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kemikemi's review against another edition
i knew from other people’s reviews going in that the competition was only the first half of the book and that the second half was a quest, but yeah they lost me during the quest…majority of page-time turns into development for the loveline rather than more sewing/designing/tailoring content, and i cannot get myself to buy into this romance because i hate the “hundreds year old man and teen girl” trope i keep yelling at him and calling him ‘gramps’ in my head. it would be different if he was straight up not human at all, but hes just a man who took an oath for his magic and for reasons the magic just makes him stay looking 20 for 1000yrs while he serves out his oath. this man is old as shit.
so yeah, i cant bring myself to listen to 4 more hours of this just to finish it im sorry; the premise was so captivating but the way it ended up going just isnt for me. cover art is gorgeous though
so yeah, i cant bring myself to listen to 4 more hours of this just to finish it im sorry; the premise was so captivating but the way it ended up going just isnt for me. cover art is gorgeous though
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Classism
Moderate: Bullying
meghansarmiento97's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Bullying, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and War
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed most of the book, until we got a bit of an insta love moment and then from there, it became a bit too eye roll dramatic for my taste. It was a good retelling of Mulan and I liked the unique elements it brought but yeah, the romantic relationship became very cringe
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, Bullying, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Death of parent, and Body horror
thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
A beautiful story that imbues Chinese mythology and a combination of retellings of Mulan and Rumpelstiltskin.
The story is set in two parts. The first is Maia's competition to be the Imperial tailor, and the second is Maia's journey and quest to complete three mythical dresses for the Imperial wedding.
There is love, heartbreak, death, and longing to be throughout the story. Magic, demons, Chinese mythology, and enchantments help create a wonderful first book in this duology.
The story is set in two parts. The first is Maia's competition to be the Imperial tailor, and the second is Maia's journey and quest to complete three mythical dresses for the Imperial wedding.
There is love, heartbreak, death, and longing to be throughout the story. Magic, demons, Chinese mythology, and enchantments help create a wonderful first book in this duology.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: War, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Body shaming, Death, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
madravingintrovert's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
January is ending with a bang!! Here we have the SECOND 5-flapper girls approved book of the year. This is a young adult book and a pretty clean one at that. There is technically a fade-2-black scene but it is so subtle and tastefully done that you almost don't realize that is what is happening. Spin the Dawn has heavy influences in Eastern world lore, India, Middle East, China, Japan and more. This book had me reading into the late hours of the night and falling asleep reading again. It has been a few months since a book gripped me that strongly. There is mostly adventure with a slow burn love story woven through out. I can't say enough good things about this book. I have a stack that are checked out from the library and due soon and an advanced copy book that I am supposed to read soon and all that is going STRAIGHT out the window in favor of the sequel to this book because I HAVE to know what happens next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Bullying, Grief, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Blood, Sexism, War, Chronic illness, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
hanarama's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
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
3.0
The Good:
- Plot is fun and interesting.
- Main character is clever and likeable.
The Bad:
- Prose is a little more tell than show at times.
- Romance is a bit bland and over takes the plot after a point.
You Might Like this Book if You Like:
- Fairytales and impossible tasks.
- Competition storylines.
- Fashion
The story is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway, which I feel is a bit disingenuous. The only similarity to Mulan is that Maia crossdresses in order to enter the initial competition, which only lasts for about 1/3 of the story.
Beyond that, this is a highly patriarchal setting where women are prevented from working as anything more than maids or cooks. I expected the book to be more critical of this, but it really wasn't outside of how Maia is effected. There are a few comments made regarding the Emperor's betrothed, but not much beyond that. I would have liked at least the love interest to be less patronizing towards Maia. While he seems very supportive of her goals as a tailor, he still comes off as kind of belittling.
The moments spent in the world's mythology are compelling and fun. I loved the descriptions of the clothes and Maia's work, but I felt like there was a lot that could have been improved with this book. I will likely still read the second book, and I am hoping to check out Six Crimson Cranes at some point, but this one was pretty middle of the road for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexism
water_violin's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a really fun and somewhat challenging book; I’m definitely looking forward to the second one! I got very serious Tamora Pierce: the Immortals quartet vibes from the main characters in Spin the Dawn. Gaia shared several characteristics with Daine; Edan shared a surprising number of characteristics with Numair (and some of Daine as well). And their relationship definitely felt comparable as well. Super interesting premise and I’m excited to see where they go next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
sarah984's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I've seen this book advertised as "Project Runway meets Mulan" but that's unfortunately not very accurate. Yes, teenage tailor Maia disguises herself as a boy to enter a competition to become the next imperial tailor in order to protect her father and brother, but that set up is tossed out almost immediately in favour of standard YA foolishness.
Maia’s disguise barely factors into the novel as she's discovered almost right away, and presents as female for the majority of her page time. (Also for some reason she doesn't consider the fact that if she wins the competition she will have to live as a man forever until someone else brings it up??) I really enjoyed the idea of the competition, and the challenges were interesting. However, the competition ends less than halfway into the book. Afterward, Maia is sent on a very long and boring quest with her boring 500-year-old love interest and makes a bunch of stupid decisions.
This is the type of YA insta-love where it is impossible to see what the two characters see in each other and they reiterate how all-encompassing it is over and over. Maia constantly puts the love interest and his wellbeing ahead of herself and her family, which is annoying in a story comparing itself to Mulan.
Every problem that the characters encounter except for the sequel hook is solved almost immediately via wizard magic so the stakes feel very low. There is one singular interesting character and she's hardly in the book.
I really can't recommend this to anyone interested in it for the concept.
Maia’s disguise barely factors into the novel as she's discovered almost right away, and presents as female for the majority of her page time. (Also for some reason she doesn't consider the fact that if she wins the competition she will have to live as a man forever until someone else brings it up??) I really enjoyed the idea of the competition, and the challenges were interesting. However, the competition ends less than halfway into the book. Afterward, Maia is sent on a very long and boring quest with her boring 500-year-old love interest and makes a bunch of stupid decisions.
This is the type of YA insta-love where it is impossible to see what the two characters see in each other and they reiterate how all-encompassing it is over and over. Maia constantly puts the love interest and his wellbeing ahead of herself and her family, which is annoying in a story comparing itself to Mulan.
Every problem that the characters encounter except for the sequel hook is solved almost immediately via wizard magic so the stakes feel very low. There is one singular interesting character and she's hardly in the book.
I really can't recommend this to anyone interested in it for the concept.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia
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