Reviews

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

kivt's review against another edition

3.0

wish the first third had been the whole book. romance plot didn’t do much for me. messy conclusion. but a decent read!

komatsu03's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

darkdiamond8989's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad 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

It was good. I loved that it had its own unique tale of a Mulan retelling. 

Instead of the emperor calling out soldiers to defeat the Han (which is in Disney’s Mulan cartoon movie), the emperor is summoning tailors for his future bride. That’s one similarity. Another similarity was Mulan going in her father’s stead by pretending to be her father’s son (in the movie version) and Mai (the book version of Mulan) does the same thing.

Otherwise, the male tailors, magic, demons, and so forth are what give the book (Spin The Dawn) its own unique spin on a Mulan retelling.

slawler's review against another edition

4.0

While this was a fast-paced read with some interesting magic and world-building, I think it fell a bit short of its potential. There were so many elements crammed into this book that it didn't get the development it deserved.

It reads like the abridged YA version of a longer adult fantasy series that I would love to read. Some great concepts, but not enough development. It was still a fun read and I love the world and magic based on Chinese mythology.

amelk's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

phoenix2's review against another edition

2.0

"Spin The Dawn" is the first book of The Blood of Stars duology and it is in the same universe as Elizabeth Lim's next duology. The story is interesting enough, though it was too formalistic for a fantasy YA. And even though the first part was enjoyable, the second part, as well as the romance, was kind of boring. Still, the mythology was entertaining.

mariadel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

3.5

emelialangstone's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

alexan13's review against another edition

4.0

Picked this up off my shelf on a whim and I ended up enjoying it so so much! It has elements of fantasy I love -- quest and competition and magic and demons -- and makes it completely its own. Maia is a talented tailor and it is this "quiet" skill that gives her power, which was refreshing and enjoyable to read. I also ended up really enjoying the romantic subplot -- usually I struggle to become invested in the romantic subplots of YA fantasy but I found this one to be very well-executed and sweet.

daniellestarredpages's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Review to come