Unravel the Dusk is a satisfying sequel to Spin the Dawn in that it nicely resolves the plot elements left dangling in the first book-- Maia's worrisome connection to the demon Bandur, Lady Sarnai's father, Edan's fate, and so on.

However, what I enjoyed most about the first book were the Project Runway feel combined with fairy tale elements, and those are mostly absent and replaced by battles. Kudos for the author not giving us the same book again, but I'm disappointed.

On the other hand, I absolutely that we finally get more of Lady Sarnai, who, in my opinion, has far more interesting chemistry with Maia than Edan. Sadly, the book doesn't go THAT direction, but we get to see more of Sarnai's complexities. I thought the dichotomy between Maia (as the hero protagonist) and Sarnai (as the beautiful princess to be married/rescued) was one of the most interesting tropes Lim deconstructs and it was certainly my favorite part.

I can't decide whether I liked the first book or this book better. I enjoyed the plot of this book but couldn't really connect to some of the characters, the main ones being Edan and Maia's relationship. I found that in the first book they were friends and then at a random point fell deeply in love with each other. I felt like there was no development to get from their friendship to romance it just kind of happened spontaneously so in this book I couldn't really feel for their romance. The battle scenes were really epic I really enjoyed reading those parts. Maia went through a lot of character development throughout this book especially with her struggling to keep her demon side from taking over. I really didn't like the ending though because it was just way too easy and 'happily ever after. I felt really bad for Lady Sarnai in the end battle because although she was really rude to Maia I could understand why she wasn't a fan of her because of her past experiences with magic. Overall this was a very imaginative story and regardless of its faults I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

I liked the first book well enough, which is why I requested the sequel. I didn't re-read the first book, but I did read my review and saw one of my issues was that it felt like several different books at once. This again feels like something completely different from the first book. I would have never guessed that a book about a girl posing as a boy in a competition to be the royal tailor would turn into this.

I was at first interested to see the consequences of Maia's deal with the devil in the last book, but became disengaged almost immediately here. I don't like spoiling things in my review, so let's just say something happens and Maia dresses up like the emperor's daughter. Not only was there no reason for her to do this, but people were actually fooled! I don't remember the last book mentioning that Maia looked or sounded anything like the daughter, and she hardly spent any time with the other woman that I can recall so she couldn't have believably pulled off the right mannerisms or attitude. But even ignoring all that, she wasn't even punished for the impersonation. You're thinking "Who cares?" but this is how the book opens. It only gets stranger from there.

The stuff with the demon trying to corrupt Maia would've been interesting on its own. We didn't really need a corrupt emperor or an impending war. This again may be coming from not having re-read the first book, but there were mentions of demons or gods in this one and I didn't know who or what they were. Plus, I guess I'm getting tired of the "girl finds herself in a revolution/war scenario and must become a leader" storyline. Especially when it comes completely out of nowhere like here.

It's honestly too bad that Spin the Dawn wasn't a stand-alone. This could have also worked as a stand-alone since it was so different from the first book. As it stands, this duology is just all over the place.

Unravel the Dusk is absolutely the conclusion that Spin the Dawn deserved.

After the events of Spin the Dawn, Edan and Maia are separated, and Maia's deal with the demon Bandur is beginning to take its toll. When she is forced to step in for Lady Sarnai as the Emporer's betrothed, tensions between her country and Sarnai's come to a boiling point, and Maia is forced to lose even more of herself in order to protect A'landi. How far will Maia go to secure the peace? What has become of Edan? After everything that comes between them, will there ever be a happily ever after?

While Spin the Dawn has a slightly more straightforward plot, Unravel the Dusk has moved away from those archetypes. Maia spends the entire book battling the demon growing within her, which makes for a fascinating character study. Can Maia be tempted to abandon her causes altogether? What happens when she loses parts of herself that make her who she is? Characters fighting the evil within them is an arc I've always enjoyed, and I think Lim did a good job with it.

In contrast, Edan has become a severely watered-down version of himself. I found it difficult to invest anything in any character but Maia, even though I'd cared about them when I read the first book just under a year ago.

Like the first book, Unravel the Dusk is divided into sections, which feature fairly different plotlines, but which keeps the plot moving at a shockingly fast pace (which I appreciate, truly). This meant that the book encompassed several battles, army v army, demon v demon, and that adventure level was certainly up from the first one.

It took me a pretty long time for me to get through this book, for whatever reason. Nonetheless, it was an ending I found deeply satisfying, and I would definitely recommend that anyone who liked Spin the Dawn pick up its sequel.

Overall a fantastic ending to this duology. Not quite as magical as the first book since Maia wasn't needing to craft anymore new dresses and her focus moved away from the creativity of creation towards more basic survival. The brutality and reality of the war also bit into the sweetness from the first novel. I wasn't quite sure how things would end, and I really enjoyed having to consider how I would feel with a bitter and sad ending verus a happy and hopeful one.

I'm sure this is amazing but I didn't realize this is the 2nd book in a series when I requested it. Right now I don't have time to read the first so I will revisit this when I get the opportunity.

I had decent hopes for this book. I enjoyed the first one a lot, minus the romance, and the first half of this one was really fun to read.

Oh boy, did that last half deceive me.

The story was beyond predictable. The plot felt less like it had been planned and more that it was someone going through a check list making sure every possible idea got a passing nod. There were <b>three</b> end fights. Three. Each one felt like it was to be the grand climax, but then the big bad evil somehow got away in the end. There was deus ex machina after deus ex machina to the point where it became a game to see how many of those I could figure out were going to happen and when.

I really liked this series and the idea. I liked Maia a lot, especially since she wasn't a fighter but a thinker and a dreamer. She was an interesting character, but the story was too generically YA to build her up to be what she could have been. Not a single character in this got any development past what happened in the first book. Most of the characters were flat, boring, or annoying, especially in the case of Lady Sarnai. She was the absolute worst. So dull, so bland, and the epitome of everything wrong with the "strong female character" trope. There was nothing feminine about her. Take away calling her lady and her boobs, and she was a man.

The ending was beyond dumb, and I was actually laughing at how bad all the big reveals were. They were so predictable and so poorly done that it felt like they were tricks being pulled out of a hat at a cheesy magic show.

There was a serious issue with the writing, specifically in action scenes. A character would be doing something, like falling down a well to ensure a villain was defeated, and then the next paragraph or sentence, they would somehow be heaving themselves out of the well. Characters with little to no battle training all got their little training montage near the end, and there was a real push for women to have equal rolls in the fight and to learn how to wield weapons which, ironically, Lady Sarnai argued against. There was also this great big scene of women all banding together as one to shout at the big bad villain and tell them that the good guys wouldn't fall. It felt so awkward and forced.

Now for spoilers:

Regarding the ending, <spoiler>Maia turning into a phoenix was so dumb. It got brought up once earlier on, and you KNEW it would become a thing again, especially when she started asking Edan about his spirit form and whatnot. #foreshadowing And let's not forget the big grand "surprise" where, le gasp, Maia doesn't die in the end. Because that was an unpredictable ending. I have nothing against a character living, but Maia should have died. Every character, every plot point, and every part of the lore said she would have to die. Going against that just to make Edan and Maia and her family live happily ever after breaks the whole magic system and disregards any worldbuilding that has been established. It was sloppy, it was stupid, and there was no reason to do that for funsies.</spoiler>

The army, <spoiler>The cranes bringing the army in was the STUPIDEST thing I have ever seen. All Maia did was enchant them to fly, nothing else. There was no grand letter written in them to ask people to come fight, there was no magic to compel people. The cranes weren't even told really what to do. Maia just...floats up into the sky somehow and throws the cranes and asks them to do something? She has these vague impressions of wanting them to find help, but how does a fabric bird that has no way of speaking somehow convince people to move their whole family, leave their homes, and go off to some random location? And how did they know they were going to war in that exact location?</spoiler>

The ghosts at the end, <spoiler>Having Maia sit there and pray and suddenly have her whole family show up as helpful ghosts to fight off the bad ghosts...I have no words for how ridiculous this is. They had no way to fight off all the bad ghosts, so let's deux ex machina a whole good ghost army in so they have a fighting chance. I literally have no words.</spoiler>

There're so many more things I could point out as serious worldbuilding and plot flaws, but I don't want to waste any more time doing so, so this is it. I don't recommend this book. I don't even recommend <i>Spin the Dawn</i> anymore because this was just that bad.

I really love this series! I devoured the first book and was so impatient for the second. The wait was worth it though because it was so good! I loved the character development and the plot was full of adventure. I will be recommending this book to my teens and in our book club.

The thrilling conclusion to Elizabeth Lim's The Blood of Stars duology, Unravel the Dusk grabs a hold of the reader, sweeping them away in a flurry of silk, magic, and demon fire.

There is a LOT happening in this book. Maia has little time to breathe with a demonic general showing his hand, an imminent war, Edan's escape, and her own demons, quite literally, clamoring to be released. Maia is at the forefront here and has more agency than the previous book. While I missed Edan's presence, this allowed her plenty of space to make her own decisions, face consequences, and truly become a hero of legend.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I was intrigued to see how Maia's bargain would play out, even if some of the various mechanics of the different magic from the dresses versus demons was a little hard to differentiate at times. I think this book would be best if followed almost immediately after finishing Spin the Dawn.

4/5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review!

Unravel the Dusk is the sequel readers have been waiting for -- and it was worth the wait! A beautifully crafted world, relatable themes and non-stop action work seamlessly to create a novel that readers will not want to put down -- it is everything a gripping ending should be!

Filled with tough questions and tougher choices, readers will be enraptured as Maia stops at nothing to ensure the future of her home, her family and her friends. Maia rails against the unbreakable oath that is slowly turning her into a demon, but her resolve is steadfast and uncompromising -- but for how long?

A thrilling conclusion to an absolutely wonderful debut from Elizabeth Lim. The moment I saw this ARC on NetGalley I screamed and started jumping up and down. I was not disappointed. Maia's character development as the demon curse begins to take over her body makes this a suspenseful read and the main focus of the story as she races against the clock.

The story starts off, where the last book ended. Maia is still at Emperor Khanujin's court, where the Lord Enchanter has disappeared and left Maia to fend for herself and the kingdom. The Emperor's hold is weakening as his impending marriage to Lady Sarnai approaches. However, Lady Sarnai has plans of her own, which creates conflict for Maia as the Emperor threatens her. Maia has to make tough decisions between what her heart says and what will ensure peace between the previously warring countries.

Additionally, Maia is slowly turning into a demon since she assumed Edan's promise to become the guardian of Lapzur. As she attempts to save the kingdom from war, Maia must also guard against herself as the demon infiltrates her thoughts and choices. However, Maia is determined to save the kingdom before succumbing and frantically attempts to find a cure, but I won't reveal whether she's successful or not.

This was such a satisfying conclusion to the story. I loved how Lady Sarnai played a more fundamental role and Lim actually took time to show us her side of the story. She was fleshed out and not made into only being a female rival. Additionally, Maia continued to be a strong and determined character, who you couldn't help but root for. The romance did fade into the background a little bit, but I think it worked overall as the focus was more on Maia's battle within herself and for the kingdom.

**Thank you to Knopf, Netgalley, and Elizabeth Lim for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

Unravel the Dusk is a stunning conclusion to a Chinese inspired story that is a mix of Mulan and Project Runway. Our main girl Maia is dealing with the aftermath of the events of Spin the Dawn, and is still working to save A'landi from the shansen. Her family is in danger, and Maia must make some very hard decisions in order to keep everyone safe, including herself.

I truly loved this sequel. Lim's writing is so lyrical and beautiful that you feel transported to A'landi, seeing what Maia sees. Unravel the Dusk provides more background to other characters, instead of focusing mostly on Edan and Maia. The romance continues (no spoilers) but is still very PG and YA like. You get to see more of her family, the Emperor, Lady Sarnai, and the shansen - I liked this because Lim was able to add dimension to these characters.

The plot was a touch confusing and hard to follow at times, especially as it was reaching the climax. I had some difficulty following the potential consequences of Maia's actions at any given time, and I think this is due to so many things happening. There were a few false endings where I thought the book was just about over, only to look down and see I was still only 77% through the book. This made the reading experience seem a bit disjointed as I got prepared for the "ending" only for it not to come.

I read through this book mostly in one day. It is a quick read, and I still loved the world that Lim created. I did not do a re-read of Spin the Dawn before I dove in, and I did not feel like I should have when reading. The plot picked right up from the ending and there were enough reminders in the text that I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

Overall, a great conclusion and I am so lucky that I was approved to receive this book from Netgalley. I am so appreciative and can't wait for this to be officially released! And, that cover is just gorgeous!

Elizabeth Lim's writing grows in her next book. 
I was sent this book for an unbias review.

I loved how Maia's character develops in the book and is portrayed as dueling against herself throughout. Light and dark, two sides of the same coin. 
Once again I feel she misses the mark on the supporting characters and they fall flat and under developed. She does bring in more of a storyline for Sarani and I felt she was more well rounded and more of an effective character, but then I felt Edan was lost to the background.
The atmosphere was beautifully written and once again dazzled with descriptions of dancing smoke, and descriptions of stars, and sun. And the plot moved along swiftly from Parts 1-3 even if I felt part 3 was a bit rushed. 
Lim ties it up in a neatly sewn bow with this Duology and I can't wait to read her next book.

I don’t want to do much to a spoiler since at the time fo reading this the book still has a few more months to go till publication but was this an amazing ride this story has me gripped from the first word in the original first book and now seeing the conclusion just is so mind blowing and amazing I can honestly say there isn’t a book like this written in the way this author has written hers and I am beyond mind blown and i can’t wait to see what else she amazes us with I will miss this world the conclusion was perfectly wrapped up but I do wish I could
Follow both our main characters in just their normal lives

Considering I read an ARC of Spin the Dawn over a year ago, I was beyond elated to be getting Unravel the Dusk early too.

Lim jumps us quickly back into her mesmerizing world. But this time, it's darker, grimmer, the bodies fall fast and our heroine is falling too.

Overall, this book was satisfying and as rich and lavish as the first. But something about the jolt into darkness, I was either not in the mood for, or the ending of the first book didn't establish enough of a bridge to guide my emotions forward.

But Edan was there, and that was about all my heart needed, and the climax was a stunning, an out of this world
(literally) experience.

Lim's world is definitely one I hope we see a return to one day.

I hoped that this book would be better than Spin the Dawn, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The premise and world promised adventure and intrigue, but I struggled to imagine the world presented. The characters did not seem to have personalities, which made it hard to care about the plot.

The romance, as with Spin the Dawn, was very insta-love. Maia and Edan don't seem to have much in common beyond loving each other. Beyond that, Maia does not make big choices. I wanted more from her. I wanted more consequences in the very thin plot. Again, the magic system and mythos are underdeveloped.

Great premise, but unfortunately does not live up to it.

I generally enjoyed this follow-up to Spin the Dawn, although not quite as much as that first book. I enjoyed the overall story, but just as in Lim's book Reflection, I found some of the story a little repetitive. Maia gets very focused on the fact that she is turning into a demon, which on the one hand is understandable, but on the other hand, as a reader, it started getting to a point of "Enough already! I get it! You're turning into a demon and you're upset about it and feel like you need to sacrifice yourself, blah blah. What are you going to *so* about it?" As a human being, I relate. Sometimes I too get overly focused on something bad that I don't have control over. As a reader though, it got a little annoying to constantly read her repetitive thoughts and feelings on the subject (just as I am sure in real life it is annoying to constantly complain about things to my friends and family). I wanted her to get over that part earlier in the book and move on to acceptance and action. She doesn't really start trying to resolve anything until closer to the end of the book.

All of that makes it sound like I didn't like the book, which is not true at all. I enjoyed it a lot, and I was happy with how Maia's story wrapped up, I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as Spin the Dawn, which I loved.

I absolutely love Asian fantasy books! So refreshing from the same old european fantasy set. Enchanting and intriguing! Definitely on par with the first!

I was so excited to be able to read Unravel The Dusk so early! I adored Spin The Dawn. Unfortunately I wasn't in love with Unravel The Dusk. War just takes away from the enchantment of the book. And with Maia fighting the demon inside her, the book had a completely different atmosphere than Spin The Dawn. It was less happy and more filled with anger and worry. I still enjoyed Maia's journey and seeing how everything played out. I was incredibly happy with the ending and felt satisfied. I just was hoping for more of the enchantment and romance and adventure that swooned me in Spin The Dawn. It was still a great read though! Thank you to the publisher for directly sending me a copy via NetGalley and thank you to Random House Children's for the opportunity to read and review!

Unravel the Dusk is the sequel to Spin the Dawn. Unravel the Dusk picks up right at the end of the first book, with Maia struggling with a demon that lurks in her soul after she makes the three dresses of the gods. While Maia struggles with her demon, her country is on the brink of war.
I don’t want to giveaway too many spoilers for this book. I went into Unravel the Dusk not knowing what to expect and I feel like that’s the best way to go into the second book of this duology. I was pleasantly surprised with the plot and how the characters grew in this book. Unravel the Dusk is the perfect sequel and end to this amazing story.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.