Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, but towards the middle my interest waned for some reason. I think because the challenges to obtain sunlight, moonlight, and the blood of stars a) didn't seem SUPER challenging, and b) passed with the snap of my fingers. Like, other parts of the story felt drawn out (traveling from place to place to place) while these challenges happened way too quickly.

I did REALLY enjoy the ending, however. I love the idea of heroes becoming villains, or just villains in general, so I was very intrigued by the Maia-becoming-a-demon aspect. I'm definitely going to read the sequel to see what happens to her and how she handles this. Compared to the rest of the story, this demon storyline was really unexpected - much darker.

The writing was phenomenal, and I did appreciate the Chinese history woven in to this mystical world. I kept hoping Lady Sarnai and Maia would become friends, but unfortunately that never happened (though maybe it will in follow-up books).

Feedback
This book started out so strong. I loved the beginning so much - but that's probably because of my love of Project Runway. The competition was the perfect amount of tense and conniving I would have expected. It gave us a real feel of Maia and her personality along with the history of this land. I liked that this wasn't the majority of the book. Lim spent just enough time on the competition to give all the necessary information without it being too dull or boring by taking too long. Part two is where this book really takes place. Sent on an impossible task to obtain laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars - Maia must journey all over the land. I loved this section of the novel... up until the third trial. I understand why the story went this way but I did not enjoy the way it was done. It felt like it took everything Maia had become and what she learned on this journey and totally ripped it apart to drive the narration forward. The twist seemed out of character and I just did not like it. It honestly affected the ending for me and I was just disappointed. However, the story and the rest of the novel was so compelling that it did make me enjoy it overall.

I loved Maia's character a lot. In the beginning, it is very clear that Maia inherited the trade of tailoring from her father while her brother had other plans in mind. The relationship in the family was so well portrayed that the emotions Maia felt bled through the pages. Once the emperor summons her father, or her disabled brother, to the palace, Maia - in full Mulan style - cut off her hair and dressed as a man to take their place and show her worth! During the quest she showed her strength and courage. Her personality was an easy one to connect with as well. This is why the final task just didn't fit her. Maia had such a great development but in the end, it just felt like it didn't fit the rest of the story. One of the things I loved though was her banter with Edan. Edan is the Lord Enchanted for the emperor and is immediately drawn to Maia, even when she's disguised as her brother. Their back and forth quips really helped the book and provided perfect timing comedy. The slow burn was great as well. I really appreciated the buildup to their relationship. Even though it was very fast from the "you annoy me" to "I love you", I still enjoyed it. I'm curious on how their story is going to continue.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim was a good read. I loved the beginning and the inspiration that was drawn from Project Runway and Mulan, but the story was definitely unique. The pacing was fantastic and I never felt bored throughout the whole book. I had the biggest issue with the ending of it. This book started out so strong but changed during the final task. The changes made it seem like it was just for narrative purposes and didn't really fit the rest of the story or characters. Even though this did influence my thoughts of the book, the total book was enjoyable. I do recommend this book if you want to combine a fantastic fantasy story with fashion and characters meant to prove themselves.

Spin the Dawn surprised me in a good way. I loved the cover art from the beginning, but the synopsis didn't excite me. Mulan meets Project Runway? Really? It turns out that Spin the Dawn is nothing like that - it's a lot better than what that odd crossover would be.

Spin the Dawn is split into three parts, and Part One, in my opinion, was kind of terrible. The beginning of the book follows our protagonist, Maia's, journey to become the renowned Imperial Tailor for the current empress. Part One was bland and set a poor precedent for the rest of the book for me - until I started Part Two, that is. Part Two is completely roundabout, taking a new turn from the first section of the book. It involves a journey in which the three magic threads from the sun, moon, and stars need to be collected, and it's pretty exciting. The male lead, Edan, is given more "screen time" where he becomes more than just a side character we know almost nothing about.

The end of Spin the Dawn was the best - all I'll say about it is that who knew the story would involve some pretty horrifying demons? In Part Three, sacrifices are made, loyalties are compromised... all that jazz. It's as good as it sounds.

Since Spin the Dawn is still pretty typical of a YA fantasy novel, I'd only recommend it to those who are already fans of the genre. It's not really anything special or unique, but for it's genre, Spin the Dawn is a good read.

So Spin the Dawn is being pitched as Project Runaway meets Mulan and that is the most perfect description of this book. This novel follows Maia, as she takes her father's place, posing as a boy to compete to become the imperial tailor. Spin the Dawn was well written, fast paced and hooked me from the start!

I will say that the story of this book is first and foremost, love, strength and family. A big focus of this book has to do with Maia's love for her family; which I loved. She's such a strong, well written protagonist and you just can't help but root for her. Now I will admit that sometimes Maia did annoy me just a teeny bit with some of her decisions, but for the most part, I could understand her reasoning and look past it.

Now I don't usually care too much about romance. But I really loved the romance in this novel. It was cute, adorable and just made me so warm and fuzzy inside. Also Edan's and Maia's banter was my favorite part of their relationship. They just become so comfortable with each other and watching their growth from distrusting each other to becoming friends to more was fantastic.

Overall, this was a phenomenal story, with great characters to love and a world to fall into!

WHAT A STORY!! I was actually worried this wasn’t going to live up to the hype of the reviews I’d seen around, but was still intrigued by the plot which is why I requested it on Netgalley. AND I am SO glad I did!!

Maia is the ‘obedient one,’ but really she is the glue that keeps her family together. Like her mother told her, she will be the salvation of them in the end. Maia is such a strong heroine. During her journey to become the imperial tailor, a post only held by men, she will come to find what it really means to be their salvation. She also goes through a lot of internal turmoil on this journey, which allows her to determine what matters to her most. She has to make a lot of hard decisions, but it only increased my love for her. As her story progressed, I found myself cheering her on and hoping things work out for her as best as possible!! This being a series, of course we don’t have an entire resolution; however, a lot of the situations surprised me! I never figured out how the journey would end before Elizabeth told us, which doesn’t happen to me all that often. Several of the other characters are also amazing! Specifically Edan, the Emperor’s Enchanter….

The writing is absolutely stunning! It draws you in and holds you close while you wind your way through a wonderful tale of adventure, sacrifice, and the beauty of relationships. Elizabeth has given us a stunning tale and I am so appreciative to have received it. One of my favourite scenes is near the end – 88% mark or thereabouts – when Maia and Edan visit a monastery. The conversation between Maia and the monk beside Amana’s spring is beautifully written and heartrending. Pay special attention!

I guess I kind of see the comparison with Mulan – being a story of a girl striving to bring honour to her family in the guise of a man – but Spin the Dawn is a story all its own, as well. I hope you pick it up and love it just as much as myself!

Absolutely enthralling book that has me excited for the sequel! Maia is such a great protagonist. The romance storyline could’ve been better, since it felt like borderline insta-love.

I can not even explain how much i loved this book. I will rate this five stars and am officially moving it to my most favorite read of 2019 so far. if you mention mulan or anything close to it i will flock to read it all. Im obsessed with Edan because im a sucker for any romantic interest haha! It makes me even more happy that it wasnt instant puppy love with them as well. The world building and writing in this book was marvelous. Im very impressed with how much of a strong character Maia is, having a passion in what you do and taking pride in that is amazing and something I hope everyone can have in their life. Thank you so much for allowing me to read this and I will be anxiously waiting for the next book!

This book was one I was a bit skeptical about at first. I have always loved Mulan so knowing this would be a Mulan inspired book was promising, but the part that had me thrown from the beginning was the project runway inspiration. I enjoy clothing and fashion, but its not a passion of mine and I couldn't fathom how a book would hold my attention for the duration if it was about designing clothes.

To be honest, the part about the fashion design was the slowest part for me. The beginning of this book seemed to drag on and on. But luckily after the tailoring contest in the beginning, our main character, Maia is sent on another mission to create three dresses of the goddess. Having never been made before but once according to myth, its thought to be a suicide mission, but with the help of a magic wielding man that she met while at the palace, she soon realizes that the myth of the dresses might actually be real.

The action packed second half of the book would have been what redeemed it for me had it not been so overwhelmed with the awful romance. One minute they are cordial and friendly but reserved towards each other, and then over the span of a few chapters (about a week or two in the book world) they suddenly become passionately in love. Making out on horseback while riding with trunks and all her sewing supplies? Sacrificing three whole days of their super important, life altering journey to bask in each other's presence in the woods? I thought we were on a time crunch people? And then to top it all off, there were so many different inconsistencies in the second half that it started to get confusing. Tasks were changed completely, details that seemed important weren't even right, and then the awful fact that she was apparently sewing dresses while riding on camels and horses across deserts and up mountains all without getting them dirty or messing up? I just don't see how any of this was actually feasible. And while yes, this book is filled with magic and other fantastical things, there still has to be some sort of believable storyline to follow as well. I just couldn't get over how ridiculous most of it was. And the dynamic between Maia and Edan had me cringing so bad..

I really wanted to like this more than I did, but unfortunately this just wasn't for me. The twist of an ending almost redeemed it but I'm afraid it was just too little too late in my opinion. I most likely won't be continuing with this series although I am grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to read this book.

Another book which was better than my expectations! I truly enjoyed Spin the Dawn from the first page to the last. I finished the later 70% of the book in a single day and stayed up till 3 AM to finish this book. This is something which rarely happens to me. So yeah, you can guess how much I loved this. This is a tale with adventure, magic, sorcerers, demons, ghosts, quests and of course, lots of sewing.

The story is about Maia, a seamstress, who wants to be an imperial tailor but the only problem is that she is a girl and in her kingdom, girls can’t be royal tailors. But when the emperor summons her father to the court, she disguises herself as her brother and goes to the palace. There she has to compete with eleven other tailors to become the Emperor’s court tailor. But the last challenge made her go to the most difficult quest of her life. She was given the task to make three dresses to symbolise the goddess Amana’s children and for that, she had to collect laughter of the sun, tears of the moon and blood of the stars. Then there is Edan, emperor’s Lord enchanter, who knows Maia’s secret from the beginning that she is a girl. He tries to help her from the beginning and even leave with her for her quest.

“My whole life, I’d been told what I couldn’t do because I was a girl. Well, this was my chance to find out. The only thing I could do was take it.”


I loved Maia so much. She was a strong and well-developed character. She had gone through so much but still, she was determined to improve her family’s condition and to support them in whichever way possible. I really loved how she wanted to make a name for herself by being an imperial tailor. she had been told from her childhood that she can’t be a tailor simply because she was a girl, no matter how good she was in her craft. But I loved her ferocity and her desire to earn fame.

And Edan? He was a sugar. Maia and Edan are now one of my favourite OTP. Edan was so mysterious. He never fully revealed what or who he was. As a sorcerer, he was really powerful with centuries of knowledge and magic. I loved his initial banters with Maia. He always teased her and no matter how much Maia wanted to avoid him, they became closer. I was eagerly waiting to happen something between them 😀 Their love was a forbidden one but I wanted it so badly. Their relationship arc was really good and I loved how Edan slowly opened to Maia and told her his darkest secrets. Over the pages, Edan won me over.

“I dread reaching the end of my story, for it is full of knots that I haven’t had the courage to cut free.”


Another side character I really like was Lady Sarnai. I definitely want to know more about her. She was forced into an arranged marriage with Emperor Khanujin to maintain the peace between two kingdoms. She was another example to show the status of women in society, that how men treat women as prized possession no matter how much talent she has. She was really an intriguing character and I hope her past is more explored in the sequel.

The world building of the story is fantastic. The story begins with a war-torn country which was trying to recover from this tragedy. I was glad though that the author didn’t put many details of this war in the story and quickly moved to Maia’s and Edan’s adventures, in which I was completely lost. The imagery of the world that Elizabeth Lim has created, is really beautiful. The scenes where Maia had to go to collect laughter of sun, tears of moon and blood of stars, were done so beautifully that I felt as if I am seeing them on the screen. The concept was really brilliant.

I really want to commend Elizabeth Lim for her writing for it kept me glued to the pages. The writing was so beautiful that it felt like I was reading an old favourite fairytale. The addition of magic to the story created a wonderful effect.

And lastly, can we talk about the gorgeous cover? It is so beautiful. And now after finishing the story, I can see how beautifully the different aspects of the story has been illustrated on the cover. There is Maia with her magical scissors, the dress with sun, moon and stars and then there is a Hawk.

Overall, Spin the Dawn is a fun and engaging read with a strong female character that I am sure everyone would love. Maia’s love for her family and her desire to gain fame is something that comes across strongly. With Chinese legends, magical gifts, adventuring quests, and the power of love, Spin of Dawn is really entertaining. It shows what true love is how it demands sacrifices. It is a story about grief, responsibility, faith, will-power, sacrifice and magic. I would absolutely recommend this. The sequel is definitely going to be darker than this and now I can’t wait to read it.

When her father is called to work as a tailor for the emperor, but is too ill to do so, Maia steps up to the challenge. However, a girl can't be a master tailor, so she poses as a son to do so. What she does not expect is a slew of other tailors competing for the position. She must complete a number of tasks to obtain the job and save her family.

The Story-
This was a buddy read with Rae and it was the only thing that really helped me finish this book. In other words, I sorta hated it. The book is blurbed to be Projecte Runway meets Mulan. I love Mulan. It was one of the first Disney movies that was based on a story less damsel in distress and more chick kicking butt kind of story, and 11 year old me was all about it. (Side note, it was also my first DVD and I watched it over and over). So it's not hard to say that I have been so excited about these Mulan retellings popping up, including this one. I've never watched Project Runway, but I'm assuming it has to do with tailoring some clothes for runway...thus the comparison. Aside from the Asian influence and the fact that Maia goes in place of her father and dresses as a boy is sort of where the comparison stops there. Based on this cover, I was honestly expecting a bird version of Mushu, and was sorta let down there too.

Okay the story, for the first 50% of the book we spend with Maia doing challenges for the Emperors bride to be. It's boring. I mean the first challenge was like cool, fancy enchanted scissors that help her sew clothes. But the following challenges just proved that yes she can sew, and slowly building character personalities. At 50% the story drastically changes as she is sent on this journey to find materials for an impossible task.This is sort of where I actually liked the story, but also wanted to DNF. Like I said the only thing keeping me going was my BR with Rae and the fact that I was able to rant to her through each and every chapter. There were a few inconsistencies that made my brain cringe like the fact that she couldn't get some boots wet but she was climbing up a snowy/icy mountain. I don't know about you, but when I step in snow, something gets wet. Then she's instructed to make a rug with one color and no fringe. What does she do?? She makes a two tone (the person who told her one color bought two colored yarn!) and what do you know, it has some tassels on it.

Then there was the romance. [INCOMING SMALL SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH]In the beginning, Maia and Edan were having this sorta fun banter going on, and while they're on their journey suddenly their like all over each other! Like they have a deadline, and they're riding around on horses and can't stop kissing, their proposing to court for 1000 days, and then blabbing on about getting married, having babies, what they would sacrifice for each other. LIKE WHOA SLOW DOWN THERE GIRL, you guys just confessed your feelings the last chapter.

Sometimes the descriptions of the characters actions were off to me as well. Like they were on this time crunch to do these tasks, right? Not after they start hooking up! Then it's like skipping down the road and making out. At one point, she talks about how they couldn't stop kissing no matter if they were walking or riding on their horses. HOW? How do you make out while riding a horse and not fall off?

Oh and speaking of horses? She brought her sewing with her. That's right. She's on this journey for two months across deserts and what have you, and she's sewing gowns....that she isn't worried about getting damaged or dirty. She's sewing dainty pearls on a dress while traveling on a camel across the desert! I know, she's got time to kill, but how did that sewing make it so far without getting...dirty? She doesn't even have water to wash herself, yet she's clean enough to sew a beautiful gown?? Nah, I'm not buying it.

And lastly, another thing that bothered me was consistency. In the beginning of her journey, Edan told her the first thing she would have to obtain for the dresses, but then they don't actually do that. I was so confused by the first task that I had to go back and read what was happening and was a little peeved. Then they went on to continue to do some magical quest sort of thing that she definitely wouldn't have been able to accomplish. In fact, I'm not sure how anyone would be able to accomplish said tasks without magic or knowledge to begin with.

The World Building-
Okay, so I did like the world building. I loved the descriptions of the countryside, the magic, and overall the idea behind the enchanters. There were a few gaps in the information that I can brush aside, because as the story progressed we are slowly revealed more and more.

My favorite part was the folklore, and the challenges that corresponded with them. They sort of gave me this Start Touched Queen or The Queen's Thief sorta vibe. How their was this folklore that was actually true, and our protagonist had to accomplish something around it. I like that, it gives the world building so much more involvement in the story as opposed to a made up history or landscape as a backdrop.

The Characters-
Maia is cool. Strong is how she is described in the book and I think that is an accurate descriptor for her. She's strong willed, but so much more. She's loyal to her family and has a lot of determination. I can respect her for that. However, I couldn't help myself reading as she dealt with her romantic emotions. I always find it funny when someone is constantly having fluttering in their stomach, and aches in their chest, and burning up. From a medical profession I always think the person has IBS, a heart condition or even a urinary tract infection. Okay, she's getting butterflies because she likes someone. But don't make her ignorant to the feelings and have her wonder why she's feeling like that. And maybe have her understanding and reaction be a little more gradual? It went from entirely neutral to really clingy. I love hate to love, but those are a little more understandable since their such extreme feelings, so it was hard for me to go along with the stark contrast in the romantic end.

Edan was sort of...annoying. I feel like the witty flirtatious character is for someone, but sometimes I can only take so much. Here was this 500+ year old man who looked young, so was frequently referred to as a "boy" and I just wanted to shake the characters and say he's a grown ass man! On top of that, we are to believe that in 500 years he has never met anyone special? The way he was talking too just made me cringe, my initial reaction was too fast, too furious.  I just really hated their relationship. From witty banter to can't resist anymore wasn't fluid at all to me. I just felt like there was 50% of book where the transition could have been smoother to where I actually cheered them on, or felt like they were even compatible.

Pitched as ‘Project Runway’ meets ‘Mulan’, Spin the Dawn delivers, and more!

I started this book off by crying within the first few chapters and also ended it with tears. Our main character, Maia Tamarin, is one of four children and the only daughter. Her older brothers have been drafted into the war and Maia is left with a weight on her shoulders as she takes care of a grieving father.

Maia is the glue that keeps her family together when everything wants to tear them apart. Maia’s talents are too great for a world where women are only meant for marriage and children — so she quietly sews inside her father’s tailoring shop. She might never gain the title as a master in the craft, but at least her skills will keep her family fed.

When the war comes to an end, Maia is left with a grieving father and only one brother who will never be the same again. So when the emperor summons her father to become a tailor in the imperial palace, there is no other decision to be made. Maia risks it all to keep the family she has left even if it might cost her her life. Disguising herself as a boy, Maia heads to the imperial palace.

Maia is one of the strongest heroines I’ve come across in a YA fantasy. What makes her so special is that she’s such a hard worker. Everything she has she’s earned herself. She’s not afraid to be vulnerable and admit how scared she is and I love that. It’s so easy to root for her!

At the imperial palace Maia is put through a lot of tests that take her on an adventure to remember! The competition to become the next royal tailor added a uniqueness to the story. The characters introduced bring some spice into Maia’s life, too, especially one in particular.

Spin the Dawn is heartbreakingly romantic. I don’t want to give too much away concerning the relationship between Maia and Edan, but I will say I loved them together. They’re both powerful characters alone but when they go on this journey together it makes the book extra special!

Elizabeth Lim did a fantastic job telling this story. She met my expectations and delivered a thought-provoking fantasy. From characters to world-building, her writing completely captivated me! If an author can make me cry then they have automatically won me over, and Elizabeth Lim did just that.

Maia’s adventure is full of tests that help her grow into an impressive character. She shows young girls that they can accomplish anything as long as they believe in themselves. That’s why I loved this book so much. It’s perfect for teens and I hope young readers are able to connect with Maia and her story!

Spin the Dawn was sold to me as a Mulan like fantasy. I was immediately down. Mulan is one of my favorite Disney films and not mention badass ladies in history. That being said don’t expect a lot of similarities other than the basic concept of a woman dressing as a man to help her family.

The book can be split in two parts, and I believe I enjoyed the first part the most...maybe not...now that I’m writing this I think I enjoyed both equally. They each have something to be desired, the first was a brilliant and gorgeous set up for this new and fantastical world. And the second was magical and exciting. There were a few parts where I was a bit bored, but it was more of a “get on with it I want to know what happens with this...” feeling than a “ugh I’m so bored” feeling. This happens often when I read first books in a new series. There’s just so much to set up and do when introducing a new world.

Lim has done a brilliant job at crafting this story and I can’t wait for the opportunity to read the second!

Okay, so if I'm being honest the pitch for this book did not catch my attention. But as I saw some of the early reviews start to come in, I became increasingly more intrigued. SPIN THE DAWN is said to be a mix of Project Runway meets Mulan. I feel like that only describes the first half of the book. I would describe the second half as more of a mashup between Aladdin and an adventure/quest (think Percy Jackson) mixed with something I can't quite place my finger on.

Maia is the daughter of a renowned Tailor and when tragedy strikes their family (from multiple fronts), Maia is left to carry the burden of keeping their shop running. But no one can know. Women aren't allowed to become tailors. Between her father's illness, her brothers' absences, and the war causing business to dwindle, her family is struggling to survive. Now that the war has ended, the Emperor is searching for the perfect tailor to make his new fiance's wedding dress and become the Imperial Tailor. When the Emperor's people come knocking, there's only one thing to do.... impersonate her brother and try to win a spot as the Imperial Tailor.

I loved this book from the minute I started reading it. Lim did a fantastic job of immediately grabbing my attention and keeping me interested throughout the whole story. I found it refreshing to have a story told through a single point of view. The author dreamed up many intriguing characters, but just like Maia caught the court magician's eye, he caught mine! The Enchanter is sassy, swoon worthy, and cloaked in secrecy. If you love a fantasy full of adventure, betrayal, mystery, mythology, and a slow burn romance, then look no further! This may be Lim's debut novel, but it didn't feel like it. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this story and anything else she writes.

A beautifully crafted story of love and magic. In a world where women are unable to be tailors, our main character goes against all societal standards and pretends to be her injured brother in the competition to become the Emperor's tailor. When all go awry, Maia must go to the ends of the world and craft three magical dresses with the help of Edan, a mysterious enchantor who she just so happens to fall for.

When the tag line for this book says, “Project Runway meets Mulan,” add in some magical sewing scissors and they were not exaggerating! And that’s only the very beginning of this magical little story! I absolutely adored this and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairytales, girls sticking it to the patriarchy, and magic!

Spin the Dawn is about a girl named Maia who dreams of being a tailor and ultimately becoming master tailor to the Emperor. The only problem is, women aren’t allowed to be tailors in the empire. When tragedy strikes her family and there are no available men to take advantage of an opportunity presented to her family, she decides to dress up as her brother and enter a contest to become the master tailor.

The second part of this story is equal parts fairytale quest and blossoming romance. Maia and Edan go on a quest to hunt down the moon, sun and stars so that Maia can sew the emperor’s betrothed three magical dresses for her wedding. Their quest is full of interesting creatures, difficult choices, and a little bit of falling in love. I’m not a huge fan of romance, but I appreciated the way the romance developed in this story. It wasn’t insta-love, and it felt very sweet and believable, and didn’t take away from the plot.

The only thing I had a small qualm with was that Maia and her love interest both seemed to change personalities a little bit when they fell in love. They were previously very sarcastic and quick to tease, but that witty banter kind of dropped off once their romance started. And I love me some witty banter, so that was a little bit disappointing. But other than that small aspect, I can’t think of anything about this story that didn’t keep me entertained! I loved the fairytale element, the characters and the way the magic worked. I also really enjoyed the supernatural characters that featured towards the end of the story as well.

Definitely a five star read for me and I can’t wait to see where Maia goes next!

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim Was fantastic. This was definitely one of the best books that I have read this year. It had a bit of a Mulan vibe to me in the sense that the daughter has to pretend to be a boy to bring honor to her family and to save her father. That is where the comparison ends.



I didn’t know I needed this book until I read it. Spin the Dawn follows Maia. Maia, is the daughter of a tailor. She has picked up her father’s trade and does most of the work for their small business. Her three brothers were sent to fight in a war. When the war was over, only one brother returned home alive. Her one surviving brother is now a cripple. When a palace representative comes knocking at the door requesting Maia’s father to go to the palace or one of his eligible son’s. Maia takes matter in her own hands and goes to the palace as a boy. Upon leaving, her father gives her a pair of scissors that were from her grandmother. He tells her that they never worked for hi but maybe they would work for her someday.



Once at the palace, Maia discovers that this is a competition on who is the best tailor to win the job in the palace. Then people start getting sabotaged including Maia. Maia is trying to keep her identity a complete secret. It seems like at any moment she will be caught. One night Maia picks up her grandmother’s scissors and accidentally discovers that they are magic. For the rest of the competition, Maia tries super hard not to use these magic scissors of hers because she wants to win fair and square even though everyone else is also using bits of magic.



The second half of this books is completely different than the first half because Maia goes on a very dangerous adventure. I have to say that I wasn’t expecting this as much. I really enjoyed the change of pace and what Maia had to do to accomplish her tasks. I feel like I have already said too much. Spin the Dawn. I loved the characters, the setting, and the plot. I think Lim did an amazing job with this book and she is one amazing writer. She is able to draw you in so fast and care about Maia. She is able to make the reader feel sympathy for her and to route for her. The last thing I wanted was for Maia to fail. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I also really enjoyed the love interest. I am anxious to find out or learn more. It is going to kill me to wait for book two. Definitely pick up Spin the Dawn because I think this is what every fantasy reader is missing on their self.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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4*
Pros: Beautiful world-building. Chinese myths, folklore and traditions. Interesting female lead with original interests and passions. Cute and wholesome romance. Full of magic and mystique. Particularly loved the fashion theme on medieval Chinese garments and the life of a tailor. Lots of important feminist notes. Heart-rending take on family and love.
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Cons: The romantic aspect was too sudden. The scissors' logistics were a bit confusing.

I would like to begin this review by apologizing if everything I'm about to write is very confusing. Spin the Dawn spun my emotions to a point that left me an emotional mess. No, it did not make me cry, but its beautiful imagery, its powerful characters, and the magical storytelling threw me into a turmoil of emotions until the very last page. Now, before plunging into my review, can we simply admire the stunning cover for a few seconds? 😍

Storytelling: As I mentioned one mile-second ago, Spin the Dawn is a marvellous book. This book is so much more than Project Runaway meets Mulan. The tale spun by Elizabeth Lim is divided into two parts: while in a first part the story introduces the political intrigues at the court (this is a very fast-paced part), the second part takes the reader and Maia on a quest filled with unthinkable dangers. Throughout the pages, the story conveys soul crushing loss, shattered dreams, political intrigue and heartbreaking romance and uses these elements to build an intricate and bewitching story.

As Maia sew magical and dazzling dresses with thread and needle, so did Elizabeth Lim wove an extraordinary tale with her pen. This is one of the most beautiful and unique books I read this year and I truly believe everyone needs to have it in their life. The storytelling stole my heart! Gosh, I could not be more excited about the sequel.

Characters: After experiencing so much loss due to the war that ravaged the Empire, Maia finds herself taking care of her shattered family and does everything she can to keep their little shop open. One day an Imperial messenger summons her father to the palace and knowing that he would never make the journey due to illness and being grief-stricken, Maia decides to disguise herself as a boy and take her father's place in the competition for the next Imperial Tailor. I must write that I loved Maia's protection regarding her family and her will to prove that a woman could sew as better - or even better - than any man. I also loved her passion for sewing, how she worked so hard to be the very best.

In the end, Maia becomes everything I could wish in the main character of a novel. She faces perilous challenges, but never gives up or bows down, even when she is forced to make choices that may endanger her own life. She is very determined and, throughout the story, she outgrows the naiveté of girl who had never left her small town - the war did steal from her those she loved, but only after facing death and evil first-hand does Maia understand the grey shades that the world is made of and becomes a strong powerful woman.

Regarding the Lord Enchanter, Edan, a veil of mystery surrounded him since the first moment he was introduced in the story. As the Emperor's sorcerer, Edan has the opportunity to watch the competition for Master Tailor closely and because of such he discovers very early on Maia's secret. Nevertheless, he does not expose her. Instead, Edan keeps an eye on her and attempts to help her hide her secret from the other contenders and the man he serves. I quite appreciated his mischievous nature (it's surprising that he didn't lose it after doing going through so much) and how supportive he was of Maia, even if it meant to put himself in harms' way. He believed in her even when she did not believe in herself. Needless to say, I found these two too adorable together and I'm pretty sure that that ending shattered my heart.

World Building: This Asian-inspired world crafted by Elizabeth Lim is intriguing and brimming with sorcery. A land of folk tales and myths, Lim weaves through words stunning landscapes. One of the aspects I loved the most about Spin the Dawn was that halfway through the story, Maia leaves the imperial palace and has the opportunity to travel the Empire. She finds herself in a Silk Road-inspired path, with scorching deserts and icy peaks, and lands hunted by dangerous and evil beings - creatures that she always thought to be nothing more than tales. The settings simply burst with life and it's almost like if I was following the same paths than Maia and Edan.

A thoroughly enjoyable twist on some classic Chinese tales. Maia is a likeable but not overly stereotypical character, showing determination and strength instead of simple bravery or rashness. The cultural elements of the village and the palace are interesting. The magic system is unique and left just mysterious enough to keep things interesting. Best of all, the plot didn't go the way I thought it would. I love to be surprised and this plot had a few surprises in it. The book ended on a cliff-hanger, and I'm eager to read the next one.

Spin The Dawn is a fun, fast paced fantasy. It was pitched to me as Mulan, Project Runway, and a hint of Aladdin, and honestly, that is the best way to describe it.

This book is very well written, with great prose that describes the setting well and builds the characters and their relationships beautifully. The world is well built with a fascinating mythology and plenty of history interwoven into the fantasy aspects.

Spin the Dawn is fast-paced. There is constant action to the point where I literally could not put it down. I tried and failed (and lost a couple of hours of sleep because of it). It’s split into parts, focusing on the competition and an epic journey. Despite the journey taking up a large part of the book, there was always something interesting going on, or a trial to undergo that made the pages fly by.

The main character, Maia, is great. She loves her job which is rare in YA, and her passion is something I really admired in her. She’s also a very strong character, from her determination, loyalty, and kindness. I just really liked her. There was an great emphasis on her relationship with her family. After the war ended, her family was left in pieces and I love that Elizabeth Lim didn’t shy away from the tragedy and the pain it brings. The romance aspect was really well done, and absolutely adorable while still feeling realistic and earned (definitely not a case of insta-love here, thank god). Edan, the court magician, is fascinating. He’s mysterious, powerful, and always has the best banter with Maia. I can’t wait to learn more about him! I also found myself really interested in Lady Sarnai even though I probably shouldn’t. I’m really curious about her story, and that of the Emperor, and where it will lead in the sequel. Did I mention that I’m dying for this sequel?? Because I need it.

- Conclusion -

Pros- Fast paced, cute romance, fascinating world
Cons- sequel please?? I really, really need it
Overall- 5/5 stars.
Spin the Dawn is an utterly addictive read that will captivate you and give you dreams of dresses painted with the blood of the stars.

Note: This has been posted to Barnes and Noble under the name "Caitsbooks"