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kaziaroo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I’ll begin by admitting I was disappointed in this book because I was hoping it would be like Uprooted (by the same author), which I enjoyed a few years ago, and given the rave reviews I was sure I’d enjoy it even though the blurb didn’t sound very interesting to me. And in the first half, I was optimistic; it was nothing like Uprooted, but I still held out hope that I could enjoy it because it was well written if a bit slow. My attention was wandering, but I was sure that as the plot progressed and I got more into it I’d be more interested.
Unfortunately, the second half was only worse. By the time I was two thirds of the way through, I was thoroughly bored and couldn’t wait for it to end. I didn’t warm (pardon the pun) to any of the characters, and by the end I was sick of them. Unlike most reviewers, I enjoyed the unlabelled point of view (POV) transitions – that is, until the number of POVs kept increasing and I was dragged back to the perspective of side characters who had no reason to have so much time in the spotlight. None of the character relationships were convincing or fleshed out enough to be interesting, and the characters themselves were unlikeable. It seemed like no matter whose perspective was next, I was still disappointed.
I also want to mention some more serious flaws in this book (avoiding spoilers as much as I can). This book tries very hard to make certain characters forgivable, even for horrible sins, making their sins not only forgiven but also forgotten as if they never did anything wrong. This makes the ending very uncomfortable as the author clearly wants you to believe that the characters will live happily ever after, but there’s just no precedent for this. Characters who hated each other (for good reason) throughout the book suddenly love each other with no build-up, further shattering any remaining suspension of disbelief. Everything is tidied up into a neat happy ending with no negative consequences, even when they are justly deserved. This left me feeling sour and unsatisfied.
Despite this, I gave Spinning Silver three stars because it was still well written on a sentence level and the characters had distinctive voices (although I did forget who was talking halfway through a chapter once or twice, so maybe not always!), and the first half was decent. There were some nice domestic scenes which, while they slowed the book down, I found enjoyable to sink into. I’m now teetering between 2 and 3 stars, so who knows, maybe I’ll go back and edit this later after thinking further. On the other hand, I feel like I've spent more than enough time with this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Sexism, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
lunep's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
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: Animal cruelty and Child death
Minor: Rape
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, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
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.readandfindout's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death and Miscarriage
cheyenne_rose'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the kind of fairy tale retelling I live for, I loved everything about this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child death and Antisemitism
Minor: Body horror and Death of parent
bluejayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I did not have very high hopes for this book. I picked it up because I like fairy tale-inspired fantasy and this looked like an interesting mash-up between the Snow Queen and Rumpelstiltskin. But it also is an 18-hour audiobook and I have a fairly short attention span, so a book has to be really good to make me willing to spend 18 hours with it.
Spinning Silver absolutely delivered. I loved this story.
To start with, the back cover makes it sound like Miryem is the only main character and her two "unlikely allies" are supporting characters in her story. That is incorrect. Miryem has her own story, true, but Wanda and Irina (the lord's daughter) have their own stories too, intertwined but completely distinct. (I think Irina and Miryem meet once, maybe twice, and I don't recall Irina and Wanda ever meeting.) Not only did Naomi Novik give me a fantastic fairy tale, she gave me three fantastic fairy tales spun together in one book.
Each of the three heroines are their own distinct person to root for. Miryem is the granddaughter of a very successful moneylender and the daughter of a very unsuccessful one - her father is a wonderfully kind and compassionate man, but he's too kind to collect from the people who owe him so his family lives in poverty and disgrace. Miryem stomps down her compassion to collect the debts, and becomes so good at moneylending that she brags she can "turn silver into gold" and attracts the attention of the Staryk king. And not only is she Jewish, her being Jewish is what saves the day towards the end.
Irina is a lord's daughter, but she is too plain to be married off to anyone of consequence - until her father develops a plan to use Staryk magic to marry her to the tsar. The tsar is not what he seems and brings another dangerous player into the story. Irina is up to the task of surviving this new threat, though, and is not only strong and brave but also concerned for the safety and interests of her people. All of the characters are compelling in their own right, but Irina is by far the most kind-hearted.
Wanda is a peasant farmer's daughter who ends up working for Miryem's family to pay off her father's debt. Her mother is dead and her father is drunk and severely abusive, and all she wants is to have enough money to get away from him. Her story is less about magic and fae than the other two protagonists' and much more human, but just as compelling - and in some ways more relatable, because fae kings and eternal winter aren't a common situation but abusive families sure are.
The setting and the plot are so intertwined that you can't really talk about one without the other. It has a clear Eastern European feel (Naomi says on her website that the book is based on Polish folklore) and a definite 17th-century-peasant-village vibe without romantacizing the harshness of that life. Miryem and Irina are, through their own separate circumstances and methods, working to prevent the Staryk from creating perpetual winter. Wanda is assisting where she can, quiet but strong and brave. (This description makes her sound less interesting than the other two but I promise she is not.) And above all, all three women are just trying to survive.
There is so much more in this book than what I can put into a review (again, 18-hour audiobook, nearly 500 pages in print). But it's all so worth it. I recall at least two times I thought the plot must be wrapping up soon and then got hit with another new twist, new bit of information, new change in the dynamic that made the magic continue. I can't even mention why the tsar is not what he seems without giving away a major spoiler. This book is dense and lyrical, fantastic and relatable, a story of supernatural forces considering humans beneath their notice and humans standing up and taking back their power. The folktale roots come through clearly, and it has a very strong folktale/fairy tale feel even in the writing style. I thoroughly, unreservedly ignored it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and Antisemitism
Forced marriage, poverty, possession/mind controlraquelbb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
a_new_elisabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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? No
4.5
I'm docking half a point just because we never find out his name.
No, it's actually because the logic and writing style are not entirely 5 stars, but that name thing is slightly irritating.
That last sentence is still cute though.
No, it's actually because the logic and writing style are not entirely 5 stars, but that name thing is slightly irritating.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death
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: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Vomit