I hosted a blog tour for this 2019 debut (#SpinTheDawnTour), and I was so hyped because Spin the Dawn has one of my most favorite book covers in the history of book covers. Although my expectations were not met, I was swept away by this Chinese-inspired fantasy! I do have a few questions about its magic system, but I don’t care — I loved all the fairytale references that were lovingly sprinkled throughout the book, I loved the slow-burn romance, and I loved the story’s uniqueness.

Full review to follow (and will be posted on my blog!).

Spin the Dawn was a good start to what promises to be an enchanting series. Lim's debut novel is unique, with a wonderful mythology and intriguing characters. I loved seeing how Maia grew into her own over the course of the book. Plus I adored the competition between the tailors and how it all played out. The first half of the book was incredibly strong. The relationships between characters were well developed, there was political intrigue galore, and just enough magic to make me really curious about what would happen next.

However, I thought the second half of the book was a bit rocky. The reasons why are a bit spoiler-y though.
For example, Maia is faced with all of these impossible challenges that nobody has ever successfully attempted before. And she completes them all successfully in a few pages each. There wasn't any tension for me during this part of the book because it felt like there wasn't any chance she'd fail. It did pick up again toward the end and I actually loved the direction it ended up taking. There was just that bit in the middle that really didn't work for me.

I'll definitely be continuing this series! I loved the romance, the mythology, and the world-building. The characters felt so realistic and I'm excited to see how some of the choices they made in this book play out. If you're looking for a unique YA fantasy, I'd definitely consider picking this one up.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy to review.

My Thoughts:

I am going to make fun of myself for the next five minutes. To explain my first thought, first I would like to say that I don't usually read synopsizes (which I also just found out was a word). I do this because I don't see a reason in spending the time to read it when I could just read the book and it truly keeps me in the dark as to what the book is about and I can go in with only my expectations. I generally find out about the books that I am interested in by word of mouth, scrolling through book websites (like BN or NetGalley), or randomly picking up books at the library or bookstore. I heard about Spin the Dawn on Twitter and it sounded like a fabulous book! Then again I will read anything that is based in mythology. So when I read the book and I got to the "final challenge", I was surprised because a) I thought that this book was a standalone and that the second half was just going to be her in her new life and b) what was the point of the beginning of the book if there are going to be more trials. If she wasn't supposed to win in the first place then why not just make the first trials harder or skip them and go straight to the part where she is making the gowns.

If I am being totally honest, I didn't care for the first half of the book. It felt simple; I saw the plot twists coming a mile away. And there's the punch line, I saw the actual plot twists of the book but the part of the book that if I just read the synopsis I would have found out about was the plot twist for me. I still haven't learned my lesson about reading the synopsizes.

Back to the book, the writing was not that exciting to me. It felt like I was reading a book written by someone who wasn't yet comfortable with the craft. I gave the book 4 stars still because I had a fun time reading it. I didn't have any major issues with the plot. Maia is a character that I could easily cheer for. She was defying her culture and being fabulous about it. This book was more about the emotional journey that Maia went on than the physical aspect that is depicted in most books that deal with a trial. I didn't exactly care for the romance of the book. It was the we-have-to-pretend-to-be-together-to-not-die-but-it-turns-out-that-I-actually-love-you trope. Edan wasn't a character that I could initially get behind. He was a bit stuck up. I did warm up to him by the end. Though, in Lim's defense, I have been very hard to please in the romance department lately.

One note, like other Mulan retellings, this isn't exactly 100% her story. It takes place in a fantasy land similar to China and the main character who is female, dresses up like a guy to take her father's place after he is called on by the emperor. Though, to be honest, she was the best tailor of the family. It sometimes annoys me when people say that X is a retelling of Y when they only share a few common themes with one another that can be found in other stories. Don't get me wrong I will still read it but it can seem like the comparison was only made to get people interested not because it is actually there (like another Mulan retelling). Either way, Spin the Dawn takes from more than just Mulan's story which I can appreciate because I was experiencing a new take on other myths.

A few weeks ago, I had read A Dress for the Wicked and was greatly disappointed. In that review, I had mentioned that Spin the Dawn had a similar premise, and that I had heard amazing things about it. I figured that I needed to pick up this book and see if all the commotion was valid. I am happy to say that it was! Spin the Dawn was an incredible read.
The writing and characters are charming, with vibrant dialogue and backstory expertly weaved into the character’s conversations without seeming overbearing. The premise is Mulan-esque, with Maia, who is the daughter of a famous tailor, disguising herself as a man in order to take his place in a competition to become the imperial tailor for the Emperor. The competition; however, isn’t the main plot of the story, which I appreciated. Maia has to create three divine dresses that forces her to embark on a journey in order to obtain the rare materials needed in order to be successful. I loved Maia and the Lord Enchanter’s relationship. I was reminded of Daine and Numair’s relationship from Tamora Pierces’ Immortal series. I went into this book not realizing that it was going to be a series, and I need the next book ASAP!! Definitely check this one out.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The most striking thing about Spin the Dawn is how absolutely gorgeous its writing is. Even just “the laughter of the sun, tears of the moon, and blood of the stars” is so beautiful and metaphorical, and the rest of the book is just as stunning. This is definitely one of those cases where the writing is just as pretty as the cover!!

What if you were a girl in a vast dangerous empire and had to save your family? What if your family’s survival depended on taking on an impossible task?

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 stars.

Maia Tamarin is a seamstress and she has to put her life in danger for the future empress of A’landi. Masquerading as a boy, she pretends to be the greatest tailor of the land…when in fact she is the best seamstress of her region. But can a girl serve as the royal tailor? She is about to find out.
In a palace where enchantment and magic is both condemned and celebrated, Maia will risk her future and her heart. Facing the future wife of the Emperor, the Emperor himself and the Emperor’s Enchanter, she will go on an impossible quest!
This was such an empowering read. I absolutely fell in love with the writing and the heroine. Female characters in YA are always a hit or miss for me but in this case, I adored our heroine. A powerful debut that comes to challenge every single theme and trope in YA fantasy. This is the kind of book that clicks all the boxes for me. Magic, strong characters, deep emotion, love and solid writing!
I devoured the book. I was never bored. The characters spoke to me and I felt deeply connected to Maia.
I also loved Edan. He was so unique and not your usual macho, brooding male we see in most fantasies nowadays. He was charming, funny and incredibly swoony.

I would give up the moon and stars if it meant saving him.
Him-the boy with no name and yet a thousand names. The boy whose hands are stained with the blood of stars.

The book is full of beautiful descriptions!!! One of the best reads of 2019 for me!!! I recommend it!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!

The only similarity I could find between Mulan and Spin The Dawn is that the main character disguised as a guy to help her family out in the quest of becoming the imperial tailor. Other than that, there’s no similarities or whatsoever, this story is good on its own. Elizabeth Lim has done such a great job at spinning a truly original and authentic tale with her words and tale telling skills.

This book has so many great plot points and it is very eventful. From the contest of becoming the imperial tailor to the quest of finding the impossible items to create magnificent dresses for Lady Sarnai. This book is so strong and you’ll never find it dull even for one second. The plot was very well written and developed. The writing style is just superb. I honestly couldn’t find any flaw.

The only two things that I have issue with maybe is the name of the characters and the romance part. Don’t get me wrong, even these two aspects have the good side and bad side. The names, I think, the author has sort of modernized them, which again, is very original yet for me, I would prefer if the names stick more on the Chinese side. Then the romance, is so well written. Maia and Edan are both very passionate. I love the conflicts going on in the relationship and why they keep pulling and pushing each other. It could be cringey at times, yet it’s good. So, basically, I still enjoyed these two aspects in the end of the day. yea, boo me.

This book also addresses on the status of men and women very thoroughly. I think this issue is discussed very well in this book, especially about the role of women. We could see it through Maia, Lady Sarnai, and also few other minor characters, on how they depend on the male’s statuses to get a good life instead of depending on themselves.

The ending though, I need the sequel NOW. That’s all I have to say.

Spin the Dawn blew me away! I'm recommending this book to anyone who asks for a recommendation.

I am looking forward to re-reading this on audiobook soon.

I'm so sorry, but this one just ultimately was not for me. I loved the ownvoices rep, and i loved the mythos behind it all, but it just wasn't for me. I think that this could have been such a powerful read, but it just ended up falling very short. But I can't wait to see what the author does next.

Spin the Dawn is a book full of magic and wonder, and Elizabeth Lim has the kind of beautiful prose that makes reading it easy, but also sad for the moment the book will end. I loved the story Spin the Dawn told, the world filled with colours and scents, all anchored in Chinese culture. I liked Maia, the protagonist, who is brave and determined and hard-working-- she kind of reminded me of Agnieszka, the protagonist from Naomi Novik's Uprooted; this is a huge compliment, because I love that book! The magic and the atmosphere were perfect, too--all the magical objects: the flying carpet, the magical scissors, the laughter of the sun / tears of the moon / blood of the stars--I loved them all so much!

There are only two issues I'd like to address in this review, because I think they're important to know before reading Spin the Dawn:
1) Harmful disability representation: Maia impersonates her brother who was wounded in the war and can’t walk anymore. She fakes a disability of her own, walking with a cane and limping. Due to that, there’s a lot of negative language surrounding the topic of disability and limping in particular; in general, disability is depicted as something that is solely negative and needs to be cured.
2) Age difference between the protagonist and the love interest: Maia is 18 and the love interest is… 500 years old. Truth be told, I didn’t find it that bothersome here, mostly because the love interest really didn’t read like a 500-year-old; it rather felt like he and Maia were pretty equal in age. That‘s why I think you should be aware of this when starting the book, but personally I still enjoyed the romance a lot; the almost hate to love, the banter and bickering--it was simply a lot of fun!

Overall, Spin the Dawn is a brilliantly written book, with the kind of world-building you could spend years and years reading about. I loved the protagonist, Maia, I enjoyed the love story (but, as stated above, you should be aware of the age difference), and I just think that this book is so much fun! I don't think I've read another book that had me so completely captivated, from beginning to end, in a long time.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Penguin Random House International and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.



Cheers to another Asian Fantasy novel filled with culture, myth, and romance! Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is an enchanting tale you shouldn’t miss!

The story is about Maia Tamarin, a girl who wishes to become a tailor like her father. However, only men are allowed to become one. When her father is summoned to participate in the Royal Competition for the title of Imperial Tailor, Maia disguises herself as a boy and enters the competition herself.

I can clearly see why this book is pitched as Project Runaway meets Mulan. The aftermath of the war left Maia and her family a great loss both financially and emotionally. She didn’t hesitate to carry the burden and hold her family barely by a thread. That’s why when an opportunity came, she knew that she could help her family to stand once again if she ever won the competition. With only the fierce determination and skills on her hands, Maia faced the challenges inside and outside the competition. I admire Maia’s character because she shows readers a different kind of strength that doesn’t involve some action-packed fighting. She showed that a woman doesn’t need to kick someone’s ass to be considered strong. Her only weapons are needles and scissors, and she wields them well. She earned her place because of her skills and hard work.

One more thing that I like about this book is how visually stunning it is. The dresses and places are vividly described. The overall atmosphere and mood is so whimsical as if you are in a fairytale. Although I enjoyed all the parts of the book, the first part is definitely a favorite of mine. I truly enjoyed the trials, and I love the tension and excitement it created. On the other hand, the second and third part focused on Maia’s journey for creating the otherworldly dresses that have been part of a popular myth. She had to obtain three magical materials, or else she and her family would face graved danger.

I’m lying if I say I did not enjoy the romance in this novel. I’m very pleased that the author chose a somehow slow burn romance, and trust and consent is the foundation of the relationship. The two main characters got to know each other while they were on their journey, and there their feelings for each other deepened.

I just wish this book has explained more about the magic and how and to what extent it can be used. It felt like the magic is just there for the sake of the plot. The ending is really surprising and I think it opens a door to a better world-building background. I really hope to see more of ‘the shimmering magic’ this series has to offer.

Overall, Spin the Dawn weaves a magical tale of romance and political intrigues!

4/5 stars!

Spin the Dawn has some gorgeous, atmospheric, fairytale-esque writing. The book is split into two major components—the first, a fashion design competition, and the second, what is essentially a road trip quest to gather items from a prophecy. I would have preferred the book to focus on one or the other, especially given how the relationship between Maia and Edan so drastically shifts between these two sections. That said, I definitely enjoyed each of these story components—I just wanted more of one or the other.

There is a plot element with harmful implications about disability (Maia's comments about her brother's leg injury and subsequent use of his limp as part of her disguise).

I loved the first part of the book. It started dragging around the second part where it turned into a classic quest. This was where it lost my interest, maybe because I'm over quest tales at this time (totally my fault, not any of hers!). Still, it was well written and Ms. Lim has a great way with spinning tales. I have to give her that! She writes so delightfully. I loved the world building, and the overall good-feel of the book. Excited to see more of her books in the future.

4.5/5 Stars

Elizabeth Lim's Spin the Dawn had me intrigued from the moment it used Project Runway as a comp title and let's just say this book totally holds up on that end. With a competition to be imperial tailor to a challenge to create legendary dresses, this novel has all the sewing and imagination that I wish I had when it comes to creating clothing. The author's attention to detail in this as well as every other aspect of the book puts it a cut above the rest.

This is most apparent when it comes to characters as Lim breathes life into Maia, Edan, and the rest. To Maia, family is everything and when the opportunity to provide for them comes along she does everything in her power to pursue. She's skilled beyond measure in tailoring and the pressure of performing while also hiding that she's a woman weighs on her greatly.  I enjoyed how Edan wove into the story; first as the court magician, then the slowly blossoming friendship to something much more. They complimented each other super well.

Overall Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim was a beautiful piece of storytelling with wonderfully crafted characters. Maia's journey, first to the emperor's palace and then to find magical elements, is one fraught with peril and growth where the reader not only gets to know her but Edan as well. What stands out the most though is the exceptional writing that evokes such majesty and the fairytales of old. I absolutely recommend picking this one up!

As soon as I heard of this book, I was sold at magical Project Runway... and it's good? I liked the characters and the world, the romance made me happy as well- though the casual homophobia and ableism did make me uncomfortable and affected my reading a bit.

2.5☆
ARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of my opinions are my own, and are in no way affected by the exchange.

This was fine. There was nothing too special about it honestly. I wish stories where woman disguise themselves as men stop being compared to Mulan tho. I liked the challenges the character went through the romance was very dull for me. I didnt really understand their chemistry. I probably wont be continuing on with the series

4.5 stars
Elizabeth Lim’s Spin the Dawn is one of my favorite fantasy novels of 2019. Billed as Project Runway meets Mulan this first book in Lim’s The Blood of Stars series has the feel of Allison Goodman’s Eon and Eona while taking on the cutthroat world of becoming imperial tailor.

I tend to read a mixture of genres for children of all ages, and I don’t read a ton of fantasy, so when I hit upon something like Spin the Dawn, I have to share it. Author Elizabeth Lim has mastered the age-old task of showing rather than telling. You feel as though you are sitting next to Maia as she creates her masterpieces, which seem to almost sing off the page.

As the story progresses, so does Lim’s world-building. I tasted sand in my mouth and felt it in my eyes as Maia traveled to the desert; felt the biting wind and ice as she summits a mountain; and felt the depths of longing and despair as she faced unimaginable foes.

The only drawback to Spin the Dawn is that you’ll have to wait for the next book in the series. In the meantime, though, you can read Lim’s other book, Reflection: A Twisted Tale from Disney-Hyperion, that follows Mulan as she travels to the Underworld on a quest to save Shang.

Project Runway meets Mulan – that’s the original pitch I heard for Spin the Dawn, and I had to immediately add the book to my TBR after seeing these two comp titles thrown together. Overall, I thought it was a fun story! I was immediately drawn to the setting and the lore, what with a world that felt distinctly Asian-inspired (specifically with elements of Chinese culture woven in) and magical, fantastical elements that felt right out of a fairytale. I liked the characters well enough, particularly Maia, who simply wants to pursue the talent she possesses for tailor in spite of living in a society where such a career path is not for women and eventually decides she will do what it takes to achieve her dream. But I did find the actual story jarring in terms of pacing and plot (though it did call to mind the structure of older YA fantasies such as those of Tamora Pierce, when books were published in shorter volumes). I’d gone into it expecting the entire novel to center around the tailoring competition and instead discovered it had three distinct parts: the competition (which I do like in fantasy books), a quest (which I’m very partial to) and the aftermath of the first two. Though I do have my reservations, I did end up liking Spin the Dawn and will most certainly be checking out the sequel to find out how it all ends.

Spin The Dawn was an amazing story of a young woman who disguises herself as her brother to win a competition to help her struggling family. Maia has been working with her father as a tailor while her brothers went off to fight in the war and when the Emperor requests her father, Maia has to make a decision. She decides to cut off her hair and pretend to be her brother, Keton, to compete in the hopes of being chosen as the Imperial tailor.

Spin The Dawn was a beautifully written tale that kept me spellbound as Maia competed in each task to win the position as the Imperial tailor. Maia was such a great character and she faced so many challenges as she tried to win against each of the more experienced tailors. Her designs were so beautiful and intricate and I got lost in this wonderful story. This is the first book in a new series and I’m dying to see what happens next for Maia.

This book was advertised as Mulan meets Project Runway, two things I love.

Aside from the fact that the main character pretends to be a man, there isn't much about this story that resembles that of Mulan. And only the first quarter of the book actually resembles Project Runway. So, what is this book about?  

Mainly, it's about a tailor and an enchanter/magician/Jinn? going on a pointless adventure in order to find impossible materials to make a magical dress for a spoiled and petty girl determined to not marry an emperor. 

Literally, the entire plot hung on the fact that Princess Sarnai decided she was going to postpone her wedding by making life difficult for everyone and asked Maia to create three impossible dresses made of sunlight, moonlight, and the blood of stars.

Even the characters point out the ridiculousness of it several times in the story.

"I wanted to reach unto my trunk and rip Lady Sarnai's dresses to shreds. They were the cause of everything- if I hadn't gone on this journey to make them, none of this would have happened."

And then again.

"Lady Sarnai's damned dressed. They were the reasons everything had gone wrong"

Basically, if Sarnai had been a little less out to complicate everyone's lives and asked for a regular dress, or like a shirt or a jacket or literally anything else, the later 75% of this book would not have happened. 

Most of the book took place on the road as Maia and Edan, our resident "enchanter" and love interest, try to find "sunlight so pure it can be spun...moonlight so dense it can be woven...and the blood of stars".

That means that the entire book is driven by these two characters and their interactions. I wouldn't have had a problem with this if I had loved these characters. 

Don't get me wrong. I didn't dislike these characters. I just didn't particularly care for them or their adventure. Maia was too passive. Nothing at all like Mulan. She didn't make the story happen. Things in the story simply happened to her and she reacted to it. As for Edan, I don't really have much to say. He was alright, I guess?

So, maybe its because I've read too much YA in my 22 years of life. Maybe I'm just not impressed as easily as I once was. Maybe these characters just weren't that interesting. Who knows? The point is, I had the same blank expression the entire time I read. When they were in danger when they were happy when they were using their magical powers. I simply didn't care.

And even then, she only reacted with the help of Edan. Even when she went on the trials and did something by herself, Edan would always have to carry her back 

That said, I kinda liked the romance of it. It felt a little rushed, especially since Maia kept pointing out that she knew literally nothing about Edan's past, but it was cute enough. Edan was really sweet. I'm glad this didn't go the way most YA tends to and give us an a**hole love interest that eventually develops feelings and starts behaving like a decent human. That's kinds how I thought this was going to go in the beginning. Thankfully, Edan was always a really nice guy.

In the end, I didn't dislike this book. It was fine. I'm certain that many people will like it. In fact, many people already do, according to all the positive Goodreads reviews.  If you're one of those people, I am glad. The book isn't bad and does have some interesting moments. I just personally didn't care for it. I also don't think I'll be reading the sequel. But also, I probably still might.