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maeverose's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
TL;DR: I’m sad because I really liked some aspects of this and it had the potential to be a favorite, but it needed to be shorter, have less povs, and have the romance not be toxic, and then make it a little more of a focus. I also don’t care for the gratuitous violence…
The toxic romances. First I should say that this isn’t a romance book. I went into this with the expectations of it being a fantasy romance and it’s definitely not. That’s my bad, I thought I’d heard people talk about it as if it was. There’s only a tiny tiny bit of romance at the very end, but the way the two male love interests treat their eventual partners is incredibly toxic. I made some lists to illustrate the point (spoilers, obviously & tw for rape and sa):
The Staryk king threatened to kill Miryem if she didn’t complete his tasks, threatened to kill her family, forced her to marry him, was physically aggressive with her, nearly raped her, trapped her in her room with no food or water for a day, used her to lengthen winter in turn harming people from her world, generally treated her like shit, it’s also made clear that his people killed and raped innocent people in the sunlit world for centuries, and he had no problem with it. Mirnatius scared Irina as a child by leaving her dead squirrels, clearly had no issues with the demon trying to kill her, touched her sexually without her consent and might’ve raped her if she hadn’t stopped him, generally treated her like shit
And it’s so sad because both of those relationships could have been really fun if they hadn’t been horrible to each other. I love a good enemies to lovers but this is not how you do it.
Gratuitous violence. Mostly from Wendy and Stepon’s povs, where they had to bring up at every opportunity that their father abused them. It felt like the author was just throwing it in there to keep the book feeling dark and gritty but there was no real purpose to it. We already know from the first few chapters that their father is a despicable human being, it didn’t need to be mentioned repeatedly every single time it switched to one of their povs.
The multiple povs. I only cared about Miryem’s and Irina’s a little bit towards the second half of the book. However I wouldn’t say the others were unnecessary (well, Magreta’s maybe) or couldn’t be interesting to other readers. I felt that it was usually pretty clear who’s pov it was right away, but the book does switch povs multiple times in every chapter, so it could get annoying.
Bad autism rep? I wanted to talk about one of the perspectives in particular: Wanda’s younger brother Stepon. His narrative voice is especially different from the others and I can’t tell if it’s just supposed to be that he’s young, abused and had a very isolated upbringing, or if he’s autistic coded. He has sensory issues with noise too, which could be a trauma response from his abuse, I’m not sure, but it felt like an attempt at a very stereotypical representation of autism, and if it was I don’t like that. It’s a very narrow minded interpretation of autism, not to mention it was just so tedious to read.
It’s overwritten. It definitely could’ve (should’ve, imo) been at least 100 pages shorter. Maybe its just because I wasn’t enjoying it that much but it felt like a drag to get through. I was bored for a lot of it.
The writing. Her style just doesn’t work for me. I liked the winter descriptions, and the folktale style of it, but I found certain sentences to be worded awkwardly to where I’d have to read them multiple times to get what she meant. It was the same with Uprooted for me. Like she’s trying to make it sound pretty but it’s just awkward to read. Could just be me. I did find some sentences that were actually grammatically incorrect though…
Homophobic?? This one was easy to miss, but the only - very minor side character - that’s gay has a crush on his own cousin. I feel like I don’t need to explain how that’s problematic.
Gratuitous violence. Mostly from Wendy and Stepon’s povs, where they had to bring up at every opportunity that their father abused them. It felt like the author was just throwing it in there to keep the book feeling dark and gritty but there was no real purpose to it. We already know from the first few chapters that their father is a despicable human being, it didn’t need to be mentioned repeatedly every single time it switched to one of their povs.
The multiple povs. I only cared about Miryem’s and Irina’s a little bit towards the second half of the book. However I wouldn’t say the others were unnecessary (well, Magreta’s maybe) or couldn’t be interesting to other readers. I felt that it was usually pretty clear who’s pov it was right away, but the book does switch povs multiple times in every chapter, so it could get annoying.
Bad autism rep? I wanted to talk about one of the perspectives in particular: Wanda’s younger brother Stepon. His narrative voice is especially different from the others and I can’t tell if it’s just supposed to be that he’s young, abused and had a very isolated upbringing, or if he’s autistic coded. He has sensory issues with noise too, which could be a trauma response from his abuse, I’m not sure, but it felt like an attempt at a very stereotypical representation of autism, and if it was I don’t like that. It’s a very narrow minded interpretation of autism, not to mention it was just so tedious to read.
It’s overwritten. It definitely could’ve (should’ve, imo) been at least 100 pages shorter. Maybe its just because I wasn’t enjoying it that much but it felt like a drag to get through. I was bored for a lot of it.
The writing. Her style just doesn’t work for me. I liked the winter descriptions, and the folktale style of it, but I found certain sentences to be worded awkwardly to where I’d have to read them multiple times to get what she meant. It was the same with Uprooted for me. Like she’s trying to make it sound pretty but it’s just awkward to read. Could just be me. I did find some sentences that were actually grammatically incorrect though…
Homophobic?? This one was easy to miss, but the only - very minor side character - that’s gay has a crush on his own cousin. I feel like I don’t need to explain how that’s problematic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Gore, Physical abuse, Vomit, Child abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Antisemitism, Blood, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Body horror, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Classism, Incest, and Miscarriage
Graphic: Eye trauma Moderate: mentioned child rapegoizi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and War
Minor: Death of parent
rockyroadbutch's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Death of parent, Violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Sexism, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
pejms's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage and Animal cruelty
leilorenzo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
This was a really sweet retelling. I am not very knowledgeable about fairytales, so I wasn't sure which story I was being introduced to, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The female characters were loveable and their journey a very interesting one.
I found the main characters' development at the beginning of the book to be her most interesting bit, but the rest of the book started uncovering other lives and stories so it was still enjoyable.
The male main character was... forceful. I understand the reason behind it, and the fact that his species and rank make it so that it seems natural, but I still worried about the message younger readers would receive from it. Given the problems and how they went about solving them it was not as problematic as Edward and Bella's relationship but... I mean.... there were some questionable moments.
The female characters were loveable and their journey a very interesting one.
I found the main characters' development at the beginning of the book to be her most interesting bit, but the rest of the book started uncovering other lives and stories so it was still enjoyable.
The male main character was... forceful. I understand the reason behind it, and the fact that his species and rank make it so that it seems natural, but I still worried about the message younger readers would receive from it. Given the problems and how they went about solving them it was not as problematic as Edward and Bella's relationship but... I mean.... there were some questionable moments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Torture
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
mmefish's review against another edition
It’s just so damn slow. I like the prose, I like the characters, the atmosphere is right: cold and mysterious… But it’s way too slow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child death and Animal cruelty
Minor: Rape
soundlysmitten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Spinning Silver has the feel of a wintry folktale. It’s largely set in a magic-adjacent world inspired by medieval Lithuania and it follows the lives of three young women suffering at the hands of the patriarchy. Each woman has a unique storyline, but their paths slowly weave in and out of intersection as mayhem and sorcery ensue, and the three endeavor to alter not only their own fates, but the fate of the world as they know it.
Something I admired about this novel is the variety of myths it draws from while still maintaining a distinct narrative. To name a few: Miryem’s trials with the Staryk King channel the tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Hades & Persephone, Irina’s predicament with Mirnatius incorporates aspects of Bluebeard and One Thousand and One Nights, and Wanda’s story seems to involve elements of Hansel and Gretel as well as The Juniper Tree.
However, if you enjoy an abundance of action, this might not be the book for you. The content is complex but the pace is more leisurely and the quaint language and spellbinding imagery are best appreciated unhurried. With a myriad of POVs to boast, the story does meander quite a bit, but I personally enjoyed the way it goes. Some people mention disliking how the author chose to use the symbol of a spinning wheel to signify a change in perspective rather than label each section by name. But again, I found the spinning wheel charming and thought there was always enough context to properly glean who was speaking.
As the most popular narrative still seems to imply a heroine must be of ‘unparalleled beauty’ or whatever, I appreciated that the women in Spinning Silver are not prized for their appearance, but for their agency, loyalty, and resoluteness. They each have some questionable moments, but it seems natural for a person’s flaws to flare dramatically in survival mode. And by the end, Irina learns to wield a balance of cunning and compassion, Wanda pairs her newfound independence with fierce devotion, and Miryem is both empowered and humbled at once. Even though there’s a bit of romance in the conclusion of the story, I was glad to see each character’s personal journey played out independently first. And I loved that the story emphasizes family more than romance. Let sisterhood and found families abound 😽But the way Wanda and her brothers come together, first with each other, and then with Miryem’s parents in wake of Miryem’s absence… that especially pulled on my heart strings.
Most notably, I’d like to acknowledge the portrayal of Jewish heritage in Spinning Silver. To me, one of the most beautiful parts of the book involves the gifting of a Jewish name. Of course, there’s also mentions of hatefulness which point to the history of antisemitism. But in retrospect, I see how Miryem playing Rumpelstiltskin, specifically, may further serve to challenge antisemitic stereotypes. This connection was lost on me initially because I was ignorant till just now of the roots of the fairytale I grew up hearing. And turns out this is not the only tale by the Brothers Grimm inspired by antisemitism… Is this common knowledge?
Something I admired about this novel is the variety of myths it draws from while still maintaining a distinct narrative. To name a few: Miryem’s trials with the Staryk King channel the tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Hades & Persephone, Irina’s predicament with Mirnatius incorporates aspects of Bluebeard and One Thousand and One Nights, and Wanda’s story seems to involve elements of Hansel and Gretel as well as The Juniper Tree.
However, if you enjoy an abundance of action, this might not be the book for you. The content is complex but the pace is more leisurely and the quaint language and spellbinding imagery are best appreciated unhurried. With a myriad of POVs to boast, the story does meander quite a bit, but I personally enjoyed the way it goes. Some people mention disliking how the author chose to use the symbol of a spinning wheel to signify a change in perspective rather than label each section by name. But again, I found the spinning wheel charming and thought there was always enough context to properly glean who was speaking.
As the most popular narrative still seems to imply a heroine must be of ‘unparalleled beauty’ or whatever, I appreciated that the women in Spinning Silver are not prized for their appearance, but for their agency, loyalty, and resoluteness. They each have some questionable moments, but it seems natural for a person’s flaws to flare dramatically in survival mode. And by the end, Irina learns to wield a balance of cunning and compassion, Wanda pairs her newfound independence with fierce devotion, and Miryem is both empowered and humbled at once. Even though there’s a bit of romance in the conclusion of the story, I was glad to see each character’s personal journey played out independently first. And I loved that the story emphasizes family more than romance. Let sisterhood and found families abound 😽
Most notably, I’d like to acknowledge the portrayal of Jewish heritage in Spinning Silver. To me, one of the most beautiful parts of the book involves the gifting of a Jewish name. Of course, there’s also mentions of hatefulness which point to the history of antisemitism. But in retrospect, I see how Miryem playing Rumpelstiltskin, specifically, may further serve to challenge antisemitic stereotypes. This connection was lost on me initially because I was ignorant till just now of the roots of the fairytale I grew up hearing. And turns out this is not the only tale by the Brothers Grimm inspired by antisemitism… Is this common knowledge?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Antisemitism, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Grief, Body horror, Blood, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, and Sexism
Minor: Child death, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, and Pedophilia
Passing mentions of infant death, death by childbirth, child marriage, and execution by hanging. Themes around agency, obligations, and possessiveness -- specifically of daughters/wives/women overall -- in family relationships and marriage. Sexual assault/harassment is mentioned and discussed but mostly not present; several scenes involve pressure upon mutually unconsenting parties to consummate a relationship and unwanted sexual advances.blossomclouds's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a beautiful journey to take. At the beginning I was still wholly unaware of what would happen, and yet everything kept to the same atmosphere and never once broke the setting as it is described at the beginning.
The tropes that are played on - familiar and ripe with the potential to go in an unhealthy direction - are executed in a way that makes complete sense but isn't predictable or flat, at least it wasn't to me. The magic of it comes together so nicely.
The characters are fleshed out through their own narration, I thought, and what multi-faceted and gripping characters they are.
I have only delight in my heart after reading this.
The tropes that are played on - familiar and ripe with the potential to go in an unhealthy direction - are executed in a way that makes complete sense but isn't predictable or flat, at least it wasn't to me. The magic of it comes together so nicely.
The characters are fleshed out through their own narration, I thought, and what multi-faceted and gripping characters they are.
I have only delight in my heart after reading this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty
spinesinaline's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Well that was very good.
I had nothing to go on when starting this book but I assumed it’d be some kind of fairytale retelling. While it is a retelling of sorts, the main fairytale it draws from is Rumpelstiltskin, it felt wholly inventive and new. There are elements of Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Red Riding Hood too but they feel more like familiar hints of old fairytales in the face of Novik’s creative world.
The story is presented through alternating 3rd-person POVs. Initially the main character is Miryem, the Jewish daughter of a moneylender who constantly deals with the antisemitism, thinly veiled or outright, from her village. I really enjoyed having a Jewish character in the centre of a fairytale and the descriptions of family life and celebrations, though her and her family face a lot of attacks and threats because of their faith. As the story progresses, we also get the perspectives of Wanda, a farmer’s daughter living in poverty, and Irina, the daughter of a duke dealing with the threat of the tsar.
It feels like a girl-power book without being explicit about it and I loved getting to see these girls find ways to take control of their situations – whether that’s with their knowledge of family, negotiations, or the courts. Each girl has her own strengths and while they aren’t always knowingly working together, as their stories converge later on, each of their contributions are needed in battling their common foes. I found it a little odd that in the second half of the book we got even more perspectives from side characters as it felt awkward and sudden, but it did make sense in a narrative way that we’d still want to follow those storylines. I would’ve preferred to have ended with the 3 MCs’ perspectives though, because our last looks at some of them were presented through a side character’s eyes and it felt very detached.
This is a YA so perhaps it’s to be expected that there will be romance but I felt iffy about it, especially as the relationships are formed out of very manipulative and emotionally (and at times physically) abusive situations. It’s not a major part of the book but a big warning for toxic relationships here. I would recommend looking up content warnings if you’re hesitant before reading this book as there’s quite a lot of violence.
I had nothing to go on when starting this book but I assumed it’d be some kind of fairytale retelling. While it is a retelling of sorts, the main fairytale it draws from is Rumpelstiltskin, it felt wholly inventive and new. There are elements of Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Red Riding Hood too but they feel more like familiar hints of old fairytales in the face of Novik’s creative world.
The story is presented through alternating 3rd-person POVs. Initially the main character is Miryem, the Jewish daughter of a moneylender who constantly deals with the antisemitism, thinly veiled or outright, from her village. I really enjoyed having a Jewish character in the centre of a fairytale and the descriptions of family life and celebrations, though her and her family face a lot of attacks and threats because of their faith. As the story progresses, we also get the perspectives of Wanda, a farmer’s daughter living in poverty, and Irina, the daughter of a duke dealing with the threat of the tsar.
It feels like a girl-power book without being explicit about it and I loved getting to see these girls find ways to take control of their situations – whether that’s with their knowledge of family, negotiations, or the courts. Each girl has her own strengths and while they aren’t always knowingly working together, as their stories converge later on, each of their contributions are needed in battling their common foes. I found it a little odd that in the second half of the book we got even more perspectives from side characters as it felt awkward and sudden, but it did make sense in a narrative way that we’d still want to follow those storylines. I would’ve preferred to have ended with the 3 MCs’ perspectives though, because our last looks at some of them were presented through a side character’s eyes and it felt very detached.
This is a YA so perhaps it’s to be expected that there will be romance but I felt iffy about it, especially as the relationships are formed out of very manipulative and emotionally (and at times physically) abusive situations. It’s not a major part of the book but a big warning for toxic relationships here. I would recommend looking up content warnings if you’re hesitant before reading this book as there’s quite a lot of violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Vomit
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