I need the second book and this book isnt even actually out yet!
I really hope this is only going to be a duology because I dont want to see this wonderful story dragged out through 3 books.
Yes there is romance in this book but it is so good! I love it and I love them and I hope everything works out.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you!).

Spin the Dawn is a Chinese mythology inspired YA fantasy. We follow Maia Tamarin, a young girl that wishes to become a Tailor. The problem is, only men can become tailors. Maia ends up disguising herself as a boy to take her brother's place in a Royal Competition for the title of Imperial Taylor.

The plot consists at first of Maia trying to achieve her dream and saving at the same time, her family. There are aspects that you will clearly recognize from Mulan and Aladin.
The first part of the book, the focus is on Maya and the endless competition between her and other tailors and royal intrigue between Emperor Khanujin and his bride-to-be, Lady Sarnai.

If you like hardworking heroines, Maia falls into that category. She is moved by her dreams and consequent ambition, even if, for a good cause. She also had a fierce desire to protect her loved ones and a lot of inner strength. I really loved how skilled, stubborn and determined she was. Her creations were amazing and reading about silky, flowery, gauzy dresses was wonderful.
Edan, our hero, is The Lord Enchanter. He is a mysterious boy but at the same time an open book. He is sweet, respectful but delights in teasing and helping Maia.
<spoiler>Their relationship is based on trust and consent and it was done well, with the usual trope of "all-consuming passion" absent, the author invested more in a slow burn romance and I was pleased as they spent time together to know each other better. However, I felt that Edan suffered a little bit from Insta-love. Maia, thankfully, did not and it was rewarding to see her feelings change through the chapters. </spoiler>

In the second part, the focus shifts between Maia and Edan as we learn more about Edan. This part is mostly about Maia's journey to obtain the "laughter of the sun", "Tears of the Moon" and "Blood of the Stars", in order to complete Maia's task of sewing three otherworldly dresses for Lady Sarnai. Despite that Maia possesses magical scissors since the beginning, through the journey is when the magical aspect of the story fully develops.

I really enjoyed the first part of the book, however, when the quest for the dresses began, somehow I started to lose interest. New supporting characters were introduced and clearly only intended as a plot device. "The journey" is a trope commonly used in the fantasy genre, it serves as something to make characters grow somehow. It was no different here.
Personally, I paid no attention to the second part until Maia reached the second destination to collect the Tears of the moon, in a particular scene in which my interest was picked again.
This book presents the love of a girl for her profession which I think is SO refreshing in YA, and it also relies a lot on romance. Thankfully, a girl can have both;)
The ending was quite surprising and honestly, it did not feel like an end to me but an open end that will probably lead to a sequel. I was very intrigued by the end and I'm fervently hoping there will be a continuation.

I really enjoyed this book, the author wrote it with a flowing writing style and amazing descriptions which I appreciated. Maia was the kind of protagonist we root for and the Mythology was beautifully done.
If you like Romance, Mythology, beautiful dresses, Magical journeys, and royal intrigue, you will probably enjoy it;)

Real rating: 3,90 Stars.

That was a stunningly, beautifully written story about family, love, loss, and doing whatever it takes for the people you care about. It was amazing and fast-paced and perfect. I really loved the Asian culture that came through with the clothing styles and the Spice Road. I loved the mythologies and the legend of the three dresses. I really loved that the MC was a tailor and how she helped changed the world with her sewing, how she showed magic into the world and changed everything.

I really loved Maia and how much she cared about the people she loved, how she never gave up, how she achieved her dream of becoming the Imperial Tailor, even as a woman. I love her ferocity and devotion, how determined she always was.

And then Edan was just grand. I loved his snark and how he saw through Maia's deception from the first moment, how he kept her secret and protected her when he could, and how he saw that she could stand up for herself. I love how he defied his orders to help her. His whole story was so great and I loved it.

I loved the quest they went on and how they fell in love and everything about their story. The ending left me needing the next book as soon as physically possible.

This was a really well-written book full of diversity and adventure and love and family. It is amazing. You all need to get your hands on this book as soon as it releases.

If you love:

- Girls disguised as boys
- East-Asian fantasies
- Epic quests
- Mythology-based stories

...then Spin the Dawn is perfect for you. This was such a fanastic, sweeping retelling of Mulan. This is probably my favorite retelling to date!

What a tale! I was pleasantly surprised by this story, with many Mulan interpretations coming and going in YA, this one was a refreshing compared to most.

Our main protagonist is Maia, shy and forced to stick to the standards of her patriarchal society, yet strong and does the best she can, even if it means breaking the rules of said society. She is driven and talented, she loves her family even after all that has happened to them. She is believable, a herione I could relate to!

The romance was okay but it didn't wow me, but I didn't hate it despite being sceptical at first.

This book is also comped as Mulan meets Project Runway, you CANNOT go wrong with that. Just like reality TV, there is betrayal, cheating, rivalry, and alliances. Oh, and dresses. Beautiful descriptive, and unique dresses!

Overall, this book was great, I enjoyed Lim's writing, the overall diversity, and that cliffhanger! I will happily be waiting for the next book. Also... that cover is beautiful, one of the best of this year, just tbh!

Spin the Dawn is a sweeping, epic, romantic tale. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so heartbroken for a book to end. I can say with certainty that it will take its place among my favorites.

Maia is the perfect heroine—timid, still discovering herself, yet resilient and strong. I would like to see more heroines like her in upcoming young adult books.

The story kept me on the edge of my seat for the day it took me to read. When life pulled me away, this book tugged me back, and my thoughts were always with its characters. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much.

Recommend to eveyryone, but especially readers who love charactrer-driven, timeless epics like the work of Tamora Pierce. Edan gave me serious Numair vibes.

I am anxiously awaiting the sequel.

I don't think I would be able to give this book anything less than 5 stars and if I could give it more I absolutely would. For a while now I've been wanting to read a different kind of fantasy, usually fantasy is the usual medieval - princesses / princes type fantasy. The main reason I chose to read this is because it was not that, I've been seeing a lot of reviews that say this book is Mulan means project runway but that doesn't do it justice at all! This book is not mulan it is a story in itself. A story of Maia the Strong and as a woman its such a fan inspiring read. I loved pretty much everything, from the writing style, to the character development and the world building! I'm even okay with the fact that its not necessarily a happy ending but im still happy because there will be more of Maia and Eden and this word. This is one of the few books that I am glad its not a stand alone!

I would absolutely recommend this book to any fantasy lovers out there.
Elizabeth Lim keep doing what you're doing!

Spin the Dawn was described to me as Mulan meets Project Runway but it is so much more than that. It quickly surpasses the expectations of a simple competition turned love story. The story follows Maia, a talented tailor who must hid her craft and sex, as she travels to the Summer Palace to compete with other tailors to please the Emperor. There she attracts the attention of the court Enchanter or Sorcerer, Edan. As the final challenge, Maia is tasked with making three gowns from sun light, moon beams, and the blood of stars. She has two months to complete this impossible task or face certain death. This twist is a nod to Grimm’s Allerleirauh, a dark fairy tale about a bride who asks for impossible gifts to avoid an undesirable marriage. Lim combines this tale with a delightful combination of Asian and Persian folk lore.

Maia sets out on the quest with Edan at her side. Along the way she finds love, adventure, demons and sorrow. Edan’s character is wonderfully complex and while their love story a bit predictable, it did not feel forced. I also appreciated that Lim took the time to explain how Edan came into his powers and the checks and balances in place for sorcerers.

I did not expect this book to be part of the series but the ending left a lot of loose ends so there must be a sequel planned.

4 stars for Spin the Dawn. I really enjoyed reading this and can not wait for the sequel!

Mulan is often neglected in the world of respun fairytales so it was refreshing to see an author fashion a fresh tapestry of delight. However, it is so much more than a fractured fairytale - try epic quest on for size! Like the best fashion, the story was original and smart.

At first, the writing felt formal and Maia's character a little stiff but quickly the story developed into the finest silk. I quickly got swept up into the Maia's tale and was all in when the tailor competition began in the royal palace. Elizabeth Lim's descriptions were lovely and fluid like silk shawls in the breeze. Her descriptions of the market and Silk Road were gritty and plunged the reader right in to a sun-choked desert. Maia is a tough heroine who shows you can be a bada** while you sew! This is definitely a book to mark on your calendars when it comes out! Set aside a weekend.

*** I can't wait to see some fine illustrators on instagram sketch Maia's designs!

I received ebook through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

An absolutely gorgeous story. I was enthralled by the cover, and the story lived up to it. I love this, it felt unique and intriguing. The romance felt perfect. Just for me, I wish it didn't end on a cliffhanger!! Haha. But really, a delightful read. I can't wait for book 2!

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

Does my black heart deceive me? or did I just thoroughly enjoy a YA "basically retelling of Mulan"?

We are immediately introduced to Maia, a young girl living a calm life with her father and three brothers. Unfortunately war begins and each of her brothers leave to fight but only one returns very critically injured. We are then given information that the Emperor has passed away and when he calls on Maia's father who can't arrive steadfast, Maia dresses as one of her brothers and goes in his place.

All of the characters are super well done, actually... their decisions all make total sense (even the ones you hate to see happen). I liked how Maia's character has a ton of depth and is fighting a lot of inner battles, too. The pages are pretty much packed with his wise insights on life.

Elizabeth Lim also makes some amazing statements on the different kinds of strength of women. I've been getting tired of books that try to create strong female characters by showing how they don't need a man etc because that is STILL defining women through men... it's just by a guy's absence in that case. I wanted to hug this book for allowing the women to be complete characters in their own right without fitting any one particular image of strength.

You know a story's good when you don't want it to end and are still thinking about the characters later. It did kind of lose my attention a bit in the first half, but the last half just kept getting better and better! Honestly, the plot was really well paced. And I absolutely loved the setting, too – it's an amazingly detailed, gorgeous environment with hints of magic. There are political schemes, realistic social issues, and some seriously hilarious moments.

Overall, I highly recommend for anyone loving rich and beautifully written fantasy with strong female character.

I received an E-ARC of this book from NetGalley. This book will be published July 30, 2019.

When I first heard about this book I was so excited. I loved the concept and I was so excited to see the magic that is in Spin the Dawn. The main character was amazingly written. She had been through so much and was so strong throughout it all. She had to step up and be the responsible one and take on the jobs that her family couldn't do. It was so great to read about such a strong character who values family above anything else. Edan is also a character that I absolutely loved. You get to see him grow and open up throughout the novel and it was fantastic. The plot of this book was amazing. It was very engaging and fun. The magic that was in this world was very unique when it came to Maia using it. I loved everything about this book and I highly recommend it. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Listen I'm going to be 100% honest, this cover is what drew me into this story. I saw it the day of its reveal all over Twitter and it was just so gorgeous I immediately had to find out more. When I read "Project Runway meets Mulan" I was hooked. I'm not a religious Project Runway follower but I'll watch it if it's on and I always love seeing the amazing pieces of clothing the contestants turn out. I've loved Mulan since little 5-year-old me first saw her in the theater, I will always read a title comped to Mulan. I loved Maia, she was an amazing character. Her inner strength throughout this book was just really incredible to read, I loved her journey. There are some amazing moments where she saves the day in super creative ways and I don't want to spoil it but it blew my mind. Lady Sarnai is my second favorite character after Maia. We don't learn nearly enough about her in this book but I loved every scene she was in. I'm a little iffier on Edan. There were some moments where I really liked him and others where I was a little bored by his characterization. A lot of the mysteries surrounded him were easy to guess at.

I loved the various fashion in this book. Maia's creations are gorgeous and they are described so beautifully it's like imagination candy. I will say I expected the competition to be a much bigger part of the book than it was. It ends before the halfway point of the book and a new quest is thrown in front of Maia to complete. There are a few nitpicky personal things that kept me from fully loving the book, like the set up of the prologue and just the style of the character looking back to tell the story. It's just not a style that I usually like. Nonetheless, this is a fantastic book and I really enjoyed reading it.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House Children’s through NetGalley. This is my honest review. Some mild spoilers ahead.

The tagline for this book is Project Runway meets Mulan which totally fits. Our protagonist, Maia, pretends to be a boy in order to work as a master tailor for the emperor. But I’d like to offer an additional tagline: Spin the Dawn is what might happen if Tamora Pierce wrote a fairy tale. In other words, it’s perfection. Here’s my quick summary:

The emperor is in search of a new master tailor, and he calls on the Tamarin family to put forth an applicant. But Maia’s father and brother, weakened by war and tragedy, cannot sew for the emperor. So Maia does the unthinkable, she disguises herself as her brother and goes to the palace in his place, risking execution if she is caught. At the palace, she competes with eleven other renowned tailors, trying succeed in the face of their talent and ruthless ambition. However, nothing compares with the difficulties of the final challenge--to sew three dresses, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of the stars. So Maia sets out on a journey, accompanied by the frustrating and enigmatic court enchanter Edan, to accomplish the impossible.

Did I mention I love this book? Because I love this book. Maia is such a fierce character; I was rooting for her from the beginning. She has complex motivations, wanting to become master tailor both to save her family and to be recognized for her sewing skills. I enjoyed seeing her growth throughout the story as she worked through her own feelings towards these goals. I also appreciated her relationship with Edan, who she initially sees as an annoying but necessary ally in her quest to become master tailor. However, as she gets to know him better on their journey, she begins to see him in a new light.

Still, much of her focus is dedicated to completing a seemingly impossible challenge: to capture the light of the sun, moon, and stars. I personally cannot get enough of fairy tale retellings and adaptations, so I loved this element of the story. I also thought Lim did a really good job incorporating these fairy tale elements into the world she built. What Maia must do and endure to accomplish these tasks offers a good blend of magic and personal strength, reinforcing what an awesome character Maia is.

I thought the novel’s ending was a little rushed, but this may be because I cannot wait for the second book in this duology. Maia’s journey hasn’t ended, only reached a turning point, and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

I recommend this novel for fans of fairy tale-inspired stories and Mulan, in particular. There’s definitely a scene in the book where you can practically hear the “Short Hair” song from the Mulan soundtrack playing in the background. I also recommend this book for fans of Tamora Pierce. Pierce is one of my all-time favorite authors, so this is definitely high praise. Maia reminds a bit of Alanna both with her disguise as a boy and with her initial attitudes towards magic. Edan also gives off serious Numair vibes--almost all-powerful magic combined with boyish charm. So if you liked Pierce’s Tortall novels, but wished they were less European and more high-fashion, you’ll love Spin the Dawn.

A five-star book... from me? Believe your eyes! It is true! Spin the Dawn is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway, and hello??? It was AMAZING.

Maia Tamarin comes from a long line of imperial tailors. She works for her father in his shop, struggling to keep them afloat. Her three elder brothers--who never showed much aptitude for sewing--are away in the war for much of her youth. When the war is over, two of them have died, and one comes home depressed and paralyzed. Before she’s even had the chance to live, tragedy has changed Maia’s world.

Maia is the binding glue for her father and her only brother, and she is completely devoted to them . . . but she can’t help but resent that as a girl, she is incapable of doing more for the business. When her father is ordered to come to the palace and compete for the place of imperial tailor, Maia sees her opportunity to both provide for her family and prove her worth as a seamstress.

I LOVED this. It was un-put-downable, for real. All the twists, all the turns! The pace is fast but holds your attention, and I loved the way the competition was handled. Oftentimes, books centered around competitions or trials are either too vague or get shunted to the side, but that was not the case here. Project Runway indeed! There is backstabbery, alliances forged, cheating . . . and DRESSES.

The level of detail in this book is b-e-a-utiful. The writing is lush and descriptive. Every dress, shoe, glove, garden... they come alive. Reading this is a magical experience, like living a fairy tale, like going on a journey. Honestly, the whimsy and the love interest reminded me SO MUCH of Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle. As much as I love Diana Wynne Jones’ book, Miyazaki’s rendition suits Spin the Dawn so well.

Maia is a fabulous heroine--she has gumption, drive, talent. To be in the competition, she has to pose as her brother, and she makes no bones about it. She’ll get shit done! She is one of those heroines who you really root for. Her passion for sewing is apparent on every page and in every rich description. You want her to win SO badly. And the sacrifices she makes? Maia is kind of a badass, but she doesn’t have to sacrifice her femininity for it (outside of pretending to be a boy). Elizabeth Lim has created a great main character.

But what is a main character without a secondary ally . . . and love interest? Hon hon hon! You thought correctly! Remember when I mentioned Howl’s Moving Castle? Well, meet Edan. As the emperor’s magician, Edan has a complicated role. He is a master of magic, but he’s also a servant, and serving a debt. He takes an interest in Maia, but his quick wit and clever eye see much more than they should. He’s Maia’s greatest ally in this book, and though separated by years and status, theirs is a relationship of true equals. They FIGHT for each other.

I haaaave to see where they go from here. I have to! Write faster! I need the sequel yesterday!

I can sing the praises of this novel all day. Another huge aspect worthy of note is the Chinese and POC rep. Spin the Dawn is set in a Silk Road and Chinese-inspired fantasy world rich with folklore and mythology. Elizabeth Lim’s beautiful writing has brought this world to life.

Spin the Dawn has earned a place in this reader’s heart. It’s one of the best books this year.

I was really surprised by this book. I loved the description and was excited to dig in. I got so much more than I expected!

I thought most of the book would encompass the competition but I really like that it didn't. I know this is only the first book but I feel like I got so much more content. The writing flowed smoothly and I really liked Maia and her character development. The Lore in the book was fantastic. The way the author described the three dresses, the magical components, and the journey to get them,m completely roped me in with vivid detail. The detail was just the right amount. It painted beautiful pictures in my mind.

I can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is described as Project Runway meets Mulan. The second I heard that synopsis I was instantly intrigued and requested an ARC of this book. I was so surprised and happy when I received this as I was looking forward to it. This book is based off Chinese mythology which interested me as well. I love seeing more representation in books, especially in YA.
However, this book was not for me. This book would be perfect for someone who is a first time Fantasy reader. I think if someone was to pick this up and was just trying to get into fantasy they would adore it. I, however, have seen a lot of the tropes that were played in this book and wasn't really surprised by any of the twists. I wanted to love this so much but the story just let me down. The pacing was also all over the place in this. There was parts that were stretched out that could be cut back and parts I honestly wanted to see more of.
The competition element was only half of this book and the other half was based on this quest that the main character, Maia, had to go on. I found that the stories that were apart of that quest, the mythology that was woven, really intriguing. I wanted to know more about the mythology of this world and the stories that they were talking about. I found the God's to be an intriguing idea to me and wish that more of that would have been explored.
I also had a small thing that kept throwing me out of the story. I did read an ARC of this book but I am hoping in the final version that they will remove all the exclamation marks. Every time I saw one, and it was pretty frequent for me to notice it, I would feel thrown out of the story. A period would work just as well at the end of those sentences. Again, I read an ARC and hopefully they address this problem before actual publication.
I do recognize that this book is going to be so important for YA readers who will get to see themselves in it. I have no say in representation and will not comment on it. I was intrigued by the Chinese mythology and what was talked about in this and will be seeking out more Chinese based novels by own voices authors.
Overall this just fell flat for me and I feel horrible saying that. As I said before, this book will be fantastic for readers who are just getting into YA fantasy. However, for me this story fell pretty flat. If this does interest you, I would recommend picking it up and seeing if you enjoy it.

Lim weaves an enchanting narrative, with all the magic of a fairytale and the guts and grit of an epic adventure. Diverse folklore, imaginative worldbuilding and a brilliant lead character who wields creativity as skilfully a weapon - this is a gem for all lovers of whimsical fantasy!

Have you read the myths and legends in books that are a couple paragraphs long and only shows the highlight of it? Have you ever wondered what is the depth, the full story, the miniscule details of those stories are?

This is what SPIN THE DAWN gave us readers. The full novel-length details of a myth, of something normal people would think impossible, of something they always shorten. SPIN THE DAWN weaved a story that takes us to a long and tedious journey of characters to make a legend come true and all the while they face a journey onto themselves that gave the story more depth and emotions.

This is the kind of story I would love to read as a teen, where I can relate to myself. The kind of story that will keep me up awake at night wishing I could catch the stars! This is the kind of story that make me want to love sewing tho my hands really hated that.

If you love stories like Mulan and how she fought for her family and her own honor, or you dream of beautiful and mythical dresses, or if you love your legends too much that you wish you can read every detail of them... SPIN THE DAWN is one for you.

The description "Project Runway meets Mulan" had me hitting that Request button on NetGalley <i>so</i> fast. In truth, the Project Runway part is only a very small part of it, but a description for the rest of the book would get me excited anyway. Plot points and descriptions come from folklore and you know the one thing I love more than a novel based on a folktale is one that takes many folktales and creates a new story that could fit in amongst the rest.

Maia is the only girl in a tailor's family, and the only one who loves the craft. Her father is summonsed to the Imperial Palace to compete for the chance to become the tailor to the Emperor. Not only is this her life's dream, she knows the journey would surely kill her older, heartsick father. I enjoyed her narrative voice, often a story about "a young woman outsider seeing palace intrigue for the first time" will have her be naive to the point of stupidity, but Maia never has that. She recognizes backstabbing and sabotage and realizes who not to befriend even as she is unfamiliar with this world and doesn't quite know what to do about it.

I really enjoyed the romance, it is the antidote to love triangles and silly games. <spoiler> It takes a little bit of time for her to figure out how she feels about him, but not so long that I, as an adult, got frustrated with the "he makes my heart race, does that mean I hate him?". For the audience this is meant for, it would likely read more as a slow burn. Still, the "does he love me? do I love him?" stage doesn't drag on and they quickly affirm their feelings, which I love. They are clear about their feelings and about what they want out of a relationship. At one point, they have fought and he asks for consent before he kisses her. I really found it refreshing to have a discussion of courting rather than dating, given that it ISN'T our modern world. It seemed like a healthy relationship and it was very sweet and fun to read. Even when they began to do the self-sacrifice cha-cha, no one was completely stupid or a martyr. The only sex is a fade to black, if that's something that colors your recommendations to teens, but there is an assault threat by clearly bad guys who say it has been a while since they felt a woman. It's not dwelled upon at all nor is it a real source of angst in the narrative.</spoiler>

Maia is a character who blends strength and softness and I really appreciated that. We don't get enough of it in adventure/fantasy YA. She isn't an endless font of sympathy and martyrdom, she wants to succeed on her own merits and she isn't going to stop chasing her dreams, but her motives revolve around her family and love and pride in her accomplishments.

I will definitely keep reading this series, and I recommend it to anyone who likes folklore themed fiction, YA fantasy with a strong romance, or anyone who likes palace intrigue/dangerous journey plot tropes.