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sylvannah's review against another edition
5.0
At the risk of sounding like a NYT blurb, I must say: this book is a TRIUMPH. I have zero complaints because I loved everything about it and I will likely read it several more times. And let me tell you why!
1. A believable, fallible, interesting lead. Miryem’s flaws and mistakes (cockiness, bragging, stubbornness) are just as important to the story as her successes and positive traits (tenacity, intelligence, quick thinking, generosity of spirit). Novik has written another female protagonist that feels layered, nuanced, and REAL.
2. Complex villains with (sometimes) understandable motives. This is the real strength of both Spinning Silver and Uprooted: Novik writes antagonists worth sympathy. A king who wants to protect his people, even at the cost of others’ lives. A prince backed into a corner by a deal made long ago. They feel as real as Miryem because they don’t just do evil things because they are evil, they do them for love, for family, for power, for survival... and it’s easy to imagine yourself in their place making those same decisions.
3. The setting! Vaguely historical, wonderfully fantastical, grounded in the familiar backbone of poverty, bigotry, but overall community. Spinning Silver shines a light on the unpleasant origins of the Rumplestiltskin story, but flips it around to show the ugliness of stereotypes and the profound power of a faith community. Miryem’s Jewishness and Jewish community are the source of much of her strength. I could not tell you many mainstream fantasy novels that feature Judaism so prominently, and yet bring their goyim readers (me!) along so effortlessly. I felt invited in to a world that was unfamiliar, rather than looking in through a window.
There are many more things I could rave about. The emphasis on looking out for those less fortunate than you. The sparkling array of supporting characters, each distinct from the others. The beautiful, magical prose. The satisfying, difficult to predict ending. It’s all so good, and it’s why I’ll be forcing this book on all my friends from now on!
1. A believable, fallible, interesting lead. Miryem’s flaws and mistakes (cockiness, bragging, stubbornness) are just as important to the story as her successes and positive traits (tenacity, intelligence, quick thinking, generosity of spirit). Novik has written another female protagonist that feels layered, nuanced, and REAL.
2. Complex villains with (sometimes) understandable motives. This is the real strength of both Spinning Silver and Uprooted: Novik writes antagonists worth sympathy. A king who wants to protect his people, even at the cost of others’ lives. A prince backed into a corner by a deal made long ago. They feel as real as Miryem because they don’t just do evil things because they are evil, they do them for love, for family, for power, for survival... and it’s easy to imagine yourself in their place making those same decisions.
3. The setting! Vaguely historical, wonderfully fantastical, grounded in the familiar backbone of poverty, bigotry, but overall community. Spinning Silver shines a light on the unpleasant origins of the Rumplestiltskin story, but flips it around to show the ugliness of stereotypes and the profound power of a faith community. Miryem’s Jewishness and Jewish community are the source of much of her strength. I could not tell you many mainstream fantasy novels that feature Judaism so prominently, and yet bring their goyim readers (me!) along so effortlessly. I felt invited in to a world that was unfamiliar, rather than looking in through a window.
There are many more things I could rave about. The emphasis on looking out for those less fortunate than you. The sparkling array of supporting characters, each distinct from the others. The beautiful, magical prose. The satisfying, difficult to predict ending. It’s all so good, and it’s why I’ll be forcing this book on all my friends from now on!
revonue's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism and Violence
bocker_enligt_angelica's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.25
ruekeyronay's review against another edition
DNFing at 52%, I struggled with the torturously slow pace from the start but hoped that it would take off eventually. And it did, but only for a chapter or two. Even though the plot had some direction at that point, the journey there was so painful that I finally gave up.
I usually never DNF books if I'm past the 20% mark so this book really melted my brain for me to give up more than halfway through.
I usually never DNF books if I'm past the 20% mark so this book really melted my brain for me to give up more than halfway through.
siann's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
slow-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
4.75
katmystery's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
A brilliant, beautiful, and inventive tale and told in a powerful folkloric voice. It felt just like reading a Russian fairytale. Every twist and trope turned on its head was a refreshing surprise. The characters felt so real and original. Miryem, especially, was such a strong character- one of the strongest female leads I've read in a fantasy book in a long time. The women were all brilliantly written, brave and flawed and caring and cold when they needed to be. They make mistakes and learn from them. They don't apologize for asking for what they're owed. And the book has incredible Jewish rep, something I haven't seen before in high fantasy. This is an absolute must-read for fans of fairytale retellings.
Note: though it has multiple first-person POVs, it is never announced who is narrating each section, so you have to look out for context clues. This made the audiobook a bit tricky to follow at times.
Note: though it has multiple first-person POVs, it is never announced who is narrating each section, so you have to look out for context clues. This made the audiobook a bit tricky to follow at times.
rhianne's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
I read this book after Uprooted and there's just something about the way Naomi Novik writes that feels like I'm reading a fairytale in the middle of winter curled up with a blanket.
I didn't love some things about this book, namely pacing and there being a confusing amount of POVs felt a bit frustrating to switch in and out of, but I enjoyed the read and found the ending satisfying. I was rooting for Miryem the whole time but didn't really care for the other POV characters so reading through those felt a bit of a slog.
I didn't love some things about this book, namely pacing and there being a confusing amount of POVs felt a bit frustrating to switch in and out of, but I enjoyed the read and found the ending satisfying. I was rooting for Miryem the whole time but didn't really care for the other POV characters so reading through those felt a bit of a slog.
sabinaandreea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stateoffriction's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The first half was very slow and challenging to get into but the ending saved the book for me. I do think the conclusion came about too quickly, and I didn't feel there was good relationship building between the two main characters.