Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Spin the Dawn

Every time that a fantasy book with unique setting and interesting world gets squashed by a boring romance, I lose my faith in YA.

Mulan x Project Runway is a marketing ploy, the fashion competition disguised as a man ends before even the middle of the book and it turns into a romance fantasy quest. And to be fair, that would have been awesome if the love interest was not creepy and the romance didn't steal the protagonist's whole agency.

I don't understand why there is this pattern of being attracted to old men with boy faces that stalk you. Edan literally is 500+ years old and stalks Maia from the moment she leaves to go to the palace for the competition.

For a book that begins with a feminist approach, a woman wanting to prove herself as worthy as any man to become the Imperial tailor, she loses all interest in her passion as soon as she discovers the one for Edan. From that point, her dreams feel like a chore and all she wants is to be married to this man she's known for two months max, risking her life for him.

On that note, was her having these magical scissors really necessary? I struggled to form my own opinion on the matter but now that the book is over and we know she has magical ancestry, she has turned from a talented woman who wanted to be taken seriously to a chosen one. This defeated the whole purpose of equality and made her a magical being unbothered by others instead of a girl who wanted to fulfill her dreams despite society's disapproval.

Despite the book being diverse in its portrayal of Asian culture, characters, and a character who poses as a man, it has undertones of anti-LGBT+. The concept of same-sex love is scandalous, and the protagonist detests having to partake in any romantic actions with girls, so much so that she finds relief in posing as a gay man. Edan himself is rumored to find pleasure in *young* men, which made his character all the more predatory in the beginning, but the implication that he is a bisexual man is simply dropped and we are led to believe those were just mean rumors.

Now imagine how much more awesome the love story would have been if Maia had fallen for the Emperor and became best friends with Lady Sarnai. Having to sew the wedding dresses of your soul mate's wife who is also your best friend. Even better imagine this; having to sew the wedding dresses of the woman you love for her marriage to a man.
So much tension lost and ignored, Lady Sarnai could have been so much more interestingly written, but despite the glimpses of her delicate heart we settle for her being a snobby b*tch because... the Lord Enchanter 500+ years old who stalks you is more interesting to think about.

Content Warnings

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

If you liked a Magic Steeped in Poison, then you'll like this book. Instead of tea the main character weilds sewing as her weapon. In this world she fights against a system that doesn't want her and constantly underestimates her.

Content Warnings