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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
First off, if I could give this more than five stars, I would. I so would.
I usually am reasonable when it comes to my sleep. This book changed that, I stayed up so late because I couldn't put it down. I knew the plot was promising and I knew I would probably love it, but I hadn't anticipated how much.
Come on guys ! There's a fallen warrior that has magical Kalima abilites, and that girl CAN WIELD THE NIGHT ! How amazing is that ??? Her nickname is Enebish the Destroyer ! I LOVE IT ! Yes, sure, she doesn't like that name much herself, but I thought it was badass.
So, Enebish is a former warrior of the Empire, who was stripped of her Kalima power after a gruesome event caused by her a few years prior. She is imprisonned in a monastery away from the people, until her sister Ghoa fetches her for a special mission : If Enebish manages to find Temujin and his rebellion posse, she will be reinstated as a Kalima warrior and get her powers back.
I'm a sucker for badass heroines with cool power, so I absolutely adored Enebish. She's both precious and strong, and I love her. She's not over the top, has ideals to defend, knows what a hard life is and knows to treasure what she has. I'm sorry, but I thought she was perfect. In a way, she reminded me a lot of Feyre, from ACOTAR. Actually, the whole book had a small Sarah J. Maas feeling, even though Addie Thorley has a writing of her own, and is an amazing writer from what I read.
Like in most YA books, there's some kind of romance floating around (really not much though), and for once, I was never able to grasp who Enebish was thinking of in this way, as she is somewhat constantly balancing between two guys, various feelings, and her duty for Ashkar. I liked not knowing how the various relationships would evolve, it made those parts of the story more realistic (and relatable haha)
What made me love this story most though, is the number of plot twists. There are so many ! It was incredible, and I swear I hurt my eyes trying to read as fast as possible to know what happened next. Even better, I did not see those plot twists coming, and I love being surprised that way. It was simply formidable and there was so much going on !
Honestly, the only thing I'm sad about is that it's not even released yet, and I already want Book 2 of this. I physically need it and won't know rest before I set my eyes on it.
I usually am reasonable when it comes to my sleep. This book changed that, I stayed up so late because I couldn't put it down. I knew the plot was promising and I knew I would probably love it, but I hadn't anticipated how much.
Come on guys ! There's a fallen warrior that has magical Kalima abilites, and that girl CAN WIELD THE NIGHT ! How amazing is that ??? Her nickname is Enebish the Destroyer ! I LOVE IT ! Yes, sure, she doesn't like that name much herself, but I thought it was badass.
So, Enebish is a former warrior of the Empire, who was stripped of her Kalima power after a gruesome event caused by her a few years prior. She is imprisonned in a monastery away from the people, until her sister Ghoa fetches her for a special mission : If Enebish manages to find Temujin and his rebellion posse, she will be reinstated as a Kalima warrior and get her powers back.
I'm a sucker for badass heroines with cool power, so I absolutely adored Enebish. She's both precious and strong, and I love her. She's not over the top, has ideals to defend, knows what a hard life is and knows to treasure what she has. I'm sorry, but I thought she was perfect. In a way, she reminded me a lot of Feyre, from ACOTAR. Actually, the whole book had a small Sarah J. Maas feeling, even though Addie Thorley has a writing of her own, and is an amazing writer from what I read.
Like in most YA books, there's some kind of romance floating around (really not much though), and for once, I was never able to grasp who Enebish was thinking of in this way, as she is somewhat constantly balancing between two guys, various feelings, and her duty for Ashkar. I liked not knowing how the various relationships would evolve, it made those parts of the story more realistic (and relatable haha)
What made me love this story most though, is the number of plot twists. There are so many ! It was incredible, and I swear I hurt my eyes trying to read as fast as possible to know what happened next. Even better, I did not see those plot twists coming, and I love being surprised that way. It was simply formidable and there was so much going on !
Honestly, the only thing I'm sad about is that it's not even released yet, and I already want Book 2 of this. I physically need it and won't know rest before I set my eyes on it.
Two years ago, the famed Enebish the Destroyer was exiled from her home after killing innocent merchants in the war effort. Her half-sister, Ghoa, persuaded the king to allow Enebish to live the rest of her days, comfortable, in a countryside monastery. However, when it seems that the country is losing the war, Ghoa returns with a proposition for Enebish. She must go undercover to unmask a Robin Hood-esque troop, and only then can her title as warrior be reinstated. In this gorgeous retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Night Spinner by Addie Thorley whisks readers into an intriguing world of twists and turns.
It wasn’t hard to get swept into these characters' lives. Their emotions seem so close on the page that it was already 20 pages in and I was ready to cry along with them.
When reading, I tend to gravitate toward interesting sibling relationships, whether close or estranged. Night Spinner follows two half-sisters, Enebish and Ghoa, who were inseparable in the past but circumstance has deeply changed that. Enebish is in exile while Ghoa still ranks as a commander for the king. The power dynamic that these two have is astounding, making for some riveting scenes. The sisterly bond, however tainted, here is almost tangible.
Night Spinner is inspired by the classic tale, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I have not read The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo so I cannot attest to its similarities though the Disney movie is one of my favorites. Even though I'm not familiar with the original work, I still appreciate Thorley’s fantastic work that brings such an underrated tale to life.
Enebish is quiet and reserved, certain traits that she accumulated while living at the monastery. Yet, there is a fire within her. And even though she herself saw this fire as a monster at first, the journey to self-acceptance is truly lovely.
The action sequences are incredibly well constructed throughout the plot. More than half the book reads as a war novel so there’s quite bit of strategy discussion and politics. Books that take place during wars, that deal with such elements like politics and war strategy usually isn’t something I like, but with Night Spinner, Enebish’s journey of accepting her magic and gaining her confidence made me push through the grit of war to reach the character development underneath.
Night Spinner will leave you on the edge of your seat. Thorley writes these cast of characters in such a way that at multiple points in the book, you will never know who to trust. As much as Enebish was fast to trust everyone in the beginning of the book, she quickly becomes wary of everyone. There were moments where I was sure she was on the right path with one group only to be turned around in the next scene and start rooting for another group.
Thorley’s writing is compelling and urges readers onwards. The world building is absolutely superb! Instead of dumping all the world information on you at once, she shares the history through her characters’ dialogue. Most of the past is cleverly shared through Enebish’s anecdotes. Also, since Enebish has been in exile for quite some time, Thorley shares information about the world (its politics, history, and more) with the protagonist as well—so as we learn about the world, Enebish is also seeing it for the first time.
The ending reads as a new beginning, swiftly ready for the continuation that readers will receive in the sequel. It makes the series easy to binge if you have the second book on hand. Alas, I’ll have to wait until the sequel releases to find out what happens next. Night Spinner leaves readers with tons of questions that I hope will be answered in the sequel. The sequel, Sky Breaker, releases in May 2021.
Night Spinner by Addie Thorley is an incredible retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame that will take readers on a wild ride. Despite an open-ended conclusion, readers will be clamoring to read the sequel as soon as they finish this one.
It wasn’t hard to get swept into these characters' lives. Their emotions seem so close on the page that it was already 20 pages in and I was ready to cry along with them.
When reading, I tend to gravitate toward interesting sibling relationships, whether close or estranged. Night Spinner follows two half-sisters, Enebish and Ghoa, who were inseparable in the past but circumstance has deeply changed that. Enebish is in exile while Ghoa still ranks as a commander for the king. The power dynamic that these two have is astounding, making for some riveting scenes. The sisterly bond, however tainted, here is almost tangible.
Night Spinner is inspired by the classic tale, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I have not read The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo so I cannot attest to its similarities though the Disney movie is one of my favorites. Even though I'm not familiar with the original work, I still appreciate Thorley’s fantastic work that brings such an underrated tale to life.
Enebish is quiet and reserved, certain traits that she accumulated while living at the monastery. Yet, there is a fire within her. And even though she herself saw this fire as a monster at first, the journey to self-acceptance is truly lovely.
The action sequences are incredibly well constructed throughout the plot. More than half the book reads as a war novel so there’s quite bit of strategy discussion and politics. Books that take place during wars, that deal with such elements like politics and war strategy usually isn’t something I like, but with Night Spinner, Enebish’s journey of accepting her magic and gaining her confidence made me push through the grit of war to reach the character development underneath.
Night Spinner will leave you on the edge of your seat. Thorley writes these cast of characters in such a way that at multiple points in the book, you will never know who to trust. As much as Enebish was fast to trust everyone in the beginning of the book, she quickly becomes wary of everyone. There were moments where I was sure she was on the right path with one group only to be turned around in the next scene and start rooting for another group.
Thorley’s writing is compelling and urges readers onwards. The world building is absolutely superb! Instead of dumping all the world information on you at once, she shares the history through her characters’ dialogue. Most of the past is cleverly shared through Enebish’s anecdotes. Also, since Enebish has been in exile for quite some time, Thorley shares information about the world (its politics, history, and more) with the protagonist as well—so as we learn about the world, Enebish is also seeing it for the first time.
The ending reads as a new beginning, swiftly ready for the continuation that readers will receive in the sequel. It makes the series easy to binge if you have the second book on hand. Alas, I’ll have to wait until the sequel releases to find out what happens next. Night Spinner leaves readers with tons of questions that I hope will be answered in the sequel. The sequel, Sky Breaker, releases in May 2021.
Night Spinner by Addie Thorley is an incredible retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame that will take readers on a wild ride. Despite an open-ended conclusion, readers will be clamoring to read the sequel as soon as they finish this one.
Night Spinner is one of my favorite 2020 reads. I loved the author’s writing style, and what really drew me in was that this is a loose retelling of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. You don’t have to be familiar with The Hunchback Of Notre Dame to understand what’s going on, but readers will be able to pick out the elements that were inspired by the original. There is a decent amount of world building, and the author will definitely explore more of the world in the second book considering the way she ended this one. There were a few major plot twists, and I can’t wait to see how the author expands upon them in the sequel. I loved Enebish and Serik’s relationship, and there is some lovely slow-burn romance happening. Combined with magic, betrayal, and mythology, I thought this was a uniquely written and fast paced book. The ending left me wanting more, and I need the sequel YESTERDAY.
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I was hesitant to start this one even though I was super excited to be approved for it. The cover and the synopsis were perfect. I was definitely curious to see what a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling would entail. Luckily, even with a minor hiccup I fell in love with the world, magic, and characters this author created!
Enebish is a character who is very hard on herself for her past mistake. She dwells on what happened and can’t live life even just a bit because of it. Even when her long time friend Serik tries to help her move on from what was and gets her to live a little, the past is always haunting her every move. It was easy to feel bad for her and relate because we have all done something we aren’t proud of. We all are hard on ourselves and inflict our own punishments on ourselves because of it. Her character development throughout the book is wonderful and it will have you rooting for her until the end!
Now, let’s talk about Serik. When Enebish can’t see her worth, he can. I wasn’t sure how his character would play out at the beginning but by the end, I was smitten! He broke my heart and fixed it all in one book. That son of gun!
There are a handful of other characters that play major roles in the plot like Ghoa and Temujin. They are the driving force behind Enebish who has a hard time making decisions for herself and chooses to follow rather than being a leader. Temujin was the perfect morally gray character and even mentions how morally gray he is. I found myself being intrigued and pulled in by his charisma just like Enebish. Ghoa on the other hand can also be seen has morally gray throughout most of the book. It was hard to fully make a decision on whether I hated them or loved because they are just so stinking charismatic!
The plot was a bit slow in the beginning but when it picks up, it picks up! The plot twists deserve awards because I never saw them coming and had me shocked beyond belief. This book brought on so many emotions and had me crying by the end. I’m not even sure why but clearly it was just too good for words!
When it comes to the retelling part, there are similarities in the beginning but it definitely takes on a life of its own.
Overall, I loved this one and I can’t wait for others to read it and share in the excitement I have for this wonderful book. I literally read it in one night. It was that good. If it isn’t on your tbr, go add it! I will be over here anxiously waiting for book two.
I was hesitant to start this one even though I was super excited to be approved for it. The cover and the synopsis were perfect. I was definitely curious to see what a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling would entail. Luckily, even with a minor hiccup I fell in love with the world, magic, and characters this author created!
Enebish is a character who is very hard on herself for her past mistake. She dwells on what happened and can’t live life even just a bit because of it. Even when her long time friend Serik tries to help her move on from what was and gets her to live a little, the past is always haunting her every move. It was easy to feel bad for her and relate because we have all done something we aren’t proud of. We all are hard on ourselves and inflict our own punishments on ourselves because of it. Her character development throughout the book is wonderful and it will have you rooting for her until the end!
Now, let’s talk about Serik. When Enebish can’t see her worth, he can. I wasn’t sure how his character would play out at the beginning but by the end, I was smitten! He broke my heart and fixed it all in one book. That son of gun!
There are a handful of other characters that play major roles in the plot like Ghoa and Temujin. They are the driving force behind Enebish who has a hard time making decisions for herself and chooses to follow rather than being a leader. Temujin was the perfect morally gray character and even mentions how morally gray he is. I found myself being intrigued and pulled in by his charisma just like Enebish. Ghoa on the other hand can also be seen has morally gray throughout most of the book. It was hard to fully make a decision on whether I hated them or loved because they are just so stinking charismatic!
The plot was a bit slow in the beginning but when it picks up, it picks up! The plot twists deserve awards because I never saw them coming and had me shocked beyond belief. This book brought on so many emotions and had me crying by the end. I’m not even sure why but clearly it was just too good for words!
When it comes to the retelling part, there are similarities in the beginning but it definitely takes on a life of its own.
Overall, I loved this one and I can’t wait for others to read it and share in the excitement I have for this wonderful book. I literally read it in one night. It was that good. If it isn’t on your tbr, go add it! I will be over here anxiously waiting for book two.
An Affair of Poisons was an incredible fantasy take on what could have happened with a part of the French Revolution that not many know about, and Night Spinner is beautiful take on an entirely different part of French culture! We follow Enebish, a woman disfigured physically and mentally by a terrible war crime she believes she has committed. She's sequestered away in a monastery that runs by turning it's inhabitants against each other. When Enebish is offered the chance to taste a bit of freedom, she takes it, but she takes it too far and is forced into an undercover mission that means life or death for many more than she could have ever known. Night Spinner is the story of her recovery and rising from the ashes of what she had been, and a glorious retelling of the Hunchback of Notre Dame in a non western inspired setting. Enebish had me stressed and rooting for her the entire time, even though I knew that in the end, things would go terribly wrong, but luckily for me and all readers, there's a sequel! I have yet to read a true retelling of Hunchback, so this was exciting, and Thorley delivered in every single way I needed and wanted. I'm probably going to lose my mind a little bit waiting for the sequel in fact!
So the beginning of this story was kinda boring. I don’t say it because I’m expecting great action from the start but it wasn’t until about 30-40% of the way through the book that things got really interesting. There were some seriously slow moments in the story that had me going “do I even want to finish this”? Well, I read the whole thing and I really enjoyed it. I thought the plot was good and loved the aspect of the world. Besides the slowness there were some things I wasn’t a fan of - like the main character’s demure. She kept repeating how weak and small she is even though previously she was one of the strongest and most confident warrior. It wasn’t very believable that someone’s personality would change that drastically. Would I believe they would doubt themselves more? Yeah. Would I believe they wouldn’t take as many risks? Yeah. But to go from warrior to a soft noodle didn’t comprehend for me or for the character.
Another thing I wasn’t a fan of was the unanswered plot point. I won’t spoil it, but this point was made over and over again but after every twist, turn, and reveal, this question still was not answered. I hope it will be answered in future books because I’m curious why it was brought up so frequently with no answer or follow up. Besides that, I liked the book. Some characters annoyed me but you don’t get a long with everyone you meet and that’s fine. Overall, I liked the book and I am interested in reading the next book in the series.
Another thing I wasn’t a fan of was the unanswered plot point. I won’t spoil it, but this point was made over and over again but after every twist, turn, and reveal, this question still was not answered. I hope it will be answered in future books because I’m curious why it was brought up so frequently with no answer or follow up. Besides that, I liked the book. Some characters annoyed me but you don’t get a long with everyone you meet and that’s fine. Overall, I liked the book and I am interested in reading the next book in the series.
Gender swapped magical retelling of 'The Hunchback' that's all you really need to know to dive into this amazing book.
Our MC is brilliant and the prose is so smoothly laid out that reading this book takes almost no time at all. Thorley drops you into a beautiful world full of conflict, pain, and magic.
'En' is locked up, for the safety of herself but also for the innocent civilians, why? Because once upon a time she was a great Kalima warrior and then one moment change that and she became known as a Destroyer, someone who slew instead of protecting the people of the kingdom.
Luckily for En her adopted older sister saved her from death and now she leads a life quite different from that of a warrior, not just because of her sentencing but because she came out with injuries that changed her body form that of a warrior.
En has people she loves, not just those close to her but the people their Sky King is supposed to protect and she realizes she cannot hide away if they're in danger but does that mean working with her Sister's nemesis to save them?
I don't want to give too much away and I'll do a full review on my blog, but this book was amazing and sure to be one of my favorite releases of 2020.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Our MC is brilliant and the prose is so smoothly laid out that reading this book takes almost no time at all. Thorley drops you into a beautiful world full of conflict, pain, and magic.
'En' is locked up, for the safety of herself but also for the innocent civilians, why? Because once upon a time she was a great Kalima warrior and then one moment change that and she became known as a Destroyer, someone who slew instead of protecting the people of the kingdom.
Luckily for En her adopted older sister saved her from death and now she leads a life quite different from that of a warrior, not just because of her sentencing but because she came out with injuries that changed her body form that of a warrior.
En has people she loves, not just those close to her but the people their Sky King is supposed to protect and she realizes she cannot hide away if they're in danger but does that mean working with her Sister's nemesis to save them?
I don't want to give too much away and I'll do a full review on my blog, but this book was amazing and sure to be one of my favorite releases of 2020.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
3 1/2 stars. I enjoyed this read more towards the last half than the first half. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, but I did find myself craving deeper character development throughout the plot. I’ll probably still read the upcoming novels in the series when they come out.