This is a really good book. However, I liked the first half much more than the 2nd half, because the whole concept was much more unique during the first half, and the 2nd half was full of convenient plot devices.
Also, Lady Sarnai is an amazing character. She seriously made the book.

Spin the Dawn is a beautifully written first novel in a series.
Elizabeth Lim sucked me in from the first page of her debut novel, Reflection, and it’s no surprise she does it again with Spin the Dawn. I found myself enchanted and woven into the threads of Maia’s story as she aspires to become the greatest tailor in the land. What can be better than being the imperial tailor?

Full of magic and romance that will sweep you away.
I am absolutely in love with Spin the Dawn — it’s just that amazing. The novel is the first in The Blood of Stars series, where Maia takes her father’s place posing as a boy due to her father struggling. But getting the position isn’t as easy as it seems — while she has phenomenal talent, there are others who vie for the position as well. Unlike Maia, they’re not hiding a secret that they are a girl posing as a boy and who made a name for themselves before entering the palace.

Strong, Intriguing Characters
Actually, Maia is more a Cinnamon™ and so is Edan.

Maia is a strong and well-developed character who has gone through so much; I just want to hug her. I’m really scared with what will possibly happen to her in the sequel because what the actual hell. Someone hold my precious threads. And I loved her developing relationship with Edan throughout the second part of the book, particularly their interactions! I just wish I got the chance to know Edan a little more; he’s just tall, dark and mysteriously broody right now. I don’t doubt Elizabeth Lim will give us more insight in the sequel, though.

But mainly, I desperately want to know more about Lady Sarnai, the emperor’s bride-to-be. She probably prefers to be tied into a nasty knot, but she is by far the most intriguing character aside from Edan. I’m hoping she will make more appearances in the second book.

Spin the Dawn is a gorgeous story perfect for readers looking for a romantic fantasy taking you on an unforgettable journey.

J's thoughts: When I first started reading the story, I wasn’t actually all that into it. The pacing was a bit weird, and the writing felt a bit more middle grade, but by the time we got to part two and we started to learn more about the magic of the world, I was all in. I really enjoyed Maia as a character, and seeing her become fierce and magical. That’s not to say that I didn’t have some issues, and there were some parts of the story that I found problematic when looking at the story through a present day lens. Critical reading...

K's thoughts: I’m hesitant to attempt to sum up my reactions in a sentence or two because I have SO MANY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS about this novel. I have some issues with various aspects, but I find a lot of what Lim does really intriguing and I want to see where the series/main characters go in future books. This book made me think and feel A LOT, which is the fucking point of art in the first place, so on that I stan this read.
TL;DR = listen to the entire ep, I have a feeling that it's going to be a good one.


Content Warning: This book deals with some heavy violence issues.

Full show notes & episode: http://bit.ly/Ep24SpinTheDawn

Aaaahhh!!!! I cannot even right now I LOVED this book!! So good, so perfect. Omg! I really cannot even, this was amazing

4.5/5 stars *thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy!*

Spin the Dawn was one of the most unique stories I've read in a while and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Elizabeth Lim did such a fantastic job in creating such a thrilling adventure, full of lush descriptions and captivating characters. I definitely think this book lived up to it being pegged as a "Mulan X Project Runway crossover", but it was so much more than that. At times I fell out of the storyline when it would hit slow points and the ending felt a little flat, but other than that I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a new #ownvoices book to add to your tbr!

“Because of them, she gave us the world as we knew it. Day after day and night after night, she spun the dawn and unraveled the dusk.”


4,5 stars


First of all allow me to thank @PRHGlobal/@prhinternational for my free copy! I had a fantastic time!


I know the synopsis compares it to Project Runaway and Mulan but the competition between the tailors made me think of The Great British Sewing Bee but with meaner competitors!


Okay let’s go backward: what’s this book about?

This story is that of a young woman who helped her father, the best tailor in the country. Maia was a little girl when she sewed and embroidered for the first time, loving it and making her dad so proud of her!

Her three older brothers had other interests but Maia already had found he passion.

Years later when her mother died and when the war took her two older brother’s life her father was devastated. It was Maia, the obedient and dutiful daughter who ran the shop and brought food on the table.

When an emperor’s eunuch comes to their shop requesting that her father enter a competition to choose the next imperial tailor she knows that her father is too weak to make that travel.

Yet no one refuses a summon from the emperor!

Maia always dreamt to prove what she could do.

It was so unfair that girls could not become master!

On a dare she’ll disguise herself and assume her younger brother Keton’s identity.

But when she enters the competition, every betrayal and foul play will take place!

And the last task is an impossible one that will send Maia on a hard and incredible journey, accompanied by the emperor’s enchanter: Edan.


Now that you know more about the story, let’s get to what I loved about Spin the Dawn and why you should read it!


You should read Spin the Dawn if you love:

-Asian fantasy.

This universe was filled with magic, silk garments taking us to the Silk Road, mesmerizing emperors, ghosts, demons, enchanters ….



-Strong yet discreet heroines.

Maia was “the strong one” but without fanfare! She was a girl who was disguised as a man and she did not want to draw attention for fear of being unmasked! It would have been death penalty!

She loved sewing and embroidering in silence. She worked long hours without complaint, absorbed by her craft.

Dutiful daughter she wanted to protect her father and make her brother happy again.

Yet she was not without fire and she dared defying the enchanter, Edan.

She was far from a quitter when given a task and she’ll overcome hard trials to accomplish her task, hoping to save the empire.


-Powerful yet very human enchanters.

Edan was a very powerful enchanter. Very old but wearing the face and body of a young man.

Mysterious and vaguely menacing to Maia’s eyes in the beginning he’ll soon show a particular interest in the young tailor. No one can fool an enchanter and he recognized Maia for the girl she was and for …something else!

Edan is very closed off about his past for a long time, only showing his “business” face but when we learned more about his childhood he’ll become more human, with a soft core beneath the enchanter’s bravado!


-A quest!

Of course as in many fantasy stories you have a quest, here Maia’s ordeal. I will take her on a journey that will leave a deep mark on Maia, forever altering her future! You could nearly compare this to Hercule’s labors.


My only complaint is that I hadn’t realized this was part of a series and now I have to wait for the second book to know more!

I was afraid of the hype around this book but now I can say that all that fuss is deserved!

I had a wonderful time reading Maia’s story and fight to prove that, yes, a girl can sew like the best male tailor!


Recommend it? Absolutely!

This was really a mashup of Project Runway and Mulan; well, if Project Runway included contestants physically harming each other and Mulan was a tailor and…nope, not saying anything else. A very familiar fantasy trope was at play in this book: If you’re female, you’re doomed and you’ve got to “prove” yourself. Maia grew up with a thread in one hand and a needle in other; it would be sacrilege if she couldn’t become a master tailor. However, circumstances were pointing towards Maia to either marry or spend her life alone. The rules in A’landi are particularly harsh if someone finds out a woman is masquerading as a man.

There is also a mention of a war at the beginning between the Emperor of A’landi and his Shansen(warlord) but not much is clear as to why it happened but magic was involved, that much is clear. Magic plays an important role throughout the story and although I can’t tell you why but it is pretty cool. The world-building is beautiful but not complete( I guess it’s because this is book one) and the journey to gather the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon and the blood of the stars was the most enjoyable portion of the story for me!

I also want to talk about Edan who I immediately likened with the Darkling in the beginning but he was anything but. Edan or the Lord Enchanter(as everyone calls him) was the living-breathing example of everything Maia shouldn’t trust but boy, she was so wrong. Edan is smart, funny and loyal. He doesn’t everything in his power to help Maia even though it comes at a price.

Overall, I recommend it to you if you love fantasy, retellings with a twist, adventure, a fierce and loyal heroine who’d do anything to protect her loved ones, unlikely romance, and magic.

Thanks to the MTMC Tours and PRH for including me on the blog tour !

A young woman poses as a boy to enter a competition to create three magical dresses and win the title of imperial tailor. A brand new epic fantasy for fans of Mulan.

Spin the Dawn was everything I love in a good YA read, I was in love as soon as I read the prologue. I completely enjoyed it and the fact that there was such an integral part of it that dealt with Maia's own abilities and the scissors was a huge factor in my enjoyment.

The landscapes were some of my favorite parts to read about aside from the gorgeous descriptions of colors and clothing and I was glad that the book ended in a manner that really gave you a strong desire to jump right into book 2.

I had preorderd this and loved reading both this great eARC and the final print copy, both got a rating of four stars.

[I'll have a proper review up later on goodreads and my blog]

I was thrilled to receive a copy of this book from NetGalley, the cover was just so stunning I had to give it a chance.

Going into Spin The Dawn I was mostly excited for the world. The synopsis sounded okay, but it didn't sound like anything super new. Still I had hope. Sadly this book did not live up to my hopes.

The story starts off with the main character from sometime in the future, professing her love for some boy that she would do anything for. And right from that I knew that this was not going to be the book for me.  That sort of a beginning does not hook me, in fact it pretty much does the opposite. Now if the romance had been LGBT in some way, I would have given it more of a chance.

Anyway, from the there book pretty much just continued to be boring and cliche for me. I never got attached to the main character because she felt like a lot of previous YA but not in a good way. She was a mesh of others and had nothing going for just herself. I wanted so much more development but it just didn't happen. I didn't feel pulled in by the world because it didn't feel developed enough. I had so many questions about it! On top of that all the plot was pretty predictable.

I made it about 20% into the book before I quit. In the end I gave this book 1 star on Goodreads.

Author Elizabeth Lim said "teen me dreamed of reading an Asian fantasy brimming with legend, fairytales, and enchantment, with a hero who’s as inspiring as she is hardworking and true."
Boy did she deliver!
It's been a while since I've read an awesome YA fantasy novel and I think Spin The Dawn was the perfect read.
Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is such an epic read!
I started and finished this book without a couple of hours. I was completely and utterly spellbound with it's story and it's characters. I loved this book so much!
I will say that the "Project Runway meets Mulan" is accurate yet not so accurate in the sense that the story feels a whole lot more than just that.
I'm already counting down the days until book 2.

Maia is the greatest tailor the world has ever seen—she just needs the chance to prove herself. The only problem is that women can't be tailors. When the emperor's minister arrives to force her father into a tailoring competition for the next imperial tailor, Maia seizes her chance. Disguising herself as a boy and assuming her brother's name, she sets off for the competition.

But magic and the emperor's mysterious enchanter have their hooks in her, and Maia will be tested beyond her comprehension.

Okay, so this is billed as Mulan meets Project Runway, and that's true—for part 1. Part 1 was absolutely fucking amazing. Lim has a way of writing that swept me off my feet, and I loved the court intrigue, the nuance with Lady Sanai, the marriage alliances, the backstory of magic and demons and betrayal and traitors and war. Maia's family and their grief was so real, along with her passion for creation and sewing. And I enjoyed Edan as the mysterious and broody morally grey character who is helping her out for ~reasons~, and I also enjoyed reading about all of the other tailors and their long histories.

Mild Spoilers here on out

However, all of this quite literally gets thrown out the window in Part 2. Maia is discovered (this happens literally in the middle of the book, so I do not consider it a spoiler), and is sent on an impossible quest to create the three impossible dresses of the goddess Amana—a dress woven from sunlight, a dress embroidered with moonlight, and a dress painted by the blood of the stars.

Along the journey, Maia struggles with her relationship with Edan, and honestly as fascinating as the quest was, I was kinda disappointed? It felt like there were a lot of moving and unresolved plot points and motivations, and many of these motivations (and newly introduced characters) were dumped as soon as Maia and Edan pronounced their love for each other.

As soon as they get together, the plot transforms into a Twilight-esque "I must sacrifice myself for this boy because our love is forever and true." (view spoiler)

While it does dissolve into angst-ridden and purple prosey euphemisms for kissing and whatnot (why YA, why are you like this? Kissing is not stardust and moonshine wtf), at least it wasn't insta-love.

Gag.

BUT. Aside from that kinda major critique, I really loved this.

The writing is incredible. The world-building is fascinating and layered. There's a lot of backstory and emotion and I just wish that those elements were focused on more instead of dropped for the ~love story~ elements. Seriously, that love story, while cute at times, completely derailed the rest of the plot—and where the book seemed to be going. Granted, the story drastically changed directions once before that, but the love story overrode everything.

And there's enough going on for book two, and I'm interested in where the hell that ending is going to take us.

So. With that, I will definitely continue, because I want to know what's going to happen next.

Five stars for Part 1, minus one for the Angsty YA Love Story

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I know you're not supposed to judge books by their covers but as soon as I saw this I knew I had to read it – even before I knew what it was about! Luckily for me, Spin the Dawn ended up being a very entertaining read. It's touted as a Mulan retelling but really, the only similarity is that Maia Tamarin goes in her ailing father's place when he's summoned to court to show off his prowess as a tailor. And since the Prince is expecting a man, Maia poses as her brother so she can fulfill her own dream of becoming a great tailor and help her family at the same time. But that's where the similarities end. The rest is all Elizabeth Lim! The invitation to court turns out to be one for a competition where Maia is one of twelve tailors who must complete different assignments to prove who's best. Naturally, backstabbing, lies and cutthroat actions ensue.. and it gets worse. Maia's final task is an impossible one that takes her on an obstacle-filled journey, but luckily she doesn't have to go alone (hint hint: I really loved her companion!). In general, I liked the characters a lot. Maia is someone who loves her family and whose art is creating clothing. I enjoyed her relationship with her family, although I wish we could've seen more of it. And I did root for the romance. It's fairly obvious from the second they meet that it's going to go down that road but the beginning felt a bit "insta-love" to me. However the author does make up for it later and the details of the story and the dresses were really what drew me in.

Do I recommend? I do! I liked it and am looking forward to see where the next book goes.

I tried to like this. I really did.

Dnf at 19% with no plans to retry or continue.

I should have known it was going to unbearable from the moment the prologue started pontificating on Maia's love for some guy. I still don't know who that guy is, and I honestly don't care. This was the one of the most distant and emotionless reading experiences I've ever had. Everything takes place in a white room that can apparently bend time and space in order to fit several hours and numerous actions into one short paragraph. I had no idea what anyone was doing, what anything looked like, or what the plot even was. I liked a small portion of the first few chapters, and then I stopped caring and put this down for over a week and honestly forgot it existed. I'm not going to rate this elsewhere (like on Goodreads) because I really don't care. Read this if you want, and if you do, I hope you like it way more than I did. That is, I hope you like it at all.

Before I start with my New book Review , I would like to thank @PRHGlobal @prhinternational for Providing me with a free E-galley copy of this book for my Honest Review . Thanks a lot for giving me the opportunity to read this novel .

*****************

"I knew then we were like two pieces of cloth, sewn together for life. Our stitches couldn’t be undone. I wouldn’t let them."

Book : Spin The Dawn .

Author : Elizabeth Lim.

Genre : Young Adult , Fantasy .

Rate : 5/5.

Review in one word : WOW.
******************
WHAT AN AMAZING RIDE !! , Have  I really read that beautiful and exciting novel ?!!! I really can't believe there is something as outstanding as this book !!! .

Elizabeth Lim is a GREAT story teller , she has a breathtaking ability with words , I loved every line of Spin the dawn , it was unique , entertaining , gripping and really good . 

The story of Maia is so interesting , I was invested in her journey from the first word , she is strong , smart and awesome , I really loved her character so much :) . Every part of this novel was amazing from the plot to the characters , unexpected and exciting , I finished all of the novel in one sitting . 

When I read about this book , all over Bookstagram , I was really afraid from starting it , As lately I've been disappointed after reading most of the hyped books .But this book deserves all the hype on social media and all the 5 stars rating on Goodreads . It is really bewildering . 

The writing style was more than remarkable , it feels like you are with the characters in their adventure , feeling their emotions and getting really attached to them . I was really sad when I finished the book , ahhh , I want to read the next installment SO BADLY :( .

The fantasy genre gained an amazing author with Elizabeth Lim  .

Not to spoil you , but I have to say this :P The Romance in this book had me SWOONING  , I loved the couple SO MUCH , my new favorite . ;) 

Basically , Everything about Spin The Dawn was perfect , Fantasy lovers , read it , you will enjoy it SO MUCH . Highly recommended .

"you make me remember a part of myself I’d forgotten"

BOOK REPORT for Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars Book 1) by Elizabeth Lim

Cover Story: Tapestry-tastic
BFF Charm: Yay!
Swoonworthy Scale: 8
Talky Talk: Cinematic
Bonus Factors: Project Runway, Quests
Relationship Status: Just What I Was Looking For

Cover Story: Tapestry-tastic

This cover by Tran Nguyen is gorgeous. And it's loaded with details from the book. (The scissors! The hawk! The blue skirt that's evocative of the ocean!) But dresses totally aren't Maia's personal style, and earrings even less so. Although this illustration is so beautiful that it doesn't even matter, and the book even has a seal of approval from YA fantasy queen Tamora freaking Pierce, WHAT WHAT.

The Deal:

Being a master tailor is all Maia has ever wanted. But no matter how hard she works, she'll never become one for the simple fact that she's a girl. (The patriarchy is strong in A'landi, y'all.) So when her father's summoned to be a candidate for the emperor's master tailor, Maia poses as a boy to go in his stead—both because her father's in no condition to travel, and also she's not about to throw away her shot. Once Maia arrives at the palace, though, she finds herself embroiled in a cutthroat competition that'll push her beyond her limits and take her places that she never would have dreamed of.

BFF Charm: Yay!

Real talk: Maia could have won me over by never passing up free food alone. (Same energy, tbh.) But she's also defying seriously strict gender roles—and doing it with flying colors. Maia doesn't let her world define her; she's redefining her world. We stan a trailblazing LEGEND.

Swoonworthy Scale: 8

I wasn't quite sure who'd be Maia's love interest: the charismatic emperor, his enigmatic adviser, or the haughty empress-to-be who's judging the competition? Once the one true ship emerged, it is of course an impossible romance, so I'm obviously here for it.

Talky Talk: Cinematic

Lim's descriptions of this fantasy world are so vivid that I had a deep yearning to see it as she's imagined. (I'm skeptical that Hollywood could do it justice, but I'd still like to see them try.) And make no mistake—it's definitely a fantasy world, with magic becoming more prominent as the novel progresses.

Bonus Factor: Project Runway

You can't expect the emperor to hire a new tailor through a regular job interview, can you? Better question yet: who will be A'landi's. Next. Top. Tailor?

Admittedly, a sewing contest did initially feel less high stakes than something combat-based that we're used to seeing. But that made me think about which skills are valued and glorified in society, especially ones like sewing or cooking* that are viewed as recreational when women do it but prestigious when men do it—a subtext made text in this story. I also appreciated how Maia's something of a prodigy, instead of completely YA-ifying the situation. (Besides, we all know too well that cranky old men are just as capable of being messy benches who love drama.)

*Or—cough, cough—writing books.

Bonus Factor: Quests

The tailors are tasked with increasingly difficult challenges, including the procurement of rare, almost mythical materials that takes Maia on a journey full of other YA tropes that I know the FYA crowd enjoys but I can't elaborate on because of spoilers.

Relationship Status: Just What I Was Looking For

Take one look through my reading history, and you can tell that this is not a book that I'd usually go for. But truthfully, my typical fare's been a little underwhelming lately, so I branched out for a change of pace. Lo and behold, I found a great match—and it even has me clamoring for another date. (Thank goodness the sequel's scheduled for next year!)

SPIN THE DAWN by Elizabeth Lim has an absolutely beautiful cover and I was looking forward to reading this young adult fantasy novel. The basic outline of the story is that Maia's final test as a tailor requires her to create three legendary dresses out of the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars, resulting in adventure-filled quest. I did read the short excerpt (which reflects a Chinese cultural influence) available on NetGalley; the quality of description is evident from passages like:
"What color is the ocean?" Sendo would ask me.
"Blue, silly. What else?"
"How will you be the best tailor in A'landi if you don’t know your colors?" Sendo shook his head and pointed at the water. "Look again. Look into the depths of it."
"Sapphire," I said, studying the ocean's gentle crests and troughs. The water sparkled. "Sapphire, like the stones Lady Tainak wears around her neck. But there's a hint of green . . . jade green. And the foam curls up like pearls."
Unfortunately, my access to the entire text is no longer available. Therefore, I am giving a neutral rating of 3 stars. School Library Journal recommends SPIN THE DAWN for students in grades 7 and up.

This ticks a lot of boxes for YA readers: a protagonist with strength of character, an intriguing emo love interest, and a fascinating world that mixes bits of Aladdin and Mulan. What starts as a standard "Project Runway" type of competition morphs into an action adventure road story in the second part of the book. The writing is strong and fluid and although this completes a minor arc, there are more books to come in the future.

Story: Maia is heartbroken when her brothers are lost in a war, her father loses his will to tailor, and one lone brother returns crippled. Things are not good in the kingdom and food is hard to come by, as is work. Desperate, Maia seizes a chance at becoming a royal tailor by pretending to be her remaining brother and entering a competition. But the court enchanter sees through her disguise while inexplicably helping her through a cutthroat competition. When the King's potential bride asks for an impossible trousseau made from the moon, the sun, and the blood of stars, Maia will have to travel her world to prove her skills and save her family.

The cultural influences are one part Mulan fortitude and strength with one part Aladdin magic and mysticism. The author does a great job of writing the infighting, unhappiness, and intrigue of the royal court while also grounding Maia against the machinations. The characters have interesting and often hidden motivations that Maia naively has a hard time navigating. Of course, she will have the assistance of a love interest in the form of the young but eternal court enchanter. She at first doesn't believe in magic but it become very clear that Edan is more than just an enchanter. What we have is Aladdin (if he was a Genie), complete with magic carpets and camels, and a whole lot of magic in the second half of the book. We need only the songs to complete the image.

The writing is smooth and the book a great Summer read. Maia gets many opportunities to show her strength of character and Edan, as her love interest, is both attentive yet reticent as he fights his curse. Several readers have noted that he has the complexity of the Darkling from Leigh Bardugo's Grisha series, and I can see the resemblance, though Edan is far less ruthless. But the world is vividly described and the action scenes interesting.

In all, I enjoyed Spin the Stars. I especially think that readers who love Disney's version of Aladdin and Mulan will appreciate and fall in love with this book. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I received this from Netgalley and Random House Children’s in exchange for my honest review.
Maia was the only daughter of a tailor who had dreams of becoming the imperial tailor. She could not because she was a girl, but through twist and turns she ended up in a competition to become the imperial tailor. She finds love, heartbreak and much more on her journey. It ends leaving you wishing you already had the next book

Wow wow wow!!! I was pretty much hooked on the idea of this book from the description: Project Runway meets Mulan because that’s so different than anything I’ve read. And the book absolutely lives up to that description.

I love Maia so much. There just aren’t enough stories featuring strong women who SEW. Ha. I like that she isn’t a typical heroine– good at fighting or amazing at words, or super smart. She’s determined, loyal, honest, and hardworking, which aren’t always headliner qualities. But she definitely deserves her place in the center of the story.

The beginning of the story dragged a little bit for me, particularly the contest where she sews for different challenges. I can see how that was important to the story, and I thought maybe some of the characters introduced in those chapters might reappear later in some critical way. But it seemed more of a self-contained part.

Once Maia started her quest to make the three impossible dresses, things sped up considerably. Some parts happened really fast, which heightened the tension, but left me wanting more story in those moments.

On the whole those were small issues, though. I loved the setting and the cultural details and the wide array of characters. This is a must-read for fans of FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS by Julie C. Dao (or readers who are looking for a lighter story in a similar setting) and THE CRYSTAL RIBBON by Celeste Lim.