**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Addie Thorley begins a new young adult fantasy series with Night Spinner. Marketed as a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling, Thorley introduces a magic system that is sure to please fans of the Grishaverse. Our titular Night Spinner is Enebish, a girl who was once a warrior in the Imperial Army. After losing control of her power, causing a massacre, and gaining the cognomen "the Destroyer", Enebish is sequestered in a monastery. Her foster sister, Ghoa, is an Ice Herald and becomes Commander of the Kalima (magically-gifted) portion of the Imperial Army. Enebish is surviving with the mental and physical scars from the day of the massacre when her sister comes to her with an offer. Infiltrate the rebellion called the Shoniin. Lead to the capture of the notorious criminal Temujin. Earn a pardon and reinstatement as a warrior.

Thorley manages to balance fast paced action with character development. I found myself very much invested in both Serik and Temujin, and enjoyed the way she introduced Kartok and his place in the story. Enebish came across as inherently good-natured, if naive, and was an accessible and relatable narrator. While I didn't exactly like Ghoa(nor do I think I was meant to), her ambition and manipulative tendencies were well-written.

This story was good fun, and it was easy to identify various roles being fulfilled from Hunchback. I understand that retellings are the fad of the moment, and this one is done well. But I almost wish it hadn't been marketed as a retelling, but evolved to stand on its own merit. It was a very quick read, and a solid introduction to a series. I do find myself eager to read the next installment, and am excited for how the story will grow outside of the Hunchback framework.

Two years ago, Enebish was an elite fighter -- able to conjure darkness at will, whisper messages through the night -- until she lost control of her power and killed innocent people. She doesn't remember anything about that night, but now she lives a life of fear and despair. When Enebish is given a chance to redeem herself, she is resolute in her success, but as she learns more about the outside world, she questions her truth.

Night Spinner is a beautifully written re-telling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, full of dynamic characters, reverent devotion and compelling action. Readers will hungrily root for Enebish, and immediately demand more in the series!

Enebish is an interesting character. She is not the typical heroin we have been getting in books as she used to be a fierce warrior but was scarred and labeled and outcast for something terrible she did and now is an intimidated, scared girl just trying not to be noticed. She is trying to be a worthy and get back into the good graces of the king which leads her on a quest of truth and discovering the lies she has been believing about herself.

What a rich book full of magic, a culture of gods and mythology. I was definitely interested from the beginning and only took two days to read this. I found it to be pretty well paced and was actually surprised in a couple parts. I totally called one of the plot twists from the beginning so when it happened I wasn't surprised. Only 20 or so pages later though I was completely blind sided by a big twist! I totally didn't see it coming and loved being surprised by what the author did.

I really liked this and can't wait to read the next one!

If you read the notes in my Kindle from this book you'll easily see how invested I was in this book and it's characters 😂

I felt my heart break too many times. TOO. MANY. TIMES. DAMMIT. 😭 but it was so beautifully written and thought out that you can't help but be crushed.

The characters are brilliant and complex and heartbreaking. Things aren't black and white but all sorts of shades of grey and just phenomenal to read about.

The plot is fast paced action, sudden heartbreaking twists, empowering heroics and quiet moments of inner strength. It's honestly one of my favorite books and actually reminds me of a blend of a few of my favorites including Nevernight, the grisha trilogy and children of Blood and bone. If you're a fan of those series I think you'll find something in Night Spinner you'll love. Keep in mind it's wonderfully unique so it won't be exactly the same but I think fans of those series will appreciate this book.

Honestly, read it. I was planning a tumbler to be made by my favorite tumbler lady until a plot twist shattered that and now I need a new piece of fandom artwork to represent just how much I love this book and hopefully series!

Review will be live on instagram and facebook next week (January 12-18)

An excellent fantasy to add to your shelves. Addie Thorley has developed captivating magic, vivid settings, a killer twist, and perfectly broken characters. I especially loved seeing Enebish evolve from a character who thought she was beyond redemption and happiness to a strong and determined warrior, who's about to go after everything she wants in book 2 (vague to avoid spoilers!)

I... honestly don't know how to rate this book...

See, this was barely a 2.5-star read up until about 80%.
It wasn't even a bad book, I just didn't care at all. I didn't connect to any characters and I did not really care for the whole worldbuilding. The idea was great; I liked the way the Kalima powers worked (and how they weren't endless, like magic in other books often is), I just did not care about the people.
Enebish is a cool main character, I guess. Once a powerful soldier, now called Enebish the Destroyer (a dope nickname, tbh), she bides her time at this monestary. I do not know why everyone thought it was a good idea to let someone with that nickname walk freely among a bunch of monks (even when her superpowers are shut off, she still is a trained soldier), but plot gotta plot, I guess. I also think the author forgot at times that En is supposed to be phyically handicapped due to battle scars. At first, she limps everywhere, but later on she runs places without any staggering.

I did not care for the plot until sh*t really went down late in the second half, when all the strings came together. If the whole book had been written like those last 20%, this would've been a 4.5 star book.
But unfortunately, the rest was not that.
A 3 star rating it is.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC!

This book blew my mind. Night Spinner is an absolutely magical read and I loved every page. It's incredibly well written, descriptive and the world building is fantastic. I like Enebish, the main character, a lot. I especially enjoyed how deeply religious she is, as someone who is very steadfast in their faith I could relate to her, it also isn't something you see very often in fantasy. Above all things I found myself being sucked into the world of Night Spinner. It took a hold of me and didn't let go. And I'm a big fan of plot twists and revelations of which this book has plenty (I did not see any of them coming)

Five stars for a fabulous read. Put this on your tbr. I cannot wait for the second book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Page Street Kids for approving my request and granting me access to an advanced copy of Night Spinner.

Last year, I completely fell in love with Addie Thorley's An Affair of Poisons, so when I found out that she was coming out with a high fantasy series, I was really excited. It was everything I'd dreamed it to be—and more.

Quick Thoughts
-This is a retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, but in a high fantasy setting. I haven't read the book—my only experience with the story is the Disney movie, which I loved—so I can't say exactly how the books are connected.
-Addie's writing is incredibly gorgeous. I felt completely immersed in the world of Ashkar, in Enebish's thoughts. The same is true in An Affair of Poisons, but I had briefly forgotten—it was a very pleasant surprise.
-The minor characters in this story are so three-dimensional. There were times when I loved them, times I hated them, etc.

Lasting Impressions

Enebish is absolutely one of my favorite characters now. In the beginning, she is scared and restless. It's been two years since she accidentally unleashed her power on innocent people—but she can't remember anything about it. She wants her freedom, but she's scared of hurting people. She wants to see the world, but her injuries hold her back. Her timidity is understandable in the beginning, but her growth by the end of the book is a journey worth every moment.

Her relationships with the other characters are fascinating. She adores her adoptive sister Ghoa, who is commander of the king's army, and would do anything for her. Her best friend, Serik, keeps Enebish on her toes, keeps pushing her. The faith Enebish has for her gods is unique, as religion is often completely avoided in YA fantasy these days. The way these relationships evolve is engaging and interesting—they had me turning the pages faster and faster.

The world building in this book is marvelous. The details Addie uses made me feel as if I was in Ashkar, experiencing both the beauty and the horrors there. And the magic system is so unique! The powers are based on the sky—the sun, rain, hail, and of course, the night. I've never read anything quite like that before, and it fits so well in the world built around it.

There are SO many twists in this book! I'm not going to go into specifics, but I didn't see so many things coming. It was so much fun to read. The plot goes at a good pace, not too fast or slow, and I never felt like the book dragged. It was a real pleasure staying up way too late so many nights to finish this book.

Overall Feelings

I was so, so relieved when I realized that this was the first book in a series. There are so many loose ends that I want to know more about! I will definitely be picking up the next book and recommending this book like crazy.

Enebish is a wounded warrior, accused of murdering innocent merchants as a result of a mission going wrong. A mission that she can’t clearly remember but dreams of often. Exiled to a monastery filled with monks that hate her, only one person is at her side. A boy she’s grown up with since being taken in by a well-off family and Ghoa, her adopted sister who was more like a mother growing up. Serik is Ghoa’s cousin and grew up along side her and Enebish. Serik was given to the monastery when he didn’t develop a gift, to keep him from being treated as a second-class soldier in the war. Serik is the one true friend Enebish has. The one person who stands up to the monks for her. The one who tries the make her see reason. Also, the one who started the series of events that take place in this book…
I don’t want to give away too many details to this book, but I have to say, the only reason why it didn’t get a five star review is because I figured out a particular part of the plotline, or two. But the end twist was very good. Enebish is a bit naive for a seasoned warrior but perhaps she was simply desperate for a place to belong.
With Intrigue, deceit on all fronts, Night Spinner is a highly entertaining start to a series/duology. I can’t wait until book two come out!

This book was received as an ARC from Page Street Publishing - Page Street Kids in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

When I found out the story's principal character had a unique name, I immediately had to jump at the chance to read it even without knowing what the main premise was. Night Spinner tells the story of Enebish former ultimate warrior for the Sky King's Imperial Army who is known as the Night Spinner controlling threads of darkness. Enebish looses control of her power and is banished from the army and even worse, is labeled a monster. Enebish will stop at nothing to gain control back even if it means sacrificing the love she cares for the most. All was lost until Enebish's sister Ghoa has an enticing offer to capture the notorious criminal Temujin and be reinstated as the ultimate warrior. Little to her knowing, Temujin is stealing these supplies to keep thousands of people surviving during the war and now Enebish is left to make the ultimate decision that may sacrifice everything including her life. I was so breathtakingly thrilled throughout the book that I was literally holding my breath at times. Fans of Robin Hood and Game of Thrones and even Throne of Ashes will appreciate this book and I know our teen book club will go crazy for it.

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

Let’s take another fantastic journey to France for a mind blowing, incredible retelling of one of my favorite classics “Hunchback of Notre Dame”!

But this time Quasimodo is a girl, an ex-Kalima Warrior and now a convicted traitor named Enebish but people call her “Enebish the Destroyer”, a mentally and physically disfigured character, sequestered away in monastery to serve for her war crime. She has night spinning magic but when she loses the control of her power, she destroys a whole caravan and now she became a prisoner, trying to find a way out for her freedom.

Her adopter sister Goa comes with an offer she cannot refuse. It will give her the freedom she yearns but with a high price: she is going to have an undercover mission, working for rebels as a spy. Her dangerous journey starts as she takes the offer. But she has no one on her side to fully trust instead of Serik (I think he is the most adorable character of the book) because the rebels takes hostage to her friend force her work for them and her own sister is the reason for her conviction.

What I really liked so much about the book is breathtaking world building with remarkable writing with the combination of magic, nations, traditions, cultures, beliefs, never ending wars, raising and ending of kingdoms.
Enebish’s exciting, fast-paced, intriguing story captivates your attention from the beginning and you became a reading slave, book is glued into your hands, skipping all meals, begging your husband put a straw into your wine glass so you can take some sips when you resume reading kind of unputdownable book.

I liked the complex characterizations and relationship between the sisters. And I want to read more about what they’re holding behind. We’re so lucky there is a sequel because one book is definitely not enough for you.

I cannot wait to read the sequel and add the previous works of the writer.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing to share this promising ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. I normally don't love retellings but this story didn't feel like a cookie cutter retelling; instead, I was able to pick up on threads of the original story that were woven into the plot structure in interesting ways. I loved the magic system and world building within the story. I loved Enebish's story arc and growth towards self acceptance. I enjoyed the plot twists (some were predictable and some caught me by surprise). This was a thrilling read from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free book.

I'm going to try my best to talk about the good and the bad of this book, but quite honestly I did not like it at all. It started off pretty interesting: deformed girl is locked away because she has some terrifying power and everyone sees her as a monster. But it quickly derails into every other YA fantasy out there. I can think of very little that separates this from those others or makes it unique. I think if this wasn't advertised as a retelling of Hunchback of Notre Dame, I would just see this as "okay" and feel annoyed at all these YA fantasy clichés, but I went in expecting to see some sort of call-back to that classic story.

I'm not the sort of purist who expects retellings to follow the original source material exactly, but having some connection with the original source material wouldn't hurt. Even something as basic as what the character is like wouldn't hurt. And our main character has almost nothing in common with Quasimodo. She's your typical YA female protagonist-- girl with "something special" who somehow gets mixed up in this rebellion against the evil ruling government, and everyone wants her to be on their side. Yes she's been locked away from society, but only for two years at most and before that she was this skilled and bad-ass warrior. Now where have I read that before? Giving her that backstory instead of the extremely sheltered and isolated Quasimodo then doesn't make sense why she is so blindly loyal and believes just about anything she's told. To put it simply, she's an idiot, and while you can excuse a character like Quasimodo for being naïve and desperately seeking any sort of approval from Frollo, with Enebish I felt that after a while common sense should've kicked in.

I don't want to give too much away, but a "twist" that comes up later pretty much negates anything interesting or complex that could've been done with the character. What's the point in giving your character a tragic backstory and making them fear their own power if you don't follow through with it? The only complaint about the love story I have is that it was unnecessary. Again, if you ignore this was marketed as a retelling of Hunchback, I think even then the romance was unnecessary and served no real purpose. Her powers seemed very cool and at the beginning I was very intrigued, but that quickly stopped and I think by the time she was using her powers again I just stopped paying as close attention to the narrative.

Really, every problem I have with this book boils down to it being marketed as a Hunchback retelling. If I went into this without that expectation, I still would think this was pretty generic YA fantasy with very little to distinguish it from the rest. I just don't think I would be this angry and critical. I like closing my reviews with something positive, and the only thing I can think of is that the powers were cool and I do like how she wasn't completely able-bodied. I did also sort of like at first how she was being emotionally manipulated, but she kept letting it happen even after she saw it was manipulation.

I'm sure this book will find an audience, but for me it doesn't do enough differently from other YA fantasy novels. Plus, it really shouldn't try passing itself off as a Hunchback retelling.

Night Spinner is a young adult fantasy, revolving around Enebish, a young warrior with the ability to control darkness. Enebish is banished to a far away monastery after one terrible night where she loses control and destroys an entire merchant caravan with her abilities. However, her sister, the Imperial Army commander, calls her out of insolation in order to help root out a rebellion that could topple the empire.

Night Spinner has a lot going on - and if I had to make one critique, I would say that the magic system is not explained very well at all. The religious system also is barely explained, and since it plays such a huge part in this story, I think some of the emotional impact was lost due to confusion or lack of understanding of the weight of certain moments.

One aspect of this book that I really enjoyed were the relationships: Ebenish, her sister Ghoa, her best friend Serik, and the mysterious and alluring leader of the rebellion/criminal, Temujin. All of the relationships were very established and filled with real emotion and history. There are plenty of surprises and twists between these main players that really added to the tension of the story; the plotting of this story is fast-paced and never boring.

Overall, I will probably be on the lookout for the second installment of this book in the hopes that the magic/religion aspects are more fleshed out, and the relationships continue to be excellently shaped and exciting.

Another book that turned out how I wasn't expecting!

I saw Hunchback of Notre Dame and immediately jumped on this. I love that story, so i was very curious as to how this book would take inspiration from it. To keep it short, this book kept me guessing for a long time. There were times where I was completely blindsided and the book went in an entirely different direction than I expected. I sort of expected the beginning to be a bit slow, as we do get to learn a lot of backstory to Em and how she got into the position she's in. Once you get past around the chapter 6 mark it really starts to pick up. It's around here where I expected it to be your run-of-the-mill YA fantasy reimagining. As mentioned before, this thing kept me guessing and on my toes. While some twists I was able to pick up on a mile away, there were many more that I simply was caught off guard about. There's a really big one that I didn't expect AT ALL, and when it came up I was truly shocked as it all made sense! I did feel that the ending to this was a bit rushed. I would have liked if the final chapters were a few pages longer, as some things could've used more fleshing out or context. Despite these things, I did think that this was an overall good book. I'm really looking forward to the next book!

First off, if I could give this more than five stars, I would. I so would.

I usually am reasonable when it comes to my sleep. This book changed that, I stayed up so late because I couldn't put it down. I knew the plot was promising and I knew I would probably love it, but I hadn't anticipated how much.

Come on guys ! There's a fallen warrior that has magical Kalima abilites, and that girl CAN WIELD THE NIGHT ! How amazing is that ??? Her nickname is Enebish the Destroyer ! I LOVE IT ! Yes, sure, she doesn't like that name much herself, but I thought it was badass.

So, Enebish is a former warrior of the Empire, who was stripped of her Kalima power after a gruesome event caused by her a few years prior. She is imprisonned in a monastery away from the people, until her sister Ghoa fetches her for a special mission : If Enebish manages to find Temujin and his rebellion posse, she will be reinstated as a Kalima warrior and get her powers back.

I'm a sucker for badass heroines with cool power, so I absolutely adored Enebish. She's both precious and strong, and I love her. She's not over the top, has ideals to defend, knows what a hard life is and knows to treasure what she has. I'm sorry, but I thought she was perfect. In a way, she reminded me a lot of Feyre, from ACOTAR. Actually, the whole book had a small Sarah J. Maas feeling, even though Addie Thorley has a writing of her own, and is an amazing writer from what I read.

Like in most YA books, there's some kind of romance floating around (really not much though), and for once, I was never able to grasp who Enebish was thinking of in this way, as she is somewhat constantly balancing between two guys, various feelings, and her duty for Ashkar. I liked not knowing how the various relationships would evolve, it made those parts of the story more realistic (and relatable haha)

What made me love this story most though, is the number of plot twists. There are so many ! It was incredible, and I swear I hurt my eyes trying to read as fast as possible to know what happened next. Even better, I did not see those plot twists coming, and I love being surprised that way. It was simply formidable and there was so much going on !

Honestly, the only thing I'm sad about is that it's not even released yet, and I already want Book 2 of this. I physically need it and won't know rest before I set my eyes on it.

I knew I had to get my hands on this early when I saw Addie Thorley was writing another book! I loved An Affair of Poisons and find her writing to be riveting and draw you in so well. This book was no different and I couldn't contain waiting to write about my thoughts!

First, Enebish is such a unique name and her story is heartbreaking. She is known as a monster and carries that weight with her everywhere she goes. She has a friend in the military named Ghoa who sets her on a mission to find a notorious criminal to help redeem herself after the king wants to kill her. The story follows Enebish's journey and what she learns about herself as well as those she thought she knew along the way.

I will say that this is marketed as a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling and other than Enebish being a monster and an outcast due to that, I didn't really get that vibe.

But, nonetheless, I devoured this book and I found it to be just as amazing as the author's first book. The night-spinning and the world building is amazing. There were twists and turns that I didn't see coming and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Enebish is a character that you find yourself connecting to because of how down on her luck she is and how she is more than she ever imagined.

The cover for this book is absolutely stunning. The writing is stunning. I don't know if it's quite Grishaverse material but this is unique in its own way and works so well.

I was hesitant to start this one even though I was super excited to be approved for it. The cover and the synopsis were perfect. I was definitely curious to see what a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling would entail. Luckily, even with a minor hiccup I fell in love with the world, magic, and characters this author created!

Enebish is a character who is very hard on herself for her past mistake. She dwells on what happened and can't live life even just a bit because of it. Even when her long time friend Serik tries to help her move on from what was and gets her to live a little, the past is always haunting her every move. It was easy to feel bad for her and relate because we have all done something we aren't proud of. We all are hard on ourselves and inflict our own punishments on ourselves because of it. Her character development throughout the book is wonderful and it will have you rooting for her until the end!

Now, let's talk about Serik. When Enebish can't see her worth, he can. I wasn't sure how his character would play out at the beginning but by the end, I was smitten! He broke my heart and fixed it all in one book. That son of gun!

There are a handful of other characters that play major roles in the plot like Ghoa and Temujin. They are the driving force behind Enebish who has a hard time making decisions for herself and chooses to follow rather than being a leader. Temujin was the perfect morally gray character and even mentions how morally gray he is. I found myself being intrigued and pulled in by his charisma just like Enebish. Ghoa on the other hand can also be seen has morally gray throughout most of the book. It was hard to fully make a decision on whether I hated them or loved because they are just so stinking charismatic!

The plot was a bit slow in the beginning but when it picks up, it picks up! The plot twists deserve awards because I never saw them coming and had me shocked beyond belief. This book brought on so many emotions and had me crying by the end. I'm not even sure why but clearly it was just too good for words!

When it comes to the retelling part, there are similarities in the beginning but it definitely takes on a life of its own.

Overall, I loved this one and I can't wait for others to read it and share in the excitement I have for this wonderful book. I literally read it in one night. It was that good. If it isn't on your tbr, go add it! I will be over here anxiously waiting for book two.

Night Spinner is a high-fantasy novel that is a fast-paced read with a well-done, creative magic, and just the right touch of romance. I would recommend this book for teens looking for a new fantasy series.

A great story and intriguing read. A wonderful set of protagonists with an excellent narrative back drop. A great read.