3.5 Stars

Spin the Dawn is one of the summer young adult fantasy ARC’s that I wasn’t that excited about. This book was marketed as a Mulan re-telling and also compared to Project Runway, neither of which I was a fan of. I was actually pretty shocked with how much I enjoyed this book. While I did have some issues with it at times, Spin the Dawn was nothing like I had expected it to be.

Immediately once I started reading I noticed that the writing was very poetic, which is something that I love. The vivid descriptions helped bring this world to life. I also found the pacing of part one to be very fast and captivating. I loved the competition to become the imperial tailor, which is actually the part of the novel that I thought I would hate. I loved the backstabbing and corruption of court and quickly devoured the first third of the book.

In the beginning I found Maia very relatable. She was extremely determined and devoted to her family. I loved her competitiveness and just how ambitious she was. Her bold personality was fun to read about and I liked her as a main character. The ruthlessness of the competition combined with her pretending to be a boy brought out this outspoken side of her that I really loved. But once the book began to focus on the romance I felt like all of those parts I had admired about Maia didn’t shine as brightly.

Then the novel took a turn which I thought I would love, but I didn’t. The second part of the novel was more of an adventure where Maia and Edan traveled to find the essences of the sun, moon and stars to sew into dresses. Typically I love quests, but part two really dragged for me. Spin the Dawn began to focus on the romance between Maia and Edan, and I just wasn’t feeling it. The romance felt forced and fake to me. Edan was so much older than her and he really felt that way, where romances like this can work in books like Twilight, the maturity difference between them made it feel weird. The characters fell flat when there wasn’t much action and all of Maia’s feelings were told to us rather than shown through actions.

When I reached part three and they were back at court the book picked up again. Spin the Dawn just felt a bit choppy and the pacing wasn’t consistent. I loved the parts of the book that took place at court and enjoyed the competition for imperial tailor much more than I thought I would. The romance and characters fell a bit flat for me, but overall I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought that I would.

Upfront let me say I've never watched Project Runway or Moulin Rouge so my background on either is lacking and had nothing to do with my wanting to Spin the Dawn. Secondly, while the cover is brilliant and by the time I finished Spin the Dawn, I can understand how perfectly it fit the book, I am not a person drawn to big fancy covers, so again not why I wanted to read Spin the Dawn.


Thank you to Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Next before I go into my experience reading Spin the Dawn. Looking at the age group it is aimed at (starting at seventh grade- middle school), I truly believe this is aimed at the earlier end of the young adult spectrum. In other words, where there are many young adult books that I believe you could stack against adult fantasy books without a problem and adults would love them all the same, this is not one of them. 

Let me make this clear: This is not at all a knock on Spin the Dawn. All I am pointing out is that in reviewing the book, I believe it important to review it for the audience that I believe it is aimed. Now, I could be wrong. However, I'm going to go on my belief and what I felt as I read the story, as that is all I can do. That is all any reader/reviewer can do.

Elizabeth Lim does a masterful job world building. She shifts from Maia's simple home life to the great Summer and Autumn palaces with ease, painting the portraits of the life of those that live a common life to those of great royalty. The same can be same of the character building. Despite the riches and luxury surrounding the royalty, you quickly find that both royalty and commoners have much suffering in common, even if for different reasons.

Lady Sarnai: He broke his promise to me. At first I thought it was because the war and magic had blackened his heart, but that is just the way of men. For what is a promise if it's made to a woman?

To Maia this is something she can greatly relate to, wanting to be in a man's world as the greatest tailor in all of A'landi, but having to make believe she is a boy in order to make her dreams come true. 

Lady Sarnai is forced into a marriage with the Emperor in order to make peace in A'landi after a long war that killed two of Maia's brothers and left one without the use of his legs. They have both suffered greatly from the war feeling trapped. Maia trying to escape a marriage with the baker's son, as well. 

During her time at the palace the emperor's enchanter becomes quite infatuated with Maia and there are hints as to why. When Lady Sarnai suddenly lays a quest at Maia's feet it becomes pretty clear as to what is happening. Although, again to a younger audience there will be more of a twist factor as to what is playing out ahead but I won't give it out here.

During this quest that the enchanter, Edan, accompanies Maia on, there are many beautiful and very dangerous landscapes that are encountered. Each are brilliantly developed by Lim's imagery. It pulls you into each place in a very Indiana Jones way, where you can truly go through the experience with both characters. 

It is throughout this experience that a simple and quaint relationship comes to develop between Edan and Maia. Older readers might find this budding relationship somewhat simple and the dialogue a bit childish. Younger audiences will fall right under its spell.

Additionally, hidden secrets about each is revealed both during and at the end of their travels. These might not be much of a shock or a twist to some of the older readers, but they will be many jaw dropping moments for the younger readers. Again, it didn't take out the enjoyment for me of the overall story. I don't believe it would rob it from others, either. 

While the younger group, will be absolutely enthralled by everything from beginning to end Spin the Dawn. In all honesty, there is one thing all readers will have in common: the cliffhanger (no spoiler). It is so heartbreaking that I was choked up. The decisions made in the face of knowing what they will mean, were brave, courageous and absolutely heartbreaking. No matter what your age, your heart will shatter by the end of Spin the Dawn. You can't help but want to know what happens next.

When I read the words “Mulan retelling” and saw the beautiful cover, I was totally on board for this. I’m a sucker for a good retelling, especially when it involves strong female heroines. And guys. Let me tell you. This DID NOT disappoint. I’m so excited to be sharing this book with everyone because it was so unexpectedly creative and wonderful!

I’ve heard a lot of people say this book is Mulan meets Project Runway and it’s true! Similar to Mulan, Maia goes to the palace in place of her father, but as a tailor. There’s a contest to determine who the best tailor is for the emperor and it gets CRAZY. I loved the competition aspect of this book because it sucked me right in and I couldn’t put it down. But I also want to emphasize that this novel is SOOOO MUCH MORE than that. It was actually shocking to me how little real estate the contest takes up in the book as a whole. Lim takes us on such a wild ride with this story and it was amazing!

Any y’all, don’t even get me STARTED on how beautiful the writing is. From page one, this is styled like an old fairytale and it was perfect. The language was so pretty and flowed so well, it was such a pleasure to read. Plus, a lot of the fantasy and magical elements added to that fairytale feeling and it was wonderful. Hearing Maia and Edan talk about all the gods was fun and Lim did such an excellent job bringing them to life.

*FINAL WORD*
This book is MAGICAL. It’s a fun story about an amazing female character and you all NEED to read it. I already can’t wait for book two!

This book is being pitched as Mulan meets Project Runaway and that is a pretty accurate description. Full of spectacular writing and a wonderful heroine, Spin the Dawn was a fun, fast-paced story that pulled me in from the first chapter.

I absolutely loved Maia. I thought she was a great protagonist and it was impossible not to root for her. Throughout the story, Maia shows a lot of perseverance and intelligence, and she grows as the novel goes on. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she accomplishes in the next book and how she’s going to deal with the cards she was dealt by the end of this book.

I also really enjoyed the writing; it was beautiful, yet simple. The first half of the story was very fast-paced and I had trouble putting it down. The second half started to slow down, but by then I was so invested in the characters and the story that it didn’t bother me one bit. The romance was really excellent as well! I loved Edan and how his relationship with Maia blossomed. It was great to see how supportive and protective of Maia he was.

Spin the Dawn was a wonderful book with a compassionate, strong heroine to cheer for and a charming enchanter that will steal your heart. Elizabeth Lim weaves a marvelous story and I can’t wait for people to fall in love with these characters!

Maia has talent as a tailor, as her father does. Her only dream is to have the opportunity to make clothes for the emperor himself. But as a woman, she is not allowed to be an imperial tailor. She has no choice, however, when a messenger comes from the palace seeking her father or one of her brothers. She dresses up as a man and goes herself, determined to succeed and prove to everyone that she can be just as good as any man.

I got a free advanced reading copy of Spin the Dawn in exchange for an honest review.

Spin the Dawn is a novel by Elizabeth Lim. It’s her debut novel, and it’s based on the Silk Road. This is actually the second novel I’ve read about the Silk Road this year, the first one being The Candle and the Flame. And, like The Candle and the Flame, it’s an #OwnVoices novel. And, it was absolutely spectacular.

It’s hard to write this review without completely and totally fangirling, actually. From the first few pages (are they still pages if I read them on a Kindle?), I was swept away into this Chinese-inspired land. It’s a land steeped in history, mythology, and tradition, and one I loved reading about and exploring, and luckily we really got the chance to see a lot of it!

I was actually surprised by that. When I started reading the novel, I thought there was a definite direction this novel was going, but it definitely twisted in a completely different way than I expected. In fact, I was actually really shocked in only the first quarter of the book! But the way it went was excellent, and I loved this twist in the tale, as it set the characters off in an epic quest, and in that quest, we learned more stories about the land and got closer to the characters themselves.

Maia is our main character in the book. The entire book is told from her first-person POV, and so we do get to know her very well. We get her motivations really quickly in the novel, especially as she experiences what happens to her brothers. She does grow and develop a great deal through the novel to, as she travels through her quest. Her skills change, she changes her mind and thoughts, and even falls in love.

Yup, love. And I actually liked it!

By now you might know that I often struggle with romance, not always loving how it’s written or how suddenly it seems to come around, but I loved the romance in this book. I’m a little reluctant to say who she falls in love with, for spoilers, but they are in the story summary, so I’m actually going to do it with a bit of a warning in case you don’t want to know.

SPOILER BEGINS

Her romance is with Edan, the court enchanter. On his end, it came much quicker than it did on Maia’s, but it always felt natural. It slowly grew into one I could really root for, and I loved reading about them together. What was also excellent is we got to learn a whole lot more about Edan and enchanters. His whole life is pretty mysterious from the beginning, and it gets revealed to us in bits and snippets. Each one is fascinating, and makes one understand Edan even more. It also made me very worried about the relationship, since it felt pretty star-crossed, but that feeling of worry was definitely a good thing since it kept me reading!

SPOILER ENDS

OK, and now I have to gush about the dresses! Lim does such a good job describing each dress that I could see them clearly in my mind’s eye, and I swear I’m going to have to figure out a way to either make them or get them. I absolutely adore clothes, and the more I read this book, the more I felt like adding to my already enormous clothing collection (I’m actually on a clothes-shopping ban because there’s no room left for new clothes in my closet [although that didn’t stop me from recently getting two pairs of shoes]). I just need these dresses!

Spin the Dawn was such an amazing book, and it’s actually part of a trilogy! Yes, the series is called The Blood of Stars, and I’ll for sure be reading the second novel.

Spin the Dawn comes out July 9th, and you can preorder it from Knopf Books for Young Readers!

Basics
SPIN THE DAWN is one of those books that just feels like an old-timey fairy tale. While I love retellings that modernize the story, I also really appreciate how Elizabeth stuck to traditional fairy tale pacing and elements while still making the old tale brand new.


What I loved

It’s been pitched as a Mulan retelling meets Project Runway, which I think definitely fits to an extent. It’s like Mulan with scissors, and Project Runway if the participants had to go on deadly quests to acquire their supplies. But what I can’t figure out and my personal favorite part is that it also seems to be a retelling of my absolutely all time favorite fairy tale, Allerleirauh (Bearskin, Catskin, there are many translations) from the Grimm’s collection. The original is about a girl who tries to avoid a creepy marriage to her father (ew) by requesting dresses made of the sun, moon, and stars, which she assumes will be impossible. When he manages to get it done, she flees with the dresses hidden in walnuts and becomes a cook in a far-off kingdom’s palace. Either there’s another similar fairy tale Elizabeth is basing this on, or it’s a retelling. Either way, it’s super exciting to see my favorite tale reimagined so cleverly, from the point of view not of the princess, but of the person who has to make the damn dresses.


The setting is East Asian inspired, I believe primarily by China. I love seeing fantasy worlds that deviate from the stereotypical English medieval prototype that used to be omnipresent. Elizabeth’s world is intricate and immersive, from the linguistics to the food to the clothing. You feel instantly transported. It helps that she trusts her reader to catch onto unfamiliar words and ideas in context, rather than resorting to a lot of tedious infodumps like some fantasy authors do. You feel like you’re traveling to a new place and exploring, instead of getting a lecture.


While we’re talking about worldbuilding, I loved the mythology! This is a place with gods and superstitions, and folklore and fairy tales. It creates this solid sense of history and place. I love how Elizabeth shared some of the folktales Maia grew up on, and how they become so important to the plot.


Maia is a fierce, clever narrator who doesn’t rely on weapons or fighting to be badass. Her weapon of choice is a needle. She creates whole worlds with her outfits. She sews to take care of her family, to express herself, and to take charge of her own life. She likes traditionally feminine things like pretty dresses and there’s no shame for it. She’s also very stubborn, a trait that both keeps her going and gets her into trouble. I found that even when I disagreed with her choices, I found her believable and compelling as a character.


I love how Elizabeth explores family and grief. Maia’s mother died when she was young and two of her brothers died in the war. While grief isn’t the main subject of the text, Elizabeth does show how Maia grapples with her grief and how it affects the way she relates to her remaining brother and father in a sensitive, realistic way.


I freaking love Edan. He’s this sarcastic, arrogant enchanter who can never be serious, talks in riddles, and thrives on banter. My weakness! I loved the tension and repartee between him and Maia. He reminded me so much of Numair from Tamora Pierce’s books, but snarkier.


My favorite part of the story was the dress competition. Honestly, I wish it had gone on a little longer. It was fun watching Maia compete against all these cranky old male tailors, and to see their designs matched up against each other.


The side characters felt real and solid, even if they had small parts. I was especially intrigued by Lady Sarnai. You don’t interact with her much, but it’s clear that she has this full, rich backstory and her own trials and grief. I’d love to see more of her in the sequel.


The ending. Wow! I thought I knew where Elizabeth was going with the last few chapters, but she managed to surprise me. I love that she didn’t wrap everything up neatly. She forces Maia to make difficult choices and to live with the fallout.



What didn't work as well

Some of the dialogue is kind of wooden or people are talking about things that they know in a way that’s just meant to let the reader now. That tends to rip me out of the story.


The middle kind of lulls—oddly enough, because I think it goes a little too fast. The pacing in the competition is so taut and exciting, but when they’re journeying, they’re covering so much time and ground in such short page space that it’s hard to feel immersed. It felt like the trials were a bit too quick and convenient, just because there wasn’t enough time to dwell on them. There were also some really abrupt time jumps that threw me off.


Maia seems a little passive during the trials. Edan basically tells her everything she has to do. I connected with her most when she was taking charge, making dresses, and figuring things out for herself.


This is definitely a “me” issue that you may not care about, but I thought that Maia and Edan fell in love too quickly. A few weeks together, and they were already talking of marriage and a future! It’s not that I didn’t fully buy it; I just personally like the slow burn bantery stage, and so I get kind of bored once everything is smooth and there seems to be a perfect understanding between the characters.


Other things to know

It’s definitely a patriarchal world, so you should know that going in. Men have all the power, women are subjugated. There isn’t much allowance for anyone nonbinary. But interestingly, although it seems to be unusual to be openly gay, people in this world also don’t seem to have a problem with it.


There are also some threats of sexual violence. Personally I didn’t think they were excessive or gratuitous, but if that’s something that you don’t like seeing, be aware going in.


My thoughts overall

A glittering gem of a fairy tale with a unique mythology, clever premise, and exciting finale.

Will I read this author again? Definitely
Will I continue this series? Yes! I need to know what happens next!

★★★☆☆ // ★★★★☆
3.5 Stars (Rounds up on Goodreads)

The only reason this isn’t a solid 4-star read for me is that the pacing, I felt, had issues.

The actual “Project Runway” style challenges were glossed over extremely quickly. They felt rather forced and stiff, and so did Maia’s relationship with magic (she hates it, but she loves it, but she doesn’t believe in it, but now she does, but she thinks it’s cheating, but it isn’t and we aren’t sure why).

This is a Mulan-inspired story, right? So we can all safely assume that at some point, someone, somehow, discovers she is a woman? When this happens, it’s also rather glossed over and stiff. You can tell the author put the most love and attention into the second half of this book/ If she had spent more time on the first half, though, it could have been split into two books — since the disconnect between the two halves already make it feel like two volumes in a series, honestly.

The magic used by the court magician, Edan, is significantly more fleshed out and easier to understand. Without spoilers: The author puts certain checks and balances on his power that work quite well and help the story along, as well as flesh out his character. The worldbuilding as it pertains to his backstory was lovely.

As I mentioned earlier, the first and second halves of this book were quite different. I enjoyed the second half significantly more, though it took me longer to get through. I flew through the first half because everything happened insanely quickly, then the book seemed to get a second lease on life and started on a whole epic quest situation. I had a bit of fatigue at that point — it felt like the book should have ended after the initial trials and plot twist(s), but instead, it continued on into a whole other story. But once I got into that second story, it was much more interesting and I did enjoy it.

Overall, if the concept of “Project Runway and Mulan-inspired Fantasy” intrigues you as much as it did me, I do highly recommend you give this a read. It’s a fun little fantasy that has a fairly unique premise.

What an excellent novel. The publisher description labeled this novel as “Project Runway meets Mulan,” which already makes the novel interesting, especially when one thinks about these two concepts individually. Designing clothes, even though it seems to be a male-dominated enterprise, is often regarded as a more feminine concept. So that fact that this novel has Maia disguise herself as a man to enter a tailoring contest is already quite intriguing. It takes reality and constricts it into this mold that determines the worth of a woman in this world that Lim has created.

However, that is only one aspect of the novel that Lim has created as she goes from realism to the magical. Lim slowly incorporates the mysticism and magic into the tale as she goes into the storytelling. Maia has a pair of magic tailoring scissors that help her create beautiful things. However, Maia does not trust magic. The war and loss she has suffered have disillusioned her, and her beliefs make it seem as though magic is wrong. However, then it becomes the one thing that could save her.

It is an interesting take that takes her on a journey through the world. It is an eye-opening journey that lends itself to fantastic character development on Maia’s part. Maia goes from thinking the world operates in one way, to find a way to live in it in another way. Edan, the court enchanter, also opens her mind in various ways. He has been alive for centuries and has seen the world and the way it changes, offering up a new perspective to the world. It brings history to the tale, history that has been long forgotten and adds numerous layers to the story as it goes from a story about a girl entering a tailoring contest to a quest to create magical dresses.

Maia is not a complex character, but the level of depth from her narrative is compelling. She has the voice to carry the novel as she embarks on this journey to create these magical dresses, and each dress, each element brings about something different about herself that she must learn and face. These trials challenge her; they challenge her mind, body, and soul, and open different aspects of herself Maia did not know she had. It is a riveting journey that she goes on and her dynamics with Edan. They make such a great team, and Edan is such an enigmatic character. The way he moves and elevates the mystical part of the story perfectly balances out Maia’s realism.

Overall, it is quite an enjoyable novel. The magic that elevates the story and the way Lim intermingles aspects readers are familiar with make the story engaging. The whole story is a journey not just for the characters but for the reader as well.

Spin the Dawn was everything I could have hoped for and more. With a tag line like "Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars." it's hard to not get your expectations up.  How do I even go about formulating this whimsical, magical and romantic book into words?

First of all I loved how authentic the characters were to themselves. Never have I loved a headstrong and magnetic heroine like Maia. She knows she's great and she isn't willing to sit down and roll over (marry the bakers son? I think not!) just to keep the peace. I rooted for her from the very first page and watching her grow into the wonderfully magical tailor that she is at the end of the book kept me reading long into the night. Can we talk about Edan? Because hi, new book boyfriend alert right there. He was swoony and mysterious and full of shocking twists and turns. I fell head over heels for him just as Maia did.

The intricacies of this book astounded me as did the visualization Elizabeth Lim put into each scene, down to the tiny beading in those otherworldly dresses. No detail was overlooked and I marveled in it all. I'm not going into detail about the story as it best flows like a fairy tale as you read it and there are tons of spoilers if I did. But just know, this book is one of the best I have read this year.

This is not what I expected, but it definitely didn’t disappoint! Maia is the epitome of a strong, female character. Just like in Mulan, with no eligible male heir able to assist the emperor, Maia takes it upon herself to represent her family and restore honor to their name. In a time where women hold no power, she takes it upon herself to swallow her pride, dress like her brother, and hide her true identity from everyone else.

“And you?”
“The obedient one.”
“No”, Edan said. “You’re the strong one.”
The strong one. The one who held the seams of my family together.

But not everyone is deceived. The emperor’s Enchanter catches on to Maia’s ploy. Is he on her side or will he reveal her true identity?

I was definitely intrigued by the idea of a competition, sort of like Project Runway, but tailor-version. After the competition is over, Maia sets out on a new mission…a dangerous one that either she will succeed, or die painfully. This is the unexpected part since I thought the story would end at the end of the competition. But, alas! Another adventure!

"Yes, Sendo used to tell me fairy tales. How he’d love mine if he were still alive: the tale of a girl who’d sewn the sun, the moon, and the stars into three dresses, the tale of a girl whom a demon have vowed to possess.
It was the tale of a boy, too. A boy who could fly but not swim. A boy with the powers of the gods but the shackles of a slave. A boy who loved me.
It was a tale still being written."

I can’t choose a favorite character. I love Edan and Maia equally.

Spin the Dawn is a gorgeous, magical story of determination, survival, friendship, and family. When I first saw this book described as "Project Runway meets Mulan," I was immediately intrigued. I knew it would probably end up not being quite like that description, but I was still excited for what this book could be and I was not disappointed.

Spin the Dawn has a lot of elements that feel similar to other books--a girl dressing up as a boy, a competition of sorts that the protagonist must win, and, of course, plenty of magic and characters who you never really know if they're on your side or not. Despite these familiar elements, Lim managed to craft them all into a wholly unique and magical journey that felt fresh and exciting.

The story takes off when Maia enters a competition to follow her passion of being a professional tailor--a role that is usually left to men--in which the prize is to become the imperial. Once at the palace, things never completely go according to plan and Maia has not only the challenge of creating beautiful garments that pass the test of the Imperial Majesty's soon to be wife, but also the challenge of beating all of the other contestant, most of whom feel immediate rivalry towards Maia. I really liked how Lim handled this situation and had Maia react to the various pressures from those around her. She tries her best to stay true to herself and her morals, while also trying to survive the continuous sabotage of those around her. I really appreciated her strong independence and ability to handle a barrage of difficult obstacles that were constantly thrown her way.

Another prominent character that I found easy to become enamored with is Edan, the Lord Enchanter. I can't really say too much about him without going into too many details that could give way some spoilers, but he has a fairly important role in this story, especially when him and Maia leave to embark on a journey to find near impossible materials for some important dresses. Edan is one of those characters that seems tricky and never completely trustworthy, but is still entirely compelling. He remains fairly mysterious throughout most of the book and constantly has secrets to unravel, but his personality and motivations also are revealed as the book goes on and I really enjoyed getting to know him and seeing his relationship with Maia develop.

The world-building is also incredibly well done and I commend Lim for creating such a fully-fleshed and rich world. There is a lot of great mythology woven in that Lim has developed, as well as locations and culture that add so much depth to the story and characters involved.

I didn't have any major issues with this book, but on a minor note I did feel as though some of the perceived "near-impossible" challenges that Maia and Edan had to overcome didn't seem quite as difficult as they could have been, and some things felt a little too convenient. Despite this, there was still a significant sacrifice made at one point that really increased the gravity and risks in the story.

Overall, I've given Spin the Dawn 4.25 stars! I truly enjoyed this one and cannot wait for the next installment. This really stood out to me from other YA fantasy books and I look forward to reading more books from Lim (especially Magnolia Sword, which comes out this fall!).

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down! I loved all of the characters, which rarely happens. Maia is strong and fiercely loyal and Edan is full of secrets and tragedy. I already need the sequel.

Elizabeth Lim's Spin the Dawn is an absolute stand out amazing Fantasy novel. Not just in YA, but in general. The book is pitched thusly: "Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars."

I'll admit, the pitch is great, fantastic, and also not nearly as good as this book actually is. It's true, if you love Mulan, you will almost certainly love this book following Maia Tamarin as she attempts to become an imperial tailor and restore her family's honor. But if the pitch doesn't appeal to you, it's much more than that too. It's one of the few books I've read that has "parts" in a way that is actually sensible and readable, without dragging the plot or ruining the pacing. The book understands the fantastical parts of fantasy, touches on interesting politics, and creates excellent stakes for Maia and her companion Edan. The book also manages to set itself up for a sequel without losing the pace towards the end of the novel, or leaving us with an unsatisfying ending. It's excellent and I can't wait to pick it up in stores.

An interesting mix of a modern concept set in a historical/fantasy setting with romance and adventure mixed in. The book blurb's description of it as Project Runway meets Mulan is pretty apt.
The first part of the book definitely reads like any reality competition on TV these days - contest of skill, cruel opponents, callous judges, intense time limits, limited supplies and budgets, unreasonable challenges... Obviously the main character is the underdog. Maia, only daughter of Master Tailor Tamarin, poses as a boy to take her father's place in an imperial competition to be the Emperor's new tailor. Then suddenly that phase is over - I for one was rather glad. It read a little too modern for me.
And then we move on to the adventure phase that reads a little more like a fairy tale quest. This part was more my style. Maia embarks on a quest for the Shansen's daughter, bride-to-be of the Emperor, in an ultimate challenge to sew dresses of the sun, moon, and stars. Aiding her on her quest is the Royal Enchanter, who is certainly more than meets the eye. An growing attraction forces the two into a constant battle of wills in order to fulfill Maia's quest despite the treats posed to their budding relationship.
The ending is quite the cliffhanger, and seems to hint at a much darker tale to come...
Anyone considering this book for teens, there are some rather metaphorically descriptive sex scenes, not graphic, but in some detail nonetheless. There are also a few hints at people having same-sex relationships, but there are not actually any same-sex relationships in the book, and no graphic content of any kind.
Ultimately an interesting tale, some nice world-building, a promising start to a series, and a fairly light read.

I was not sure what to expect going into reading this book. From the description and gorgeous cover my interest was peaked, but I thought it might just be a so-so Mulan retelling, but I was totally wrong! I do not feel like the description did this book justice and is in fact it is a bit misleading. 'Project Runway meets Mulan' okay yes, but it is way more than that. In fact, it almost reads like two separate books because of the drastic change of pace halfway through.

We meet our main character, Maia as her world is effectively falling apart which begins with the death of her mother. Her country is then thrown in the war in which she loses two of her three brothers and the third is crippled. Her father, once a great tailor, becomes depressed and can no longer effectively run their tailoring business and Maia steps in to take over. Because she's a girl, and girls are looked down upon in this culture, she effectively runs it behind the scenes until a representative from the emperor comes knocking looking for a new royal tailor. Cue the Mulan retelling as she poses as her brother and goes to the palace to compete to become the emperor's new tailor.

Based on the description I thought this whole plot line would take up most, if not all, the book. No my friend. Halfway through the book she's sent on a quest with the emperor's enchanter, Edan, in search to make 3 dresses from legend - and her story expands from there.

I immensely enjoyed the book. Honestly, the Project Runway part was the worse part (if I had to pick). The world is vibrant, immersive and full of culture. The plot was extremely entertaining and the character dialogue was perfection. I particularly enjoyed the sweet romance that develops throughout the story and loved the way the story ended - which of course I'm dying for more!

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<p>When I started reading this, I was immediately sucked in because of the magic and the fact that I loved the character so much! The only thing I knew about the book was that it was a fashion related Mulan retelling, and let me tell you... this was so much more than I expected!</p>
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<p>The storytelling was so beautiful and I loved watching Maia grow and become more confident in her abilities as a tailor. I absolutely LOVED the incorporation of magic! I never felt lost when it came to the world building, which for some reason seems to be an issue whenever I read a book with magic.</p>
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<p>Maia was an interesting character to follow, and I really felt immersed into the story following her and learning the secrets (and admiring the handsome men in the novel) with her! Her emotions flowed through the pages and I felt her homesickness and her passion and her hesitation and fear as she felt it! It's always amazing to me how emotions can be transferred through the written word, and Elizabeth Lim did an amazing job with that!</p>
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<p>Of course, the element of romance was so absolutely perfect! I loved the interactions between the characters and there was one point where one of my favorite tropes was incorporated into the story (can't tell you which one because that would ruin the fun!)! Of course, the whole "forbidden romance" trope was also incorporated and the bit of slow-burn romance really made the whole story so much more emotional and fun!</p>
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<p>While I already said how much I loved Maia, Edan the magician was also a really great character! I loved his wit and learning about his story (though it was frustrating at times having to wait for more information to be revealed)! Let me just tell you, I totally yelled JUST KISS ALREADY a few times!</p>
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<p>The plot was also really interesting! I didn't expect the second half of the story to go the way it did, so that was a really great surprise! AND THE ENDING?! LET ME TELL YOU-- I WAS BLOWN AWAY! The ending of the story came like a flood and I was completely thrown off and didn't know what to expect! </p>
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<p style="text-align:center"><strong>If you enjoy retellings, fashion, political and romantic drama, #ownvoices stories, mythology and magic, this is the book for you! If you love strong and three dimensional female characters, forbidden magic, dark and handsome and extremely snarky males, exciting competitions, and impossible journeys, pick this book up IMMEDIATELY.</strong></p>
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That Project Runway meets Mulan tagline is no joke.  That is exactly what I thought I was reading the whole first part of the book, but then it becomes something else entirely. 

I can tell you right now I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.  Maia is a great character and yes, as I mentioned she gives off a Mulan vibe. She’s strong and I did enjoy that while this clearly takes place in a time and place where women were just meant to marry, the men in Maia’s life acknowledge and respect her strength.  

And Edan, well he is another book boyfriend for sure.  He’s dark and mysterious without being broody. In fact, he is extremely charming and charismatic, and the comic relief that this book needs. (Can you tell I am a fan?)    

The story is great, I read this book in two days, so to say it kept my attention is an understatement.  There was always something happening, but never too much like I find in other books. The pacing was also great!  Everything was well thought out and nothing felt rushed.

While I love that I was able to read this book early, it does mean the wait for the sequel is even longer.  Because believe me I will be reading the next book!

Maia is a very interesting main character, and I did like the other characters as well, although they all paled in comparison to how much I liked her.

But she's also not a badass warrior.

Maybe that's why I liked Spin the Dawn so much, because after a million and one amazing, badass, over the top, Aelin wannabe main characters, Maia is refreshingly different. She's strong in her own way, but that's not the way that is consideredly traditionally 'strong.'

With a newly ended war, the Emperor has promised to marry the daughter of his enemy to bind the peace, and so a new imperial tailor is needed. A messenger arrives, demanding that Maia's father or brother go to serve the Emperor. But her father is old and frail, and her brother can hardly stand after being wounded in the war, so it falls to Maia to take their place.

Surprisingly, the actual competition - that pits Maia, disguised as her brother, against other master tailors - is only a fraction of the book. The rest of it is taken up by her journey after the essence of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of the stars, which she will have to sew into three dresses.

That was the only thing I didn't love about this book. The pacing was, unfortunately, a bit off. During the competition, people were being eliminated so quickly that I don't think I could tell you any of their names if you paid me. And, to me at least, there never seemed to be any risk that Maia wouldn't win. If she hadn't won, there wouldn't have been any more of the book.

But outside of my issues with pacing, the story that it told was enchanting, if a bit romantic for my tastes. At first glance, it seemed that the love interest might be the Emperor, that's what I've come to expect out of YA, but instead, it's Edan, the Sorcerer. The romance is well written however, I can't fault it for that, I'm just more of a fan of plots than romance.

A slow, lackluster attempt at a Mulan retelling. I make the comparison only because, if I remember correctly, that's how this was originally pitched.

Here I think we might have another case of it's not you, it's me. Because while the writing itself was not bad, I struggled with this book the entire time. It was just downright boring to me.

I did not care about the characters, I did not care about the journey and the romance did little for me overall. But of the three the romance was probably the best part. Because at least we got some flirty banter and a few swoon-worthy moments. Still, that was not enough to save this book for me.

So if you're looking for a story that revolves around a Mulan-esque character that involves embroidery and is infinitely more interesting you're better off watching the Chinese drama Legend of Hua Mulan (2013).

I'm disappointed, to say the least, because I really wanted to love this. I was looking forward to a badass Asian heroine who would make me root for her. And sadly, for me, Maia is not it. I'm sure some will enjoy this slower paced sort of story, but I am not one of those people.

As soon as I saw "Spin the Dawn" pitched as Project Runway meets Mulan, I was sold. Maia Tamarin is a dynamic and engaging protagonist and Lim does an outstanding job making readers empathize with Maia's struggles. Maia is going against the patriarchy in the land of A'landi; she dreams of being the greatest tailor despite not being a man. She get the opportunity when the Emperor announces a competition for a new imperial tailor. Maia disguises herself as her brother and her journey begins.
The people of A'landi benefit from magic but are skeptical, fearful, and even hostile towards it. Maia encounters the court enchanter Edan and romantic intrigue ensures. Overall, I loved the first half of the book with the fashion competitions; the second half has a quest plot that while I enjoyed, it was felt somewhat cookie cutter.
I really enjoyed Maia as a character and I also was interested in her the main antagonist, Lady Sarnai, but she is less developed than other characters. The history and lore of A'landi was really well developed and a major strength of "Spin the Dawn." The end of the novel ends with dark foreshadowing and I will definitely be reading the sequel. Spin the Dawn is going to be featured in several book boxes and if you love gorgeous aesthetics, this book (and accompanying boxes) are must buys!

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the ARC.