I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

An interesting fantasy. A woman with an extraordinary power, an accidental massacre and the chance to redeem herself, but at what cost? The war has changed and the redemption she so desperately seeks could cost the lives of many more.

Night Spinner (Night Spinner #1) by Addie Thorley, 400 pages. Page Street Publishing, 2020. $19.
Language: PG13 (15 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Once lauded as Enebish the Warrior, Enebish is now hidden away in a monastery by the grace of her older sister, Ghoa – kept far away from the people that now know her as Enebish the Destroyer. When Ghoa visits and gives Enebish an inch of freedom, Serik convinces Enebish to take a mile – and doing so will change the course of her life yet again.
Enebish’s story has abundant conflict but is unclear about which parties are “good” and “bad.” Thorley writes in such a way that we know more lurks beneath the surface of what Enebish (and the reader) sees, and we turn pages desperately in order to find the missing information. I love the magic system and the complicated characters, I love that the once powerful and confident Enebish is now limping and ashamed and has to discover how to regain the confidence that was once taken for granted, and I love that her story is not over yet.
Enebish describes herself as having “dark” skin, and Temujin is described as having “polished copper” skin. Skin colors of all shades are mentioned. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, and illegal activity. The violence rating is for weapon use, mentions of child abuse and murder, and fantasy violence.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This was a fun story! I recently tried out the Grishaverse and this story with the night spinner character definitely reminded me of that universe!

This was such a good book. I was not expecting to find the similarities of the Hunchback of Notre Dom hidden within these pages but boy was I glad when they started to peek out at me.

I loved the characters, I loved the plot twists and turns that left me gasping. I basically loved everything about this book, and I was not expecting to. I highly recommend this for everyone.

If there's one folklore/tale that hasn't been given much love, it's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Never, that is -- until now.

And *wow*, was NIGHT SPINNER a beautifully imaginative retelling!

Whimsical, atmospheric, whip-smart and unique, Thorley crafts a world unlike any I've read before, filled with fierce protagonists, deadly schemes, and an absolutely captivating romance. The worldbuilding is truly unbelievable, and as I neared the final chapters, I didn't want the story to end! (Not to mention -- isn't the cover absolutely gorgeous?!).

If you're looking for a unique fantasy, an underappreciated retelling, or simply a new story to capture your attention. NIGHT SPINNER is it!

I loved this book. I got big Hunchback of Notre Dame vibes and I could not get enough of it. I loved all the characters, I loved the writing and I also loved the message of the book. Addie Thorley did an amazing job with book and I couldn't be more happy. This book is completely underrated and needs more hype on all social media platforms. The book was also very atmospheric, which I love but I can understand if that's not everyone's cup of tea. Overall, I really liked it.

Whew! This book was so fun and imaginative! I LOVED how Addie Thorley spun this as a genderbent retelling of The Hunchback of Norte Dame.

You can expect compelling backstories, fascinating politics, imaginative worldbuilding, and a truly swoony love interest. I am all for antiheroes and this book is built upon them.

There are some truly unexpected twists in this book, and it feels both familiar and fresh at the same time. Definitely recommend!

I wanted to love this book and I truly did at the start. A gender-bent retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dam started off gorgeously, with a main character that was her own but with some beautiful parallel scenes drawn from the original story. But, it ends up falling into a fairly typical fantasy YA that lost all the magic I enjoyed in the beginning.

Enebish lives a quiet secluded life, scarred and purposely injured, hidden away from the world so she can never use her uncontrollable power against the innocent again. When she is given an opportunity to leave her seclusion she takes the chore, but somehow her presence is found out and her quiet safe life is shattered.

Full disclosure, I wanted to read this book pretty much based on the cover alone. The cover is gorgeous, enough said (and the 2nd book has an even prettier cover!). I started the book with zero idea what the story was actually about, I just decided to pick it up and go.

When Enebish was sent out on her redemption mission it basically felt like manipulation, a way to get Enebish to participate in her punishment. She was so naïve and desperate for affection and loyalty, it hurt my heart and yet I wanted to rage against her choices. Time and time again she let her ability to be emotionally manipulated pop up, so much so that she was so predictable, I could always guess what she would do and choose. She has potential as a main character and her actions take a turn for the better at the end, but for most of the book I struggled to connect to her and I raged against her actions.

Overall this was an ok read, full of court intrigue, betrayal, war and magic. There were some nice twists but in general it felt like so many other YA books, with a love triangle, a special snowflake girl with the power to save the world, and a revolution to overthrow the current power regime, so I was not super engaged in the book. There was nothing wrong with the story, it just was ok for me, but I am sure other people will really enjoy the story. I did just read other reviews and I guess this was a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling which I never would have guessed left to my own devices.

One of my most anticipated 2020 releases and it's a huge disappointment.

I barely finished this one. I had to skim a few chapters because that's how much I just wanted it to end. It sucks that this one didn't pan out. I really wanted to love it.

Gave it a good go, but was unable to get into it much. Shame as the premise sounds amazing! Unfortunately this is probably a 'me, not you' problem.

I wanted to love this one. I love retellings and dark female characters, but this book wasn't for me. I didn't feel like the characters were believable or relatable. I struggled to find anything to catch my interest. Since I didn't complete this one, I won't be posting any negative reviews anywhere. I hope this book finds readers who love it though.

As someone who has long been obsessed with Mongolian folklore and history, this inspired setting felt like an absolute dream come true.
From the outset, I fell in love with Enebish's struggles and tribulations throughout the story, and felt as though I was growing alongside her as her character developed. Thorley's writing is expressive, and almost lyrical in nature, and weaves together culture and history and the "othering" of the individual in society beautifully.
This story is incredibly fast-paced and filled with action, but I truly found myself drawn to the characters, and I have to say they haven't left my mind since. Goa and Enebish's relationship in particular was captivating to me, and reminded me of my relationship with my older sister so many times that I decided to share the book with her. The fact that Night Spinner is inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame just makes it ten times better.
Truthfully, after I learned that this book was going to be part of duology my expectations lowered significantly, as in my personal experience they are frequently plagued by either packing the plot in or dragging it out longer than it needs to be, Night Spinner only surprised and delighted me more when the plot remained consistent and clearly thought out, and the characters so well developed that they felt nearly tangible.
I am truly looking forward to the sequel.

<b>Rating:</b> 4.75/5 Stars

I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Night Spinner is a gender-swap retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was one of my favorite Disney movies when I was growing up. I haven’t ever seen a HoND retelling before so I was excited how this story would unfold. I was even more surprised when I started getting some Grishaverse vibes thrown into the mix as well. That fantastic combo did not disappoint in the slightest!

The story follows Nnebish who was once a great warrior for the Sky King’s Imperial Army but following the massacre at Nariin she has been banished to a monastery for losing control of her power and murdering a merchant caravan. When her adoptive sister offers her a chance to track and capture a notorious criminal, Temujin, in exchange for her reinstation as a warrior Enebish jumps at the chance. But as she hunts for Temujin she learns that a lot has changed since her banishment and nothing may be what it seems.

What I liked:
The character development and plot twists were so on point in this one! Enebish has so much character development through out this book. She starts out so desperate to hide from her past and scared of herself & her abilities and grows into a confident leader who you want to route for even if she is incredibly naïve at times. The side characters were also beautifully written. I thought each character’s complex personalities and they way that they all seemed to tie into the plot had me hooked until the end. You never really know who Enebish can trust and it makes for some amazing plot twists.

What I didn’t like:
My only complaint was that the pacing was a little slow to start. While that allowed for some beautiful world-building it did take me a minute to really get into the story. It didn’t hinder my overall reading experience though.

Overall, I loved this book and I highly recommend it! I need the second book immediately!

The nice thing about going in with low expectations is you can be pleasantly surprised! While it took me a few chapters to really get into this; once I was in there was no getting out. If you think you know how this story might go because it’s a retelling then think again. There are twists and turns here I did not expect (or even see coming!). All of the plot points play well into the character personalities set-up (nothing cheap) and adhere to the constructs were given for this (somewhat gothic) fantasy universe.

A Creative Retelling
The biggest mistake here would be to expect the Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney or original) characters or story in anything more than on the surface. While the basic construct of the story is similar, our lead gal is obviously the hunchback, and many themes are picked up; Night Spinner has so much more to give. In fact I think it probably doesn’t give enough credit to Addie Thorley to say this is ‘just a retelling’. The last 100 pages took me by total surprise (which was great) and is where Thorley really makes this plot her own once and for all.

Themes
How many different essays could be written based on the themes, archetypes, and twisted plot of Night Spinner? Dozens at the very least! There’s so much to unpack here. Of course we have the major theme which is what makes someone a ‘monster’. Other themes include: desertion, morality, loyalty and betrayal, family versus blood, and finally treason. All these are globbed together in such a way that we feel every decision our main gal (and others) make.

Characters
This may be on the one place where Thorley could make some larger improvements; but given most YA fantasy literature out there these days I’m willing to give it a pass. Our characters are very clear archetypes at times and make decisions as expected (nothing cheap here). Some are a bit one dimensional at first; but all of them play key elements in the end. I love the way many characters who seem to be ‘unimportant’ at first become critical players in the end.

Coolest Magic!
I want our leading gals magic so bad! It’s different from most of the people in her land and seriously badass. The ability to gather darkness and surround yourself (or others) in it, so that you become almost invisible, is crazy cool and has a gothic feel I adore.

”...as soon as I flex my wrists, the ribbons of darkness wing from the forests like bats...”

Thorley uses this control of shadows and darkness in unique ways and ensures we are aware that the magic comes at a price and needs certain sources in order to work. Use of magic takes a massive physical toll on the user. Bringing me to one of my favourite elements of the novel, actual injuries and fatigue.

Mortality
One of the constant themes in Night Spinner focuses on mortality. Although our characters are all from different areas, races and religions, they are all still human-like and mortal. And each of them is falliable and subject to injuries they can’t just ‘fight through’.
Even more surprising is while there is magic to essentially revive someone or bring them back from the brink (and yes it’s used); it didn’t feel cheap to me when used. Thorley is selective about using the magic and healing; instead generally defaulting to having characters that need actual rest and sleep to heal. It’s refreshing to not have characters that seem to be unbeatable and have an endless amount of energy. In fact our lead gal spends most of the story needing rest and pushing herself to accommodate and overcome her physical disabilities and it’s probably 50/50 whether she can find reserve strength or falters entirely.

Overall
What I have no doubt of is that Thorley has set us up with a beautifully constructed fantasy world. There is so much to explore still. This could be the type of series that runs past a trilogy if continuity is held up and advance thought out into the plot. Given how much happens in Night Spinner I don’t think plot or twists will be a problem for Thorley to continue to deliver on. As each time our characters do (almost) anything it’s subject to a morality test there are innumerable number of circumstances available.
My recommendation, get in now and be a part of what could very well be the next big YA fantasy series. I hope that even though this is with a smaller publisher it gets the marketing and attention it deserves. This gothic fantasy universe has so much more to give and I can’t wait to read more!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Review-

If you love reading about warriors, magical powers, THIS IS THE ONE. It is full of twist and turns which you will never expect. It will catch your attention the moment you start reading it. Female protagonist with powers. I am all up for it.

The book revolves around Enebish, she is known as Enebish-The Destroyer. She hates when people call her by this name. Before people loved her, respect her but now she is considered as a traitor to her own country.

She believes in first gods. She has one of their powers. Power to spin the night. Power to engulf herself and people around with night. The character building is done very beautifuly. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

p.s The book ends with a big cliffhanger. I WANT THE SECOND BOOK ALREADY.

2.5 stars

Enebish is a Night Spinner - someone with the ability to control darkness and pull down the stars from the sky. She was once a great warrior and fought for the king, but after losing control of her powers and killing innocent people, Enebish has been locked away at a monastery and is now known as Enebish the Destroyer. Enebish knows she should be grateful to still be alive, but longs for her old life.
When the commander of the king's army, Ghoa, (who is Enebish's adopted sister), offers Enebish the chance to leave the monastery and return to her old life, she can't say no.
Enebish sets off on a journey to find Temujin, the leader of a group of rebels that seize army supplies.
Can Enebish find Temujin and return to her former life?

I enjoyed the author's previous novel so I was intrigued to read Night Spinner, especially as it was inspired by/was a retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. However, I unfortunately ended up disappointed.
Enebish was an OK character, but I didn't feel that I fully connected with her. I did feel sorry for her at times, but I also found her a little bit annoying.
The plot took a while to get going for me and I struggled to get into the storyline. I did think about DNFing, but decided to keep going, and in a way I'm glad I did because there were some good twists at the end that I didn't see coming.
The setting and magic were interesting and I would be interested in finding out more about them.
I'm not sure if I will be continuing with this series.

Overall, this was an OK read.

Good book. I did not completely connect with the writing style but otherwise an entertaining and interesting read.

A retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame... sign me up. The Night Spinner sucked me in right from the get go. There was so much action, twists and turns I didn’t see coming, lies, betrayal, and of course a bit of romance woven in. The story follows Enebish from her banishment for her losing control of her magic to her search and capture of the rebel Temujin with a lot of fun in between. I absolutely loved this book and did not want it to end. Another 5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟read.