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naomi_k's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Classism
maziodynes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
One of the best books I have ever read. No hyperbole here. Somehow manages to be gritty and whimsical at the same time. The worldbuilding and lore were well thought out despite it being character driven with multiple povs. I loved every second!
The main heroines are all openly flawed or have massive obstacles to overcome. Seeing these women change for the better (but sometimes a little worse!) as the story progressed was an absolute joy. Not to be corny, but I think female empowerment really resonates here. These characters felt incredibly realistic to their unique circumstances. And the last chunk of the story was one of the most satisfying endings I have read in a long time!
A masterpiece standalone fantasy that everyone who loves fantasy and fairy tale retellings needs to read! full stop!!!
The main heroines are all openly flawed or have massive obstacles to overcome. Seeing these women change for the better (but sometimes a little worse!) as the story progressed was an absolute joy. Not to be corny, but I think female empowerment really resonates here. These characters felt incredibly realistic to their unique circumstances. And the last chunk of the story was one of the most satisfying endings I have read in a long time!
A masterpiece standalone fantasy that everyone who loves fantasy and fairy tale retellings needs to read! full stop!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Antisemitism, War, and Injury/Injury detail
flyintothestorm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Un mundo helado, para mí, tiene todo el sabor de un cuento de hadas bastante oscuro y me ha parecido maravilloso (aún no he leído Un cuento oscuro, pero sé que existe).
Pensaba que las tres historias iban a estar más separadas y que se iban a juntar solo en ciertos puntos, pero se van juntando y separando, lo que hace que sea muy orgánico.
Y pese a los cambios en los puntos de vista, la narración hace que sea bastante fácil saber a quién se está siguiendo en cada momento, aun sin especificarlo (creo que una vez dudé un poco, pero ya).
En resumen, merece mucho la pena.
Pensaba que las tres historias iban a estar más separadas y que se iban a juntar solo en ciertos puntos, pero se van juntando y separando, lo que hace que sea muy orgánico.
Y pese a los cambios en los puntos de vista, la narración hace que sea bastante fácil saber a quién se está siguiendo en cada momento, aun sin especificarlo (creo que una vez dudé un poco, pero ya).
En resumen, merece mucho la pena.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Genocide
Minor: Animal death and Bullying
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Reads like a fairytale! I loved the many interconnected elements, and it was great having a Jewish main character in the cast. The way the author expertly wove in themes of supportive and toxic family, good and evil (and neutral), magic, antisemitism, misogyny, poverty, and others really called back to folktales. My biggest complaint is that it took me a long time (an hour of listening) to realize the narrative was switching between characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Animal death
ktb071's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, and Rape
leilorenzo's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Torture
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
booknerdbetty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
kirajarrar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Domestic abuse
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
soundlysmitten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Spinning Silver has the feel of a wintry folktale. It’s largely set in a magic-adjacent world inspired by medieval Lithuania and it follows the lives of three young women suffering at the hands of the patriarchy. Each woman has a unique storyline, but their paths slowly weave in and out of intersection as mayhem and sorcery ensue, and the three endeavor to alter not only their own fates, but the fate of the world as they know it.
Something I admired about this novel is the variety of myths it draws from while still maintaining a distinct narrative. To name a few: Miryem’s trials with the Staryk King channel the tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Hades & Persephone, Irina’s predicament with Mirnatius incorporates aspects of Bluebeard and One Thousand and One Nights, and Wanda’s story seems to involve elements of Hansel and Gretel as well as The Juniper Tree.
However, if you enjoy an abundance of action, this might not be the book for you. The content is complex but the pace is more leisurely and the quaint language and spellbinding imagery are best appreciated unhurried. With a myriad of POVs to boast, the story does meander quite a bit, but I personally enjoyed the way it goes. Some people mention disliking how the author chose to use the symbol of a spinning wheel to signify a change in perspective rather than label each section by name. But again, I found the spinning wheel charming and thought there was always enough context to properly glean who was speaking.
As the most popular narrative still seems to imply a heroine must be of ‘unparalleled beauty’ or whatever, I appreciated that the women in Spinning Silver are not prized for their appearance, but for their agency, loyalty, and resoluteness. They each have some questionable moments, but it seems natural for a person’s flaws to flare dramatically in survival mode. And by the end, Irina learns to wield a balance of cunning and compassion, Wanda pairs her newfound independence with fierce devotion, and Miryem is both empowered and humbled at once. Even though there’s a bit of romance in the conclusion of the story, I was glad to see each character’s personal journey played out independently first. And I loved that the story emphasizes family more than romance. Let sisterhood and found families abound 😽But the way Wanda and her brothers come together, first with each other, and then with Miryem’s parents in wake of Miryem’s absence… that especially pulled on my heart strings.
Most notably, I’d like to acknowledge the portrayal of Jewish heritage in Spinning Silver. To me, one of the most beautiful parts of the book involves the gifting of a Jewish name. Of course, there’s also mentions of hatefulness which point to the history of antisemitism. But in retrospect, I see how Miryem playing Rumpelstiltskin, specifically, may further serve to challenge antisemitic stereotypes. This connection was lost on me initially because I was ignorant till just now of the roots of the fairytale I grew up hearing. And turns out this is not the only tale by the Brothers Grimm inspired by antisemitism… Is this common knowledge?
Something I admired about this novel is the variety of myths it draws from while still maintaining a distinct narrative. To name a few: Miryem’s trials with the Staryk King channel the tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Hades & Persephone, Irina’s predicament with Mirnatius incorporates aspects of Bluebeard and One Thousand and One Nights, and Wanda’s story seems to involve elements of Hansel and Gretel as well as The Juniper Tree.
However, if you enjoy an abundance of action, this might not be the book for you. The content is complex but the pace is more leisurely and the quaint language and spellbinding imagery are best appreciated unhurried. With a myriad of POVs to boast, the story does meander quite a bit, but I personally enjoyed the way it goes. Some people mention disliking how the author chose to use the symbol of a spinning wheel to signify a change in perspective rather than label each section by name. But again, I found the spinning wheel charming and thought there was always enough context to properly glean who was speaking.
As the most popular narrative still seems to imply a heroine must be of ‘unparalleled beauty’ or whatever, I appreciated that the women in Spinning Silver are not prized for their appearance, but for their agency, loyalty, and resoluteness. They each have some questionable moments, but it seems natural for a person’s flaws to flare dramatically in survival mode. And by the end, Irina learns to wield a balance of cunning and compassion, Wanda pairs her newfound independence with fierce devotion, and Miryem is both empowered and humbled at once. Even though there’s a bit of romance in the conclusion of the story, I was glad to see each character’s personal journey played out independently first. And I loved that the story emphasizes family more than romance. Let sisterhood and found families abound 😽
Most notably, I’d like to acknowledge the portrayal of Jewish heritage in Spinning Silver. To me, one of the most beautiful parts of the book involves the gifting of a Jewish name. Of course, there’s also mentions of hatefulness which point to the history of antisemitism. But in retrospect, I see how Miryem playing Rumpelstiltskin, specifically, may further serve to challenge antisemitic stereotypes. This connection was lost on me initially because I was ignorant till just now of the roots of the fairytale I grew up hearing. And turns out this is not the only tale by the Brothers Grimm inspired by antisemitism… Is this common knowledge?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury