Cover Image: Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver

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Member Reviews

One of my favourite authors - love her fairy-tale like novels the most. I'll be picking this up regularly for re-reads for sure.

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I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

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3.5 stars. Loosely based on Rumpelstiltskin. Miryem, a Jewish moneylenders daughter, finds she can turn silver coins into gold through hard work and great business acumen. We are also introduced to two more female characters: Wanda and Irina with their own storylines, which all intersects towards the middle of the book.

I am not a big fan of YA, but I enjoy this authors books. I love her descriptions, and she always adds interesting elements to her story. This plays off in a medieval Eastern European setting, and Miryem's Jewishness plays a big role which adds depth to this fairy-tale spin-off. The female characters are strong and all have flaws. There is very little romance in this book, and no insta-love, which is always a plus for me.

This was going to be a solid 4 stars, but unfortunately the ending felt a bit dragged out, and too many characters were introduced - in the end there were six narrators, I think it would have been better to keep it to the primary three.

If you enjoy well-written fantastical adventures filled with magic, elfin winter kings, demons, haunted tsars and young women taking control of their destinies then you should add this to your to read list.

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I am unable to review this copy of Spinning Silver as the download did not work even after several attempts. I'm sure I will buy a copy at some point though. It was disappointing as I was looking forward to reading more of Naomi Novik's work.

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This author is fantastic, and I will always read their books – they never disappoint. The voice is authentic and the story was perfectly paced.

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Spinning Silver threads together the tale of three women: Miryem, the Jewish daughter of moneylenders who makes a boast that she can turn silver into gold within earshot of a Staryk king; Irina, the distinctly un-beautiful daughter of a duke, who buys jewellery made of Staryk silver off of Miryem and ends up marrying the tsar, who isn't quite as beautiful inside as he is on the outside; Wanda, an extremely poor child of three whose father is in debt to Miryem's father. They have nothing to give so Wanda goes to work for Miryem.

The story was slow and winding and full of magic and I loved it. Mostly. I did think there were too many POVs; not only do we have Miryem, Irina, and Wanda, but there's also Irina's maid Margretta, Wanda's two brothers, and the tsar. It's a bit much. But the three women are fantastic. Wanda is hurt but hardworking and a simple kind of girl, who ends up finding a home with Miryem's family. Miryem herself is frustrated with her father who never collects on the money he lends; when her mother falls ill because they are so broke, Miryem takes over her father's business. Then she ends up in trouble with the Staryk. Irina is clever and cunning.

I loved how these three women are drawn together and the twists and turns they take. It is about love and friendship and finding family and sacrifice and fairy tales.

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I had very mixed feelings about this novel. On one hand it is gorgeous, very well written and intelligent. But on the other hand I didn't really love the ending and the way the "romance" appeared/evolved. I had the same issue with Uprooted by this same author, I love everything BUT the romance is just a complete no from me.
That would still be a book I'd like to re-read, and might not feel as pissed about the "romance" now that I know to expect it. All the characters are great, fleshed out and recognizable even when their name isn't at the top of the chapter with their point of view. Having such distinctive voices for multiple characters like that is not something I find that often in multipov fantasy book.
Overall a great fantasy standalone with only one flaw for me that might not be for others.

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A dark fairytale of a world, complete with a fire demon, a frost king and three young women who defy them all to rise up and forge their own paths. I adored Miryem the most, the daughter of a money lender who saved her family by stepping up to do the work her village abhorred her for. She grew throughout the story, first saving her family, then reluctantly sacrificing her own wants and needs to defend those who could not defend themselves. A true heroine.

A very beautiful story, complete with Novik’s rich and gorgeous language and world building. Easily a 5* read!

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This was a great holiday read! I love fairy tales so when new versions of them come out I’m always looking forward to them and see what new twist has been added. And Novik definitely does not disappoint, nor even a little bit.

This is a coral novel with different point of view and different plots but everything happens for a reason, you will see. But in my opinion way too many. In my opinion the book would have been much more dynamic and addictive if they were less point of views, as I do not find some characters as important as to have their own point of view. I felt it was a bit dragged and mostly confusing in the beginning.

I found very interesting one of the female leads, a Jewish money lender. Novik is a descendant of Jews and I just loved how she used her character to break the stereotype and explore the antisemitism around it. I just loved the depth that this gives to the novel, the background and its characters.

Her writing style is gorgeous, her descriptions so vivid and the plot is equally traditional yet surprising for me. Definitely what I was looking for in this retelling and will look forward to read more of her books

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I did love Uprooted, and there was something so solidly satisfying about it, so I was eager to give Spinning Silver a try when I could. I was a bit surprised, halfway through, why I was seeing a couple of reviews saying that it was a bit too like Uprooted, but having finished it I can totally see the point. There’s something in the shape of the story, and in the type of the reveal, that makes it very like Uprooted. That’s not to say it’s not satisfying, but unfortunately it’s one of the weaker aspects of Uprooted to me that is duplicated here in Spinning Silver…

In any case, the story: Miryem’s father is a moneylender, but a fairly useless one. She takes over from him, improving the prosperity of her family to no end, until the point where she boldly boasts that she can turn silver into gold. Naturally, the wrong people hear that and the Staryk king comes to demand she prove herself. The reward for success is ultimately to marry him and leave for his kingdom — a fate Miryem’s not so sure she wants for herself. Alongside Miryem, there are other protagonists: Wanda, a poor girl from the same village; Irina, a girl who might just (through her father’s machinations) become a princess… and a number of other POV characters, for some reason.

Mostly, it was just dragged out too much, with too many voices for the narration — who all sounded a little too alike. They’re not demarcated well on the page either, which doesn’t help. You can be reading for half a page before you realise there’s no way it can be Wanda talking.

There are definitely things to like about this, and the plot itself — and the cleverness of the fairytale retellings (because there’s more than one going on) — is definitely a draw. But it got a little bit too long, a little bit tedious, a little too bogged down in detail. And, like I said, there was something about the shape of the story which was very like Uprooted.

I enjoyed it well enough, but it certainly won’t get my Hugo vote.

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Novik doesn't explain much, just launches you into the story and lets you catch up with the world and how it works. I enjoyed the mix of classic Grimm retelling with Slavic folktales too. Whilst it's an excellent story - and a Jewish protagonist is great to read about - it does suffer in comparison to the other Slavic/Russian inspired stories I had recently read, by Katherine Arden. but to come 2nd to that trilogy is still high praise!

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I didn't finish this as I couldn't get into it. I may try again in the future but at the time of reading it just wasn't for me.

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DNF page 150

After reading and really enjoyed "uprooted" by this author, I couldn't wait to read her new novel "Spinning Silver", however, unfortunately, this wasn't my cup of tea.

I just want to note, the Kindle edition of this book didn't actually work for me, so I had to read via an app and the formatting was all over the place.

Overall, this story had a lot of promise and I can tell why people love it! But for me, it was very slow going and I prefer much faster plots. There were also a lot of perspectives from different characters and I just couldn't connect to any of them.

Overall, I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title, unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.

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Rating: 5/5 Stars.


What can I say about Spinning Silver that hasn't already been said? I was lucky enough to receive an e-ARC of this novel through Netgalley, and this review is late coming but long deserved. An appropriate mark of the end of my blogging hiatus, I think.

Anyway, I better start with my review! Uprooted quickly grew to be an all-time favourite of mine; it's a wonderfully lyrical, mystical and fascinating book with a very solid plot consistent with the experiences of the characters and the world in which it's set. So finding out Novik was going to write another retelling I genuinely knew I was basically waiting for the release of a new favourite. I wasn't dissatisfied in the least.

The characters have clear drives and goals, they are multifaceted and interesting. I loved Irina: she and her Demon-Prince were my favourite couple this book introduced us to. Irina is cunning, masterful, wilful. She doesn't compromise her femininity in an attempt to uphold those ideals: she does not need a sword to be strong and I love that about her.
That being said, Miryem is also a fantastic protagonist. She's a young Jewish girl forced to take over from her father as a moneylender, because of his soft nature. They have suffered and slugged through life and are punished for their kindness - so she begins to demand what is owed of her. She has principles that come to entirely define her experience of life in this fantastical Eastern-European fairy tale, and eventually we meet the Staryk; a kind of winter faerie people's whose obsession with gold results in regular raids on human towns and villages.
The Staryk are a cool bunch in just about every sense of the word. Their Lord too, begins the novel as calculating, conniving and cruel - but his growth as a character still manages to rile up some serious empathy - especially as our understanding of him and his motives develops through the novel.
Wanda too is a pretty interesting character, but of the three women Spinning Silver centres, I have to admit she is my least favourite. Not because she's poorly written, or even that there's anything that I particularly dislike. I just have so much love for Irina and Miryem that there wasn't enough left for dear Wanda. She's a freaking bad-ass though; and I loved her character's development. We see and experience Wanda learning about the world in such a unique way - and as the eldest sister of two brothers I really resonated with her relationship with her siblings.

The plot is a slow burner; so if that isn't your thing you should bare that in mind if you're going to dive in with Spinning Silver. It took me a few sit downs to get through it all: one because I wanted to really have the chance to absorb what I was reading without wolfing it down and then forgetting half of what I read, but also because Novik has a very specific writing style that doesn't really lend itself to quick and easy binge reading. We have a lot of different points of view; so if you're looking for a single narrative book this isn't the one for you. I liked that it's written in first person; Spinning Silver feels like a fairy-tale right down to its bones - but framing it that way almost makes it feel for Miryem, Irine and Wanda especially, that they are almost given the opportunity to tell their stories on their own terms. In a number of ways these women have their agency taken from them by the characters that appear on the page; by parents and neighbours, captors and demons. I like that the undercurrent of the book is the busiment of these women: the way they spin this story is just as important as the events we see unfolding before us.
The plot picks up speed maybe two thirds of the way into the book; there's a lot of exposition and courtly politics involved in the first half, and whole both have there merits there are some really strong sections in the final half of the book. I loved the Jewish wedding scenes, and Irina's final scene in the novel is one of my all time favourites.

The world is vivid; Novik's description of place and setting continue to dazzle and inspire. You almost want to shiver yourself, as the characters trek through the treacherous cold. I loved the concept of the little witch's shack; a place that exists in two worlds at once. It's the sort of dingy, magical hovel I would have dreamt of living in as a kid. This mysterious Baba Yaga figure appears in both of Novik's retelling fables; I wonder if we can ever expect a story like that from her? I know I'd eat it up that's for sure.

Now it's not up to me to review the Jewish rep in this novel, and there's quite a bit of antisemitism so worth baring that in mind if it's a trigger point for you. I personally think the novel broached the subject in an interesting way. We see how the antisemitic attitudes of the people Miryem encounters effects her, we see how she explores her approach to combating it, and ultimately it's just pretty darn cool to have a Jewish main character on such a high profile Big5 release. I know Novik is of Lithuanian Jewish descent so it's been captivating to see her creative approach to her family's historical experience of oppression and prejudice. Especially since this is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, and the original story is renowned for its use of antisemitic tropes. Miryem herself references the tale; citing it's undercurrent as a story about escaping the promise of what is owed, and villainising those who are doing little more than claiming what is already theirs.

Spinning Silver is a fascinating read. I loved every second of it, and I'm glad the companion to Uprooted truly does live up to its predecessor's legacy. I hope Novik once again revisits her penchant for spinning reworked fables. I can't wait to see what comes next.

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I received this book as an ARC from the publisher on Netgalley.

Sadly the story and I did not get along and I DNFed it at 80%.

We follow Miryem, the daughter of a moneylender. As it turns out, she is better suited for this kind of work than her father so she takes over for him and she soon becomes known for being able to turn silver into gold. Her reputation draws the interest of a dangerous creature.
Aside from Miryem we also have other POV characters, and there are quite a few of them. In regards to that, I was bothered that some of them appeared rather late in the book and sometimes we would also read about the same event from multiple POVs, which I found annoying.

The pace is slow, especially at the beginnning, but the story finally picks up at about midway through the book.

Throughout the book I kept hoping that the story would pull me in, but almost at the end, I finally gave up. It seems that retellings simply aren't my thing.

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A lovely and lyrical adult fairy-tale re-worked from Rapunzel. You ca feel the finger-numbing cold in each page. The writing is so evocative and you lose yourself in this fantastical world. Beautiful.

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Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

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Miryem's father might be one of the worst moneylenders of all time. While the people of her village have food on the table, Miryem's struggle to survive as her father has trouble collecting debts until she decides to take control and soon, the money is flowing. But this attracts the attention of the Staryk fairy king who heard Miryem can turn silver into gold and now wants her as his queen.

Naomi Novik has a way of weaving fairy tales we all know and love with a fabulous Russian twist, and presenting them to us in an illuminating new light. Just like Uprooted and Sleeping Beauty/Rapunzel, Spinning Silver takes what we know about Rumpeltiltskin and makes it even more magical with a fantastic female lead.

I loved how female-driven this book was from Miryem to Irina and Wanda, as well as Miryem's mother and Irina's carer. This book truly shows women rising from the ashes and becoming forces to be reckoned with and I really enjoyed reading their character progression from young girls to powerful women in their own right. Miryem is also clearly stated to be Jewish in this book, and though it doesn't appear that the book is set i our world, it almost feels like it could be because of how Miryem talks about her Jewish heritage and some of the terrible history her people have had to go through.

I loved the Staryk and it was almost weird and wonderful how everything about them screamed ice and silver. I really could imagine the Staryk kingdom as some amazing ice wonderland that is both dangerous and beautiful.

There were parts of this book that felt very long, and there were other parts I wished would have had a bit more attention put to them by the end. I would have liked more emphasis and growth in Irina's relationship with the Tsar which while bubbling with sexual tension, didn't exactly feel full of romance either. I did love all the interactions and scenes between the two though.

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I thought I had already left a review so because this is older I'll be brief: I adore this book and recommend it (and all Novik's work) constantly to my customers.

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Spinning Silver was one of my favourite books of 2018. It's a beautifully written, complex and deeply magical story. A loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, this dark story is a layered exploration of fear and magic. There are three main female characters and I loved each of them completely. I was just blown away by Naomi Novik's skill as a storywriter.

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