ARC provided by Knopf Books for Young Readers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!!

Wooooaaahhh y'all let me tell you I was def not ready for this series to be a duology!!! I finished Spin the Dawn thinking that this was going to be a trilogy and then had my sock knocked off by how Lim whipped us through to the end!

But what is this book actually about?

Following the events of Spin the Dawn, Maia Tamarin in now officially the imperial tailor... but at a cost. Edan has gone to some unknown land, the nuptials of the Emperor and his bride are on rocky ground, and Maia's impending transformation into a demon is growing ever closer. To save her country and everyone she holds dear, Maia will cross the country, fight any battle, and become whatever she needs to be in order to make things right.

Let me start of by saying that this series is one that I will not soon forget. The beauty and detail that is woven into the story is breathtaking, especially when it comes to the tailoring that Maia does and the passion that she has for her craft. There is magic not just in the magical things in this book, but also in the ordinary, and that is what I love. The actual magic system, however, is one that even at the end of this book, I still don't quite understand. I waited a long time in Spin the Dawn to grasp somewhat the basis for this system within the scope of the worldbuilding that Lim does, and yet I never quite could come around to it. The legends and myths behind the beliefs of the people, the basis for magic, and even which people can or cannot use it is something that I feel like could've been *greatly* developed more in this series. Because of this, basic questions that relate to how Edan uses his magic, how Maia uses it as she transforms, and so many more are raised and only half answered throughout the book. I understand that some mystery is necessary when it comes to these things, but this simply felt like one portion of worldbuilding that was very underdeveloped.

One thing that was definitely not underdeveloped, though, was character growth. The change between Maia over the two books is tremendous, and it is done in a way that perfectly reflects all that she has been through over the course of this story. She becomes stronger in the areas where she has been broken, and she loses herself to find herself again in those that she loves. Don't let anyone tell you any differently: possibly transforming into a demon is great for character development!

I also really loved how this book takes a realistic look at the struggle between the Emperor and his challenger, and how neither man is perfect for the job. The struggle for the throne is one that could happen in real life (without the magic) and the battle at the end is one that doesn't give us a perfect leader, either, but the most realistic one that can hold a country together, even if for a little while.

All in all, I thought this book was a wonderfully exciting and intriguing conclusion to Spin the Dawn! I wish we could've had a trilogy just to get more of some of these characters!!

an absolutely epic conclusion to this duology, filled with action, demons, and true love. Lim has such a beautiful way of writing that sucks the reader right in and makes everything feel so atmospheric. ⁣
I’m kicking myself a bit for not rereading Spin the Dawn prior to this because I did find myself a little confused in parts. But honestly, I don’t think I could have dreamed up a better conclusion. There were laughs and tears throughout and I want to reread both of these immediately. ⁣

After all the events in Spin the Dawn the sequel cuts into a few new problems right in the beginning. Maia has to take the place of the bride and wear her own sewn dress. All the while no one can notice that she’s not Lady Sarnai and she has to hide the changes in her body. Initially, hardly any references are made tot he events in the previous book. as a reader, you should therefore rely I little more on your own memories of the first book. This might be quite a task because there are many different characters names in the beginning. As the story progresses, the happenings in the first book become a little less important, even though Maia is in a situatie that arose in the previous part. But this story takes you on a completely different journey. Where in Spin the Dawn Maia has had to convince others of her sewing skills and of the fact that she took on her brothers identity, she has to fight for herself now. The struggle that rages within her is dark and makes it difficult for her to trust or get close to others. These moments when the author described the struggle inside Maia, are quite impressive and controversial. She did a great job replacing herself in the character. That’s why the battle between good and evil within a humon body is written beautifully and strong.

As the story goes on, it gets more exciting. Maia seems to lose herself more and more, while a war is coming and she still wants to fight for what is right. She doesn’t want to abandon her family and she wants to protect the people she loves. Even though she doesn’t know how to do so. Magic, gods and old stories slowly take on a more important role and provide more depth into the story. Maia meets some old acquantances who give her wise advices, but she doesn’t know exactly how to follow their advice. That is iltimately up to her. The story is written entirely from Maia’s perspective, and that is good enough. Because ghosts, demons and gods sometimes speak to her inside her head. But it’s not always quite clear which voice belongs to whom. Only at the end it becomes clear what the intentions were and then the puzzle pieces fall in place, into a beautiful whole.

Unravel the Dusk is a dark and magical story including some wonderful elements as friendship, hatred and love. Where a young girl tries hard to keep her family and friends safe, even if that means she has to protect them from herself.

Spin the Dawn was one of my favorite books of last year, so I was beyond ecstatic when I was approved for the sequel on NetGalley. Unfortunately, while this was not necessarily a bad read, it pales in comparison to its predecessor, which made me a very disappointed K-Specks. Although still beautiful, Unravel the Dusk lacked the same magic and emotional pull that made me so enamored of Spin the Dawn.

So, quick summary: (warning: there are spoilers here for Spin the Dawn, though none for this book.)

At the end of Spin the Dawn, Maia was technically safe, as she had successfully managed to create all three of Amana’s dresses, with the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars, thus securing her role as the imperial tailor. However, that success came at a cost: she sold her soul to the demon Bandur to secure the freedom of Edan, the enchanter she loves. In an effort to keep Edan safe, Maia has sent him away, even as she finds herself slowly turning into a demon and the kingdom of A’landi teeters on the brink of war yet again. When the marriage of Lady Sarnai to Emperor Khanujin–a marriage that was supposed to create peace and avert the war–goes horribly wrong, Maia finds herself uniquely situated to resolve things…but only if she can delay her own transformation long enough to use her demonic powers for good. So begins another quest, to reunite with Edan, face Bandur, and hopefully save the kingdom.

Let’s start with the obvious: Elizabeth Lim is a tremendously talented writer. As in the first book, the language in this book is absolutely gorgeous, and even if the content did not always grip me, the words themselves positively sang. They were artful yet colloquial, poetic but never pretentious–a delicate balance, but Lim never faltered. The premise, too, was entirely fitting, an excellent continuation of the saga from the first book, that raised the stakes and tied up loose ends. Lim’s OwnVoices use of Chinese mythology and culture to shape this world brought the story to life, with vibrant details ranging from the elegant dresses to a fleet of enchanted folded cranes made of cloth. And even the smooth pacing was done well–fast enough to hold interest but slow enough to savor. On a purely technical level, everything in this book was done impeccably.

However, on a subjective level, the majority of the book was a slog for me. While in the first book, Maia was surrounded by other characters, her experiences colored by her interactions with them, much of this book was a solo adventure for her. True, she was accompanied at times by her friend Ammi, and she did reunite with Edan, but her relationships with them were stunted. Some of this was necessary–her demonic transformation made her cagey and reluctant to trust others, because she wanted to protect them–but for so much of the book, it was just her being filled with angst over her internal battle with the growing darkness inside of her. Instead of being fiercely independent but still healthy, she became destructively isolated, and it made her not just harder to root for, but harder to be invested in at all. And because she lacked further social support, there was nobody else for me as a reader to hold emotional ties to, either.

I think some of the disappointment here was also just in the nature of the book. As a sequel dealing with heavier themes, this is a darker tale: no Project Runway-esque fun here, and no joy of newfound love. The problem is that this dulled some of the lively sparkle that brought Spin the Dawn to life. There was nothing wrong with it, except that it was not what I expected, and felt like a disappointment as a result.

And then there is my last grievance: Edan. In the first book, the enchanter who could shapeshift into a hawk was a phenomenal character and an excellent complement to Maia, strong when she was uncertain and wise when she was naive. Yet in this book, with Maia’s increased independence, and with Edan’s magic decimated, he became unspeakably bland. His support for Maia was wonderful, but his actual personality became almost nothing beyond “the guy who loves her.” I always get frustrated when romances cause characters to lose their personalities, so…yeah, my frustration there should be obvious.

As a whole, this is a perfectly adequate sequel and, if you enjoyed Spin the Dawn, a worthwhile conclusion to the duology. It may not have been my favorite, but at the end of the day, especially by the end, it was a satisfying knot tying off of the narrative threads. (And yes, that was a very clunky sewing metaphor. I will not apologize for art.)

Unravel The Dusk was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and I felt so happy to be reunited with my favourite characters. This book is so different from the first one. It’s more intense, darker and more mystical. Maia’s adventures get more dangerous and chaotic as she starts experiencing the effects of her bargains made for the divine dresses.

I was instantly hooked from the very first pages of this book. It was such a page-turner. Once I got into the story, I could not put it down. I tried reading the story as slowly as I could because I wanted to relish every little detail. I loved the turn that the story took. While the first book was super fairytale-like, this one dealt with the darker side of magic and it was so beautiful.

If you’ve read my Spin The Dawn review, you can see that I wanted to read more about Lady Sarnai. Well, thank you Elizabeth for fulfilling my wish! I loved reading about her! Her character development was great and even though she was so selfish at times, I could not help but like her in the end. What’s better was that the author allowed us to understand her a bit more and gave us the option whether to like or hate her. Let’s talk about my favourite character: Edan. I was a bit bummed that I did not get to read a lot about him but his journey was already made clear to us in the first book. I missed the cute moments between him and Maia. I loved how he was still so supportive and patient, despite having lost an important aspect of his life.

There’s so much to say about Maia that I could write paragraphs about her but, let’s keep it short and non-spoilery. Maia’s character development was amazing. I enjoyed her whole “transformation” process and how it kept getting more difficult for her to make decisions. She had to deal with a lot!! But her being Maia, never gave up. I loved her persistence and her selflessness when it came to fighting for her country. I really enjoyed reading about the different voices in her head and about her struggles at every step of her quest to save her country.

This book was packed with action and epic war scenes. There were lots of killing, fighting, creepy creatures and utter chaos. The magic got darker and more complex and at times, I found myself struggling to keep up with how it worked. I was taken aback by some of the twists in this book and just when I thought that something good was going to happen to Maia, everything got worse. I kept rooting for her throughout the story. However, I was so pleased with the ending of the book. It was the perfect ending to this epic, mystical, heart wrenching, magical duology. I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to read more by this author 🧡✨.

Thank you so much Elizabeth for creating such a magical world with such interesting characters and for taking us on this memorable journey! And, big thanks to Penguin Random House (International) for providing me with an early copy of this book via NetGalley.
(4.5 🌟 s)

3.5? Maybe? It's hard to say. I did really enjoy this, but there were still things that fell short for me.

First and foremost, the positives of this sequel: it really was a thrilling and action-packed follow-up to the first book. Maia's inner struggle with turning into a demon was the focus of the novel and the most interesting part. The writing is still amazing, too. In depth magic and world-building.

However, despite this plot being quite exciting, I just couldn't get into it as much. This could also be attributed to me still being in somewhat of a reading slump. Who knows.

Everything I loved in Spin the Dawn just wasn't here (although, that's not all necessarily to the detriment of this one): the subtle, beautiful magic; the romance; the fairy tale-esque storylines. The magic here was raw and powerful, which was really an interesting thing to explore. Edan didn't appear until halfway through the novel and even when they were together, it wasn't the same. I missed his charm. And the plot was a lot darker and included more action, which, again, isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just different.

Then end, too, didn't quite hit the mark for me. I think I expected more? I won't give it away, but to me it was just a bit anticlimactic. Especially after the big lead up with the war and Maia's demon self.

Overall, it was still really exciting and interesting. I've seen a lot of fantastic feedback, so take my review with a grain of salt.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unravel the Dusk: Mature, Melancholic and Reverent

“You must be swift as the coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon.”

Although the Disney writers penned the iconic line for Mulan’s transformation into military star, little did they know that it would end up describing Maia Tamarin’s war against herself. Where Spin the Dawn was an exciting three-part adventure to capture the sun, the moon and the stars, Unravel the Dusk is an introspective journey of Maia coming to terms with her magic and her fall into becoming a demon. And her sacrifice and salvation; in love, family and fate.

Plot and Pacing

Told in three parts, the plot once again revolves around the three dresses but this time, we see them in action and their creator at the centre of that power. It starts immediately after the events of Spin the Dawn with Emperor Khanujin’s marriage to Lady Sarnai. Maia’s secret identity has been revealed, she has been separated from Edam and her soul is sold to a demon oath. As the days pass, Maia continues to sink even further into dark depths, fighting a literal inner demon that threatens to consume her whole and leave her without her humanity. Even the magic of the dresses is not enough to save Maia from herself. She fights it every step of the way; but there is war on the horizon, fought more with magic and spirits than with weaponry and military tactics. To save her country, she has to sacrifice bits and pieces of herself; the more she uses her dark demon magic, the more she is consumed.

The story is told with a lot less of flash and bang. Instead, it is suffused with melancholy and revolves around Maia’s internal conflict, mirroring the mounting war in the world around her. There is also a very strong sense of loneliness; after all, the road to salvation and redemption is lonely. Despite being stuck in Maia’s head, it is fast-paced. The magic and the lore is woven cleverly into the plot and there is rarely a dull moment. Like a river flowing to the ocean, Unravel the Dusk builds slowly as it leads to it’s final conclusion.

"What little I had left of my tailoring gift wasn’t for sewing with needle and thread, it was for crafting a future, stitch by stitch, for the people I loved. That future would hold tight, even as I unraveled."

Maia Gets An Upgrade

Gone is the cheery and relentlessly optimistic tailor; in her place, a broken and downtrodden woman with the world on her shoulders. Maia is severely melodramatic and often morose, rejecting every offer of help she is offered. She has achieved her dream of becoming the imperial tailor but it has come at a terrible price. Despite this, Maia remains headstrong, determined and filled with love. And as she fought the demons, ghouls and voices in her head, Maia remained elegant and delicate, a far cry from the fierce and unapologetic YA female characters we come across today. Some might see weakness in Maia’s gentleness but hers is a quiet strength born of emotion and self-sacrifice; Maia is a talented tailor, not warrior. It was very refreshing to see Lim keep these roots rather than transform her into an all-powerful killing machine.

Although multiple complaints I came across on Goodreads lamented Maia’s refusal of help, it is not hard to see why accepting help would be out of character. And when she finally does accept help, it is justified why she constantly flies solo. Throughout the series, Maia has been fiercely independent and resourceful, having grown up in an environment where she had to rely on her self. Maia often solves problems on her own and as the darkest moments of her life approach and the multitude of dangers that come with it, it would make absolutely no sense for Maia to accept help and put the lives of those she loves at risk. After all, almost every decision she has made was ultimately a selfless one; she is constantly thinking of her loved ones and her country.

Even though we see a rather changed Maia, the same cannot be said for the rest of the characters. They tend to fade into the background or become one-dimensional, cookie-cutters versions of their previous selves. They feel stilted. We do see a few familiar faces pop up from Spin the Dawn which I thought was a very cute and clever way to tie the narratives together such as Ammi, Master Longhai as well as a few faces that will warm as well as break your heart.

Here is just a quick and brief but non-exhaustive run through of the main players:

Edan: Having lost most of his charm, he has become somewhat of a doormat in his blind devotion to Maia. It is rather cringey, for lack of a better word how he seems to have no other goal except to lay down his life for Maia.

Lady Sarnai: We were introduced to the fearsome warrior woman in Spin the Dawn who has an illicit romantic relationship with her father’s general. She remains one-dimensional⁠—ruthless and fearless.

Emperor Khainujin: While the emperor is relatively unchanged from the first book, we are shown another side to the him. In spite of the cruelty he exhibits, Emperor Khainujin is shown to be a good ruler; one that cares for his country and his people.

The Shansen: It is hard to believe that being possessed by a bloodthirsty demon leaves you with absolutely no personality other than revenge, death and bloodlust even though the shansen is showed to also be in control of his thoughts and actions.

"The moon was as starved as it had been the night before, a fragile crescent⁠—according to legend, that meant the Goddess of the Moon could not see her lover, the God of the Sun. When the moon was full she could see him, so she was happier."

Confusing Magic System and Beautiful Prose

But, it is not just the characters that have suffered. The worldbuilding is for lack of a better word, not great. I can overlook the locations and setting even though they are vague despite the map provided because we spend so much time in Maia’s head that it doesn’t really matter. A green field of battle is still a green field no matter where they will be. However, there is much left to be desired with the magic system.

There are two sources of power conflicting in Maia. She is able to wield the power of the three dresses; supposedly a power granted to the goddess, Amana. At the same time, her demon powers are manifesting and the more she uses them, the deeper she falls into the spiral of demonhood. But, the more she wields the power of the dresses, the more she uses her demon magic. Both magics are equally powerful when used to defeat the shansen and his demon. At the same time, the dresses are the only thing keeping her demon side from consuming her whole. And in this world, demons possess an amulet: a sort of physical storage for their power. And Maia uses this to store her dresses. And her demon powers. See where it starts to get a little confusing?

It was the times when Maia wielded her magic that I had to read the paragraphs multiple times in order to grasp what was happening. I gave up trying to understand after a few times. Understanding the magic system wasn’t important to the story: just that she uses her demon magic and she gets worse.

Lyrical and poetic, Lim’s writing brings Maia and Unravel the Dusk to life. To be honest, it is not a book that would leave you breathless in its wonder nor will it ever astound you. In fact, if it were written more like a modern YA novel, it would have been a painful read because we spend so much time in Maia’s thoughts rather than the action or plot. The characters are fairly lackluster and the worldbuilding, safe to say, is confusing. Thankfully, there is a beautiful romantic quality to the way Lim describes Maia’s journey which seems almost like a reverse of how she became the imperial tailor, taking her back to her roots and her heart.

"Astonishing, that a cowherd’s son and a simple weaver, separated by centuries of starfalls, should find each other. If Edan hadn’t taken his oath as an enchanter, and I hadn’t dared to step beyong the path that was laid out for me and gone to the palace, we might never have met. Whatever history remembered of us, whether it likened us to the sun and the moon⁠—only permitted to meet once a year⁠—or simply to a boy and a girl touched by the stars, fate had danced to bring us together."

Frustrating Romance and My Favourite Myth

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: The Blood of Stars duology has a problem with its romance. For a book and a character so driven by her love, the romance feels hollow. It feels insubstantial and filled with pretty, romantic words. While I tried to justify Edan and Maia’s relationship in my initial review for Spin the Dawn, I can’t keep pretending I have any feelings for them. More so with how little agency Edan seems to possess here. With so much going on in both Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk, the romance seems like a second thought and it is reflected in the lack of chemistry between Maia and Edan. In the end, there were so many factors driving Maia’s decisions; Edan was only a small part of it. It was her love for her country, her love for her father and brother, for Ammi, her respect for Lady Sarnai and so many others. Edan was merely a blip on her radar.

Unfortunately, their romance had already been set up in the first book and for continuity’s sake, it had to be continued. Their relationship is held together by Lim’s determination to write a legendary, wuxia-quality romance for them.

And, dear book fam, Lim succeeded!

While The Blood of Stars duology is based on Mulan, it also holds elements of my favourite Chinese myth: the weaver and the cowherd. I made mention of this in my initial review and referenced the Sun-Husband and Moon-Wife myth as this was the story where the stars bled. I only assumed that Lim used the mythology around the blood of the stars and failed to pick up on the tinier details that likened Maia and Edan to the Weaver and Cowherd instead. Literally because Maia is the descendant of the Weaver and Edan was supposedly born to a farmer.

There is even a specific scene towards the end of the book that truly makes Maia the Weaver in the tale and it was just so beautifully written with the lyrical wuxia quality that I could not help but begrudgingly accept Maia and Edan’s relationship.

"Now that I’ve found you again, Maia, I will never leave you. I will stay by your side until the fire in the sun grows cold and the light in the moon is no more. Until time blots out the stars."

The Darkness of Fairytales

The one thing that truly perplexed me about Unravel the Dusk was Lim’s decision to take the series in a darker and more mature direction. While this is definitely a trend in YA books where each book needs to be more violent and explicit than the one before, Unravel the Dusk is reserved and elegant in it’s dark tone. It didn’t try to one up Spin the Dawn with gore and violence; it completely changed the narrative.

When I asked Lim if this was planned and if so, why did she decide so, she said: “As I wrote the end to Spin the Dawn, I realized that the story was going in a darker direction so yes, the nature of [Unravel the Dusk] was planned in that regard. I also wanted to explore the darker side of fairy tales, and how in them, there’s often a cost to pay for using magic/saving your loved ones.”

And for a brief moment, that left me speechless. We’ve grown so accustomed to the Disney renditions that we often forget that these fairytales have much darker origins and a moral undertone. Cinderella was bloody and gory, Little Mermaid turned into seafoam and the original Mulan, well, let’s just say she didn’t really have her Li Shang. We seldom see this flipside exploration in mainstream media; after all, it is the sanitised version that appeals to children and parents. Lim achieved this spectacularly when she turned the focus from the high-paced adventure to Maia and the question of what happens when you use magic.

In most media, there is always a favourable outcome to the usage of magic, turning zero to hero. Characters become shining parables of good and the forces they defeat, bad. Characters continue to signal virtue their goodness by being the victim, hunted by all in the world. Their sacrifices are body counts and they never selfless. By all accounts, Maia should have been the imperial hero, seated at the right hand of the emperor. Perhaps like Aelin Galathynius, she would have faced terrible challenge after terrible challenge and emerge victorious. But instead of fighting an external force, Maia has to grapple with her own morality and her very existence. The lens is turned inward and we get a glimpse into what it would be like if we were to be in Maia’s shoes. What would we do with that immense power? What bargains would we strike?

"No longer was I a humble seamstress from Port Kamalan: I was the tailor of the gods."

Conclusion

While Spin the Dawn is the Mulan fantasy retelling, Unravel the Dusk is all Lim. It’s her own exploration of the story beyond the warrior, her own creation of the Maia fairytale and I think that is beautiful. Maia is not and will never be, a warrior but she is full of heart and fighting spirit. Although there are quite a few flaws with Unravel the Dusk, Lim’s writing andthe unique diversion from the original narrative and plot make this one a worthwhile read and a worthy conclusion to the duology.

I really loved Spin The Dawn, published in 2019. There was stunning world building, folk-lore, and characters. This continues in Unravel The Dusk, but this book has more political intrigue, and a personal reckoning for the main character, Maia. All this adds up to a satisfying ending to this duology.

What I Liked:
World-Building:
As with the first book, Unravel The Dusk continues with the folk-lore of this world of demons, gods, and ghosts. We see more of the world of demons, in particular, as Maia is slowly becoming one! This is a long process where a person will slowly lose control as they give in to the temptation to use magic. Maia has many reasons to use magic as she defends her kingdom against the evil warlord Shansen.

But this world is also filled with the textures of fabrics, the aromas of food, the sensations of hot and cold. All of the senses are involved in this book. I particularly like all the references to clothing (Maia is a tailor, after all).

Characters:
I enjoyed Maia's journey as she fights her transformation from human to demon. She is never self-pitying. She's made her bargain and is resigned to her fate. But she also wants to do the best she can during the time she has left.

I also like that Edan, Maia's lover, doesn't try to "save" her. He wants to be with her, even if her time is short. Neither character wastes time with melodramatic sacrifices or ridiculous misunderstandings.

Relationships:
Maia's life is not just defined by her romance with Edan. This book shows her ties to her family, particularly her brothers, and to her friend, Ammi. This shows her full life, something that YA books, often don't do.

Ending:
While I won't go into too much detail (no spoilers!), I will say that there was a great resolution to the story that incorporated love, sacrifice, and folk-lore. It was beautiful and satisfying.

This book was the one I expected from last year, I finished it very quickly, I did not love it as I would have liked, Ethan comes out in the middle of the story, it is my favorite character, I hoped it would come out more, from the beginning begins the action and Maia have changed a lot, I love the darkness that is taking over it because it is a demon.
It does not lose the essence of the description of the author, the three dresses of the smile of the sun, the tears of the moon and the blood of the stars, remain very important in the story, plaster is what fascinates me of the story.
I'm not going to deny that if I got stuck about how the story was going to end, two chapters were missing and there was still the war and the mystery of Maia demon, wow, I must say it was good the end but I think it could be better, I don't know, I didn't feel the mine or love I felt with spin the Dawn, definitely my favorite of this lodge duo is spin the dawn.
These cookies are inspired by the cover and history of the books.

What a fabulous conclusion to this story! There's a lot of moving parts but mostly everything is wrapped up well. This sequel has less awesome tailoring moments that give the story so much unique style, but it may be even better than Spin the Dawn. Claps for a satisfying conclusion.

Unravel the Dusk follows Maia Tamarin after the events of Spin the Dawn. I can’t describe much of the plot lest I spoil what happens, but Maia is forced to grapple with darkness and cling to her humanity before she becomes something worse. The demons and enemies she faced in the previous book are ever-present in this book, and with epic battles and heartfelt reunions, I should have loved this book. Sadly, that was not the case.

My issue with this sequel was that I, simply, did not care. About anything. Perhaps if I had read this at another time, I might have loved it, but I didn’t connect to Maia at all and wasn’t too invested to see how her story would end. I also typically enjoy the “descent into darkness” type of character arcs—though I’m biased because I’ll always want the character to actually crave the darkness and not try to fight it—but for some reason, this time it didn’t work for me.

Maia’s internal conflict felt so repetitive to me; there was no growth over the course of the book and it was essentially the same thought process over and over. This was made especially worse with her “narration” of what she thought or knew was going to happen—it was like foreshadowing, except you were told it instead of it being subtly hinted, and it made the plot lose all its suspense.

If you loved Spin the Dawn for its romance, you might be in for a disappointment with this sequel. Edan doesn’t show up until halfway through the book, and even then his connection with Maia didn’t feel as deep as it was in the first book. This might not have been an issue, since I do think the main focus of this book was meant to be Maia rather than her relationships with any of the other characters, but unfortunately it made the ending feel shallow to me.

Aside from Maia, it didn’t really feel like any of the characters went through much development. Edan essentially was there to be a love interest to Maia (and he actually had a setback that would have been so interesting to explore!), so that made both him and the romance feel very stagnant. The other side characters also fell flat. I recognize that this book was meant to mainly focus on Maia, but I still wished that the other characters got some love too. Because if you were like me and didn’t care about Maia, the lack of side character development meant you also didn’t care about any of the other characters.

Finally, my last complaint with this book was its ending. I don’t really know where I stand on it, in terms of what I actually wanted to happen between the two options presented, but I didn’t like either of them. Either she died and stayed dead, or was revived for her happy ending with Edan. I’m annoying and I hate happy endings that are unrealistic, and to me, the revival was unrealistic. But I also hate when main characters are killed off without a good conclusion to their arc, and if she had stayed dead, her arc would have been incomplete. So I’m conflicted! But I know for sure that I wasn’t happy with the conclusion.

So far, it looks like Unravel the Dusk is receiving mostly positive feedback, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, if you will! There’s a chance that my indifference towards this book might be on the book itself, but it’s more likely that this was a personal issue. Elizabeth Lim’s writing is still gorgeous as ever, and of course the Asian-inspired worldbuilding and mythology was beautiful. I also appreciated the themes of female strength and power that shone through with Maia and another character.

But unfortunately, Unravel the Dusk just really did not work for me. Perhaps the worst thing was that I didn’t even feel a particular sadness about it disappointing me—because that was how little I cared. I’ll still be looking forward to Elizabeth Lim’s future books, though, and I’m excited to see what she can cook up next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s Books, and Elizabeth Lim for the opportunity to read Unravel the Dusk in exchange for an honest review.

Spin the Dawn was one of my absolute favorite books of 2019, so of course I was excited for the second and final book in the duology. While not quite as exciting as the first novel, this was still a fantastically satisfying book. For me, I think it was the magic of the contest, the budding romance, and the quest adventure that really just made Spin the Dawn an utterly amazing novel. With Unravel the Dusk, the reader doesn’t even get to see Maia’s romantic love interest, enchanter Edan, until about 50% of the way through the novel, and the intensity has a different frequency in this installment.

While the intensity of the first novel comes from the sewing contest, the romance, and the quest to get what is needed to sew the mythical dresses of Amana, Unravel the Dusk‘s intensity comes from the looming fate of main character Maia and her country, A’landi. The novel starts off with a swift pace, establishing the tensions between Emperor Khanujin and the shansen, who waged war against each other in years past. Maia tries to save the joining marriage between the Emperor and the shansen’s daughter, Sarnai (but she doesn’t love him and tries to escape with her lover).

As Maia shows her true colors, a strike against the shansen brings newfound war to A’landi. With the dresses of Amana, Maia holds back the fact that she is turning into a demon from a curse placed upon her during one of her quests in the first novel.

This novel revolves around two plot-lines: Maia’s quest to try and break the demon’s curse, and the war between her country and the shansen. While still breathtakingly action-packed and exciting, it didn’t make my heart skip a beat the same way the first book seemed to do.

That being said, I still absolutely adore the Asian mythology woven in throughout this book (mostly Chinese, I believe). I also found the end to be quite wholesome, giving me a nice sense of completeness to this story. What a great series!

I love this duology more than enough to have in my personal collection, as well as to have a set for my students to select from my classroom library. Whatever Miss Lim writes next, I’ll definitely give it a read!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the first book, so I was really looking forward to Unravel the Dusk (although I actually was approved for UtD prior to finishing Spin the Dawn). And this is one of those sequels that impressed me and did fairly well following up on the potential built in book one, something that can be hard to do.

Once again, the cultural influences remain a high point. I loved the Chinese-inspired politics and mythology, and I enjoyed how it was fleshed out further in this one.

I also appreciated the greater focus on Maia’s personal journey, especially as the effects of the demon attack begin manifesting. There was a genuine question of whether she would sacrifice herself for the good of others.

As a result of this personal journey, the romance was less pronounced in this one, which I preferred, because I didn’t absolutely adore the romance between Maia and Edan in book one. But I think, even if you love the couple, you’ll still like the way their pairing manifests in this book. I liked that Edan is also a bit weakened, so he’s on a journey that parallels Maia’s to an extent, although he is characterized as more passive here, amplifying Maia’s strength.

This is a fabulous sequel, and it has me curious to read more from Elizabeth Lim. If you are looking for a culturally rich Chinese-inspired fantasy, I recommend this one.

When I saw the cover of Spin the Dawn with the comp of Project Runway meets Mulan I knew I had to read it. I was lucky enough to participate in the blog tour last year and I fell in love! (Check out my review HERE) 

Maia returns to the kingdom after completing her task of sewing dresses of the sun, moon, and stars only to be forced to wear the dress and pretend to be the emperor's bride. Follow her in Unravel the Dusk as she tries to stave off the demon threatening to take her over while trying to find Edan. We get to see how the competition effected Maia and her inner turmoil which I felt made the story much more complex. She's not only trying to find Edan, the man she loves, but save the kingdom and herself at the same time. 

This second installment feels almost like a new story with the same characters we fell in love with in the first one. Maia is tougher than she was in the first book and instead of using her magic to create the amazing dresses we saw in book one, she's using it to help her fight the war she's been plunged into the middle of. 

Book one was fast-paced in competition whereas this one is fast-paced in war. I enjoyed every minute of it! If you're looking for a unique duology about family, love, and loyalty than you'll enjoy these books!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed Spin the Dawn, so I was looking forward to this sequel and it didn’t disappoint. Maia is everything I love in a female protagonist...smart, driven, and tough as nails. Together with Lord Enchanter Edan, she takes on the demons and the kingdom’s enemy. It kept me on the edge of my seat!

The sequel to Spin the Dawn was as enjoyable as the first. Maia continues her adventure to save her country with the help of a stellar cast. The ladies really shone in this volume and it was a joy to see Ammi and Sarnai get more page time.

Happy book birthday to Unravel the Dusk! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up. After reading Spin the Dawn earlier this year, I wanted to immediately get my hands on book two and I was beyond surprised (and incredibly thankful) when my wish was granted and I received an advanced copy.

I thought Unravel the Dusk was a good ending to this series, however, it was very different to what I expected and as a result it has left me with very mixed, although still mostly positive, feelings about it. Unsurprisingly, this was a much darker read and the tone was also more serious than the fun, adventurous one of book one. Possible minor spoilers ahead for those who have not yet read Spin the Dawn!

Lim's writing was lyrical and flowed effortlessly off the page. It was descriptive enough that it was easy to re-immerse myself in this Asian inspired fantasy world, which was one of my favourite aspects about the story. Picking up exactly where we left off in book one, there is plenty of action that continues throughout the story and keeps the plot moving at a pretty fast pace. Combined with the writing style, this made it an easy read. Quite a few side characters that we meet in book one make a reappearance in this sequel and I enjoyed getting to know them more--especially Ammi, Master Longhai and Lady Sarnai. Both Ammi's and Longhai's unwavering support and friendship was heartwarming and I'm glad that Maia had them to lean on even when she didn't want to. I didn't like Lady Sarnai much in book one and I honestly didn't like her much more here, but I admit to developing a deep respect for her character by the end of the book 😅 She doesn't back away from what she believes, even if that means going against a person she loved and admired, and Lim's descriptions of her character surprisingly left me in awe and without doubt about her ability to lead well.

I still mostly enjoyed Maia's narrative and it was interesting to watch her internal battle against the demon taking over her. Despite her flaws, I thought she was a really strong character who remained constant in her determination to protect A'landi and to keep her loved ones safe. Although I felt she unnecessarily took on all the burdens upon her shoulders while constantly pushing everyone away, the sacrifices she made were admirable. Alongside Maia, Edan was probably my favourite character in book one and I'm a bit disappointed that we don't see much of him here. In my opinion, it seemed like he was relegated to being a very minor side-character; although his support to Maia was invaluable, and you could feel how much he adored her, he experiences no growth. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I feel like if he didn't make an appearance it would make no difference because he had such a minimal supporting role! However, their love for each other is undoubtable and it's still one of my favourite aspects of this story. It's so pure and wholesome. Edan definitely made my heart swoon with his declarations!

That being said, I felt less connected to the characters in this book and I think that's what made it easy for me to put it down and not feel the need to immediately pick it up again. I also felt like the challenges that Maia faces in the book were resolved so easily that it left me feeling unsatisfied; not to mention that because the pace moves very quickly it leaves very little time to process events. The way the magic worked could've also been better explained; it confused me at times because I wasn't sure if I really understood what was happening but then the story moved on so quickly with the next conflict/challenge, and my focus was diverted, so I didn't have time to think about it. I will say that there were some scenes towards the end that had a few tears tracking down my face and made me feel really connected to Maia and her battle. Ugh, the feels! 😭

All the elements were wrapped up pretty neatly in the end and while I wasn't mad about it, though a bit underwhelmed, I can understand why people wouldn't enjoy it. Still, I thought it was a satisfying ending to the series and I'm glad that we got an uncomplicated HEA for the characters. I really enjoyed Lim's writing and characters, and I loved exploring this Asian inspired fantasy world. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of her work in the future!

Hello, friends! 💖 I’m super excited for today’s post because I’m participating in Caffeine Book Tour’s Unravel the Dusk blog tour hosted by Shealea from Shut Up, Shealea. Last year, I fell in love with the magical story that is Spin the Dawn, and I was so thrilled to be invited back to review its sequel.

Filled with whimsical writing, fierce yet lovable characters, and the most heart-wrenching romance, Unravel the Dusk left me speechless from start to finish. I truly loved this #ownvoices Asian fantasy, and I promise that the story itself is as beautiful as its cover.

Unravel the Dusk follows Maia Tamarin’s return to her war-torn kingdom after successfully completing her journey to sew the dresses of the sun, moon, and stars. However, as her country struggles to maintain peace, Maia is also internally fighting the demon Bandur who has captured her soul.

Truthfully, I was a little worried diving into this book because I didn’t have the opportunity to reread Spin the Dawn, and I wasn’t sure if I would remember all the plot details. However, Elizabeth Lim does a fantastic job of immersing you back into the magical world with her captivating writing.

“We were like the sun and the moon, sharing the same stars and the same sky.”

Elizabeth Lim’s writing charmed me from the first page with its intricate worldbuilding and complex characters, and I would even say that her storytelling abilities have improved a lot since Book 1. Her writing is lyrical and poetic, as a reader, you can’t help but be mesmerized by her words.

The romance in this book MADE MY HEART HURT. 😭💔 Edan and Maia did not hold back in giving us agony, longing, and all the slowburn feels, but their eventual reunion made it all the more worthwhile. I also have so much love for Lady Sarnai in this book as she becomes an even more formidable warrior who you can’t help but #stan.

Overall, Unravel the Dusk was the perfect companion novel to its predecessor, and I was so happy to be reunited with the characters and the world. If you’ve read and loved Spin the Dawn, you don’t want to miss picking this up!

“You are my family and my home.”

Unravel the Dusk is the conclusion of the story that began in book 1 called Spin the Dawn, which I read and reviewed last year. We left our characters at the end of the first book, when Maia began feeling the effects of having been marked by a demon. In book 2, the Emperor and the shansen are back to being at war with each other and Maia and the former imperial enchanter are in the thick of it. Maia has to learn how to control the demon within and channel her new power for good. At a basic level, it is a story of good and evil, an internal struggle within each of us: the choices we make, the impulses we follow or let go off.

Similar to book 1, Unravel the Dusk is action-packed and a very fast read. I liked the scope of the story, the character development and the plot. Overall, a very well rounded fantasy duology. 4 out of 5 stars.

Wow so Unravel the Dusk is quite the sequel to Spin the Dawn. It was crazy every step of the way. I really didn’t know what Maia’s fate was going to be until we went there. This the second book so beware there might be unavoidable spoilers for the first book in this review.

So I feel like the synopsis doesn’t do justice to the intensity of this plot. Maia did indeed sew the dresses of Amana but she paid a grave price. She paid it out of love though for her family, her country and Edan. I love Maia because she has changed so much from when we met her in the first book. She’s not perfect by any means. She makes mistakes but she also has found a new confidence and a new purpose.I think it’s really interesting how she is able to see beyond the surface of people. Including maybe some of the ones that come across as the worst like Khanujin, Sarnai and Xina. She doesn’t excuse their misdeeds but she is also able to find their value. I also love how she loves A’landi and the people in it.

Like I said the plot is intense and fast paced. I kept wondering what Maia would do next. I did get frustrated with her sometimes and her actions. In the grand scheme of things it all led to where she needed to be. She just kept managing to get herself stuck in situations. I felt the ending was really heartfelt as well. The conversations that occur and how things wrap up.

I really loved Unravel the Dusk. I don’t want to give anything away because it is such a great sequel to Spin the Dawn. I wish there could be more but again the ending was perfectly executed.