I'm sure this is amazing but I didn't realize this is the 2nd book in a series when I requested it. Right now I don't have time to read the first so I will revisit this when I get the opportunity.

I had decent hopes for this book. I enjoyed the first one a lot, minus the romance, and the first half of this one was really fun to read.

Oh boy, did that last half deceive me.

The story was beyond predictable. The plot felt less like it had been planned and more that it was someone going through a check list making sure every possible idea got a passing nod. There were <b>three</b> end fights. Three. Each one felt like it was to be the grand climax, but then the big bad evil somehow got away in the end. There was deus ex machina after deus ex machina to the point where it became a game to see how many of those I could figure out were going to happen and when.

I really liked this series and the idea. I liked Maia a lot, especially since she wasn't a fighter but a thinker and a dreamer. She was an interesting character, but the story was too generically YA to build her up to be what she could have been. Not a single character in this got any development past what happened in the first book. Most of the characters were flat, boring, or annoying, especially in the case of Lady Sarnai. She was the absolute worst. So dull, so bland, and the epitome of everything wrong with the "strong female character" trope. There was nothing feminine about her. Take away calling her lady and her boobs, and she was a man.

The ending was beyond dumb, and I was actually laughing at how bad all the big reveals were. They were so predictable and so poorly done that it felt like they were tricks being pulled out of a hat at a cheesy magic show.

There was a serious issue with the writing, specifically in action scenes. A character would be doing something, like falling down a well to ensure a villain was defeated, and then the next paragraph or sentence, they would somehow be heaving themselves out of the well. Characters with little to no battle training all got their little training montage near the end, and there was a real push for women to have equal rolls in the fight and to learn how to wield weapons which, ironically, Lady Sarnai argued against. There was also this great big scene of women all banding together as one to shout at the big bad villain and tell them that the good guys wouldn't fall. It felt so awkward and forced.

Now for spoilers:

Regarding the ending, <spoiler>Maia turning into a phoenix was so dumb. It got brought up once earlier on, and you KNEW it would become a thing again, especially when she started asking Edan about his spirit form and whatnot. #foreshadowing And let's not forget the big grand "surprise" where, le gasp, Maia doesn't die in the end. Because that was an unpredictable ending. I have nothing against a character living, but Maia should have died. Every character, every plot point, and every part of the lore said she would have to die. Going against that just to make Edan and Maia and her family live happily ever after breaks the whole magic system and disregards any worldbuilding that has been established. It was sloppy, it was stupid, and there was no reason to do that for funsies.</spoiler>

The army, <spoiler>The cranes bringing the army in was the STUPIDEST thing I have ever seen. All Maia did was enchant them to fly, nothing else. There was no grand letter written in them to ask people to come fight, there was no magic to compel people. The cranes weren't even told really what to do. Maia just...floats up into the sky somehow and throws the cranes and asks them to do something? She has these vague impressions of wanting them to find help, but how does a fabric bird that has no way of speaking somehow convince people to move their whole family, leave their homes, and go off to some random location? And how did they know they were going to war in that exact location?</spoiler>

The ghosts at the end, <spoiler>Having Maia sit there and pray and suddenly have her whole family show up as helpful ghosts to fight off the bad ghosts...I have no words for how ridiculous this is. They had no way to fight off all the bad ghosts, so let's deux ex machina a whole good ghost army in so they have a fighting chance. I literally have no words.</spoiler>

There're so many more things I could point out as serious worldbuilding and plot flaws, but I don't want to waste any more time doing so, so this is it. I don't recommend this book. I don't even recommend <i>Spin the Dawn</i> anymore because this was just that bad.

Spin the Dawn ended on enough of a cliffhanger that I was like, "I need the next book immediately!" Luckily, I was able to secure an e-ARC so I could do just that.

Unravel the Dusk has a different feel than Spin the Dawn. The stories are definitely related, and it was an easy flow from the first into the second, but the two stories were also quite distinct in their tone and execution. In the first book, Maia is discovering her true self though various trials. In the second, she is fighting to stay this girl she discovered. Unravel the Dusk gave us more time with a few characters from the first book -- I really enjoyed that. Ammi was one. Another was one of the other tailors from the initial competition. And Lady Sarnai. What a character! I could write a whole separate review on what we discovered about her in this book.

The romance, which was one of my favorite parts of the first book, was present in this one -- but different. Instead of taking center stage, it was one of several important threads making up Maia's story. Their relationship was constancy instead of discovery. It evolved as both Edan and Maia changed, but it changed in a way that fit them. The strong foundation they built in the first book served them well in this one.

If you've read Spin the Dawn, I think you will enjoy seeing how the story and the characters develop and eventually end up in Unravel the Dusk. It publishes July 3rd.


Thank you to Random House Children's Book for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really love this series! I devoured the first book and was so impatient for the second. The wait was worth it though because it was so good! I loved the character development and the plot was full of adventure. I will be recommending this book to my teens and in our book club.

The thrilling conclusion to Elizabeth Lim's The Blood of Stars duology, Unravel the Dusk grabs a hold of the reader, sweeping them away in a flurry of silk, magic, and demon fire.

There is a LOT happening in this book. Maia has little time to breathe with a demonic general showing his hand, an imminent war, Edan's escape, and her own demons, quite literally, clamoring to be released. Maia is at the forefront here and has more agency than the previous book. While I missed Edan's presence, this allowed her plenty of space to make her own decisions, face consequences, and truly become a hero of legend.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I was intrigued to see how Maia's bargain would play out, even if some of the various mechanics of the different magic from the dresses versus demons was a little hard to differentiate at times. I think this book would be best if followed almost immediately after finishing Spin the Dawn.

4/5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review!

Unravel the Dusk is the sequel readers have been waiting for -- and it was worth the wait! A beautifully crafted world, relatable themes and non-stop action work seamlessly to create a novel that readers will not want to put down -- it is everything a gripping ending should be!

Filled with tough questions and tougher choices, readers will be enraptured as Maia stops at nothing to ensure the future of her home, her family and her friends. Maia rails against the unbreakable oath that is slowly turning her into a demon, but her resolve is steadfast and uncompromising -- but for how long?

A thrilling conclusion to an absolutely wonderful debut from Elizabeth Lim. The moment I saw this ARC on NetGalley I screamed and started jumping up and down. I was not disappointed. Maia's character development as the demon curse begins to take over her body makes this a suspenseful read and the main focus of the story as she races against the clock.

The story starts off, where the last book ended. Maia is still at Emperor Khanujin's court, where the Lord Enchanter has disappeared and left Maia to fend for herself and the kingdom. The Emperor's hold is weakening as his impending marriage to Lady Sarnai approaches. However, Lady Sarnai has plans of her own, which creates conflict for Maia as the Emperor threatens her. Maia has to make tough decisions between what her heart says and what will ensure peace between the previously warring countries.

Additionally, Maia is slowly turning into a demon since she assumed Edan's promise to become the guardian of Lapzur. As she attempts to save the kingdom from war, Maia must also guard against herself as the demon infiltrates her thoughts and choices. However, Maia is determined to save the kingdom before succumbing and frantically attempts to find a cure, but I won't reveal whether she's successful or not.

This was such a satisfying conclusion to the story. I loved how Lady Sarnai played a more fundamental role and Lim actually took time to show us her side of the story. She was fleshed out and not made into only being a female rival. Additionally, Maia continued to be a strong and determined character, who you couldn't help but root for. The romance did fade into the background a little bit, but I think it worked overall as the focus was more on Maia's battle within herself and for the kingdom.

**Thank you to Knopf, Netgalley, and Elizabeth Lim for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

Unravel the Dusk is a stunning conclusion to a Chinese inspired story that is a mix of Mulan and Project Runway. Our main girl Maia is dealing with the aftermath of the events of Spin the Dawn, and is still working to save A'landi from the shansen. Her family is in danger, and Maia must make some very hard decisions in order to keep everyone safe, including herself.

I truly loved this sequel. Lim's writing is so lyrical and beautiful that you feel transported to A'landi, seeing what Maia sees. Unravel the Dusk provides more background to other characters, instead of focusing mostly on Edan and Maia. The romance continues (no spoilers) but is still very PG and YA like. You get to see more of her family, the Emperor, Lady Sarnai, and the shansen - I liked this because Lim was able to add dimension to these characters.

The plot was a touch confusing and hard to follow at times, especially as it was reaching the climax. I had some difficulty following the potential consequences of Maia's actions at any given time, and I think this is due to so many things happening. There were a few false endings where I thought the book was just about over, only to look down and see I was still only 77% through the book. This made the reading experience seem a bit disjointed as I got prepared for the "ending" only for it not to come.

I read through this book mostly in one day. It is a quick read, and I still loved the world that Lim created. I did not do a re-read of Spin the Dawn before I dove in, and I did not feel like I should have when reading. The plot picked right up from the ending and there were enough reminders in the text that I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

Overall, a great conclusion and I am so lucky that I was approved to receive this book from Netgalley. I am so appreciative and can't wait for this to be officially released! And, that cover is just gorgeous!

Elizabeth Lim's writing grows in her next book. 
I was sent this book for an unbias review.

I loved how Maia's character develops in the book and is portrayed as dueling against herself throughout. Light and dark, two sides of the same coin. 
Once again I feel she misses the mark on the supporting characters and they fall flat and under developed. She does bring in more of a storyline for Sarani and I felt she was more well rounded and more of an effective character, but then I felt Edan was lost to the background.
The atmosphere was beautifully written and once again dazzled with descriptions of dancing smoke, and descriptions of stars, and sun. And the plot moved along swiftly from Parts 1-3 even if I felt part 3 was a bit rushed. 
Lim ties it up in a neatly sewn bow with this Duology and I can't wait to read her next book.

Spin the Dawn was one of my favorite books last year so I was highly anticipating this next one. While I didn't dislike it I didn't like it as much as the first one.

Spin the Dawn tells the story of a girl named Maia who impersonates her brother to enter a tournament to be the imperial tailor for the emporer. While competing she has the help of some magic scissors to make some unique dresses. She makes some friends, enemies and starts to fall under the charms of the imperial enchanter.

This is a very unique story and it takes the reader on a journey of magic, self discovery and has a rich plot.

Since Unravel the Dusk is a sequel I won't go into detail about certain things to avoided spoilers for the first.

We pick up right where book two left off. While the first one felt pretty evenly paced this one was a complete ride from start to finish! It was so action packed and moves so fast with everything going on. I liked that we had a rich plot but at times it felt hard to keep up with especially since there is so much magic in this book and things would happen that weren't fully explained just because of magic.

I think I would of enjoyed some more slow moments to be able to process all that was going on in the book. It had some major things it was trying to accomplish and so there was never much down time.

I liked how things wrapped up and overall it was a good ending. I would still recommend this series! It is one of the more unique YA fantasies out there.

I don’t want to do much to a spoiler since at the time fo reading this the book still has a few more months to go till publication but was this an amazing ride this story has me gripped from the first word in the original first book and now seeing the conclusion just is so mind blowing and amazing I can honestly say there isn’t a book like this written in the way this author has written hers and I am beyond mind blown and i can’t wait to see what else she amazes us with I will miss this world the conclusion was perfectly wrapped up but I do wish I could
Follow both our main characters in just their normal lives

Considering I read an ARC of Spin the Dawn over a year ago, I was beyond elated to be getting Unravel the Dusk early too.

Lim jumps us quickly back into her mesmerizing world. But this time, it's darker, grimmer, the bodies fall fast and our heroine is falling too.

Overall, this book was satisfying and as rich and lavish as the first. But something about the jolt into darkness, I was either not in the mood for, or the ending of the first book didn't establish enough of a bridge to guide my emotions forward.

But Edan was there, and that was about all my heart needed, and the climax was a stunning, an out of this world
(literally) experience.

Lim's world is definitely one I hope we see a return to one day.

I hoped that this book would be better than Spin the Dawn, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The premise and world promised adventure and intrigue, but I struggled to imagine the world presented. The characters did not seem to have personalities, which made it hard to care about the plot.

The romance, as with Spin the Dawn, was very insta-love. Maia and Edan don't seem to have much in common beyond loving each other. Beyond that, Maia does not make big choices. I wanted more from her. I wanted more consequences in the very thin plot. Again, the magic system and mythos are underdeveloped.

Great premise, but unfortunately does not live up to it.

I generally enjoyed this follow-up to Spin the Dawn, although not quite as much as that first book. I enjoyed the overall story, but just as in Lim's book Reflection, I found some of the story a little repetitive. Maia gets very focused on the fact that she is turning into a demon, which on the one hand is understandable, but on the other hand, as a reader, it started getting to a point of "Enough already! I get it! You're turning into a demon and you're upset about it and feel like you need to sacrifice yourself, blah blah. What are you going to *so* about it?" As a human being, I relate. Sometimes I too get overly focused on something bad that I don't have control over. As a reader though, it got a little annoying to constantly read her repetitive thoughts and feelings on the subject (just as I am sure in real life it is annoying to constantly complain about things to my friends and family). I wanted her to get over that part earlier in the book and move on to acceptance and action. She doesn't really start trying to resolve anything until closer to the end of the book.

All of that makes it sound like I didn't like the book, which is not true at all. I enjoyed it a lot, and I was happy with how Maia's story wrapped up, I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as Spin the Dawn, which I loved.

I absolutely love Asian fantasy books! So refreshing from the same old european fantasy set. Enchanting and intriguing! Definitely on par with the first!

I was so excited to be able to read Unravel The Dusk so early! I adored Spin The Dawn. Unfortunately I wasn't in love with Unravel The Dusk. War just takes away from the enchantment of the book. And with Maia fighting the demon inside her, the book had a completely different atmosphere than Spin The Dawn. It was less happy and more filled with anger and worry. I still enjoyed Maia's journey and seeing how everything played out. I was incredibly happy with the ending and felt satisfied. I just was hoping for more of the enchantment and romance and adventure that swooned me in Spin The Dawn. It was still a great read though! Thank you to the publisher for directly sending me a copy via NetGalley and thank you to Random House Children's for the opportunity to read and review!

Unravel the Dusk is the sequel to Spin the Dawn. Unravel the Dusk picks up right at the end of the first book, with Maia struggling with a demon that lurks in her soul after she makes the three dresses of the gods. While Maia struggles with her demon, her country is on the brink of war.
I don’t want to giveaway too many spoilers for this book. I went into Unravel the Dusk not knowing what to expect and I feel like that’s the best way to go into the second book of this duology. I was pleasantly surprised with the plot and how the characters grew in this book. Unravel the Dusk is the perfect sequel and end to this amazing story.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was absolutely sparkly magic.

I read Spin the Dawn late in the year, and so didn't have to wait very long before I got my hands on the sequel, which I was grateful for. I was eagerly anticipating this book, and was not disappointed.

Everything that I loved about Spin the Dawn is present here, in tenfold. The characters, the world, the mythology, the magic - it's all there and even deeper and more developed than in the first book.

Maia is one of my favorite characters in recent memory. In this case, Lim handled the "unknowing recipient of power who thinks she's undeserving" trope masterfully. I think one of the reasons it works so well is because rather than remaining unwilling to change and grow into her new role, Maia embraces it and goes all in. Yes, there are times she misses her old life, but she knows that for the survival of her and Edan and their very way of life, she mush step up. And she does not waver. She's magnificent.

Although I love that Maia is so powerful and wields that power so gracefully, I did dislike how Edan was relegated to the background and given the role of - support staff? IDK, I just wanted to see them more in an equal partnership. Don't get me wrong, I love Edan and think he's a terrific character. I just feel like he got short-changed here. He is so diminished from the blazing pillar of awesomeness he was in the first book, I couldn't help but feel his absence acutely.

Overall, this duology is so, so beautiful and is a must read for anyone who has a love for mythology, identity stories, and beautifully-woven tales.

This was a good follow up book. It starts soon after the first one ended. The magic is cool and the characters are interesting. I do wish we had gotten more Edan. Maia is a bit different in this one because of the changes that are happening to her but it is pretty intense.

It's hard to write a review of a coming book that isn't out yet without giving spoilers to the *first* book that people may not have read...but I will try. Essentially, we find Maia fighting to keep from becoming a demon. In the meantime, her country is on the brink of war with one who has bargained with his soul, and all the best laid plans keep going awry.

The lovely thing about this book is that so much of it revolved around friendship and family. Those we choose, and those whom fate chooses for us. As someone who has leaned particularly hard on my friends over this past year, *and* as someone who has recently lost a brother as Maia has, this book had me sobbing into my sweatshirt. But the heart of this book shines, and it's a worthy successor to Spin The Dawn.