REVIEW: Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

**I received an ARC from Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Release Date: July 9, 2019

My Rating: 4 stars

Summary: 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.

Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.

⚞🌠⚟

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.

I've been heavily anticipating Spin the Dawn, and I was so, so excited when I was approved for an ARC! I mean, look at that cover and tell me you wouldn't be excited to read this book. I can definitely tell you that the gorgeous cover accurately captures how great this book was. Spin the Dawn is a tale of love, of magic, and of defying expectations.

The prose is exquisite; I loved every moment of it. This is the first book of Lim's that I've read, and I need to read more of hers because her writing is just so lovely. I was definitely pulled in just by the prologue alone. The plot was a bit more scattered than I would have liked because it was about three different plot lines in one book, but all of them were equally thrilling and exciting.

The world building was cool, although I think it could have been fleshed out a little bit more, especially considering that this is supposed to be inspired by the Silk Road. I loved the detail of the religion though; Maia and Edan embark on a quest to find the sun, the moon, and the stars to make the magical dresses of Amana. You all know that I love a good sun/moon/stars thread (pun intended!), and this was no exception.

Make me the dresses of Amana . . . One woven with the laughter of the sun, another embroidered with the tears of the moon, and lastly, one painted with the blood of the stars.

I love Maia so much! Following her on her multiple journeys is exciting, and I can't wait to return to her story in the next book. I liked Edan as well, because we all know I'm a sucker for the trickster and/or seemingly arrogant and annoying love interest. I will say that I wasn't too into the romance, just because I'm never that into the mortal and immortal/incredibly old ship. The banter was so good though!

As you can tell from the summary, this is partially a retelling of Mulan. There's definitely something to be said about having yet another YA novel where the female protagonist has to dress up as a boy without giving any thought to trans and nonbinary people. However, I am a cis female, so I don't really feel comfortable criticizing this in detail; I would love to boost reviews by trans and nonbinary people on this.

Also, the book felt very narrow-minded to me in the fact that the book very much implied that gay relationships are wrong or, at the very least, glossed over them, almost like they don't exist. I say this because everyone thinks Maia is a boy, so she talks about how she and Edan can't be together when they return to court. It didn't seem like a "guys can't be into each other" way, more of a "it's completely unheard of," although the soon-to-be empress makes jokes Edan being into the little tailor boy (Maia). So yeah, this seemed to be a constant, underlying aspect of the book that, combined with what I discussed before, lessened the impact of the book to me.

EDIT: The author has since contacted me to inform me that this is not what she intended when she wrote the book. I want to reiterate that this is how I interpreted these events, and I would invite you to read the book and form your opinions. Literature is different for everyone!

I did think the depiction of women's roles in this world was accurate. The future empress and Maia are both prime examples of forced subservience in a patriarchal society, and it is so easy to relate to their frustrations. However, for this to be the only bit of injustice in the book seems to provide even more injustice in that it ignores any semblance of intersectionality.

"The gods live in a separate world from us. Our worlds do not touch." "Except through magic."

Overall, though, I enjoyed Spin the Dawn. It's an enticing tale that depicts the intensity of love and magic. The romance is passionate, and the writing exquisite. I can't wait for the next book!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indie

⚞🌠⚟

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.

Goodreads | Website | Twitter