4/5 stars!

What an original, refreshing and absolutely FUN story! This book will definately add something unique to the YA market and really stands out from the crowd! The world building was breathtaking and the characters were well fleshed out!

Oh my goodness, I did not expect this book to be so amazing. Now don't get me wrong, I thought this book would be good. Spin the Dawn wound up being INCREDIBLE!

So when they market it as Mulan meets project runway, they weren't joking. It really is, for the first half of the book anyways. And then it turns into a beautiful magical story. I love Maia and Edan so much. To backtrack, the beginning of the story invoked a lot of emotions as well.

If you haven't preordered or requested this book from your library, you need to do it now!!!! You will not regret it!!

I recieved an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone is talking about how this is Project Runway meet Mulan...but what the blurb SHOULD have mentioned was that this is MULAN MEETS ALADDIN.

Imagine if, instead of Mulan taking over her father's warrior legacy, she had to save everyone by being the country's best tailor. When she reaches the palace, she runs into a mysterious enchanter. Does he mean her harm or good?

This book is SO GOOD. I was ready for the Chinese story, I was not ready for the Middle Eastern, and blended together, it's really something special.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Shallow note: I was absolutely entranced by the cover. Excellent job there.

The plot is a wild mash up of Mulan, Project Runway, and...Ladyhawke?

Yeah, it sounds kind of bonkers but absolutely works.

Disguised as her brother Maia is asked to make three impossible dresses.

The character interactions were fascinating. I find myself so intrigued by Lady Sarnai.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such an intense YA Novel that I could not stop reading it. The adventure, the trials, and the tribulations displayed in this book were so invigorating that it was such a great book to read. Who would have never guessed that a story can be so intense just by being a tailor and seamstress competing for the ultimate job. A story filled with magic, obstacles and the ultimate reward is sure to leave the young readers at the edge of their seats wanting more. I really hope this becomes a series and I can not wait to see what happens next.

We will consider adding this book to our YFantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim releases 7/30/19 and I want that lovely cover on my shelf!

Plus you can check out her lovely pre-order goodies here: 
https://www.elizabethlim.com/preorder 

My Review:
Changing the world one dress at a time. That’s Maia in a shell (walnut shell). 

This book really did make me wish I could sew.

The story is divided into 3 parts, and when I fell in love with Part 1 I was a tiny bit afraid the rest would be a letdown, but thank goodness I was wrong. I adore the author for taking us on such a grand adventure.

Initially Maia poses as a young man to change the life of her family and prove herself as a Master Tailor. The stakes are high. They will kill her if she’s found out. She has to beat all the other tailor’s in a fierce competition, and then she has to journey to obtain materials for three impossible gowns:  “One woven with the laughter of the sun. Another embroidered with the tears of the moon, and lastly, one painted with the blood of the stars.” 

This story was interesting, fun, thrilling, romantic, and I rooted for Maia every step of the way. 

Thank you Netgalley

This might sound like a weird word to describe a fantasy book, but Spin the Dawn was so, so sweet. It had an adorable heroine and a lovely cute romance I really appreciated.

Maia Tamarin is the best seamstress she knows, certainly better than her older brother Keton. He isn’t her only brother; she had two more, but they were killed in the Imperial war between Emperor Khanujin and his enemy, the shansen. Ever since then her family has never been the same. Her tailor father no longer laughs, the family is sinking into poverty, Keton came back from the war crippled, and Maia can see no other future than one where she marries the uncouth baker’s boy next door.

But then the imperial summons comes. Emperor Khanujin is looking for a new tailor, and he’s gathered twelve from across the land to compete for the job. Maia – disguised as Keton – goes in his place. Once there she draws the attention of the court magician, Lord Edan, who teases and infuriates her, and knows way more about her than he should. Unfortunately Maia also runs into difficulties. In order to cement her place as Imperial Tailor (and save her life in the process) she must make three legendary dresses handed down by the goddess Amana, spun out of impossible fabrics: the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of the stars.

Maia was a good heroine, and I liked her more the more I read about her. She’s sweet, self-sacrificing, but she’s also stubborn as hell and had a core of strength I appreciated. While she started out as somewhat naïve she did toughen up over the course of the book.

Edan was unexpectedly wonderful. I didn’t think, at first, I’d be wowed by the romance: it’s slow-burn and unfurls delicately. But it’s no less fierce for that, and I think this is one of the most believable love stories I’ve read in a YA novel.

While the side characters were limited in number, one deserves special mention: Lady Sarnai. The shansen’s daughter, she’s being married off to the Emperor against her will to unite their warring dynasties. She’s as close to a villain as this book gets and it would be easy to hate her. However, she’s definitely a complex character, and I’m keen to see more of her in the sequel.

Of course, this review wouldn’t be complete without talking about the fantasy world. Unfortunately I felt slightly let down here. It’s inspired by Chinese mythology, which I was glad to see more of after the excellence of Joan He’s Descendant of the Crane. There were certainly touches of it here and there, but the world in general felt slightly generic: I would have liked to see a more fleshed-out landscape or been given more backstory on the history, the culture, magic, the conflict between the Emperor and the shansen, etc. I knocked off a star for this.

Overall

An excellent debut with only one major issue. After that ending, I’m dying to read the second book! It’s a duology, so that should conclude the series. Recommended for anyone looking for something slightly different in fantasy.

I loved the world and the setting of this book—so creative and imaginative. The plot was fairly predictable, though, and suffered from the muddy middle syndrome. I already *knew* Maia would succeed in making the three dresses but had to go along with it for 100 or so pages. I wanted to feel more for the romance but I just couldn’t really get into it. The ending was more interesting when all these twists and turns started happening, but then it ended on a cliffhanger because it’s the first of a series (naturally). Still, I give it 4 stars for the quality of the writing and the incredible world building and how much I loved Maia’s character. It really felt like Project Runway meets Mulan, two of my favorite things.

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.