods to Asia, but otherwise, A'landi and its neighboring countries have their own culture and customs that I loved learning about. But for more context, here is a quote from Vicky's interview with Elizabeth Lim, "I often worried that it wasn’t Chinese enough or that I wasn’t researching or staying true enough to history. But as I relaxed a bit and reminded myself that it’s a fantasy and not a textbook, it became fun to create a world so personal to me, and one imbued with hints of some of my favorite fairytales!" I have definitely felt this myself with my own writing, and I don't support this Asian-inspired fantasy critiques about this book "not being Asian enough."

If you're looking for a magic system with its rules and limits well-defined, then I wouldn't say that this book is for you. Magic mainly ties into this story through a pair of enchanted scissors and Edan being the lord enchanter. The magic is akin to one you would find within a fairy tale. It can conjure food out of nothing, create illusions, and many more. Normally this type of magic system isn't my favorite, but I loved the story's nods to fairy tales so much that I just forgave it.

Overall, I hope I made it clear that I loved Spin the Dawn. It definitely isn't a perfect book, but the writing, especially in the first half, was spectacular and made me gasp at the author's skill with words. I originally rated this book four stars, but writing this review convinced me to bump it up a half star higher. So if you like fairy tales and are looking for something with amazing writing, look no further. I couldn't recommend this book enough!

A beautifully written story featuring a strong character who had me rooting for her from start to finish.

This book was so dreamy and immersive I felt let down having to return to my boring life. Maia takes on the dangerous task of attending the royal court in her father's place - disguised as a man! Her father was once a tailer of great esteem, but he has fallen from such acclaim. If Maia could attend in his place and win the competition it would change hers and her families' lives. The competition gets crazier and harder as she progresses, and the ending is crazy! Lim creates a lush and magical world, filled with spicy romance. Love it!!

The atmosphere in spin the dawn was truly enthralling. The descriptions were beautifully done, and I loved getting to know the characters.

A real tearjerker of a story. Fairy tales meet Project Runway in this tale as a seamstress poses as a boy to save her family from financial ruin and disgrace. The competition gets complicated, however, when Maia starts falling for the court magician, as they uncover treachery.

This book was a beautiful retelling of Mulan in the eyes of not just any artist but a old world fashion designer on a mission to do whats best to make a name and honor her family. In the midst of a competition to see who is the best in the land to make clothing good enough for the royal princess, a mystery is uncovered and it is in Maia's best interest to use these special scissors to help her win before she is possibly killed.
This was such a good book, it kept me interested from the beginning to the end. I'm super excited to continue reading the story and see where it goes from here.

Spin the Dawn was captivating, weaving it’s own tapestry of fairytales, becoming one in its own right. With influences from Mulan, Aladdin, and Cinderella, Spin the Dawn was such a delight to read, and it was so hard to put down. While it took me a while to get to, the wait was definitely worth it for me. It was such a wonderful book to read.

I gave this a 4.5 out of 5 stars! I loved this a lot! I can’t wait wait to read the sequel! I loved seeing Maia come into her own strength and power. She really is a role model! I can’t wait to see what happens with her and Edan! I’m also curious to see if she will turn into a Demon or not. I’m excited!

Spin the Dawn is the East-Asian YA fantasy I’ve been waiting for my whole life. Everything I could ever want is in this book – Chinese mythology; beautiful, sweeping settings; a mysterious, but wonderfully supportive love interest; demons and magic; and so much more! The synopsis really doesn’t do this book justice. Spin the Dawn is so much more than a gender swap fashion competition. It’s an epic fantasy adventure that brings our MCs to new lands and worlds in between.

That being said, I do love how Maia’s family history and her love for fashion play a part in the magic of the story. The dresses she makes create such a beautiful foundation for the story and the detail that went into the presentation of the dresses had me in awe. I loved the connections Maia made through the competition and the fierce determination she has to make her family proud and succeed in becoming the royal dress maker.

Spin the Dawn is a retelling of Allerleirauh (slight spoilers if you know what that is), but it also gave me Eros/Psyche vibes because of the high fantasy it becomes by the end. Elizabeth Lim’s writing flows smoothly and the tale is spun like fine silk – it’ll leave you wanting more of everything, the magic, Maia and (redacted) moments, and more than anything it’ll make you want to read the second book immediately.

While some elements tied up too neatly, the end sets up the novel well for a darker sequel (which I’ve already read and loved). All in all, Spin the Dawn features a fantastical adventure, a strong-willed female lead, and a well-spun narrative!

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.01/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Knopf Books for Young Readers via Random House Children’s in exchange for an honest review.

Y'ALLLLLLLL I was hooked from the first line of the first page. It was an absolutely all-consuming love. I could not put this book down. Here's what I first said when I marked it as 'Read' on Goodreads:

SOMEONE HOLD ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS BOOK !!!!!!! Wow, okay, this was an incredible book, and I cannot wait to write a full review of it - look for it this Sunday, folks!

My review
Here we are today, on this fine Sunday. I sincerely did enjoy this book a lot. The world building was well done, and the characters were compelling. I could not wait to see what would happen. For some reason, I thought the section with the trial to become the imperial tailor would last longer, but now I see that it was nicely paced.

The characters themselves were so great. They were dynamic, and I'm interested to get to know more of them in the coming book! I'm most interested to learn more about Lady Sarnai. She seems like a woman I can get behind. Her past has shaped her present greatly, and it's obvious she works hard to keep her guard up. I hope she and Maia connect in the next novel!

The tales that were part of this story were so good. I loved how they were woven throughout the book, and how they added more layers. It made me want to stay in the world a little longer.

The world itself was so gorgeous. I can't wait to see the map!!! It's so lush, and the areas Maia travels to are so different from each other, but I felt like I was right there with her.

I highly, highly recommend this incredible novel. Please do yourself a favor and pre-order yourself a copy or pick it up Tuesday!

Happy reading,

Sophie :)

Very beautiful retelling of Mulan! The world-building was very magical! The writing was beautiful and lyrical! I loved everything about the story.

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is one of those books that I totally meant to get to when it first came out, but waited way too long to start, then kicked myself for not having started it sooner. I was determined to finally read this series this year and I’m SO glad I did! (But yes, still kicking myself.)

Spin the Dawn was described as Project Runway meets Mulan, and it was that Mulan description that completely drew me in. Mulan was one of my most favorite Disney movies growing up and so of course I wanted to read a book that was inspired by it!

The storyline for this book was very interesting! I could definitely tell which parts were Mulan inspired, and I loved it. I also love that there’s magic in the story as well! That definitely wasn’t expected at all. I also really loved so many of the characters in the book as well! Maia is definitely a favorite of mine and I loved her determination and growth over the length of the book. I also really, really loved Edan as well. Together, they are a great duo!

I also want to add that I have devoured the second book in this duology before writing this review, and it was perfection. It was a great story, with a great ending, and while I’m sad to see it all come to an end, I’m so thrilled to finally read the series. I can’t wait to read more of Elizabeth’s book soon!

Overall; I really enjoyed Spin the Dawn, (and Unravel the Dusk), SO much more than I expected to! I will be kicking myself for a while now for not reading it sooner, and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of Elizabeth’s books in the future! I have her newest book, Six Crimson Cranes, on my TBR to start soon, and now I’m even more excited to do so. If you haven’t checked these books out, I definitely recommend them!