I lived the uniqueness of the retwlling of rumplestiltskin. Well-written, imaginative world building. The storytelling jumped from a number of different characters, but mever lost the flow of the tale. Higjly recommend.

Truly wonderful. Novik expands her fantastic short story of the same name (from 2016's The Starlit Wood: New Fairytales collection) into a rich, satisfying novel, which the original concept more than deserved. In this twist on Rumpelstiltskin, the heroine, Miryem comes from a long line of Jewish moneylenders in a Russia-like (Lithuanian?) setting. Unlike her overly kind-hearted father, she has a talent for turning the silver the family lends out into gold, which draws the attention of the lord of the Staryk, a fey creature of the winter. In addition to Miryem, the novel version also follows the intertwining paths of Wanda, the abused daughter of a local farmer Miryem takes as a servant as repayment for a debt, and Irina, the daughter of a local duke. I won't spoil any more of the plot, and if you've read Uprooted or any of the Temeraire books, you don't need to be sold on Novik's wonderful writing, which grows stronger and richer with each book.

This book was exactly what I expected from Naomi Novik! It was not only a lyrical retelling of a familiar fairytale but it had enough that made its own book. If you loved Uprooted you definitly will love this book. Not just one strong heroine but three!

Reading a book like this and being able to recommend it to patrons is why I joined this site. A truly stunning, almost visual tale, in a folkloric style that is truly compelling. I literally could not put this down until I finished it. The twists and turns and the almost familiar details felt like hearing a Hans Christian Anderson or Grimm's Fairy Tale story as a child for the first time. However, it had a visceral and gritty realism that speaks to adults. I loved it and in fact intend to buy it as a hardback for my personal collection.

This book is enchanting enthralling and not easy to put down . Ms. Novik creates a world with her beautiful descriptions and unforgettable characters .this seems to be a take on Rumplestilskin but make no mistake it is thoroughly original

This book was pretty interesting. It had a fun concept, not too familiar, but enough. It wasn't a fast read for me, but it was a great story overall.

After reading "Uprooted" I was incredibly excited to see another book by Novik coming out. Having now read "Spinning Silver", Novik is firmly rooted as one of my all time favorite authors. The world she has created here is fantastical, but the themes are so similar to what we deal with in the real world. Prejudice, social division, fatal misunderstandings between two different types of people, etc. There are great lessons to be learned from this book, and it is heart-wrenching to see how prevalent the prejudice seen in this book is present in our world today.
All of the characters in this book have important parts to add to the story, but as with all books that switch between different points of view, I developed a favorite and would occasionally become a little irate having to read through another of Wanda's chapters when I wanted an update on Miryem. However, the way all of their different viewpoints built the story was so well done I couldn't be too irritated. Stepon's viewpoint in particular reminded me quite a bit of reading "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" despite the two books being so completely different in subject matter. It's the voice that these characters were speaking with that felt similar to me, and not in a bad way.
It would seem odd to call this book a love story, but in many ways it was. Not just romantic love, but familial love and how it binds us together. Miryem's family is extremely loving and the way that they remain kind despite the prejudice they live with is deeply inspiring.
Hands-down, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I highly recommend it!

Naomi Novik's newest book is an enchanting story with rich, captivating characters. Readers will love the fresh and unique take on the classic folk tale Rumpelstiltskin. You will not be disappointed if you pick it up!

Three plain but daring girls, two capricious demons, and one country held in the balance: these are the strands that weave together Naomi Novik’s intricate new fantasy, loosely (very loosely) based on the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale.

Miryem’s father is her town’s moneylender, only he’s much too soft-hearted to be any good at it. Faced with starvation, Miryem takes coldness into her heart and goes out to collect their debts with no pity for her neighbors’ excuses. After a time, she finds that she has quite a talent for money-management, bringing her family a tidy little fortune. Her talent for “turning silver into gold” eventually gains the attention of the king of the Staryk lands – a dangerous kingdom of icy winter dwellers who take verbal agreements quite seriously. Also narrating the tale are Wanda, the poor daughter of an abusive farmer, and Irina, the daughter of a duke who finds herself manipulated into marriage to a Tsar who has plenty of secrets of his own.

Naomi Novik’s talent for interlacing several storylines is evident here, and although the narrative is occasionally difficult to follow, the repeating theme of giving and receiving helped keep me invested. The only little complaint I have is a matter of personal taste: I really don’t care for all of the head-hopping narration that seems to be currently in style. I can handle maybe two or three narrators, but do we really need to hear everyone’s point of view? It feels like lazy writing to me, and I would much rather fall deeply into one all-encompassing point of view than to have the narrative spread so thin across five or six. However, I eventually did fall in love with ALL of the main characters (even the villains a little bit), and the very last page of this tale had me grinning my face off in satisfaction.

Much like Uprooted, this story enchanted me. One notable element that I think should be mentioned is Miryem’s commitment to her family and religion. I don’t think I’ve ever come across such a celebration of the Jewish culture and faith in a fantasy novel before. These girls each face different challenges, and they overcome them with cleverness and determination. Many fantasy readers will find something to love here.

I loved Uprooted. Devoured it. Ask me about my criticisms sometime, but I'm not here to talk about those. Or that book. But what I loved about Uprooted, I loved threefold in Spinning Silver. The worldbuilding Novik accomplished through the perspectives of the ensemble narrators is so well crafted that I frequently forgot that the book would end at some point. The journey continues in such a way that I expected it to go on for another book, and another, and another, and the thought delighted me. The prose is rich, the folklore fantastical, and the humans delightfully so. The women are steel and cleverness and compassion, heroines in whose company I would gladly spend more time. My own writing is a little muddled, truth be told, because it is difficult to be coherent about this, especially so soon after finishing it. Endless thanks to Ballantine, Novik, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Beautifully complex fantasy with a cast of characters that surround and enrich the story. While this retells the Rumpelstiltskin story, Novik has obviously researched the folktales surrounding this legend and made it so much more--a full and rich novel.

Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver is one of the best books I've read this year! Fans of The Bear and the Nightingale will love it!

The story weaves together the lives of three young women who join forces to try to save their world from being overcome by fire or by ice. It's part fantasy, part fairy tale, wholly captivating.

I love the way this author immerses the reader into her worlds. This is a fantastic spin on a classic fairy tale and she really breathes fresh life into it and brings her characters to life! I will definitely recommend this to my patrons and book clubs.

Spinning Silver captured me with the first sentence and never let go. Will definitely be purchasing this title for my library.

Wow, I have no words! This book is perfection! Naomi Novik is definitely one of the best fantasy writers out there! I love her magical yet concise writing style. This book is different from Uprooted, it's as amazing but it has its own appeal. There's a hint of romance that made me swoon! I loved this and I'll definitely read whatever the author writes! 10/10!

Naomi Novik is one of my favorite authors, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to review her book before it's released. "Spinning Silver" takes the reader on a journey of imagination and tells the story of three overlooked but very strong heroines. Maryem, the main character, must take on adult responsibilities because her father cannot collect the money he's lent to others. She discovers a strength she didn't she had, and becomes an expert at "changing silver into gold" - otherwise known as capitalism! But her skills at making money bring her to the attention of a creature who will challenge her and force her to make difficult decisions, discover an inner strength and create a family that loves and supports her. This story turns the fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin inside out and expands the universe.

Another hit by Naomi Novik. Like her past novel, Uprooted, this story took on the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The overall written style was prefect, but I did get a little lost in the transitions between the POV at times. However, the story did flow wonderfully that these little moments did not bother me too much. The story was so compelling that I kept reading it and did not want to put it down. As stated, looks like another hit by her.

Uprooted is one of my all-time favorites, so I jumped at the chance to get my grubby little hands on this arc (thanks, Netgalley!), and it was riveting. Seriously, one weekend and I inhaled, snorted, devoured this book. It was a little slow at times, but I enjoyed the buildup of the story. Though it's technically a sequel to Uprooted, you really don't need any context to enjoy Spinning Silver. Sadly, Agnieszka and the Dragon did not make an appearance, but there were plenty of characters and personalities to make up for that - not one, but THREE strong female characters. Bless my soul.

My only gripe was with the alternating point-of-views. There were way too many, and also at least two (I won't name names) characters' chapters were unnecessary. I wish it had been more Miryem story than any one else's, because I am a terribly selfish reader who doesn't care much for shifting perspectives. I pick my favorites and stick with them to the death.

While initially I was frustrated by the abruptness and what was perceived to be a lack of development in the romance, in retrospect I appreciate what Novik did with the relationship. It was very sweet, just be patient with it! Also, I was starved for details when it came to the Staryks - I just don't think those characters were fully fleshed out, which was disappointing.

Overall, Spinning Silver was a delightful twist on the original Rumpelstiltskin fairytale. A bit on the lengthier side but definitely unputdownable. Read it.

I enjoyed Uprooted quite a bit, so I was eager to read Spinning Silver. It was everything I wanted but didn't realize I wanted. It took me so much longer to read (I read Uprooted in 2-3 days, Spinning Silver took about a month) but this is a book meant to be savored, not plowed through.

At face value, this is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, but it is so much more. It's the interwoven stories of five different narrators. It's adventure. It's political intrigue. It's fairy tale and fantasy. And it's all headed up my three badass women, who each have their own strengths and weaknesses-- they don't feel like cookie cutter "strong female protagonists". I also appreciated the main character being rooted in her Jewish faith; it added an interesting dimension to the story.

I can easily imagine this becoming a beloved movie a la The Princess Bride-- the imagery was so vivid that I could picture everything clearly in my head.

My only teeny tiny quibble is that small images are used to denote the changes in narrator; I would have preferred the character's name as well. I get how the use (and disuse) of names is significant in a book based on Rumplestiltskin, but from a narrative perspective it made it confusing to follow-- my eyes are used to scanning right past pictorial markers like that. I missed the change in narrator multiple times, and had to go back.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

If you have read Naomi Novik before you know that she writes gripping stories and this latest book is inspired by Rumpelstiltskin but that fairy tale is only a beginning to a multifaceted story that becomes Spinning Silver. Miryem knows that old story but is bitter about it because as the daughter of a Jewish moneylender in a small village (which evokes Poland or Russia of long ago), she knows that her family is not rich but in fact quite poor due to the fact that her father is a gentle soul who has lent out his wife's dowry but never manages to collect what he is owed. When Miryem's mother becomes ill, Miryem takes matters into her own hands and starts collecting the family's debts. It turns out she's very good at it and word gets around -- to her very successful grandfather in the nearest big city and, more ominously, to the Staryk king.
The Staryk are magical creatures of winter and their knights have crossed over into the human world to pillage and steal gold. It seems as if their depredations are increasing as is winter - the summers are becoming shorter, the harvests become less each year. Hearing that Miryem is good at turning silver into gold (actually buying, selling & investing), the Staryk king requires Miryem to produce gold from silver he gives her three times.
Told from the multiple points of view of Miryem, Wanda (a local girl who starts working for Miryem's family to pay off a debt), Mirnatius the Tsar, his wife Irina as well as the Staryk king and other characters this is an intricate story. The chapters move from character to character as well as different settings and it's a story worth re-reading to understand all of the intricacies. This is not a sequel to Uprooted but if you enjoyed that book you will love this one.