“Seize the wind,” I whispered. “Don’t become the kite that never flies.”

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RATING:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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SYNOPSIS:

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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REVIEW:

OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. Spin the Dawn is one of those books that I instantly finished and wanted to read again immediately. I really did love every minute of my time reading it … which wasn’t that long as I devoured it over the course of a day. I kept trying to put it down so I could make the most of reading it however the natural pull that Elizabeth Lim creates with her writing style is far too difficult to overcome.

What did I love most about this book? That is far too hard to decide, there were so many elements that I loved.

The writing style made for such an easy read. The flow and the style really made it quick to get through whilst taking all the necessary information that was needed. There was no information dumping, it was spoon fed to you on a need to know basis. There was not any gaps in world building or any kind of unnecessary information, you were given what you needed to know at the time you needed to know it and you move on. At no point in this book was I confused with what was happened nor did I have to go back and read parts again just to understand what was going on. This is something that I am really grateful for. If I didn’t know that this was a debut novel, I would not have guessed. The structure and style in Spin the Dawn is better than most I have read from very much established authors.

The characters were also excellent. Maia was a true hero, and such a strong, brave independent women. That is something I love to see from a main protagonist. She had it hard, really hard – she had been through so much in her short life but she took every opportunity that she could and had such a wonderful ethos in relation to the love that she has for her family. Edan was also an excellent character, he was so so complex. I really built up a connection with him and I just wanted to know so much more, I could not get enough of him nor could I get enough of the relationship. THE RELATIONSHIP. Now I don’t like romance as a rule, I roll my eyes and I am generally just a heartless b***h – but this had me swooning. I was so routing for this relationship and I cannot wait to see where it goes from here.

I could literally write about this book all day and I could write a huge list on reasons why I loved it. I can’t think of anything more I would have wanted from this book. A Mulan inspired novel with a kick ass, strong independent protagonist who falls in love with a handsome complex magical character. GIVE ME MORE. I loved this book so much that as soon as I had read the last page I was already on Amazon preordering Unravel the Dusk – I literally don’t know how I am going to keep myself waiting until July to find out what happens next.

I recommend that you pick this book up NOW.