I wasn't sure exactly what to expect with this book, but when I saw it described as a Project Runway Fantasy novel I knew I had to give it a go! The book delivered exactly what it promised, with a dose of Mulan thrown in! I really enjoyed this world of enchanters and strong, independent, driven women. This book was divided into three distinct parts. The last two I would absolutely give 5 stars, because for me, this is where the adventure truly began to grip me. The first part was intriguing and inspiring and I loved watching Maia take on a world dominated by men. This is where the Project Runway references truly came to life- for it absolutely was like watching a highly intriguing episode of one of my favorite shows! However, when the epic adventure came to light in the second part of the book?! Wow! That is where Lim began to "weave" her magic! I loved watching Maia and Edan hunt for the impossible and find the improbable. I very much enjoyed this adventure, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

*** A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

Do you like determined female characters who want to show the world their worth? What about tailoring competitions involving magic and backstabbing? What about fantasy worldbuilding inspired by Chinese culture? What about healthy and supportive romance where both characters help each other grow into better people?

If you answered yes to the above questions, then you just might love Spin the Dawn.

Maia Tamarin knows that she is an incredible tailor, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is a good marriage. When the opportunity comes, though, she disguises herself as a boy and competes against other skilled tailors to work in the emperor’s court. In order to survive in a complex game of politics and magic, she must team up with a magician and stretch her skills further than ever before.

This book is described as Project Runway meets Mulan, and while that’s true to an extent, don’t go in expecting that to be the only storyline. There’s a lot more going on – court intrigue, epic journeys, magic and shapeshifting, demons, ancient legends, and lots and lots of sewing.

Maia, our main character, is a girl who wants to prove herself even though the world she lives in doesn’t provide her opportunities. I liked her character – she isn’t a warrior and she doesn’t fight off enemies singlehandedly, but she knows her own strengths and makes her own place in the world.

The story ended up being more romance-focused than I expected, but I actually didn’t mind that at all! I liked both of the characters involved, and seeing their relationship grow softly, little by little, was very sweet. The romance doesn’t distract from the main story; it becomes a part of it naturally and helps to show both of the characters’ development.

The worldbuilding is based on Chinese culture and gives off a sense of deeply-rooted history and complexity that we don’t even touch on completely in this book. It’s clear that Elizabeth Lim has mapped this world out fully and will dive even deeper into it in the rest of the series.

(Speaking of which – I’m upset that I have to wait SO LONG for the next book now. Why did I read this so early???)

My biggest complaint: sometimes conflicts are resolved too quickly, without giving them adequate buildup or significance. A problem is introduced, and then within a chapter or two it might be solved. Of course, there were overarching conflicts that lasted the whole book, but some of the smaller ones lose their weight because they end so quickly, taking away some of the story’s tension.

Even so, I was lost in this world while I was reading it. The writing pulls the reader fully into a scene; I felt like I was beside Maia through her whole adventure. It was one of those worlds that I was happy to visit for a while.

This might not be the fastest paced fantasy book, but with its strong characters and beautiful writing, I definitely recommend it. If you’re interested in a romance-centric adventure with plenty of sewing (seriously, it almost made me want to pick up a needle and thread), you should go read this when it comes out in July!

*ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.*

I suppose the elevator pitch for this book is that it is a YA Chinese inspired fantasy that is a unique combination of Mulan meets Project Runway. And you 100% do get that. However, I would advise you that if that is the only reason you're interested, amend your expectations. I would say the Project Runway aspect is only really apparent in about a third of the book. Throughout the book we have political intrigue, secrets, and a magically treacherous journey.

I thought the writing was fantastic. Very pretty and descriptive. The biggest issue I had with the writing were the intro chapters that went along the lines of "This occurred, and then this happens, and then this happened, and now we are here in the story." But if that doesn't bother you too much, you'll see that the story flows fairly well after the first few chapters. It's very easy to pick up this book and suddenly realize you lost hours of your day.

There is a romance in this book and I didn't mind it. It was cute and didn't suck up the majority of the story. And I can't lie, the love interest stole my heart.

Yes, I shed a few tears too.

I think Lim gave just enough to satisfy readers of the first book in the series but it feels like there's just so much more that we don't know apart from the obvious "what's next?!" I still feel like I don't have a great grasp on a lot of the characters, not a fault from Lim because everyone is so darn secretive. It simply feels like the author has so much more to tell and I'm 100% ready to get my hands on the next installment in the series.

Something that should be mentioned, though I won't give my uninformed opinion on is the possibility of ableism. I haven't fully comprehended ableism in literature and the ways it discourages a disabled reader but in this book we do see a disabled person being cured by magic as opposed to going through a physical therapy regimen. I feel like it's something that should be mentioned. Again, I'm not well versed in the topic so I suggest checking out own voices reviews. (I think I heard rumors that this would be changed but this is based on the ARC that I got.)

Thank you so much to the publishers for giving me an opportunity to read and review this ARC. It was a pleasure especially since Spin The Dawn was my first review.

I loved this book so much and I can't wait for you to read it when it's published in July!

In Spin the dawn, we follow Maia, a young girl who is very talented with a needle and thread. Even though only boys and men can become a "Master" of the art, her "Baba" (father) has taught her a few things and she was able to help her family when they needed it the most.

One day, an Eunuch comes to her dad's shop. The Emperor is looking for his new Imperial Tailor. Unfortunately, her dad is in no condition to travel and do the work and Kento (her brother) doesn't know how to sew. Maia knows then what she has to do : pretend to be her injured brother.

It starts this way but this book is so much more than what I just described! So many things happen and I don't want to spoil anything so I'll keep it at that. I think going into this book without knowing everything is the best way to go.

Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing! I cried at the beginning and at the end. I was hooked easily from the start and I will be waiting to get my hands on the sequel of this series. I really didn't expect one of the things that happened at the end and I'm really curious to see where the story is going!

(Thank you to the author and publisher for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is like my fantasy novel wish list come true. Magic and fashion mixing with action that can only be found in high fantasy, crushing the patriarchy and falling in love and the same time!

Elizabeth Lim is a master at worldbuilding, Spin the Dawn is a book that cannot be missed!

When I saw this book described as Mulan meets Project Runway, I was understandably disbelieving, but that is literally exactly the plot of the first half of Spin the Dawn. Our heroine, Maia, dresses herself up as a man and takes her fathers place as he is summoned to the palace to serve as the Emporer's imperial tailor (this opening premise is just unmistakenly Mulan-esque). However, when she gets there, she discovers that 11 other tailors have also been invited to compete for the title, and so we settle in for the first half of the book: the competition (this is the Project Runway of it all). To be honest, I preferred the second half for a variety of reasons but one of which was because I, personally, have become a bit tired of books that revolve around competitions/tournaments. It's just a trope I've read a lot recently and think is becoming a bit overplayed.

However, delightfully, the book continues into the second half, when Maia is tasked with creating three mythical dresses and sets out to find the magical ingredients she needs to create them. This is another staple plot: the Quest. However, the quest provides the author with more freedom to explore their world, which I really enjoyed in this book. Like Mulan, Maia struggles with impersonating a man and the book repeatedly drives home the message that, as a woman, society would never have let her get as far as she has.

I've been really into books that feel like fairytales lately, and Spin the Dawn is a perfect example of that. It's fun, the characters are lovable, it isn't trying to be anything it isn't. I really, really enjoyed Spin the Dawn and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all my fellow lovers of YA fantasy and fairytales.

"My whole life, I'd been told what I couldn't do because I was a girl."

Young Maia Tamerin wishes to be the best tailor in all of the land. Unfortunately, girls were not allowed to become Masters of their trade. When a messenger from the Emperor comes to extend an invitation for Maia's father or brother to enter a competition to become the imperial tailor, Maia poses as her brother to prove that a girl could become the best at her craft.

"This is where it would begin. Where I would restore honor to my family name. Where I would prove that girl could be the best tailor in A'landi.

Maia embarks on a beautiful journey that I was not expecting to love as much as I did. Spin the Dawn is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway, but it is so much more than that. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey that Maia takes. I was not prepared for the love story that unfolds throughout this tale. I went into this novel thinking that it was to be a stand-alone. I am so excited that there will be a sequel and I cannot wait to continue Maia's adventures.

Spin the Dawn is a lush, vivid fantasy novel that follows the story of Maia, a tailor. Maia pretends to be her brother so that she may compete to be the royal tailor, hence the Mulan meets Project runway comparison. The premise of this book is so original, I couldn't wait to read. The mythology of the world in Spin the Dawn is one of the most interesting, well-thought-out parts of the story, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops in the sequel. The only thing that didn't vibe with me was the amount of exposition -- at times, it kept me from being fully immersed in the story and kept me from feeling close with the characters. Overall, Spin the Dawn was an enjoyable read, and I'll definitely be recommending it to my customers.

Favorite read of the year so far. I can not wait for this book to release, I will be pre-ordering it ASAP. I dread the long wait for the next book to release! I will be recommending this book to everybody. This may be my favorite young adult book I’ve read.

I absolutely loved this book. Wow! The "Mulan meets Project Runway" tagline does not do this justice. It's a story about a girl who takes her father's place at the imperial palace to join a competition to find the next tailor for the Emperor. But it's also sooo much more than that. That part of the story takes up about one third of the book. The adventure and romance that follows left me devouring each page. Maia and Edan are adorable and I love them both so much. I cannot wait until the next book!!

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalleyfor letting me review this title!

Was an okay story and okay set of characters. Nothing that really worked for me. May read again. Wanted to really connect but I wasnt finding that spark.

Welcome to a fabulous Buddy Read Review! We’ve been trying to read books together over the last few months to try and motivate one another to get things off of our extensive TBR shelves, but this was a different situation! We both got approved for eARCs of Spin the Dawn, so we decided to read it together. The sign of a good buddy read is when you both throw the schedule to the wind and read it in a couple of sittings, and that is exactly what happened here!

WORLDBUILDING
Paige

One of my favorite things about this book was how steeped in magic and mythology we were, and how absolutely convinced I am that the author has planted countless seeds for future books. Sometimes I have issues with the trope of the main character not getting all of the information they need Because Reasons, but I feel like we were given information in a steady enough way that it balanced between being infodump-y and being too vague and confusing.

I also adored the descriptions. I am notoriously terrible at visualizing things, but I could see Maia’s creations coming to life in front of me. I truly can’t believe this is one of the author’s first novels – it read so beautifully. I read this book in basically three main chunks because the world was so compelling.

Kate

I loved the meandering way we were introduced to the world in this book. You found out what you needed to know when you needed to know it, and not a moment before. At the same time, somehow, there are enough bread crumbs dropped along the way that the reader is able to piece things together in a fun, but not “yeah, this is clearly what’s going to happen”, way.

Beyond that, the world was lush. The objects and colors and people and buildings and journeys were all so vibrant, both in their existence and their description. I felt like I was sewing garments, riding trails, and facing monsters alongside Maia, and I absolutely live for that immersive experience.

Paige

Yes! Some of my favorite books are ones that take their time with cultivating the world while also making sure enough information is present so, when you look back after a big reveal, you say “Oh, that makes sense” and not “*blink blink* …wait wut?” This sometimes is a hard balance to strike, and I think Lim really hit it out of the park throughout the book. I was also truly immersed while reading – I got legitimately grumpy every time I had to disentangle myself from what was going on and do something else.

CHARACTERS
Paige

Since Mulan is a comp title to this book, I’ll admit that I was waiting and watching a little bit through the beginning of the story to see who would be the Li Shang analog – and I was so not disappointed. Obviously I won’t tell you who they are, but it was excellent.

I adored Maia. She is a cinnamon roll Slytherin and you can’t tell me otherwise. Yes, she wants to save her family as you do. But she knows she is talented. She knows that sexism can be damned and that she has worked hard to become as skilled as she is. She truly believes she can become the tailor to the Emperor.

Kate

I LOVED Maia as a character. Just like Mulan, she is strong of mind and body, determined, talented, and still manages to remain human. I loved watching her grow and evolve, but more than that, I love that she starts the book with a backbone. This is not the story of a damsel in distress finding her way but of a talented young woman who wants to make something of herself in a man’s world.

Paige

Did someone say ancient magical being wrapped up in an attractive, presenting-as-slightly-older-than-the-main-character package? They did? Sign me up! I absolutely adored Edan, the enchanter to the emperor.

Kate

You took the words DIRECTLY out of my mouth about Edan. Perfection.

I honestly don’t know how to talk about the rest of this without ruining absolutely everything, so I’ll just keep it simple.

I loved that every character was treated with care. Sure, there was a hierarchy. You have to have a main character, but the baker’s son in Maia’s village was as well-crafted as the Lord Enchanter, the Emperor, and Maia herself.

PLOT
Paige

We were promised Mulan meets Project Runway, but I feel like we got so much more! These comparisons set me up, in my mind, for something light and dramatic and honestly, kind of fluffy. Mostly incorrect! I got a small part of the way through the book and realized that things were moving too quickly and wrapping up a little too nicely, and I was waiting for things to hit the fan, so to speak. They did, and I was absolutely hooked.

Kate

I agree! Plus, I think the fact that it was an eARC exacerbated that feeling. It felt like it was moving fast, and it was, but it was impossible to be sure when you couldn’t see the ratio of read to unread pages. Once you got into it and realized what was happening, the pacing was clearly well thought out, but it definitely threw me for a loop starting out.

The best way to describe the plot advancement I can think of is by comparing it to rolling snowballs for a snowman. It just gets bigger and bigger, building a stronger and stronger base for the books to come in this series. Every bit of info we get builds on itself and truly propels the story forward, instead of just giving the reader a bunch of seemingly unrelated information to be tied up neatly at the end.

Paige

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the romance. Because guys. G U Y S.


Ahhhh, perfection!
Forbidden love. The sweet, sweet angst. The slowest of burns. A character who falls hard while the other character takes their time. SO ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. This romance was crafted for me.

Kate

OH GOD THE ROMANCE. I was not going to touch the fishy, but you did, so here I am. I was worried when it started that would end up reading as little on the insta-lovey side, and I have never been more happy to be wrong. It was so angsty and delicious, and I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.

Paige

Same, brah. Same.


Gorgeous art of Maia by Alex Castellanos. Check out her Twitter and website for more of her illustrations.
Spin the Dawn is set to be released on July 9, 2019. There is a pre-order incentive, so be sure to check that out if you interested. It includes multiple art pieces, bookmarks, a signed bookplate, and a wearable item. If you pre-order from Books of Wonder, your book will be signed and personalized as well.

You can also follow Elizabeth Lim on Twitter and Instagram for updates and info. Plus, she’s super nice and interactive with her followers!

I hope you’re as excited as we are for this release this summer! This book, this series, and this author have an amazing path ahead, and we are excited to have the opportunity to have an early peek at that.

So I came for that gorgeous cover, stayed for the 'Project Runway meets Mulan' description, and walked away with a new favorite book and a name added to my authors to watch list!

Spin the Dawn is an incredible debut that I just fell in love with. Though the Project Runway/Mulan influence is clear, Elizabeth Lim's beautiful prose weaves them together with her own unique spin to create a magnificent story that is so much more than the sum of its parts. 💙

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions are my own.**

After finishing <i>Spin the Dawn</i> by Elizabeth Lim, I can tell you absolutely one thing for certain: I am a mess of back and forth after reading this book. In fact, this has been the hardest book for me to rate this year. On the one hand, it was <i>so</i> brilliant. And on the other...well, I'll get to that in a moment. So, four stars? Five stars? It's a tough decision. Now, I've never seen Project Runway so I cannot account for any similarities this book may have to that show but <i>Spin the Dawn</i> has been marketed as <i>Mulan</i> meets Project Runway though that is not why I requested the book from NetGalley. Truth be told, I just <i>really</i> liked the cover (shout out to Tran Nguyen for some of the most amazing cover art I've ever seen in my life!). And the cover does a pretty fantastic job of portraying what you come to read in the novel. While the strings, the scissors, the hawk, the sun fabric, the swath of blue cloth behind main character Maia Tamarin might not really make a whole lot of sense in the beginning, they are utterly central to the story in ways I never would have fathomed to begin with.

The novel follows the tale of a young woman whose dream is to become the imperial tailor for the kingdom's Emperor. Immersed in the middle of a war, Maia and her family are impacted in a great many unfortunate ways. When one day, shortly after the war has ended and peace is just within reach, Maia's famed father is requested to arrive at the palace to compete for the title of the imperial tailor though he has become old and sickly over the years. So, knowing that women are not permitted to be tailors let alone the imperial tailor, Maia disguises herself as her brother and sets out in her father's place. And what ensues is a long fight for peace, justice, the well-being and safety of her family, and adventure beyond anything Maia had ever dreamed of.

And that just barely scratches the surface.

I'll say this much, <i>Spin the Dawn</i> was in every single way but one an amazing novel. It had a feminist touch, a brilliantly strong and compassionate lead character, excellent world-building, and a phenomenal plot. The one single thing that nearly ruined it for me was, unfortunately, the romance. Not only did I just not find it all that believable--the male love interest was incredibly child-like and naive, far too much so for my taste and ability to buy in--but I just did not feel like there was enough of a spark between them to justify the love. And perhaps I am missing something. In fact, I'm fairly certain I missed the part where interest and like between the two characters actually turned into the substantial feelings of love. Something important got left out.

The dialogue, also, surrounding the romance was fairly cheesy. And while I can accept and even love cheesy romantic dialogue sometimes, <i>Spin the Dawn</i> simply was not able to sell it to me. I'm not even sure what it was, precisely, about the characters that left me feeling as though there was no real spark. And it's a real shame in the end because I <i>loved</i> every single other aspect of this book. In so many ways it was a magical and entrancing novel that I never wanted to put down. And my skies, that <i>ending. </i>I don't even know where to begin with how much that ending <i>blew me away</i>.

So, take it for what you will. <i>Spin the Dawn </i>was <i>very</i> good. But that romance pulled quite a few exasperated sighs and eye-rolls from me.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Welcome to a fabulous Buddy Read Review! We’ve been trying to read books together over the last few months to try and motivate one another to get things off of our extensive TBR shelves, but this was a different situation! We both got approved for eARCs of Spin the Dawn, so we decided to read it together. The sign of a good buddy read is when you both throw the schedule to the wind and read it in a couple of sittings, and that is exactly what happened here!

Worldbuilding

Paige

One of my favorite things about this book was how steeped in magic and mythology we were, and how absolutely convinced I am that the author has planted countless seeds for future books. Sometimes I have issues with the trope of the main character not getting all of the information they need Because Reasons, but I feel like we were given information in a steady enough way that it balanced between being infodump-y and being too vague and confusing.

I also adored the descriptions. I am notoriously terrible at visualizing things, but I could see Maia’s creations coming to life in front of me. I truly can’t believe this is one of the author’s first novels - it read so beautifully. I read this book in basically three main chunks because the world was so compelling.

Kate

I loved the meandering way we were introduced to the world in this book. You found out what you needed to know when you needed to know it, and not a moment before. At the same time, somehow, there are enough bread crumbs dropped along the way that the reader is able to piece things together in a fun, but not “yeah, this is clearly what’s going to happen”, way.

Beyond that, the world was lush. The objects and colors and people and buildings and journeys were all so vibrant, both in their existence and their description. I felt like I was sewing garments, riding trails, and facing monsters alongside Maia, and I absolutely live for that immersive experience.

Paige
Yes! Some of my favorite books are ones that take their time with cultivating the world while also making sure enough information is present so, when you look back after a big reveal, you say “Oh, that makes sense” and not “*blink blink* ...wait wut?” This sometimes is a hard balance to strike, and I think Lim really hit it out of the park throughout the book. I was also truly immersed while reading - I got legitimately grumpy every time I had to disentangle myself from what was going on and do something else.

Characters

Paige

Since Mulan is a comp title to this book, I’ll admit that I was waiting and watching a little bit through the beginning of the story to see who would be the Li Shang analog - and I was so not disappointed. Obviously I won’t tell you who they are, but it was excellent.

I adored Maia. She is a cinnamon roll Slytherin and you can’t tell me otherwise. Yes, she wants to save her family as you do. But she knows she is talented. She knows that sexism can be damned and that she has worked hard to become as skilled as she is. She truly believes she can become the tailor to the Emperor.

Kate

I LOVED Maia as a character. Just like Mulan, she is strong of mind and body, determined, talented, and still manages to remain human. I loved watching her grow and evolve, but more than that, I love that she starts the book with a backbone. This is not the story of a damsel in distress finding her way but of a talented young woman who wants to make something of herself in a man’s world.

Paige

Did someone say ancient magical being wrapped up in an attractive, presenting-as-slightly-older-than-the-main-character package? They did? Sign me up! I absolutely adored Edan, the enchanter to the emperor.

Kate

You took the words DIRECTLY out of my mouth about Edan. Perfection.

I honestly don’t know how to talk about the rest of this without ruining absolutely everything, so I’ll just keep it simple.

I loved that every character was treated with care. Sure, there was a hierarchy. You have to have a main character, but the baker’s son in Maia’s village was as well-crafted as the Lord Enchanter, the Emperor, and Maia herself.

Plot

Paige

We were promised Mulan meets Project Runway, but I feel like we got so much more! These comparisons set me up, in my mind, for something light and dramatic and honestly, kind of fluffy. Mostly incorrect! I got a small part of the way through the book and realized that things were moving too quickly and wrapping up a little too nicely, and I was waiting for things to hit the fan, so to speak. They did, and I was absolutely hooked.

Kate

I agree! Plus, I think the fact that it was an eARC exacerbated that feeling. It felt like it was moving fast, and it was, but it was impossible to be sure when you couldn’t see the ratio of read to unread pages. Once you got into it and realized what was happening, the pacing was clearly well thought out, but it definitely threw me for a loop starting out.

The best way to describe the plot advancement I can think of is by comparing it to rolling snowballs for a snowman. It just gets bigger and bigger, building a stronger and stronger base for the books to come in this series. Every bit of info we get builds on itself and truly propels the story forward, instead of just giving the reader a bunch of seemingly unrelated information to be tied up neatly at the end.

Paige

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the romance. Because guys. G U Y S.
*insert gif of Sorcha from Emperor’s New Groove making the hand gesture from the beginning when he is talking about his village*
Forbidden love. The sweet sweet angst. The slowest of burns. A character who falls hard while the other character takes their time. SO ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. This romance was crafted for me.

Kate

OH GOD THE ROMANCE. I was not going to touch the fishy, but you did, so here I am. I was worried when it started that would end up reading as little on the insta-lovey side, and I have never been more happy to be wrong. It was so angsty and delicious and I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.

Paige
Same, brah. Same.

Spin the Dawn is a precious pearl of a book. The only reason it doesn’t have 5 stars from me is because the pace wasn’t quite what I prefer. The gorgeous cover and Mulan description made me want to read it ASAP and I was so excited when I was approved for this arc. The book itself was just as awesome as the cover! Lim takes us into an East-Asian inspired fantasy world with a setting very similar to China, and mythology that seems lightly based in Shintoism (the sun goddess Amana/Amaterasu is upset by a and the sun goes away, creating the cycle of night and say. There are even mythical decedents of Amana, though they are not royalty like in Japan.

The novel is about a girl named Maia, who is “enlisted” like Mulan to replace a male figure. In this case, she is taken to compete to be the new Imperial Tailor, as the Emperor’s old tailor just died. The book Is broken into three parts, all with their own intrigues. In the beginning you’re learning about how the Summer Palace works, how the social hierarchy is laid out, and how the book understands and defines magic. Later on, Maia has to prove herself by going on a thrilling and dangerous adventure to make mythical dresses out of the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of the stars. Are these ingredients even real, and does Maia have what it takes to collect them???

The book didn’t ‘twist’ persay, as I feel twists include a bit of a jolt in the narrative, but the ending was certainly unexpected. There were many parts of it I didn’t see coming, but it all flowed together perfectly- the ideal balance! If you’re looking for fantasy, magic, and/or #ownvoices rep- Lim spins the perfect tale with Spin the Dawn!

Beautiful cover art! The story took me a little bit to get into, but then it was wonderful and different. It really was an amazing story with so many twists and turns. A nice read, not a favorite, yet looking for the sequel! Good book with good characters! A nice read!

I really really loved the premise of this. The first part of the book focuses on a Mulan/Project Runaway-eque storyline in which Maia must participate in a competition to become the Emperor's tailor, wherein she disguises herself as a man. I really enjoyed this part of the story and thought it would end here, but was pleasantly surprised when the second half of the novel focused on her journey with the Lord Enchantor, Edan to retrieve magical materials to make dresses for the Emperor's betrothed.

While I was apprehensive about Edan at first, I slowly got the feeling that this was intended and built up his character for readers to trust and like him more and more as the story progressed. Of course, I do feel that Maia could have done everything on her own, without his aid, but I actually liked the romantic aspect.

There were a couple of spots in the story that could have gone into a little more detail (such as Lady Sarnai and her position in the court and as the Emperor's bride-to-be) but I feel like in subsequent novels after this that they will hopefully be explored more.

This ended on a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to see how the sequel will be! A great first start to a series!

This is a decent book with bad disabled rep, a bad crossdressing storyline, and a romance i couldn’t care a lick about. i really wasn’t a fan much at all. I didn’t like Maia. I didn’t like Edan. The most interesting character was Lady Sarnai and she didn’t get any development like i wish she had. A real disappointment

4.5

Maia Tamarin loves being a tailor more than her brothers do, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well—tailors cannot be female.

But Maia’s brothers are not there to take over when Maia’s father, who is very ill, is summoned to court. Maia’s father was once famed for his work. Now he’s too ill to go, except that imperial invitations do not have a “I can’t” option.

So Maia poses as a boy and takes his place, knowing that she can be executed if she’s found out. She gets to the imperial capital to discover that she is one of twelve tailors competing for the job of making the soon-to-be imperial princess’s wedding gown.

Some of these tailors will do anything to win. Anything. Talent is not enough, Maia soon finds—she has to be watchful, clever, and suspicious of everything. Meanwhile, she catches glimpses of the woman who will be princess, a rather dangerous undertaking, further complicated by the fact that Maia has drawn the observant gaze of the court magician, Edan.

The tension mounts when Maia is issued a challenge that seems impossible—or die trying.

This was a real page-turner, with lots of popular fantasy tropes with an overlay of Chinese mythology. It’s not nearly as steeped in Chinese culture, complexity, and art as the work of Cindy Pon and Jeannie Lin, for example—it reads more like contemporary fantasy. This is not a complaint, just an observation. Lim has created an interesting fantasy world, painted with vivid imagery.

The characters of Edan, the princess, and emperor, and above all Maia drew me right in with their complexity. I inhaled the novel in two sittings, to discover that it’s part of a larger arc. I want to read the rest!