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A review by reclusivewanderer
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The book is slow at the beginning and a little hard to get into. I did not find myself very interested in the story until 80-100 pages in (I really thought I should try it again later). But I pushed through and really fell in love with the book. The worldbuilding is very rich and the author does a very good job of setting the scene. Some of my favorite parts of the book were descriptions of the settings such as the winter road, the city, the Jewish section of the city, and the prince's bedroom.
However, I did find some parts confusing such as the introduction of multiple POVs. The author does a good job of differentiating POVs through the writing, but there were a lot and, in my opinion, not all were necessary. There were a couple of parts of the book, particularly that I thought would have been better if told in the POV of one of the main characters and not one of the side characters. It would have allowed for additional insight into the main characters and what they were feeling in the moment. I think it also would have expanded on the relationships between certain characters which felt underdeveloped in some ways by the end of the book.
There is a little hint of romance in the book, but it is not one of the main focuses of the book. By the end, I was wondering how some of the relationships would work out and if they actually really liked each other. I was wondering why some characters suddenly had a change of heart all of the sudden.
The magic in the book was very interesting, yet a little confusing. This book does not give straightforward answers on how a character is able to do what they do with magic. I also found it strange that the characters never stop and wonder how they are able to practice their ability of magic. It's more so, 'oh I can do this now" and then they just move on.
However, I did find some parts confusing such as the introduction of multiple POVs. The author does a good job of differentiating POVs through the writing, but there were a lot and, in my opinion, not all were necessary. There were a couple of parts of the book, particularly that I thought would have been better if told in the POV of one of the main characters and not one of the side characters. It would have allowed for additional insight into the main characters and what they were feeling in the moment. I think it also would have expanded on the relationships between certain characters which felt underdeveloped in some ways by the end of the book.
There is a little hint of romance in the book, but it is not one of the main focuses of the book. By the end, I was wondering how some of the relationships would work out and if they actually really liked each other. I was wondering why some characters suddenly had a change of heart all of the sudden.
The magic in the book was very interesting, yet a little confusing. This book does not give straightforward answers on how a character is able to do what they do with magic. I also found it strange that the characters never stop and wonder how they are able to practice their ability of magic. It's more so, 'oh I can do this now" and then they just move on.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content