There are no spoilers in this review.
Spin the Dawn, Elizabeth Lim
Publishing on July 9th, 2019 by Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers.
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.
☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS: click here to see them.
violence, death, loss of loved ones, blood, imprisonment, threat of sexual assault, some homophobic and ableist language, sexism.
☂️ DIVERSITY: All Asian cast (Chinese). 
I ENJOYED…
☂️
- Spin the Dawn was one of my most anticipated reads of last year, obviously I went in with a lot of expectations, even more knowing so many of my friends loved it. I’m happy to say, I wasn’t disappointed.
- The first thing that took me into the story straight away was the writing. Spin the Dawn is written in such an exquisite, incredible way I couldn’t help but be swept away. Everything came alive under the author’s writing and I loved it.
- The characters won me over in a second, especially Maia, the main character. I loved her determination, I loved her growth, I loved how close and protective she was of her family, I loved her passion for her craft shining off the page, too and immediately rooted for her!
- Edan was a second close favorite to me. I just lived for his and Maia’s dialogue and banter and I loved the growth of their relationship and their chemistry, too.
- The world-building was really unique and wonderful, too. Inspired by Chinese mythology, it has magic, demons, ghosts, magical carpets and it was so lovely. Another thing I loved was how the author took us along on the main character’s quest and how vivid it all felt. The changes in the landscape, the magical quests with the sun, the moon and the stars… I felt like I was traveling along with Maia and Edan in this magical world and I loved it.
I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
- I hate writing this section when I can’t find, exactly, what is the thing that prevented me from rating this book higher. I had a great time reading Spin the Dawn overall and maybe it’s because I found the first chapter of exposition a bit long and was really eager for the action to kick off and the competition to get started? I’m not sure.
OVERALL
☂️
If you’re looking for a wonderful fantasy read, I’d recommend Spin the Dawn. Its magical writing, fierce characters, endearing romance and stunning world-building are perfect if you’re looking to escape for a little while into a magical world. I can’t wait for the sequel!
Final rating: 4 drops!
Did you read Spin the Dawn? Do you want to?
Do you have any recommendations of fantasy reads for me? Let me know in comments!
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Fantastic review! I’ve always wanted to read this since a lot of people were talking about this! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so, so much! I hope you’ll give it a try! 😀
My fave thing about Spin the Dawn was 1. the worldbuilding and 2. the romance ? Oh, and I can’t wait for the next book. The cliffhanger there was a w f u l.
Yeees ahh such a good world building, so magical! I can’t wait to see what happens next 😀
Spin The Dawn is on my TBR, I can’t wait to dive into the wonderful world/setting! Sounds like such a great YA Fantasy ??
Aaah I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!?
Sometimes the Wow factor isn’t there, but it doesn’t mean we can exactly pinpoint it, or that it was a bad book 🙂 great review! xxx
Exactly! Thank you so much!! <3
Yesss I loved the relationship growth between Maia and Edan too! 😀 Wonderful review, Marie – this is getting me excited all over again for the sequel!
Aaah thank you, Margaret, this makes me so happy <3 I can't wait to read the sequel!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one, Marie! I just finished the sequel and the ending was ~phenomenal~. I probably liked it even more than Spin the Dawn (which I ended up giving 3.5 stars to, anyway). And the covers are sooo gorgeous.
I get you on the exposition though; there was a lot less action than I expected and Maia’s narrative would go on and on at times, lol.
Aaaah, I’m so happy to hear you loved the sequel, this makes me even more impatient to read it! 🙂
Thank you!! ?
Even with the part about you having a hard time I am so happy that you still loved it!
I really did, it was such agreat read 🙂
I adore this book as well! I’m currently giving it a reread in preparation for the release of Unravel the Dusk in July and I’m so excited! Maia and Eden have quickly made it as one of my favorite pairings for sure, their banter is gold!!
YAY! I so agree with you, I loved their banter so, so much <3
This looks like a really good book! I haven’t been reading much fantasy, but I want to read more. I loved reading your review ?
Ohh I hope you will give this one a try then, it was so lovely 🙂
thank you so much <3
Oooh this was one of my most anticipated reads of last year because the whole premise + Chinese mythology + gorgeous cover was just *chef’s kiss*
I think I ended up giving it three or four stars as well, but I’m happy you enjoyed it! It’s always wonderful when a highly anticipated read turns out great <3
Oooh I’m happy you enjoyed it as well! I agree about the cover, too, it’s so stunning ? I’m so curious about the sequel now!
This has been on my tbr for a while !! I have *literally* only heard good things about this book so I guess I have to read it super soon haha this book sounds so wonderfully magical and this was such a good review! Long expositions are a bit of a turn off in books for me too, I like when stories just go straight into it
Aaah I hope you’ll give it a chance sometime soon, it was so lovely and definitely worth sticking for the first few chapters 😀
I haven’t read Spin the Dawn yet but I really want to since everyone has been raving about it. The plot sounds amazing and exactly what I’d like. ? // As for fantasy reads, I can recommend The Kiss of Deception series by Mary E. Pearson.
Oh I hope you’ll read it soon and will love it! 🙂
Oh thank you for the recommendation! I need to check it out 😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one! It was one of my favorites from last year (or early this year? I can’t remember ?). Mulan is my favorite Disney princess, but I loved how this book added so many unique elements to the original story. Really hoping Unravel the Dusk is just as good!
aah I’m so happy you enjoyed that one, Charis! Can’t wait for us to read the sequel 🙂
that aesthetic you created made me want to read this so badly! this sounds like a beautifully spun story and i’m so excited to read about the mythology elements and the exquisite writing style. ?❤
and i definitely understand what you mean about not being sure what you didn’t enjoy!! i’ve felt the same way when i rate books lower than 5 stars yet don’t know what caused me to them a lower rating! ?
aaaaaah thank you, this makes me so happy! <3 I hope you'll give this book a try and will love it 😀
Great review! I loved this book and I’m so looking forward to the sequel! From my recent reads, I would recommend Thorn By Intisar Khanani, and House of Dragons By Jessica Cluess.
Oh thank you so much for the recommendations, Raven! 🙂
So happy to see another Spin the Dawn fan! I don’t know anyone else who has read it and loved it. Lim’s writing is so vivid and beautiful, it was hard not to fall in love with it and the characters!
Oh so happy you enjoyed it as well, it was such a lovely read!
Thank you for stopping by 😀
Ahh so happy that you loved this, Marie! Soon the Dawn was my one of my favourites last year. I loved the relationship between Maia and sedan. And that cliffhanger ? Can’t wait for the sequel.
Ahh thank you so much, Sim! I can’t wait to see what happens next as well 😀
I’m glad you enjoyed this one! I was really looking forward to reading this when it first came out but I held off because of all the hype. I guess I was intimidated. It’s great to hear that it didn’t disappoint you, though. 😀
I so get that. I was quite intimidated by all the hype as well, that’s why it took me so long to get to it. I hope you’ll end up loving it! 😀
i’m so happy you loved this one, marie!! the writing and the worldbuilding were definitely highlights for me with this book — they were just so exquisite. the magic especially was so beautiful to me, with amana’s dresses! i hope you love the sequel as much as you love this one, and great review <3
Agree! the writing was so, so beautiful, I loved it so much and felt so immersed into the story. <3
Thank you!
ahhhh I’m so happy you liked it!! I also had a great time reading Spin the Dawn, and I’m so so glad, because I definitely had high expectations and I was a bit afraid of being disappointed … Not the case! I wasn’t the biggest fan of Edan at first but their interactions were always the best hahahah
Ahhh thank you! I can’t wait to read the sequel. I loved their interactions so, so much as well, they were my favorite! 🙂