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A review by spiritmadeofstars
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this story. I am interested in slavic mythology and enjoy fantasy with slavic elements. It was interesting to read about a Jewish family, as most slavic fantasies include Christianity (as a villian, which I approve). It was refreshing to read about other religion, though as someone of no faith I myself find following any religious rules as bothersome.
But that of course is only my opinion and view, so while I did find Miryem talking about some Jewish practices as not important to the story, it was a part of her character, which I fully respect. I really do need to read more fantasy stories with more religious undertones, to open my mind to other parts of the world and explore their beliefs. Because even though I do not hold any specific higher power close to my heart, I do want to learn about how other people express their faith.
The only thing I didn't like was jumping from one pov to another without stating which character it is that we're jumping to. It does not take long to realize through which character we're seeing the story unfold, but it did make me feel annoyed. Especially at the beginning, when we jumped from Miryem to Wanda and then like 70 pages in we're suddenly introduced to Irina... and then the other characters.
I am not a fan of the way Novik approached the povs, especially when she jumped to characters I could not care less about. I understand that she wanted us to see things "from the outside" and offer additional information, but I found myself skimming through those parts.
I do feel the ending was a little bit rushed.
But that of course is only my opinion and view, so while I did find Miryem talking about some Jewish practices as not important to the story, it was a part of her character, which I fully respect. I really do need to read more fantasy stories with more religious undertones, to open my mind to other parts of the world and explore their beliefs. Because even though I do not hold any specific higher power close to my heart, I do want to learn about how other people express their faith.
The only thing I didn't like was jumping from one pov to another without stating which character it is that we're jumping to. It does not take long to realize through which character we're seeing the story unfold, but it did make me feel annoyed. Especially at the beginning, when we jumped from Miryem to Wanda and then like 70 pages in we're suddenly introduced to Irina... and then the other characters.
I am not a fan of the way Novik approached the povs, especially when she jumped to characters I could not care less about. I understand that she wanted us to see things "from the outside" and offer additional information, but I found myself skimming through those parts.
I do feel the ending was a little bit rushed.