Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Spinning Silver

Overall Thoughts:
⁕ This book is layered and has so many moving pieces at all times! It’s impressive how Novik ties it all together, but the plot is over-complicated and bogged down at points.

⁕ The characters are so unique and distinct from one another… I just didn’t find them personable and had a hard time emotionally connecting to them.

⁕ Novik’s writing style has all the markers of dark, traditionally western fairytales. It is worth it for the ✨a e s t h e t i c ✨if nothing else.

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selenatothemax's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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leilorenzo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

This was a really sweet retelling. I am not very knowledgeable about fairytales, so I wasn't sure which story I was being introduced to, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The female characters were loveable and their journey a very interesting one.
I found the main characters' development at the beginning of the book to be her most interesting bit, but the rest of the book started uncovering other lives and stories so it was still enjoyable.

The male main character was... forceful. I understand the reason behind it, and the fact that his species and rank make it so that it seems natural, but I still worried about the message younger readers would receive from it. Given the problems and how they went about solving them it was not as problematic as Edward and Bella's relationship but... I mean.... there were some questionable moments.

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booknerdbetty's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

3.5

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amkleio's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

Spinning Silver is enchanting, magical, and hopeful. It’s something I can’t put into words. The fairytale energy it has is one of the reasons why I’d go back to this book over and over again.

It is a tale of debts unpaid and compensated; of friendships and families powerful enough to conquer trials and misfortunes; of women who are forces to be reckoned with and aren’t just women—they contradict men’s beliefs that a woman’s purpose is only to marry and bring life and they’re much more than how the society sees them. This is about strong women who aren’t afraid of facing challenges on their own.

Miryem has grown tired of their poor life, and also of her father’s inability to collect debts from the people whom they lent their money with. She started doing things on her own by taking over her father’s job and collecting debts. But gossips scatter so easily that the Staryk king awaits her on their doorsteps.

The book is said to be a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, but honestly, it felt very subtle. It wasn’t a lot like the original fairytale—which I, indeed, quite expected—as it was almost entirely different. The only similar elements were one character has the ability to turn things (silver) into gold, a plot where there is a greedy king who tests a young maiden’s abilities and then marries her after, and the huge importance of names. Yet those were enough. I loved that Novik didn’t stick a lot with the original tale, and she created a unique story with great representations and exquisite storytelling.

There are six POVs, which were confusing (if you don’t pay much attention), but I quickly identified them, as each character has their own voice. For example, when it’s Wanda or Stepon’s POV, it usually has the word “Da” in it (a term they use for their father).

Spinning Silver has three main protagonists: Miryem, Wanda, and Irina. Miryem is smart. I loved her ways of getting a good bargain and being merciless to bring back a comfortable life for her family. Irina is tough. Her determination to protect Magreta is admirable. Wanda is strong. To be honest, she’s the character who touched me the most. Dealing with an abusive father and taking care of her other siblings made me think, “I wish I'm as strong as her.” I love these characters. No matter how hard and terrible their life can be, they always find ways to get out of any unfortunate events. And if it’s anything, I find the novel “female-empowering”, which is a great aspect since the female characters here share the same challenging life.

This was such an escapism! It was as if I felt the winter season through this book. I was easily swept along the extraordinary world together with the charm of the characters, magical mirrors, and the never-ending winter world. Novik, you have my heart.

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