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b00kh0arder's review against another edition
3.0
A beautifully written fairy tale, loosely based on Rumpelstiltskin. I must say that, between this and Uprooted, I much prefer the latter but I would still gladly recommend this to anyone who loves fairy tale retellings!
witch2003's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
5.0
chaebe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
carriedoodledoo's review against another edition
4.0
That ending! I gasped aloud, then laughed in sheer delight!
This was a fairytale for grownups, blending Grimm's tales and Rus folklore into a fantastically woven masterpiece. Not smut, not weak-plotted, with fully developed characters and strong storytelling. It is for adults, but it is not raunchy. It just has some themes I would not wish my children to have introduced without discussion. I have to reread Uprooted now. The twists and turns really do twist!!
I have really, REALLY enjoyed everything I have ever read by Naomi Novik, even though I have too much Christian conviction to let myself "go" in the Scholomance series. I hope someday I can write as well as she.
This was a fairytale for grownups, blending Grimm's tales and Rus folklore into a fantastically woven masterpiece. Not smut, not weak-plotted, with fully developed characters and strong storytelling. It is for adults, but it is not raunchy. It just has some themes I would not wish my children to have introduced without discussion. I have to reread Uprooted now. The twists and turns really do twist!!
I have really, REALLY enjoyed everything I have ever read by Naomi Novik, even though I have too much Christian conviction to let myself "go" in the Scholomance series. I hope someday I can write as well as she.
ejsullivan's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mondayn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was hooked. I've read most of the books this author has written, and I found this brought me back over and over again with the same magnetic pull. I enjoyed an atmosphere of less horror-esque tension than the other books I've read of Novik's. I continued to love how she draws on Eastern European myth and culture, and was pleasantly surprised to find myself following a Jewish protagonist, and even more pleased to see it become reflective, pivotally relevant, and thematic to the story on a number of levels. This book keeps with what I perceive as Novik's strengths in the arena of theme.
However...there was a magic in this book whose workings I could not make exact heads or tails of, and this made it impossible to predict plot twists and bumps and the ending. Key character motives went unexplained. Sometimes it felt like Novik thought she'd covered something that had, in fact, slipped through the cracks and never been mentioned, or was included but was phrased so poorly as to be inconclusive. I also wouldn't have minded if we'd relished in the victories at the end of the book. (I won't say more; I don't want to spoil anything for anyone!) The start of the book was slow, if helpfully insightful for the character of Wanda for her arc.
Nonetheless, I would read it again. It was a fun time and I took great pleasure in the protagonists.
However...there was a magic in this book whose workings I could not make exact heads or tails of, and this made it impossible to predict plot twists and bumps and the ending. Key character motives went unexplained. Sometimes it felt like Novik thought she'd covered something that had, in fact, slipped through the cracks and never been mentioned, or was included but was phrased so poorly as to be inconclusive. I also wouldn't have minded if we'd relished in the victories at the end of the book. (I won't say more; I don't want to spoil anything for anyone!) The start of the book was slow, if helpfully insightful for the character of Wanda for her arc.
Nonetheless, I would read it again. It was a fun time and I took great pleasure in the protagonists.
maxfelixwp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
I love stories set in medieval Russian/Slavic folklore - I'm a particular fan of Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy - and Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver didn't disappoint. It's a very dark, dreamlike, fantasy fairytale in the most traditional sense: vivid and fantastic with dark romantic elements, but dangerous and unsettling at every turn. The distinctly Jewish cultural underpinning of this one, and the ensemble cast POV storytelling, really sets this story apart as well.
elizabeth_its_liz_reading's review against another edition
5.0
This was all consuming and so entertaining. Love the Jewish mythology - just beautiful ❤️.
keirr_a's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0