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A review by paisleypikachu
Night Spinner by Addie Thorley
3.0
Check out the original review and more on NovelKnight!
This book was provided by the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I do love a good retelling, even if they are becoming a bit overdone in YA. That’s probably why the idea of a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling stood out so much to me. I haven’t read the source material, but just from what I do know of the story Night Spinner was a really cool take on the original. Maybe not one of the best books I’ve read so far this year, but it was definitely enjoyable with some moments that really grabbed my attention.
Night Spinner has its fair share of issues. For one, the pacing was a little all over the place. The beginning was very slow for me, full of world-building that felt like one big info dump. Once I got past that though the pace definitely picked up. For a hundred or so pages I was really drawn in, the story giving me plenty to focus on. Then it slowed down again. While I thought the ending was great, the parts leading up to it left something to be desired. I think this was in part caused by the predictability of a couple of the big ‘twists’ leading up to the climax. But, like I said, the ending itself was great and actually surprised me.
I really enjoyed Enebish as a lead characters. She offered a really cool, unique take on a YA heroine- what if the fierce warrior became meek and scared? En was so loyal, so willing to trust those she loved. Maybe that’s not always a good this, and maybe it was a little frustrating to read, but I think it was meant to be read that way and it showed her heart and always felt true to character. As for the side characters, I could take ‘em or leave ‘em. They ere fine, but didn’t stand out to me, and Enebish really stole the show anyways.
The story itself was good. Just good. Like I said before, I found the events leading up to the climax to be very predictable, but they were still fun to read. The world-building, while maybe not introduced as well as it could have been, did add a lot to the story, giving it a unique feel. And the ending was very well done. It closed out this part of Enebish’s story while still leaving enough questions and openings for a sequel to be looked forwards to.
Night Spinner would be great for fans of An Ember In the Ashes or the Grishaverse books. Its solid lead and good story make it worth reading, while the ending really stands out and makes me excited for a sequel and more of Enebish’s story.
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I do love a good retelling, even if they are becoming a bit overdone in YA. That’s probably why the idea of a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling stood out so much to me. I haven’t read the source material, but just from what I do know of the story Night Spinner was a really cool take on the original. Maybe not one of the best books I’ve read so far this year, but it was definitely enjoyable with some moments that really grabbed my attention.
Night Spinner has its fair share of issues. For one, the pacing was a little all over the place. The beginning was very slow for me, full of world-building that felt like one big info dump. Once I got past that though the pace definitely picked up. For a hundred or so pages I was really drawn in, the story giving me plenty to focus on. Then it slowed down again. While I thought the ending was great, the parts leading up to it left something to be desired. I think this was in part caused by the predictability of a couple of the big ‘twists’ leading up to the climax. But, like I said, the ending itself was great and actually surprised me.
I really enjoyed Enebish as a lead characters. She offered a really cool, unique take on a YA heroine- what if the fierce warrior became meek and scared? En was so loyal, so willing to trust those she loved. Maybe that’s not always a good this, and maybe it was a little frustrating to read, but I think it was meant to be read that way and it showed her heart and always felt true to character. As for the side characters, I could take ‘em or leave ‘em. They ere fine, but didn’t stand out to me, and Enebish really stole the show anyways.
The story itself was good. Just good. Like I said before, I found the events leading up to the climax to be very predictable, but they were still fun to read. The world-building, while maybe not introduced as well as it could have been, did add a lot to the story, giving it a unique feel. And the ending was very well done. It closed out this part of Enebish’s story while still leaving enough questions and openings for a sequel to be looked forwards to.
Night Spinner would be great for fans of An Ember In the Ashes or the Grishaverse books. Its solid lead and good story make it worth reading, while the ending really stands out and makes me excited for a sequel and more of Enebish’s story.
For More Bookish Content: Blog || Twitter || Facebook || Bloglovin'