Review & Blog Tour. Spin the Dawn

Welcome to Spin the Dawn Blog Tour hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. Gosh, I can't believe how long has it been since I joined a blog tour (my last blog tour was in January). But now I'm back and I'm sharing with you my review of one o my favourite books of 2019 as well as some of my favourite quotes. Don't forget to join the Giveaway (sorry, it's US only). Also, if you wish to read more reviews, interviews  and guest posts follow the tour here.

 

Title: Spin the Dawn

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Published: July 9th 2019
Pages: 400 pages [Kindle edition]

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

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I would like to begin this review by apologizing if everything I'm about to write is very confusing. Spin the Dawn spun my emotions to a point that left me an emotional mess. No, it did not make me cry, but its beautiful imagery, its powerful characters, and the magical storytelling threw me into a turmoil of emotions until the very last page. Now, before plunging into my review, can we simply admire the stunning cover for a few seconds? 😍

Storytelling: As I mentioned one mile-second ago, Spin the Dawn is a marvellous book. This book is so much more than Project Runaway meets Mulan. The tale spun by Elizabeth Lim is divided into two parts: while in a first part the story introduces the political intrigues at the court (this is a very fast-paced part), the second part takes the reader and Maia on a quest filled with unthinkable dangers. Throughout the pages, the story conveys soul crushing loss, shattered dreams, political intrigue and heartbreaking romance and uses these elements to build an intricate and bewitching story.

"Ask me to spin the finest yarn or thread, and I can do it faster than any man--even with my eyes closed. Yet ask me to tell a lie, and I will stumble and falter to think of one. I have never had a talent for spinning tales." 

As Maia sew magical and dazzling dresses with thread and needle, so did Elizabeth Lim wove an extraordinary tale with her pen. This is one of the most beautiful and unique books I read this year and I truly believe everyone needs to have it in their life. The storytelling stole my heart! Gosh, I could not be more excited about the sequel.

Characters: After experiencing so much loss due to the war that ravaged the Empire, Maia finds herself taking care of her shattered family and does everything she can to keep their little shop open. One day an Imperial messenger summons her father to the palace and knowing that he would never make the journey due to illness and being grief-stricken, Maia decides to disguise herself as a boy and take her father's place in the competition for the next Imperial Tailor. I must write that I loved Maia's protection regarding her family and her will to prove that a woman could sew as better - or even better - than any man. I also loved her passion for sewing, how she worked so hard to be the very best.

"Because of Sendo, blue was my favourite color. It painted the white of my walls when I opened my window each morning and saw the sea glittering in the sunlight. Sapphire or cerulean. Azure. Indigo. Sendo trained my eyes to see the variations in color, to appreciate the dullest brown to the brightest pink. How light could bend something into a thousand possibilities."

In the end, Maia becomes everything I could wish in the main character of a novel. She faces perilous challenges, but never gives up or bows down, even when she is forced to make choices that may endanger her own life. She is very determined and, throughout the story, she outgrows the naiveté of girl who had never left her small town - the war did steal from her those she loved, but only after facing death and evil first-hand does Maia understand the grey shades that the world is made of and becomes a strong powerful woman.

Regarding the Lord Enchanter, Edan, a veil of mystery surrounded him since the first moment he was introduced in the story. As the Emperor's sorcerer, Edan has the opportunity to watch the competition for Master Tailor closely and because of such he discovers very early on Maia's secret. Nevertheless, he does not expose her. Instead, Edan keeps an eye on her and attempts to help her hide her secret from the other contenders and the man he serves. I quite appreciated his mischievous nature (it's surprising that he didn't lose it after doing going through so much) and how supportive he was of Maia, even if it meant to put himself in harms' way. He believed in her even when she did not believe in herself. Needless to say, I found these two too adorable together and I'm pretty sure that that ending shattered my heart.    

World Building: This Asian-inspired world crafted by Elizabeth Lim is intriguing and brimming with sorcery. A land of folk tales and myths, Lim weaves through words stunning landscapes. One of the aspects I loved the most about Spin the Dawn was that halfway through the story, Maia leaves the imperial palace and has the opportunity to travel the Empire. She finds herself in a Silk Road-inspired path, with scorching deserts and icy peaks, and lands hunted by dangerous and evil beings - creatures that she always thought to be nothing more than tales. The settings simply burst with life and it's almost like if I was following the same paths than Maia and Edan.

Thank you to The Fantastic Flying Club and to the publisher/author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Lim grew up on a hearty staple of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Her passion for storytelling began around age 10, when she started writing fanfics for Sailor Moon, Sweet Valley, and Star Wars, and posted them online to discover, "Wow, people actually read my stuff. And that's kinda cool!" But after one of her teachers told her she had "too much voice" in her essays, Elizabeth took a break from creative writing to focus on not flunking English. Over the years, Elizabeth became a film and video game composer, and even went so far as to get a doctorate in music composition. But she always missed writing, and turned to penning stories when she needed a breather from grad school. One day, she decided to write and finish a novel -- for kicks, at first, then things became serious -- and she hasn't looked back since. Elizabeth loves classic film scores, books with a good romance, food (she currently has a soft spot for arepas and Ethiopian food), the color turquoise, overcast skies, English muffins, cycling, and baking. She lives in New York City with her husband.

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