I really enjoyed the adventure of this book! It reminded me a little of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, if it had been influenced by Mulan. I loved the main character, Maia and she seemed very real. Over all, it was a great read!

Absolutely loved this book from the very first page until very last one! Will be posting a full review once I get my emotions over this baby under control!!!! Again, it was so good and so beautiful!

Pitched as Project Runway meets Mulan, Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is a young adult fantasy novel inspired by Chinese mythology. Following the story of Maia Tamarin, a girl who longs to be the Imperial Tailor, we are lead through a Royal Competition for the title and honor. Unfortunately for Maia, only men can become tailors. In order to save her family and achieve her dreams, Maia disguises herself as her brother to take their father’s place in the competition. Half of the book focuses on this competition while the other focuses on Maia’s journey to do the impossible with Edan, the Lord Enchanter, by her side.

With an absolutely gorgeous cover designed by Tran Nguyen and an intriguing synopsis, I definitely had high hopes going in. And let me tell you, I was not let down! In fact, it ended up being completely different from what I expected and somehow all the better for it. The worldbuilding in this book is something that I could rave about endlessly, with it’s unique and beautiful magic and intricate culture. I also truly enjoyed the characters, even the Emperor’s bride-to-be. Maia was so strong and resilient all the while holding true to her beliefs. It made her my favourite character.

If there was anything I would say I didn’t like, it would have to be the relationship between Edan and Maia. It came across as a little strange to me since he was so much older than her, as Maia is very young. Of course, I really enjoyed their banter. And eventually, the pairing did grow on me. Maybe because of Edan’s mysterious past being revealed.

I was so pleased to receive an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Spin The Dawn from Netgalley. I highly recommend this book for fans of fantasy and young adult books.

Wow! Holy Moly! This book is so, so, so good. The story is complex and engaging. I loved the storylines and the characters. I can't wait for the next book in this series.
Elizabeth Lim is an amazing author and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!
Bravo!
This is a five star read! Going on my keeper shelf and I will recommend this book to others!

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I am so glad I requested this book (and got it) because it was fantastic! It was described as kind of a mashup between Project Runway and Mulan, but it was so much more than that. I could see elements of each in the story (though, admittedly, I've never watched Project Runway), but they were just influences. This book wasn't a re-telling of Mulan, nor was it just a design competition. It became more complex as it went along, but it all fit. Elizabeth Lim is like her protagonist, Maia, artfully creating something richly beautiful and interesting. I can't wait for the sequel to come out.

Maia (18) and Edan (ha--that's all I can say) are wonderful together in all phases of their relationship--odd acquaintances, friends, and more. Their romance develops very naturally, though it kind of sneaks up on Maia. I love them together. But I also love them separately. Maia, who has always considered herself the obedient daughter, develops (or maybe finds) a formidable strength within her as the story progresses. Edan finds himself again, waking up from a long life of pretty much just existing. He is good, and I liked him. I appreciate that neither character had to be weak for the other to be strong, and each recognized the strengths in the other.

I can't say enough how much I liked this book. I'd put it in the same realm as The Wrath and the Dawn, An Ember in the Ashes, and other similar books. The writing is beautiful without being cumbersome. The characters are well developed. The story is obviously well thought out but feels like it just happened rather than being forced to unfold a certain way.

Note: Some mild swearing. Some brief, mild sex (barely there).

I thoroughly enjoyed this! Rich worldbuilding and a main character I could really root for. I loved the beautiful descriptions of the tailoring projects in the book, and the plot took some unexpected twists and turns that kept me hooked. I recommend this to fans of high fantasy, and will definitely be picking up the sequel!

Wow what a ride!

This book was really fun, and there's so much I loved about it.

First of all, I have to rave about the world building. I loved everything about it - deeply woven culture meets beautifully artistic magic. Really cool folklore and mythology. I'm DYING to see some fan art! Honestly, this alone made the book worthy of five stars. I never wanted to leave the world. And the story - pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway - totally fits. The first bit gave me definite Mulan vibes! But then the story takes on a TOTALLY new direction. In fact, I'd say it changes directions several times, and I definitely wasn't complaining (more below).

We start with Maia, who in order to save her sick father and provide for her family, takes her father's place by dressing like a boy to meet the Emperor's summons. At the palace, there's a competition to be come the Emperor's tailor - but the tailor must impress his fiancé first. But as the plot progresses, it becomes so much more. One thing after another, and all the sudden, Maia is thrust on a journey to craft three impossible dresses - one made of the sun, another of the moon, and lastly, one made from the blood of stars. (And don't worry - she isn't going on the journey alone. Wink wink.)

I did like the characters. Maia has the biggest heart - and she's tough! I especially loved Edan though. Some of you saw my status update - in the beginning, he totally felt like a baby Darkling! He's the Emperor's Enchanter, and has a soft spot for Maia. But as you learn more about him, he becomes more and more unique. I loved trying to figure out his mysteries! The only issue I had was trying to follow some of the character's motivations at times, but I'll admit I was pretty under-the-weather while reading this, so it might have just been me being a bit delusional.

I will say this book reads a bit younger - perfect for teens (which is the intended audience). So much of YA these days feels way older, but this one felt very appropriate for the audience. It reads very clean (meaning it's easy to follow) and the main character actually acts like a teenager (and I don't mean that in a bad way at all)! Honestly, this book was a breath of fresh air.

I received this book through NetGalley.

<i>Spin the Dawn</i> takes a myriad of genre tropes and spins them in an incredible way, resulting in a book that's surprising, fast to read, and immense fun. The back cover copy pitches it as Mulan meets Project Runway, and that's certainly an apt description of the book's first third; after that, it becomes a fresh take on a fairy tale romantic adventure.

Maia is the Mulan prototype, but instead of dressing as a boy to become a soldier, she disguises herself to compete to be the emperor's tailor. This competition is still a kind of war, though. Not only are her peers sabotaging her efforts, but the emperor's fiance is uncooperative and sets up impossible challenges--and then there's the fact that if Maia is outed as a girl, she'll be killed for lying to the emperor. When she finds out the scissors gifted to her by her father are magical, she doesn't want to use them; to my delight, she truly wanted to succeed by her own merits. I loved Maia for that.

Of course, there's a romance, too, and it's an incredibly well done one. I enjoyed how it developed and yikes, did the end deliver some major surprises.

I added this book to my list to consider for the Norton Award for next year. It's that good. I hope its release is heralded by lots of positive attention, and I'll certainly look for other books in the series.

Things I Enjoyed:

It gave a similar vibe of some Chinese historical dramas, and that made me over the sun, moon, and stars happy. ;-)

Well hello, Edan. *sighs dreamily* This hero! Who doesn't like a snarky sorcerer in a black cape? Seriously, he was just GAH!-MAZING. Yes, Maia is a great character! But Edan? So much adoration for this dude.

Loved the competition for who will be the next imperial tailor. I was quite invested in finding out what was going to happen. Totally felt like I was watching a reality show... 😜 Also appreciated how it was a competition where the characters portrayed something other than battle skills. Two thumbs wayyy up.

On the note of battle skills, can I just praise this book for not being about a heroine who is good with pointy, stab-all-you-can weapons? Maia is shown strong without killing, and it was a glorious thing to see.

The author is excellent at keeping the story's pace smooth as silk, so she didn't waste time with filler scene after filler scene. *happy zither tune plays* An excellent example from which other authors should learn.

Dislikes?

Just some "Ugh, whyyy the TMI?" scenes. A couple of romance scenes went further than I preferred to read. 

But overall this "Spin the Dawn" by Elizabeth Lim was an impressive and sensational retelling of Mulan. I'm glad that I got to read it, and I will certainly be on the lookout for the author's future books. I give it a rating of four and a half.

(P.S. Take a moment to admire the beauty of the cover!!!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book. I was first interested in this book because of the cover. It is stunning. I stayed for the story. The story is a similar feel to other YA but with some great twists I didn’t expect. I will definitely be purchasing this book for the library.

I received this from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The world building was done very well. I loved the characters. I do feel it is very character driven so I like that. I really went into this not remembering the synopsis. I could not remember why I requested it but I am so glad I did not reread the synopsis. I love going into the book not knowing what it is about. To me, it helps me to get to the know the plot and characters better. I don't judge before going in.

I do highly recommend this book.

Spin the Dawn was a fun and fast-paced YA fantasy that I absolutely adored! It has elements of Mulan and Aladdin, but all used in unique ways. Maia and Edan are really great characters and their slow build relationship throughout the story felt natural.

DNF at 74%

I had such high hopes for this book, especially after seeing so many rave reviews. Unfortunately, it just didn't hold up.

I'll keep this short and sweet--there's two reasons I decided to DNF Spin the Dawn:

1. There was no conflict to keep the plot moving. Oh, sure, the main character got herself into sticky situations, but EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. she was magically rescued through one means or another (especially towards the second half of the book). No consequences--everything turned out just dandy no matter what she came up against. That made it rather hard to care about what happened next, as I all I could think was "Oh. Another roadblock in the plot. But she'll get out of this one somehow, just like she did last time, no problem."

2. I probably would've kept reading it and finished it out if it hadn't been for the second issue. Now, on Amazon.com this book is rated for ages 12 and up. That definitely puts it at the lower end of the YA spectrum, almost bordering on MG. And the writing style suits that--the lack of extreme peril for the character, and the way it's written make it seem much closer to MG than to YA. However, one problem remains with classifying it as MG: there's a sex scene on page. I'm not kidding. Sex scenes DO NOT belong in YA, much less MG, and the fact that one is included the story was the final blow to any desire I had to finish it.

All in all, I'm incredibly disappointed in this one. This could've been an amazing book, but content and storytelling issues prevented that.

Received this from NetGalley to make an honest review about it. I liked this little Mulan meets Project Runway story. I liked that Maia was a girl & that she went against the norm & wanted to be a imperial tailor. I didn’t see that falling in love with the enchanter parter I thought she would HATE him. I loved the growing of Kaden & him giving up everything for save & give Maia a happy life. I’m just wondering about the end what will happen?!

I’m not usually a cover girl, but this one sucked me in. then the Asian culture added in had me wanting to read this more than ever. In the end, I wasn’t disappointed, mostly.

I felt like the major problem with this novel was that it was two books (or more) in one. There was the fashion competition in the beginning and the journey/quest and romance for the second half. Both had their merits and their faults, but both were interesting. They just didn’t seem to go together. The beginning was very choppy, quick paced, and full of made for TV dialogue and backstabbing drama. The journey was more subdued. It dragged at parts, but was very flowing and ethereal. This makes it somewhat hard to recommend as these are drastically different styles.

The characters of Maia and Edan were quite well done. I did love Maia’s perspective and joined in her struggles and triumphs. Edan was mysterious, yet his secret was pretty obvious early on. They were fleshed out pretty well and, as their story grew, I rooted for them completely. Other characters, especially at the beginning, were very fleeting and didn’t have much to them. Most were lost in the mix.

The writing style was beautiful. Descriptions were usually quite detailed with colors, textures, and all sorts of fashion jargon that I mostly got. Lim’s settings were lovely and her dresses were gorgeous. At times it was a little much to hear about the dresses, again, but it did make for a lush tale and beautiful imagery.

The thought of more to come is both exciting and daunting. I did fall in love with Maia and Edan’s love story and would like to see what is in store for them next. On the other hand, I was exhausted at the end of this, but that may have been from the whirlwind in the beginning. I would have liked this as two different books, but I would not have read book two from book one. In other words, I loved the journey and romance, so much more than the fashion show. I will look for future installments, but cautiously, and hope they follow through like the second half of the novel.

***Spoiler Alert***

Lim does a wonderful job of world building. She creates a world that I can visually see through the eyes of the character, Maia. I can feel and sense how Maia goes about becoming a master tailor. The story reminded me of Mulan, because Maia disguises herself as a boy to protect her families honor. She masquerades as her brother since her father can no longer sew. The emperor calls in 12 master tailors to provide clothing for his new bride and become the imperial tailor. Maia wants to prove that she can be a master tailor and wants to take care of her family. Lim shows how hard it is for a woman to become anything besides a wife. Maia comes off as a strong willed character that will fight for what she believes in and do anything for the people she loves. There are times where things seem quite obvious to the reader, but Lim finds a way to surprise me on things that I didn't see coming; which left me wanting to read more. Maia does have her drawbacks of constantly having doubts, but finds a way to achieve her goals. I thought it was an interesting take on making the scissors embedded with magic that Maia receives from her baba (father) as an heirloom from her grandmother. Scissors aren't the type of thing that authors use to make magical from what I've read and this is something that sets Lim apart from other authors.

There are three charcters that I don't particularly like. The first character that I don't particularly care for is the Lord Enchanter for the emperor. He goes by the name Edan and he gives off a sly persona. It seems like he wants to help Maia, like he knows what's going to happen at the end of the trial. He gives off this mysterious aura that the reader doesn't know what side he's really on. the other character I don't like is Lord Lorsa. He obviously sticks to the old traditions that women can't be tailors. It was obvious he didn't think Maia was capable of sewing Lady Tainak's gown by the way he looked down upon her. It's quite easy as a reader to dislike him from his first introduction. Then there's Calu who wants to marry Maia. He's the baker's son and he constantly asks her to marry him every time he sees her. The boy clearly can't take a hint and even goes so far as to insult her when she clearly tells him no. That isn't the way to woo a girl into marriage and he certainly has some anger issues.

i love love this book. Maia was inspirational as a girl who overcame sorrow and her own disability. She broke so many standards in her time and goes on a journey to find unimaginable ingredients to gowns for her to create. I sat down and read this book within an evening and was very much a part of their world. I can't wait to read the second book if Elizabeth Lim writes one.

I absolutely loved this book! It sucked me in from the start and didnt let go until I was finished. I cant wait to continue reading about Maia's journey in the next book!

4/5 stars

I need the next book NOW! Please tell me there's more!? I can't just have it end there!

My precious Maia... May Amanna bring you happiness! Ahhhh I loved this!

Also, can we just talk about how the synopsis is literally Mulan meets Project Runway? Because I love both of those and this is seriously it chief. The combonation I never knew I needed.

So anyways, Maia is the youngest in the family, who happens to be the best tailor. Unfortunately, in her land women are not allowed to become tailors. After the passing of her mother and her older brothers being sent to fight in the war, she must tailor in secret to keep food on the table. One day, the emperor sends to seek out a male member of her family to be a potential royal tailor, a dream of Maia's since she was a child. With her father ill and her last survivng elder brother unable to walk, she must disguise herself as a man in order to save what little she has left.

This was such a great book, and I seriously recommend it. There aren't enough Asian Fantasies out there, but this one has been on my radar for months now. After reading this, I seriously just fell in love with Maia, her love for her family, and her strength. She goes through a lot of pain in order to try and save her family, and she honestly deserves all my love and affection. I just want her to be happy ok!?

But yeah seriously. Book 2 please. I'm begging.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I do not think the tag of "Project Runway meets Mulan" is fitting or gives this story justice at all. Neither is really true, and both kind of diminish the story here. The only ties to this are that Maia poses as a son to save her father and that there is a sewing competition. The Mulan tie is much closer, but that's it.

Maia's father is one of the best tailors in the land, but pretty much gives up on life when his wife dies, and then his sons in the war. Maia steps up and takes over for him, but women are not allowed to be tailors, so she has to pretend that her work is her father's. When a messenger from the Emperor comes and tells them that the Emperor's tailor has died and her father is required to go to the castle for the competition to replace him, Maia takes his place. There she takes on the identity of one of her brothers and acts in her father's place.

The competition is full of backstabbing and magic, but Maia is determined to win.