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nyramorningstar's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
edacious_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
It's been awhile since a YA really captivated me and I am so glad I stumbled across this one. I needed a book that had a sewing theme and this one was a delightful read. It had all the right captivating elements: a woman struggling to pave a place in a man ruled world, a hint of Mulan (a young seamstress that takes on the guise of her brother to serve the emperor and save her family), and a fantastical journey to capture the laughter of the sun, tears of the moon, and blood of the stars to make the most extraordinary dresses. The budding love interest was also just right but not too overbearing nor the protagonist all of a sudden totally dependent on her beloved's help. And that ending! There are a lot of twists I did not see coming, now I can't wait for the next installment. Definitely recommend.
isabelladaisy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
loup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.25
emiliats's review against another edition
5.0
Czytało się świetnie.
Cudowni główni bohaterowie.
Polecam.
Cudowni główni bohaterowie.
Polecam.
chapter_break's review against another edition
5.0
Actual Rating- 4.5⭐️’s
Date 6/28/19 What a fun story! I loved it from beginning to end. Full review to come
Date 7/10/19
Okay, so if I'm being honest the pitch for this book did not catch my attention. But as I saw some of the early reviews start to come in, I became increasingly more intrigued. SPIN THE DAWN is said to be a mix of Project Runway meets Mulan. I feel like that only describes the first half of the book. I would describe the second half as more of a mashup between Aladdin and an adventure/quest (think Percy Jackson) mixed with something I can't quite place my finger on.
Maia is the daughter of a renowned Tailor and when tragedy strikes their family (from multiple fronts), Maia is left to carry the burden of keeping their shop running. But no one can know. Women aren't allowed to become tailors. Between her father's illness, her brothers' absences, and the war causing business to dwindle, her family is struggling to survive. Now that the war has ended, the Emperor is searching for the perfect tailor to make his new fiance's wedding dress and become the Imperial Tailor. When the Emperor's people come knocking, there's only one thing to do.... impersonate her brother and try to win a spot as the Imperial Tailor.
I loved this book from the minute I started reading it. Lim did a fantastic job of immediately grabbing my attention and keeping me interested throughout the whole story. I found it refreshing to have a story told through a single point of view. The author dreamed up many intriguing characters, but just like Maia caught the court magician's eye, he caught mine! The Enchanter is sassy, swoon worthy, and cloaked in secrecy. If you love a fantasy full of adventure, betrayal, mystery, mythology, and a slow burn romance, then look no further! This may be Lim's debut novel, but it didn't feel like it. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this story and anything else she writes.
Date 6/28/19 What a fun story! I loved it from beginning to end. Full review to come
Date 7/10/19
Okay, so if I'm being honest the pitch for this book did not catch my attention. But as I saw some of the early reviews start to come in, I became increasingly more intrigued. SPIN THE DAWN is said to be a mix of Project Runway meets Mulan. I feel like that only describes the first half of the book. I would describe the second half as more of a mashup between Aladdin and an adventure/quest (think Percy Jackson) mixed with something I can't quite place my finger on.
Maia is the daughter of a renowned Tailor and when tragedy strikes their family (from multiple fronts), Maia is left to carry the burden of keeping their shop running. But no one can know. Women aren't allowed to become tailors. Between her father's illness, her brothers' absences, and the war causing business to dwindle, her family is struggling to survive. Now that the war has ended, the Emperor is searching for the perfect tailor to make his new fiance's wedding dress and become the Imperial Tailor. When the Emperor's people come knocking, there's only one thing to do.... impersonate her brother and try to win a spot as the Imperial Tailor.
I loved this book from the minute I started reading it. Lim did a fantastic job of immediately grabbing my attention and keeping me interested throughout the whole story. I found it refreshing to have a story told through a single point of view. The author dreamed up many intriguing characters, but just like Maia caught the court magician's eye, he caught mine! The Enchanter is sassy, swoon worthy, and cloaked in secrecy. If you love a fantasy full of adventure, betrayal, mystery, mythology, and a slow burn romance, then look no further! This may be Lim's debut novel, but it didn't feel like it. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this story and anything else she writes.
mahjabinmeem's review against another edition
3.0
2.75 stars
Let's face it, the concept of this book is slightly ridiculous. Our protagonist Maia is entering a competition to become the imperial tailor, because that is the biggest honor a citizen can hope to achieve. But she cannot participate as herself, because here apparently women can't be Master Tailors.
How to write a YA Fantasy 101-
Pick a culture
Make something forbidden for women in that culture
Make the protagonist be the first women to achieve that
Insert a love interest, preferably a hate to love romance, or a love triangle.
Anyways, I picked this book up as I was craving something easy and light, also to see if the author could somehow magically make this ridiculous concept into something glamorous. Nope. Didn't happen. The various sewing metaphors in the book just made me cringe honestly. Maia's magical ability is to be able to wield magical scissors smh. Also a princess is delaying her marriage by sending people into quests to make dresses of Goddesses.
The magic was so vague. It's as if she needed to make it fantasy so it would sell, but had no idea how to manifest that concept into reality. Even the tailoring stuff could've been if there was a detailes cool magic to accompany the story. The whole book was very surface level without any deeper look into the world. There were no real high stakes to justify the dangers Maia had to face on her quest.
The writing was the best part about the book. It was decent, easy to go through. Nothing too flowery or obnoxious. The romance was also good I suppose. The main characters were okay. I actually quite enjoyed the quest parts.
If you're looking for some simple, easy read, you can check it out.
Let's face it, the concept of this book is slightly ridiculous. Our protagonist Maia is entering a competition to become the imperial tailor, because that is the biggest honor a citizen can hope to achieve. But she cannot participate as herself, because here apparently women can't be Master Tailors.
How to write a YA Fantasy 101-
Pick a culture
Make something forbidden for women in that culture
Make the protagonist be the first women to achieve that
Insert a love interest, preferably a hate to love romance, or a love triangle.
Anyways, I picked this book up as I was craving something easy and light, also to see if the author could somehow magically make this ridiculous concept into something glamorous. Nope. Didn't happen. The various sewing metaphors in the book just made me cringe honestly. Maia's magical ability is to be able to wield magical scissors smh. Also a princess is delaying her marriage by sending people into quests to make dresses of Goddesses.
The magic was so vague. It's as if she needed to make it fantasy so it would sell, but had no idea how to manifest that concept into reality. Even the tailoring stuff could've been if there was a detailes cool magic to accompany the story. The whole book was very surface level without any deeper look into the world. There were no real high stakes to justify the dangers Maia had to face on her quest.
The writing was the best part about the book. It was decent, easy to go through. Nothing too flowery or obnoxious. The romance was also good I suppose. The main characters were okay. I actually quite enjoyed the quest parts.
If you're looking for some simple, easy read, you can check it out.