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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Does it deserve 5 shiny stars if we take in consideration plotting, writing, world building, characterization, etc? Nah. Definitely not. Not the best writing, that's for sure.
Do I give a single utilitarian fuck?
Absolutely not. This book was crack. It was fabulous entertainment. So I don't care to pull out my read pen and nitpick on it because Elizabeth managed to do something no YA author has done in a long time: she revived my love for YA. I've been in a nasty YA slump for over a year, and Spin the Dawn completely revived my excitement for the genre. After this I'm miraculously cured.
Damn you, Elizabeth, I fucking love you.
If you want a less dark, intense and blood drenched version of Eon, with an equally engaging plot albeit not as well written and not so detailed in its research but with the power to make you turn the pages like a maniac: this is your savior.
Happy new year, love you all.
(No, not all.)
Do I give a single utilitarian fuck?
Absolutely not. This book was crack. It was fabulous entertainment. So I don't care to pull out my read pen and nitpick on it because Elizabeth managed to do something no YA author has done in a long time: she revived my love for YA. I've been in a nasty YA slump for over a year, and Spin the Dawn completely revived my excitement for the genre. After this I'm miraculously cured.
Damn you, Elizabeth, I fucking love you.
If you want a less dark, intense and blood drenched version of Eon, with an equally engaging plot albeit not as well written and not so detailed in its research but with the power to make you turn the pages like a maniac: this is your savior.
Happy new year, love you all.
(No, not all.)
mysterious
medium-paced
Disclaimer: I bought this book! Heck ya! Support your authors!
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Book Series: The Blood of Stars Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Publication Date: July 9, 2019
Diversity: Steeped in Chinese culture!
Recommended Age: 15+ (sewing lol, some violence, some slight gore, some magic)
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Synopsis: Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Review: For the most part I thought this book was so magical and amazing! I loved the spin on the classic Mulan tale and I loved how it was part Project Runway too! I felt that the book was well written, the story was intriguing, the characters well developed, and the world development within the first part of the book was fantastic.
However, I did have some issues with the book. I felt like these were two totally different books with the same characters. The plot of the first half finished so well and so cleanly, but then the plot of the second book was a bit of a mess. The romance felt a bit rushed for me and honestly Edan gave me some creeper vibes. The magic of this book also went a bit haywire in the second half of the book. I think the second book will clean things up but it was a bit of a weird turn from the first part of the book to the second part of the book.
Verdict: An enjoyable book!
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Book Series: The Blood of Stars Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Publication Date: July 9, 2019
Diversity: Steeped in Chinese culture!
Recommended Age: 15+ (sewing lol, some violence, some slight gore, some magic)
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Synopsis: Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Review: For the most part I thought this book was so magical and amazing! I loved the spin on the classic Mulan tale and I loved how it was part Project Runway too! I felt that the book was well written, the story was intriguing, the characters well developed, and the world development within the first part of the book was fantastic.
However, I did have some issues with the book. I felt like these were two totally different books with the same characters. The plot of the first half finished so well and so cleanly, but then the plot of the second book was a bit of a mess. The romance felt a bit rushed for me and honestly Edan gave me some creeper vibes. The magic of this book also went a bit haywire in the second half of the book. I think the second book will clean things up but it was a bit of a weird turn from the first part of the book to the second part of the book.
Verdict: An enjoyable book!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked the setting of the book overall, but I was never really sucked into the story. At first I thought I would connect to some of the characters but in the end I didn't really
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a fantastic book. I finished it this morning, and I have just been in awe of it all day, trying to come up the words that I want to use to describe this book.
I was trying to decide how many stars I wanted to give the book, I kept going back and forth between 4 or 5 stars. But once I really started writing my review, I realized how much I truly enjoyed and loved this book. I am so attached to this book that my biggest worry right now is that the next book won't live up.
Maia is a fantastic character who dreams and is capable of so much more than her world will allow. To help her ailing family, she answers a summons from the Emperor impersonating her injured brother, and competes for the chance to be a royal tailor, but her true test isn't if she can beat other tailors or pass as a man, she must complete a task that can only be described as impossible.
These characters are wonderful, the adventure is epic, the romance is pretty swoon worthy and the world is something straight out of your dreams. Every element of this story was fantastic.
I was trying to decide how many stars I wanted to give the book, I kept going back and forth between 4 or 5 stars. But once I really started writing my review, I realized how much I truly enjoyed and loved this book. I am so attached to this book that my biggest worry right now is that the next book won't live up.
Maia is a fantastic character who dreams and is capable of so much more than her world will allow. To help her ailing family, she answers a summons from the Emperor impersonating her injured brother, and competes for the chance to be a royal tailor, but her true test isn't if she can beat other tailors or pass as a man, she must complete a task that can only be described as impossible.
These characters are wonderful, the adventure is epic, the romance is pretty swoon worthy and the world is something straight out of your dreams. Every element of this story was fantastic.
czytając wydawało mi się to bardzo.. infantylne.
bardziej to można traktować jako książka dla młodzieży niż coś poważnego a nie tego się spodziewałam.
bardziej to można traktować jako książka dla młodzieży niż coś poważnego a nie tego się spodziewałam.