A review by wardenred
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

So the fairy silver brought you a monster of fire for a husband, and me a monster of ice. We should put them in a room together and let them make us both widows.

I really, really loved the first 20% of the book or so, while the narrative was largely focused on the small Polish village, the two young women surviving in it in the best ways they knew how, and their families. The characters all had very clear arcs and well-rounded personalities from the get go, and it was easy to get where they were coming from and to what end, even when the specific actions they took didn’t sit very well with me. I was fascinated by the cold, sharp edges Miryem had to develop to ensure her family’s survival and admired Wanda’s quiet, relentless strength as she worked toward a future that would hopefully one day set her free of her abusive father. I also really liked how the presence of mysticism and the Staryk (fairy-like mystical creatures) was handled in this early part. It felt more like magical realism than fantasy. And the vibes all around were immaculate: kind of the inversion of cozy fantasy. The same focus on a community getting by amidst a wintry landscape, except it’s all about the darkness lurking behind the apparent quaintness.

I would have very much loved it if the whole book stayed like that: smaller-scale, comparatively low-stakes, character-driven, showing the horrors and the magic in the mundane and exploring this historical setting with a touch of magic. I feel like it went on in that vein long enough, to be honest, to turn into a promise—but then that promise wasn’t upheld. Because the Staryk became far more present, and a deal with them turned into a marriage contract, and then we got a brand-new narrator, Irina, and her storyline about getting married to the tsar, and the number of characters just kept growing from there. And the newer ones didn’t get the same slow, thoughtful introduction as the first batch did, so everything felt vaguely unbalanced.

Overall, I’d call structure this book’s biggest weakness. While all the different storylines were undeniably connected from the start, in terms of both plotting and theme, and they did eventually coalesce, there were big chunks of book that were just… all over the place. Just moving from one part of the narrative to the next with some really strange structural decisions, like the story wasn’t able to decide which subgenre/mood it wants to stick to. Each plot thread individually contains lots of goodness, great characters, interesting magic, strong themes. The prose is beautiful and immersive. But alas, past the beginning and before the last several chapters, none of it quite comes together.

What I unequivocally adored were the characters’ voices. The book is written in first person and frequently switches POV characters, often introducing new ones literally mid-chapter. I thought I’d be confused at least once because of this, but no, every time there was a switch, I either very clearly knew whos head I was in, if it was someone I’ve already met, or just as clearly realized this was someone new even before any names and such were mentioned. I’m honestly stunned by how distinct the voices are.

I also must say that, despite the structural laxity, I really appreciated the thematic cohesiveness. The way all the girls’ relationships with their mothers were explored in ways that played off each other, or the contrasts and comparisons between Miryem’s and Irina’s marriages, and more. I also just generally loved what the author did with the Slavic/Eastern European mythology and history. Overall, I’ve had a really good tiime with the book, I just wish the story was more consistently told.
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