"Make me the dresses of Amana." ... "One woven with the laughter of the sun. Another embroidered with the tears of the moon, and lastly, one painted with the blood of the stars."

Maia Tamarin's life has not been easy. Her father, once a prominent tailor, can hardly sew anymore after the death of her mother. The Five Winters War has left two of her older brothers dead and the surviving brother crippled, adding to the sorrows and poverty she lives in. Maia inherited her father's talent, but her gender prevents her from having a business of her own and restoring her family's honor. But when an opportunity arises to partake in a challenge to become the new Emperor's tailor, she disguises herself as her brother to participate. The competition is fierce, the judge--the Emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, the formidable Lady Sarnai--is even fiercer, and the challenges test all of Maia's skill. But as the competition progresses, Maia finds herself under the watchful gaze of the Emperor's Enchanter, Edan. Especially because Maia used a pair of magic scissors--given to her by her father before she left, and previously owned by her grandmother--to create a piece for the trials. When Maia is challenged to create three mythical dresses made for the goddess Amana, she is full of fear and self-doubt. After all, finding the laughter of the sun, tears of the moon, and blood of the stars are not typically found among silk and thread. No one has ever managed to create these dresses. But for the sake of peace in her country, Maia must succeed.

Or die trying.

A phenomenal fantasy tale, full of lush descriptions, and a wonderful world full of magic, "Spin the Dawn" is breathtaking and addicting. Readers will be anxious to follow up with Maia, Edan, and other characters in next year's highly anticipated sequel.

Dear Husband,
If you read any of my reviews, please read this one. I know I can buy myself this book, but feel free to gift it to me. I would be very happy with a copy of this book! Be aware that I will be talking to you about it until you're sick of it... but at least you'll have a happy wife :)

As for everyone else, I obviously really enjoyed this book. I actually don't keep up with the young adult fantasy genre anymore. I'm in my 30s now, and I feel that I've aged out of the genre and I get too frustrated with poorly written stories that are predictable and full of overdone tropes. I'm horrible and it was the cover that drew me in for "Spin the Dawn." I heard "Mulan" and "Project Runway" as well... but just look at that cover! I didn't have high expectations because I know I really shouldn't base the book on its cover, but "Spin the Dawn" blew me away from the first chapter.
There isn't really much for me to say about this book that hasn't already been said- there are already so many reviews that talk about how fun this book is. How great the characters are.
The first half of the book (the "Mulan" meets "Project Runway" part) was pure entertainment. At this point in the story, I would have happily given a 5-star review just for being fun and a light read.
The plot thickens though as Maia goes on a quest and works to save herself, her family, and Edan- the story moved away from "Project Runway/Mulan" and into its own world. I actually preferred the second half of the book because I saw more character development and a better, less predictable story.
The world-building from this book was amazing. I want to read this book again just for that.

So if you like sewing, fantasy, YA, kind of cheesy romance... and especially the combination of it, go for this book! I have to admit, there are very VERY few YA adult series that I enjoy as a series- I'm really hoping for a strong follow-up.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. I am looking forward to the next book!

First of all, look at this cover. Second of all, this book is pitched as Mulan BUT she wants to be the realm’s tailor and has magic scissors. This is certainly not the book I ever thought I would want, but once it existed I NEEDED IT. I read a lot of YA, so once I find an idea I’ve never explored before it becomes required reading. Mulan is also my favorite Disney movie, so there’s that.
I should say straight up that this book creates a world that I want to stay in. I love this world. One of my biggest complaints with fantasy is that they sometimes forget a larger world and this book is firmly set in political connections between several different nations and peoples, each with their own religions, cultures, etc. This fact alone makes a book really important to me. Also, I like the characters. I’ll admit that I don’t they that they are anything in particular to write home about, as I’ve seen them characteristics many times before, but given the interesting storyline and the setting, I don’t really mind.
So here are the details on the plot because the plot is the thing I have strong feelings about. Main character Maia’s family has been decimated by the lately ended war between her country and another, which took the lives of two of her brothers and maimed her third. Her father, once a renown tailor, has turned to drink and depression and isn’t much for his craft anymore. So when the Emperor comes calling for all of the best tailors in the land to come compete for the title of Imperial Tailor, Maia disguises herself as her brother and takes her father’s place in the competition.
There is a reason this is blurbed as “Project Runway meets Mulan.” There is a literal Project Runway style competition that takes up the front half of the book, complete with various ridiculously crazy (and awesome) challenges. You are prepped for this going in, so it isn’t a surprise, but it also … isn’t a surprise. I’m pretty over this plot type, myself. Weirdly enough, so is Lim. The competition plot line peters out faster than I expected, leading to Maia having to go on a crazy cross country adventure with the court magician, Edan. Magic and romance ensue, surprise! (Also, the romance moves so fast for me. This 0 to 60 stuff is not necessary. Can’t love ever just grow not come out ready for life and death?)
To be fair, there were some plot choices made that were out of the ordinary for me. I cannot talk about them because that would mean spoilers. I only want to say that this plot is not an entire cliché. Smart decisions were made, I feel, to talk back to this tired plot set up. Given the decisions made in this one, the next book is going to be GREAT. I have enough love for Lim’s writing to be super excited. I loved the experience enough to want more, more, more. However, at the end of the read, I have this weird feeling that I wanted the series to start at the next book. This plot set up feels so overdone that I could have taken in what happened here in a recap style rather than needing a book about it. It just set up all the world building and back story you needed.
Take this all with a grain of salt. I’m just tired of these competition plots. They’re all starting to blur. Lim still makes enough smart choices even within this framework to impress me, and I love the world that she’s created. I am excited to read the next one. Just … you might want to get this one from the library because, on its own, it’s only so-so. I reserve judgement on the entire series until the next book. Which I need. Now.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

This was a really well done. I can't even completely call this a retelling, it goes far beyond that, its more a reimagining.
We meet Maia Tamarin, youngest daughter of one of the more famed tailors, in the land.
But she's a girl and it not permitted to become a Master Tailor, because of the laws, only men can become a Master.
But she learns all she can anyways, often completing the work for her ailing father, the wealthy clientele cannot tell the difference. She spends all her time learning from everyone she can come into contact with. Embroidery, weaving, as many types of stitching as she can, draping, painting. All while keeping her dream to one day become the Emperor's Master Tailor.

In a twist of fate she finds herself taking her father's place when the old Master Tailor dies, and find herself disguised as her brother and the youngest among the 12 participants to become the Imperial Tailor. At the last second her father gifts her a pair of strange scissors that belonged to her grandmother.

A haughty princess, a mesmerizing Emperor, conniving old men, sabotage and a curious Imperial Enchanter await her.

Maia will find herself on a journey she could never imagine, of magic and love, and the impossible. Of discovering how far you will go to help your family and those you love. And that the things of fairy tales are much closer to life than she would ever believe.'

I enjoyed everything about this. And really hope Maia and Edan will find each other again.

Spin the Dawn is an outstanding YA fantasy being referred to as Mulan meets Project Runway. I am here to confirm that this comparison is spot on! If you enjoy novels by Sarah J. Maas, Roshani Chokshi, Renée Ahdieh, or similar authors, this is very much a book you'll want to get your hands on asap. The writing is beautiful and really pulls readers in. There is Chinese mythology throughout. The romance is sweet. And the characters are so rich. They certainly won't be forgotten anytime soon. If you're looking for your next favorite YA fantasy novel, be sure to pick Spin the Dawn up asap!

Thanks to NetGalley for this title! I'm so freaking excited to dive into this story. Not going to lie, the cover plus the promise of Mulan just pulled me in.

4.5 Stars

Loved the writing, loved the characters! Now, I know this won't be the most popular thing to say but... I don't care about Project Runway. Yeah, I know. What pulled me into this novel was that stunning cover and the idea of a Mulan retelling because Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies. I just love the story so much. I was not disappointed with this novel. Maia is an awesome character. She's smart and very talented. Not gonna lie, I even got into all the tailoring talk.

My only issue with this story is how it kind of feels like two in one. For the first part of the book we are in a totally different place than we are for the second half. Which is fine, just kind of throws you off for a second. I love the romance in this book, I will say that this book (as most YA books these days) is a bit progressive. So take from that what you will.

Overall, this is a fun story that will leave you wanting the sequel in your hands right now!

Will go live on my blog: 7/3/2019

I honestly have no words right now how amazing this book was and the journey that it took me on! I was expecting to fall in love with this characters the way that I did but omg that’s what’s great about it. The store was an insane ride and that ending had me in tears I can’t wait for book 2

A magical story of a girl who disguises herself as a boy to become a Master Tailor and must embark on a journey to make dresses of the sun, moon and stars. I honestly couldn’t put this book down.

Maia is an extremely appealing and relatable heroine, torn between her desire to help her family and her dreams of becoming a great tailor in her own right. She’s headstrong and kind of stubborn and yet so brave and awesome. I can’t wait to see more of her story.

(Thanks to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this novel - longer and more detailed review coming to Culturess later this year!)

This was a very enjoyable read! The characters are strong, the world building was phenomenal, and the magic system actually made sense. I loved that I could see about three different fairy tales influencing the story, but not in an overly predictable way. I am extremely anxious for the second book because WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO NOW????!!!!

There are only two things keeping me from giving this a 5 star rating:

1. There were a lot of times when where the characters were placed physically didn't match the action that was supposedly happening. Like, it says that Edan sits down, pulling Maia with him, then Maia's later action says she knelt beside him, as if she were going directly from standing to kneeling. I had to go back and reread multiple times thinking, "Wait, when did that happen? Where are we?" A little frustrating.

2. And this probably has more to do with my mood at the moment than anything else, but I just wasn't fully gripped. It didn't feel as epic as it should have. Like I said, this could totally just be me in a funk. I liked it, but didn't ever feel the desire to gush and fangirl. I will still read the next one though, because it was definitely a good story!

Picking up this book, the Mulan meets Project Runway vibes are intense. I mistakenly thought the first half of the book would be the entirety of the story, but I was wrong. It is so much more than what it seems. The story line is absolutely enchanting and it was hard to put down once the story picked up (which doesn't take long). I adored Maia's character and Edan - I thought their dynamic was refreshing throughout the story and it made it much easier to get into.

One thing I wasn't a fan of was the ending! If I could go and change the course of events (or find out what happens next) I would be much happier! I'm still in shock over what happened and honestly, I want to scream at Elizabeth over it. We're getting a book 2 right?

Overall, I ADORED this story and I think it is a hard book to overshadow. Magic, sewing, enchanters, and trials are everything I need to say "heck yeah!" to this story and give it the five stars it deserves.

Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Synopsis etc. :

When Maia Tamarin is presented with an opportunity to change her fortunes, she doesn't think twice about dressing as a boy and traveling to the Summer Palace to attain it. She knows she could lose her life if she is discovered, but the risk is worth it to save her family from ruin and achieve her own dream of becoming tailor to the emperor. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job. Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in a series of challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise. But nothing could prepare her for the final challenge: Maia must sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined. . . . Along their journey she learns more about Edan as well as the dresses and the things she will need to make to complete their journey and come out alive. But as their relationship grows and their journey continues Maias challenges become more difficult, as do the secrets she learns along the way. How far will she go to prove she is as good, better than any man in the Empire!?


My Thoughts:

Steeped in vibrant, and lush Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.
Fast paced, and extremely creative narrative, complex, layered, and beautiful characters, not to mention the vivid world building, and simmering magical elements!! Maia is an extraordinary, talented, beautiful, strong, and brave female character!! Her bravery may very well be what saves her family and change the rights of their empires women, for she can do what no man can!! A tale for the ages, you are sure to love!! We sure did!!

I am shook. I shouldn't even be here writing a review for this right now. I'm still so fragile after reading this masterpiece. I should sleep on it a couple more nights to quiet my mind so I can come to you with a sound, legible review that's not jumbled and hard to understand.
WELL TOO BAD.

I can't stop thinking about this book. It's consuming me. I WANT THE SECOND ONE.

Alright, alright.
So, first of all, this was marketed as "Mulan meets Project Runway".
Let me just say, that is false.
I get the Mulan aspect. Girl wants to bring honor to her family. Father is in bad shape. She can't legally go for him because she's a woman. She cuts her hair, wears boy clothes, and goes anyway. But that's where the Mulan likeness ends. And I guess I see the Project Runway likeness since it's a ruthless competition to see who the best tailor is but... yea, no. This book is so much more.

For me this was more a cross between the An Ember in the Ashes series and the Winternight series. Which are two of my ALL TIME FAVORITES. It reminded me of the An Ember in the Ashes series in that the characters made sacrifices regardless of what they wanted for themselves. It reminded me of the Winternight trilogy when it came to the characters and the adventures they set off on in order to save their worlds from war. I was super excited and delighted to see some likeness in the plots and the characters. The ending guys... THE ENDING.

I'm getting ahead of myself...

So Maia is incredibly family oriented. Her family means more to her than anything else. In the beginning, she has the perfect family. Her baba, her mama, and her three brothers Finlei, Sendo, and Keton. Her favorie brother, Sendo, tells her stories of the ocean and Maia longs for a life as a well respected tailor working in a shack by the ocean. But when her mother dies and her two older brothers are sent to the war to fight for the emperor, Maia's world falls apart and so do her dreams. Her dream becomes only to provide for what's left of her broken family. Becoming the emperor's imperial tailor? That would definitely bring honor to her family and would DEFINITELY provide for them for the rest of their days. But she faces sabotage and deceit and there's something special about Maia, she just doesn't know it yet.

If you're like me and like a strong female lead, you'll love Maia. She's pretty bold and stubborn in the beginning but the journey she takes hardens her even further. She's driven by that intense love for her family throughout the entire book.

"Seize the wind," I whispered. "Don't become the kite that never flies."


Edan. Edan, Edan, Edan. Trying to give Morozko from The Winternight trilogy a run for his money. Edan is a close second though. Morozko will always hold a special place in my literary heart. But definitely add Edan to the list of my fictional book boyfriends. He is so mysterious and for a long time you have no idea about his intentions... and remember guys, I have a soft spot for the "bad guys". But Edan is so much more than a "bad guy". I loved him a lot.

"Maia," he pressed, "tell me about your brothers."
... I swallowed, trying to picture my brothers... It hurt so much to think of them. "Finlei... Finlei was the leader. The brave one." My voice shook. "Sendo was the dreamer." ... "Keton was the trickster, the funny one... but not so much after he got back from the war."
"And you?"
"The obedient one."
"No," Edan said. "You are the strong one."
The strong one. The one who held the seams of my family together.
I inhaled, hoping that would be enough.


That. Passage. WRECKED ME. When you read it in context, trust me... it's going to wreck you too. If it didn't already just from reading it. I'm still so emotional over this damn book...

The book is told in three parts. In the second part of this story, Maia sets out on an adventure to find the necessary materials to craft three dresses for the emperor's betrothed. This is my favorite part of the book. The places she sees, the people she meets, the trials she takes on. I couldn't put this book down AT ALL. Especially during this part of the book. She takes on the blistering desert, a giant snowy mountain, and a dangerous, deep forest. All of these struggles shape her into the person she becomes and it makes me like her even more. She makes SO MANY sacrifices for the people she loves.

This book was everything I want in a fantasy book. Strong and likable characters, adventure, and the world building. I LOVED the world building. This book also had a good bit of history and culture to it that I adored.
As a kid, I was told the love story of the sun and the moon and it was my absolute favorite story. I couldn't, for the life of me, remember who told it to me or where it came from. THAT STORY IS IN THIS BOOK. A version of it anyway.

I knew the tale. "On the ninth day of the ninth month, the goddess of the moon is reunited with her husband, the god of the sun. Only for this one night each year can they be together. They walk towards each other on a starlit path, a bridge the god of thieves must hold up on his shoulders as punishment for once stealing the stars. When their time has passed, the bridge collapses and the stars bleed into the night, wrought with their pain from being apart."


I did a small bit of research but I was never able to find where it originated. If you know, drop me a comment and enlighten me! It's my absolute favorite and I always just assumed it had something to do with Greek mythology. But I would love to dive further into the meat of the history of this story.

Anyway, this book was rich in all of my favorite things fantasy and if you're a fantasy fan, I highly recommend this one. It was so beautifully written and I'm absolutely in love with this one. It has been added to my "favorites" shelf on Goodreads and I have every intention of reading it again next year before the second book is released. I can't wait to dive into this series. I have a feeling it's going to give me the same feels I got from the Winternight trilogy and I'm sooo ready for it.

This book hit me at a time when I was questioning if I had finally outgrown the young adult age group. Now, I am older than the original audience for young adult novels. However, I recently find that there has been a shift towards older readers (primarily women) in the young adult genre lately. This is a discussion for another post, but basically when I picked this up I was slogging through another young adult book wondering if I should just stick to adult now. And this made me believe that I can still appreciate a young adult novel. Also, this book is thoroughly feels like it is intended for a young adult audience and not for its newer and older audience.

This novel is described as Mulan meets Project Runway. However, I would argue that again the publisher’s have perhaps outdone themselves with that description as it really only works for the first half or so of the novel. The rest of the novel is a journey around this magical realm to gather materials for three dresses fit for goddess. So, don’t expect workroom drama for the whole novel. I can see where they draw the comparisons from, but these types of comparisons make me worried about them building more hype than a book can live up to (which is also a discussion for another post).

Spin the Dawn weaves a magical tale in an Asian-inspired world. I enjoyed learning about its myths, people, culture and magic system. I was left feeling that the author had done a lot of work creating the world, however, upon further deliberation I feel that she could have done even more. Many of the things felt familiar or similar to other Asian-inspired tales. However, the magic system was different from other systems that I have seen before. I still want to learn more about the magic system and the ins and outs of becoming an enchanter. Which will hopefully be fleshed out further in the second book.

I found the two main characters to be likeable enough. Maia has a strong enough story arc and matures over the course of the novel. And she is a very special snowflake. Despite that, there is really only one part of the book where I actively disliked her. My main draw, however, was Edan. He was funny and charming at times. He also had his own arc. His arc, however, did involve the main character and wasn’t completely separate and uniquely for him. It felt a little like a female romantic interest story arc. Separate, but still somehow wrapped up in the main characters story. Now beyond Maia and Edan the other characters are not fully fleshed out, which may not be required, but it would be nice if the author wants the characters to draw the reader in and make them care. I cared about Edan, weirdly enough, but I cared less about Maia. When I try to examine why it is harder to come to a clear conclusion. I think part of it is using her family as a motivation driver for her, which we don’t learn enough about for it to be a driving force for the reader to make it through the novel.

For me this book sets up nicely a world with a lot of potential for a great series. I hope that we explore somethings that help make Maia as sympathetic of a character as Edan. Also, I hope that the cover is as beautiful as this one, which I think will be quite the challenge.

This book was enchanting and beautifully written. A story about the love of family and the lengths you would go to for those you cherish. She also has to hide her abilities since that success is only granted to the male gender. Females are to live in their shadows. The relationship builds over time and there banter is endearing and snarky. A must read!

First off, the cover of this book is absolutely, positively stunning. One of the most beautiful covers I've seen so far this year.

This was such a fun and enchanting book, and I can't wait for everyone to be able to read this book when it comes out. It's definitely made the list of 2019 favorites.

It is touted as being a cross between Mulan (which is one of my favorite Disney movies) and Project Runway, which, I've never seen and episode of in my entire life *GASPS* shocking, I know. but I would definitely agree with the Mulan aspect, to an extent. It also had themes from Aladdin, too. Plus there were Zombies and Demons, and twists and turns.

It's also recommended for fans of Renee Ahdieh, and Sarah J. Maas. I would agree 100% on Renee Ahdieh, but only partially on Sarah J. Maas. It shared some themes, but Sarah's writing has a lot more action happening. This book is a little slower paced, which isn't a bad thing. But just don't go into it, expecting lots of action to be happening all at once.

I'm not particularly familiar with Chinese Mythology as I am with others so I don't know if any of it was based on real myths or if it was all made up, but I was fascinated by it, nonetheless

I was excited to hear that this book was going to have a Gender Bending theme Mulan, Ouran High school Host Club, Hana-Kimi are all some of my favorite books/movies. I don't know why I like the Gender Bending theme, but I do.

I love how determined Maia was, even though she was scared out of her wits at times. She knew she wanted to protect her remaining family, and she'd do whatever it took to make sure that they were taken care of, no matter what it cost her.

I do think that the rivalry between *spoiler redacted* and Maia ended up being kind of...anticlimactic. It was built up throughout the first section of the book, only for it to fizzle out. I was thinking there would be more of a confrontation, but maybe that's something that's going to happen in book 2?

Edan. Oh Edan. He's my Smol Little Bean (I use that word a lot) He is so amazing and beautiful, and absolutely insufferable at times... And I loved him SO much for it. I would compare him to Rhysand (my other favorite Smol Bean) except it's easier to make Edan blush. (which made him even more charming, in my opinion) I loved getting to hear more about his history and what made him tick. I like how enamored he was with Maia from the start, and how hard he had to work to earn her affection.

The end of the book had me all sorts of worked up. The plot twist at the end that I did NOT see coming. I cannot wait to see what's going to happen next.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.

As per the Publisher's Approval Preferences, this review will go live on 6-25-19, which is 2 weeks before the release date.

After it has gone live the review can be found through the following links:

https://randomlykait.blogspot.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3001617-kaitlynne?order=d&sort=review&view=reviews

And I'll also have something posted on my Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/randomlykait/

This was a magical, enthralling read about an Asian-inspired world touched at with magic at the edges. And while the beginning threw me a little since things seemed to move far faster than I expected, the 2nd half of the book more than made up for the unexpected beginning. This is such a captivating story that reads like an old myth but still fits perfectly into the modern world. Maia and Edan were lovely together, their relationship blossoming at just the right speed and tension. I loved how the world was developed, magic slowly seeping into the story until the end when you cannot help but believe that magic is real in the world . . . just like Maia learned to accept. And that ending!! Oh, my heart! I'm beyond ready for the sequel now!!!!

*Thank you to NetGalley for letting me receive an ebook in exchange for an honest review.*

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2019 and I can’t help but feel a little disappointed.

The entire premise of a young girl embarking on a quest to sew three magical dresses just so she can restore honor to her family really intrigued me. Especially because of the similarities between this and Mulan. I loved the magical aspect of the story and I kept wanting to see more and more of it. The worldbuilding started to pick up more towards the end which I enjoyed and maybe in the sequel, there will be much more of it.

My least favorite part was probably the romance, mainly because it was a bigger part of the story than I thought it would be. The romance wasn’t bad, it was just not for me. It wasn’t an insta-love, but I still felt that the characters did not have enough time to get to know one another before they got together. It did not feel genuine to me and I wished it had been more of a slow burn than it was. More importantly, I felt it took away from the main story and that was what had me so interested in this book in the first place.

Overall, I did enjoy this story, I just wish that the romance and characters were a little more fleshed out so that I could care about the story more and the characters.

3.25-3.5/5

This book was absolutely amazing, I seriously cannot get over how great it was. I dived in when I saw Mulan inspired and oh my gosh did this absolutely meet my expectations and go beyond!!! This book is going to be HUGE!!!

Spin the Dawn is being marketed as a Mulan x Project Runway story and it absolutely is — for the first half, at least. The second half is a classic quest story (as implied in the synopsis).

I loved the cultural references, the Chinese-based fantasy world and the descriptions of the clothing! This book would be SO beautiful in graphic novel form or as an illustrated edition. I wanted to see, touch, and wear every single beautiful piece Maia creates in the story.

The magic is intriguing too! Definitely more of the enchanting, mysterious type of magic (rather than a system with rules).

I do think Spin the Dawn was written for the true YA demographic — and probably those on the younger side of the YA age range. As an adult in her early thirties, I kept thinking that younger me would have loved this book. Which truly isn’t meant as a negative comment - more as a way to set readers’ expectations, going in. I think it’s just different from a lot of the popular YA new releases I’ve read recently, many of which fit more in the “YA with adult crossover appeal” category.

Spin the Dawn reads like a classic fairytale — the kind passed down from generation to generation. It also reminded me a bit of Jessica Day George’s fairytale retellings and I think fans of Jessica Day George and anyone looking for an interesting Chinese-based YA fantasy will love Spin the Dawn.

Advanced copy provided by Knopf Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been heavily anticipating Spin the Dawn, and I was so, so excited when I was approved for an ARC! I mean, look at that cover and tell me you wouldn't be excited to read this book. I can definitely tell you that the gorgeous cover accurately captures how great this book was. Spin the Dawn is a tale of love, of magic, and of defying expectations.

The prose is exquisite; I loved every moment of it. This is the first book of Lim's that I've read, and I need to read more of hers because her writing is just so lovely. I was definitely pulled in just by the prologue alone. The plot was a bit more scattered than I would have liked because it was about three different plot lines in one book, but all of them were equally thrilling and exciting.

The world building was cool, although I think it could have been fleshed out a little bit more, especially considering that this is supposed to be inspired by the Silk Road. I loved the detail of the religion though; Maia and Edan embark on a quest to find the sun, the moon, and the stars to make the magical dresses of Amana. You all know that I love a good sun/moon/stars thread (pun intended!), and this was no exception.

I love Maia so much! Following her on her multiple journeys is exciting, and I can't wait to return to her story in the next book. I liked Edan as well, because we all know I'm a sucker for the trickster and/or seemingly arrogant and annoying love interest. I will say that I wasn't too into the romance, just because I'm never that into the mortal and immortal/incredibly old ship. The banter was so good though!

As you can tell from the summary, this is partially a retelling of Mulan. There's definitely something to be said about having yet another YA novel where the female protagonist has to dress up as a boy without giving any thought to trans and nonbinary people. However, I am a cis female, so I don't really feel comfortable criticizing this in detail; I would love to boost reviews by trans and nonbinary people on this.

Also, the book felt very narrow-minded to me in the fact that the book very much implied that gay relationships are wrong or, at the very least, glossed over them, almost like they don't exist. I say this because everyone thinks Maia is a boy, so she talks about how she and Edan can't be together when they return to court. It didn't seem like a "guys can't be into each other" way, more of a "it's completely unheard of," although the soon-to-be empress makes jokes Edan being into the little tailor boy (Maia). So yeah, this seemed to be a constant, underlying aspect of the book that, combined with what I discussed before, lessened the impact of the book to me.

I did think the depiction of women's roles in this world was accurate. The future empress and Maia are both prime examples of forced subservience in a patriarchal society, and it is so easy to relate to their frustrations. However, for this to be the only bit of injustice in the book seems to provide even more injustice in that it ignores any semblance of intersectionality.

Overall, though, I enjoyed Spin the Dawn. It's an enticing tale that depicts the intensity of love and magic. The romance is passionate, and the writing exquisite. I can't wait for the next book!

**This review will be up on my blog on May 26.**