Amazing writing, spectacular worldbuilding, and a truly magical read that was hard to put down. The characters were great and I expect to find more great things from this author.

Iv'e heard too many times this book compared to project runway meets Mulan, but I feel as though that does injustice to this book. Much more than either of those things, this book stands alone as a shining example of a unique story done right. From the adventure to romance I couldn't put this book down. One of my favorites for 2019 for sure.

I binge this book in a day and now have a massive hangover. I ALREADY NEED THE NEXT ONE!

The story was super well written and I cannot get enough of the characters. I will defiantly write more of a review after I'm over this book hangover.

First off, that cover is beautiful. Don't let it be said that a cover isn't the basis for a great book.

I liked the first half of this book better than the last. The beginning was awesome. It focused on Maia and her life, and built her as a character. It also had her disguised as her brother so she could compete for the position of becoming the emperor's tailor. I'm a sucker for girls pretending to be boys. (And that part was for every Mulan fan.)

The competition, while very interesting in its challenges, didn't last as long as I wished, and it's quickly forgotten halfway through the book.

The last third of the book became a typical YA romance. It was all lush poetical wording with promises of eternal love and both parties sacrificing themselves for the other. If it hadn't already been done a gazillion times in every other YA book, I might've enjoyed it. But while it was a beautifully written and a well told tale, I'm getting really sick of this plot line.

The book ended on a darker note than I expected. I didn't realize this wasn't a standalone, so the twist at the end caught me by surprise. I have a feeling that the next book will be solely about lover girl and heartsick boy seeking each other out to free them. If you're here for the romance, that will definitely appeal to you. For me, I think I'll stop reading here, happy with what I've read till now.

Many parts of this book didn't follow the usual YA cliches. It was unique in many ways. I'm still brooding about the ending. It was definitely unexpected.

I liked this book. The romance was slowly built up and not rushed into, the characters were complex, the monarchs were the type to roll off heads instead of falling in love with peasants and handing out their treasury on the street corners. In other words, they weren't glorified pretty monarchs like every modern YA book includes. The book was dark when it needed to be, and beautiful and happy at other times. It was a nice mix.

I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I expected many things, but I didn't expect how fast and how deep I would fall in love with this book.

The book is pitched as a mashup of Mulan with Project Runaway, but it's so much, much more than that.

Storyline:

Maia is the daughter of a poor tailor, living a quiet and uneventful life with her dad Baba (which is already an awesome name) and her three brothers. Then a war breaks and her brothers start to leave, one by one. Only one comes back, the youngest, Keton, with shattered legs and shattered heart.

When an emperor's tailor suddenly dies, he sends an advisor to fetch Maia's father to compete for the position of the master tailor for the emeperor's future bride. Her father can't go due to age, so Maia dresses as her brother to go in his stead.

At the palace, she befriends the royal enchanter - one, whose soul is bound to the emperor in more than one way. He is drawn to Maia and she to him and together they embark on a journey to not only save their lives, but to break a curse as old as time.

Elizabeth Lim is definitely an enchantress herself. Her writing put a spell on me from the beginning. She weaves the tale so masterfully, there is never a dull moment. Her descriptions are full and lush, I could definitely feel every grain of sand, every drop of water.

Maia is one of my favorite characters - we meet her as this shy, bashful girl that wants nothing more than to help her family out of poverty. As the story develops, she goes through many trials and adventures that shapes her into a fierce woman that is not afraid to risk it all for those she loves.

The writing is beautiful, every character is fully formed and developed. There are high steaks, wild adventure, folklore and myths mixed with beautiful scenery. There is romance that blooms slowly but ever so richly.

The ending. Oh the ending - it wasn't your traditional fairy tale. I definitely didn't suspect happy endings would happen in the traditional sense of a word and I am loving Elizabeth Lim for it. Yes, I am completely devastated about the outcome of Maia's decisions, but also very impressed. I cannot wait to find out how the second book is going to play out. There better be a book #2 soon!!

Overall, I highly recommend for anyone loving rich and beautifully written fantasy with strong female character.

I LOVED IT SO MUCH! The story was riveting, the characters and relationships were interesting, the romance was a slow-burn (which I devoured!), the writing was wonderful! I'm now officially a fan of the author and I'll read everything she writes!

I highly recommend it!

This novel was amazing! I could not put it down! So much adventure and plot twists! It combines several fairy tales in one amazing novel.
Maia Tamarin is a very talented tailor. The problem....she is a woman and they are not allowed to be tailors.. Much despair has hit Maia's family and she makes a choice to go to the palace to become the new head tailor. She competes with others, whom are devious and jealous. These cutthroat men will do what is necessary to get ahead. The enchanter, Edan, seems to know all Maia's secrets, yet becomes her greatest ally when dealing with the emperor's unwilling fiancee. When faced with an almost seemly impossible task, Maia must rely on magic in order to protect those she loves. Her journey with Edan becomes a dangerous one, with enemies everywhere. along the way, Maia and Edan learn more about each other and expressing the love they have. However, forces keep them apart and the choices Maia makes will have disastrous consequences. Maia begins to see how strong she is, for she will need that strength. I cannot wait to read the next novel in the series!

I couldn't put this down. Beautiful descriptions of clothing and really great world-building and mythology.

Words can't possibly describe how beautiful and magical this book was and how enchanted it made me feel as I was reading it. Everything was described to perfection - every detail from the delicate embroidery to the vivid color palettes, the dresses to the quest to retrieve the laughter of the Sun, the tears of the Moon, and the blood of the Stars. I could envision every bit of it in my head and I was so grateful for that literary experience.

Maia was as good as of a protagonist and narrator as one could ever wish for. She was selfless, strong-willed, determined, motivated and easy to love and empathize with. I admired her for her courage and tenacity at achieving what she set out to do and shattering that glass-ceiling.

Edan - oh my Edan - was everything you hope for in a love interest. Tough and courageous himself, he was extremely supportive of Maia and never coddled her, instead choosing to let her find her own way. I admired him for being selfless as well. It was so refreshing to see.

The setting and world-building were done perfectly. The story was inspiring. What a great tale of love and courage and never giving up, even when all odds are against you. I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the next one!

The second book in this series cannot be released soon enough! I loved this entire story (except for the part where clothes were being removed and the kissing took on a passionate urgency, which I’ll admit I merely skimmed over). I felt like I could see the dresses and garments that were being sewed, they were described in such great detail. And her adventure to collect rays from the sun, tears from the moon, and the blood of the stars was also very exciting to read about. In the description, this story was compared to Mulan. I’d say it more closely resembles Aladin, with elements of Mulan woven in. At any rate, it was a fantastic book that you should definitely read!

Wow…..where do I even start?!

There were so many amazing things in this book, and it’s really one of those that you pick up and end up not being able to put down. Spin the Dawn blends elements from Mulan, Project Runway, and Chinese mythology, and it’s a literal masterpiece. Elizabeth Lim really has outdone herself.

It follows Maia, and her journey to fulfill her dream of becoming an imperial tailor. When the chance to work in the palace comes to her door, she impersonates her brother in her sick father’s stead and discovers that it’s actually a competition to win the coveted title that she's always wanted. Eventually, Maia's faced with the impossible task of creating three dresses for a reluctant bride with the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of the stars. She embarks on a journey together with a mysterious and alluring enchanter, and it forms a gorgeous tale of love, magic, legend, and bravery.

Once I saw the cover (illustrated by the queen herself Tran Nguyen), I knew this book had to find its way to my shelf. I had it pre-ordered everywhere, and I knew I wanted to try to get an advanced copy to quell my never-ending excitement for this book. And thanks to the kind heart of the publisher and author (seriously can never thank you guys enough!), I was able to do just that!

I fell in love with Spin the Dawn — there’s no other way to say it. I can’t say for sure that I didn’t have high expectations for it, but what was inside blew them all out the water and into a completely different dimension. I’m an absolute sucker for retellings, and the book felt like it was so much more than what was initially promised. It’s a two-in-one, and I honestly thought the ending was going to happen much sooner than it actually did, but I have zero complaints. I felt like I was taken on a very exciting adventure to a completely different world with elements from my own culture and my favorite Disney movie, and I loved being able to relate to Maia so quickly. Her desire to help her family and just make a name for herself despite all the odds stacked against her made me really root for her from beginning to end. I love the romance in this book, especially since it was slowly built from the ground up with two equally soft characters.

The story took me absolutely by surprise. Things didn’t go the way I expected them to, and I ended up with something extraordinary. Spin the Dawn easily takes the lead as one of my favorite 2019 releases, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

Spin the Dawn is a splendid and spectacular addition to the YA genre. The main character drew me in from the very beginning, Maia is a headstrong girl who is a seamstress who learnt the trade from her tailor father who is renowned for his work.
After war befell the kingdom and two of brothers lost their lives to enemy soldiers, their family fell on hard times.
A chance to save her family came when the Emperor announced he was holding a sort of competition looking for the new Royal Tailor. But unfortunately in their kingdom A'landi women are not given the chance for high positions or for much of anything, Maia decides to impersonate her remaining older brother and pretend to be a boy to enter.
Things don't go quite as planned as venomous fellow contestants, the mysterious bride for the emperor from enemy lands and the ever enchanting Lord Enchanter (The Magician of the Emperor) who is way too interested in Maia and always seems to know more than he should, all being to overwhelm Maia.
Before she had left home, Maia's father had given her a scissors that has been in their family for generations with the promise of it being useful for Maia.
It turns out this scissors is magical and it ends up being a game changer for her.
Her trials get heightened when she's tasked with a journey to search for mythical materials to sew dresses fit for a goddess.
There is so many amazing aspects of this book, the background that's both religious and magical and most important the emphasis on fashion.
I love books with fashion in them and Spin the Dawn is no less a masterpiece. Elizabeth Lim has outdone herself.
Not only is the magic well crafted and lush, I also loved the romance. This book is very romantic and there's nothing wrong with that. Maia and Edan contrast so well together and seeing these two characters together is such a joy.
The ending was quite a cliffhanger as the fate of the future is at stake, everything will be different in the next book and I can't wait to sink my mouth in it.

SPIN THE DAWN was one of those books that you really hope to enjoy, but even as you read and find you're enjoying it, you're still pleasantly surprised. I was drawn to this story first by the breathtaking cover, next by the comparison titles that gave way to the plot. I'm a sucker for a good "girl-poses-as-boy" story, and as Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies, I was eager to get my eyes on the pages of this book.

To start off, there were several factors at play that kept my rating between three and four stars throughout my reading, the first and most influential one being the pacing of the story overall. Though I'm most drawn to stories with fast-paced, plot-heavy plots (which SPIN HE DAWN definitely was), I felt there was almost so much going on in this book and so many pieces that had to be woven together by the end that there wasn't enough time to really focus on each little bit, which made me feel a bit dissatisfied both with the events of the story and Maia as a protagonist. I really love to sink my teeth into the inner workings of a character's mind; really feel everything they're feeling as if they were my own emotions. Lim does a great job of characterizing Maia as a whole, but she fell flat for me when an event took place that should've had much more impact on her emotions or should've made her feel them much more strongly than they came across before quickly jumping to the next event. It was a bit jarring in this way, and as I said, there was just so MUCH packed into a finite book that I wasn't able to fully enjoy a scene before the next had already started.

My other two issues involve the ending—first, I'm getting a little weary over these books that don't feature a more definitive resolution in their closing pages. Though loose ends were tied up, and I of course welcome a resolution that hints at the possibility of more to come, I tend to be turned off by endings that leave such an open conflict looming to the point where a continuation and the plot of that continuation is blatantly obvious. I'm sure many don't feel the same, but for me, I'm craving some stand-alones or at least series with a more concrete resolution. The second thing that turned me off about the ending, though small, is something else I've noticed in my recent reads, and that is when the protagonist has to tell the reader that they're not the same person as they were when they first began their journey and go through the plot points that prove this. In my opinion, such lines are hardly necessary when the character arc is strong enough for the reader to see this themselves, and almost makes the reader out to be someone who can't recognize those changes in a character themselves.

However, in saying all of that, I truly did enjoy this story, more so than I thought I was going to, to be honest. I've found it difficult in my recent reads to really relate to the characters in a story that features a culture I know nothing of, but because of the plot-heavy nature of SPIN THE DAWN, I felt like I was taken on an exciting adventure where I truly did relate to Maia and her desire to help her family and found myself rooting for her success from beginning to end. I'm not sure how deeply rooted the religious system and events in this story were in true Asian culture, but regardless, the plot was immensely creative. I was expecting Project Runway meets Mulan, which is exactly what we got for a good chunk of the first half of the book. But I hadn't expected it to take such a divergent turn from those comparative titles, and I'm so happy it did. The plot device of Maia posing as a boy to complete a task for the emperor felt fresh despite its similarities to Mulan, and the events that happened afterward were so inventive I wanted to stand up and applaud Lim for her creativity.

The romance was very believable in its progression, and though I was a bit disappointed it became such a heavy part of the plot, I enjoyed both parties involved, which made it easier to enjoy. I felt I hated the characters I was supposed to hate and loved the ones I was supposed to love, and that characterization mixed with a truly enjoyable and adventurous read is what exceeded my expectations and had me racing through the pages to see what would happen next.

Overall, SPIN THE DAWN was a breath of fresh air against many YA fantasies I've read as of late, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves likable characters and a wildly creative fast-paced plot.

This was seriously the best surprise ever. I didn't have high hopes of being approved to get such an anticipated novel, so I resigned myself to sobbing into a printed out copy of this cover. I mean, look at this COVER!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing to read this in advance and let you all know about this stunning debut novel. They made it so I did not have to sob into paper any longer.

This novel follows Maia, who is the daughter of a tailor and a pretty good tailor in her own right. When the chance to work in the royal palace comes to her door, she impersonates one of her brothers in her sick father's stead. This is where the Mulan similarity comes in. Once she arrives, she discovers that she has actually to compete to win the title of the imperial tailor. This is where the Project Runway aspect comes in.

And then it becomes it's very own story.

The first half is what the pitch described. We have competition. We have a girl disguised as a boy. But wait...oh wait. Maia has some magic scissors, yo, and grapples with using them to create the clothing the would-be-queen wants. And just when you think the love interest is going to be obvious...I am suddenly GOD SMACKED.

The second half is almost an entirely different book, which I loved. I felt like I was getting two in one. Maia sets off on a journey with someone (I won't say who because I am not about that spoilers stuff) and learns that she may not be who she thought she was. Holy crap, this half of the book was intense and filled with so much action and so much romance; I was drooling onto my Kindle. I was utterly shocked at the turns Elizabeth Lim took me through. Make more books like this and I shall fill my shelf with them.

This story took me by surprise. I was expecting something cool and ended up with something extraordinary. Lim's writing is fluid and easy to read. There were next to no info dumping and flowery descriptions that made me want to roll my eyes. It was all so perfect. The character of Maia was determined and prone to faults but knew just when to make amends with that and move the eff on with life. She reminded me a lot of Fallon from The Valiant series; strong and devoted.

I can not say enough positive things about how wonderful this book is! I came for the description of "Mulan meets Project Runway" and stayed for the amazing story that unfolded! You can see how the author is greatly influenced by mythology and fairy tales and uses those inspirations to weave a novel that is as complex and lush as the cloth that the main character, Maia, embroiders. For fans of The Hunger Games, An Ember in the Ashes, Sarah J. Maas, and Marissa Meyer.

Dreaming for something beyond what society tells you you’re able to do can only get you so far but having the gumption to pursue your dreams with courage and dedication might just help you to accomplish them. With the opportunity of a lifetime on her doorstep, Maia ventures toward achieving her dream in Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim.

Maia has long dreamt of becoming a great tailor, but as a female she is expected to marry well in order to help her family instead of earning a living with her skill. When a royal messenger requests her father’s presence at the palace Maia takes his place, posing as her only remaining brother to help save her father and brother from financial ruin. Upon arriving at the palace, Maia learns she’s in a competition with eleven others vying to become the emperor’s tailor. With odd tasks set out for the hopeful tailors by the emperor’s reluctant betrothed, they demonstrate their artistry and skill to prove their worthiness. Despite appearing as her brother, Maia captures the unwanted attention of the Lord Enchanter Edan, who can see through her disguise and begins to tease her and goad her into using her grandmother’s scissors, which appear to be magical. The final challenge proves to be incredibly difficult, requiring Maia to make the three dresses of the goddess Amana, leading her on a life-changing journey across the kingdom.

The narrative grows from simple to sweeping as it weaves together a blend of magical myths, political and courtly intrigue, and social commentary on women’s status into an entertaining tale that is evocative of Mulan as promised in the blurb. Though there is a good portion of the story that is fairly predictable, the narrative is captivating and moves rather quickly despite its page length. The world feels well realized, the rules for magic are well established and presented, and the characters are crafted with realistic faults to make them more relatable; the dialogue and relationship growth between Maia and Edan, though overly familiar to near cliché, was quite amusing (and cute) as they verbally sparred and slowly built trust into a stronger, more developed relationship, which added to the emotional punch of the ending and anticipation for a next installment.

Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

This was a cool and unique plot, definitely with Mulan and Project Runway vibes! The writing was great with wonderful wordly descriptions!

Wow, just...WOW. I haven't read a fantasy book in a while, and this one was definitely a great start of a new series! At first, I was drawn to it for its gorgeous cover, but the premise of the story is what truly piqued my interest. Not only does the story do well in delivering the Mulan elements (which are incorporated really well btw), but the story itself and how the plot was able to transition smoothly into other story arcs.

Aside from the great plot are the great characters, especially Maia and Edan. It's pretty obvious that the romance would be between this two just from reading the description for the book, but what I really appreciate is that it was not a relationship that started off as an insta-love. It took some time and development, both from the plot and characters for it to development, which is great because it makes the relationship that much more deeper and complex. I truly hate it when characters instantly are drawn towards one another. That kind of love is too simple and overdone. Also, I adore the two MCs, not just for their chemistry, but as characters themselves. Maia is a strong, stubborn, and determined girl, which is necessary to even survive the events that she had to endure from the beginning of the story, to the adventure she had to embark on, and to the future events to come. I loved how the love for her family was able to carry her through such events, along with her love for Edan. Edan himself was also such a loveable character. I knew I was gonna like him the first time he teased Maia. His teasing, cunning, and arrogant nature, accompanied by his softer side, give great dimensions to his already mysterious character, as his life story/past is only revealed slowly throughout the book. Maia and Edan are great MCs and can't wait for what is to come for them in the next book!😁

Overall, Lim does a great job in delivering an amazing story that centers around a competition (who doesn't like that?). Not only does this competition create a good story, but it was also able to develop into a more complex plot once adventure was added into the mix. Although this book has left me wanting more, I am slightly disheartened that there will be quite a bit of waiting on my end until the sequel is released. Definitely worth the read if you enjoy a story that involves competition, magic, fantasy, adventure, and romance!

A great story! I loved the fairy tales and magic woven into this. That ending was pretty killer too. At times, it was a bit predictable, but overall still a pretty fun and enjoyable read! Plus, the description used for the tailoring creations in this were just beautiful.

I hope there is another is in the series!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.