The Quick Cut: The female royal tailor returns to the palace to find everything in disarray, including her love gone.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Knopf Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you came back after a long journey to find your world ripped apart, how would you react? Would you be ready to do what it takes to fix what's happening or would you run away instead? For Maia, the choice is clear when she returns to the palace in this sequel.

She's done the impossible: Maia managed to make all three of Amara's dresses. However, she did not make it out unscathed as she's been marked by the demon and is now turning into one herself. When she returns to the palace with the dresses, she finds the royal enchanter gone and at the brink of war. Can she work her magic to avoid the impending doom or will she go down with it?

This sequel is equal parts dark and intense. Maia ends the first book doomed due the mark left on her and that situation only gets worse. It's interesting to see how the dresses and the myth behind them play into what is happening in the current situation. There are many reveals that I'm happy to see happened rather than leaving the readers hanging.

However, the ending left me totally unsatisfied. Without saying too much, I expected a different finale to it all. In addition, the final battle takes a long time to happen and is a little short for my taste.

A sequel with plenty of reveals, but an unsatisfying ending.

My rating: 4 out of 5

I would like to preface this review and rating with a statement. I am giving Unravel The Dusk 2/5 not because I did not like the writing, because it was elegant, thoughtful, and poetic, the content was just not suited for me.

This book continues the story of Mia Tamarin who managed to become the Imperial Tailor, however, now she faces turning into a Demon because of a deal she made while creating the Dresses of Amana. To me, this was the main focus of this book, and thus why I didn't like it as much as the first one.

This book is a good one. The story plays out well and the characters are very strong. However, I personally do believe in demons (though different from the ones in this book) and it made me uncomfortable that the book centered on her becoming one. They were present in Spin The Dawn, but the focus was on Mia being a good tailor as a woman and the journey it took to create the dresses, not the demon she encountered along the way.
I also wish she had been able to spend more time with Edan. I really enjoy them together and wanted to see more of that.

So overall, I am glad I was able to read this book and I think it stands as a good sequel, but the story took a different turn, one that for me is not the road I want to go down.

Unravel the Dusk continues Maia's story as she grapples with becoming a demon, securing A'landi's freedom from the shansen's invading army, and battling the dichotomies raging within her. There is a lot happening in this sequel, just as there are multiple parts in the first book. The emperor's marriage to Lady Sarnai falls apart, and A'landi's future is once again threatened. Maia, of her own volition, takes it upon herself to deliver A'landi's citizens from the shansen's bloodthirst.

But, before she can deal with the shansen, she must overcome the oath to Bandur about replacing him as the Guardian of Lapzur. I know that if this bit weren't included, it would be a massive plot hole, but it made the story drag. It took me a week to read this book, and while I've been busy, that is a long time for me to finish one story. Once Maia is reunited with Edan, it flows better. (But, what does that say about my preferences for female protagonists-- that they need a romantic side kick to make the story palatable?? If so, I am ashamed of myself. Another option is that it is a commentary on Lim's storytelling?? Who knows....)

It was so exciting to get back into the world that Elizabeth Lim created with these characters. With Spin the Dawn it was exciting to experience the contest and then the trial that Maia has to endure. However, with Unravel the Dusk it was an intense battle the entire time, because now Maia is having to go through the change of becoming a demon and also trying to save her people from another demon that is trying to become the new emperor. Edan is back and that is fantastic because the connection that these two characters share is so "wanting" in the sense that the reader NEEDS them to be together. Lady Sarnai is back and is willing to help Maia fight her father (who is, in fact possessed by a demon), because unfortunately Emperor Khanujin dies thanks to an attack from Sarnai's dad. The imagery Lim puts into this book is amazing and it feels like I was right there during everything.

This book was an amazing read and it was so much fun to get back into this world made by Lim. It was a story that I did not want to put down. I cannot wait to see what else Lim puts out there for the literary world. Thank you for this opportunity to read and review this book.

So I gave Spin the Dawn 4.5/5 stars, but I rounded down my rating on GR.

This book though?? It truly deserves the 5 stars on GR. I'm giving it a 4.75/5 mostly due to me wanting more Edan, but tbh that's just a me thing lol!

The story in this sequel is similar but yet so much different. It starts off with a bang, and it slows down quite a bit. The slow pace is actually something I enjoyed, which is rare for me, since it actually gives us a better sense of the demon Maia is having to face within herself. We really get a sense of urgency, and the slow pace actually makes things seem so much bigger than we expect. The book does pick up after halfway, but it's a gradual buildup to the climax of the story. Again, characters play a strong role in the book. I felt that we truly got to delve deeper into their personalities. In Maia's case, we really get to see what makes her human or a demon. Where do we draw that line? I honestly loved reading this, and I couldn't put it down! This was such a great continuation and an amazing conclusion to Maia's and Edan's story! It's definitely worth the read, especially if you enjoyed the first book!

I almost love this book more than the first one. I only say this because I love getting to know the primary characters. The depth that Lim brought to this story was magical. The lore was fantastic and I almost want a prequel just to learn about the original "Weaver" and the Gods/Goddesses. The ending was perfect for the characters and something that was well deserved for them. I will highly recommend this book when up-selling the Break the Dawn. Very rarely do I suggest buying the second book along with the first one prior to reading it but this sequel did not disappoint.

This is good! This is better! This is soooo sooo much better than the first book! My favorite tailor after Coco Chanel is back! And she is struggling not to turn into a completely demon to run for any political carriers and keep her gold heart to protect her family and her love of her life, Edan.

So yes, at the end of the first book, Maia’s identity has been revealed, her mask already fell down. Everybody knows she is not his brother. She is she and she is talented. But what they don’t know that she’s slowly conquered by dark elements and she needs to fight back with those demons and their voices in her head!
What are the differences of the first book from the first one:

Our gold-hearted, talented, brave, smart girl Maia grew up, instead of using her magic to create amazing dresses, she’s using her skills to fight at the war zone or against the empowering demon voices which are about to conquer her mind completely. She is tougher, more powerful, more exhausted, sad, depressed.

Unfortunately we don’t see much Edan till the second half of the book. We caught glimpses him which makes us sing “man in the mirror”. He lost most his magic and he is a little passive and overshadowed my bravery and strength of Maia but when I read the ending I got the reason because this book is a quite feminism manifesto with its determined, powerful, smart, focused on mission, leader heroines. I wasn’t a big fan of Lady Sarnai and
I wanted to punch her face so many times at the first book but the author thankfully found another way to punish her at the beginning of his one. And slowly I started to empathize and surprisingly like her a little bit.
Epic war scenes were exciting, heart throbbing, nail biter, seat jumper kind of full with so many powerful action scenes so this book’s pace is faster. We already know all the characters. We know there is a big war not between the emperors but also between the demons.

Big question is will Maia sacrifice herself for the good of her country and her loved ones? Because when she is full possessed by the demon, there is no returning back, she is going to lose all her memories and her humanity by turning into a monster!
I prayed so many times that she could find her way to get rid of the curse. I cried, jumped, spilled my drink, poured more, drank more, read more and…. Nope, mouth is zipped again!
I can only say thank you should get ready for one of the best written, emotional, riveting, heart wrenching, magical fantasy books of 2020. This is fantastic combination of Eastern folklore and traditional tales and of course fairy tale elements.

I’m giving all my five moony tears, sun kissed, epic journey stars! Another powerful ending and I cannot wait to read more of this gifted author may use the words as her palette and create vivid, colorful, remarkable portraits! And let’s give a long applause for this remarkable, fantastic cover! The design is magnificent!

So much thanks to NetGalley and Random House’s Children to share this fantastic sequel with me in exchange my honest review. And of course Elizabeth Lim, thank you so much to present us this memorable, exciting, surprising, magical journey!

Oh my god.
So I just finished this book and I have to take a breather because let me tell you, this book is just as good if not better then the first. And that is rare for a sequal to shine as brighter if not brighter then the start of a series.

I am not an emotional person but there are certain scene's towards the last half of the book that literally had my eyes welling with tears, I had to stop and look over at my husband to tell him that this book was dragging the feels out of me, it was wrenching my heart. But it was so good.

I have told anyone who would listen that the first book has been in the top three of my favorite reads of 2019, Unravel the Dusk has joined it and this series is a must have for readers everywhere.

I am already ready for a re-read so I can be immersed in this journey all over again.

I could not have asked for a better ending to the adventure then what was given to me, I was literally perched at the edge of my seat as I read as fast as my eyes could travel over the page. It was that good.

This book drags out so many emotions that you are gaurenteed to hit one end of the spectrum and travel down the yellow brick road to get to the other end by the time you are through.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's Publishing for letting me read and review this fabulous book!
I had Elizabeth Lim on my radar and one of her books on my TBR for a while when earlier this year, I was able to read and review Spin the Dawn, which is the first book in this duology and I LOVED that book so when I saw this pop up on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it and was so happy when I was allowed to read and review it.
This sequel to Spin the Dawn is amazing, wonderful, fantastic and everything I hoped for with a perfectly fitting ending to this magical story.
Elizabeth Lim weaves magic in her tales like starlight in the sky, she is very talented and if you haven't read her books then you're missing out.
Unravel the Dusk picks up right where Spin the Dawn left off and is easy to follow. It flows and is written very well. We get to continue to see Maia's story unfold more and get to know more about some of the other characters like Lady Sarnai, Ammi, The Emperor, The Shansen. We also get to know a bit more about the demons and what it's like for Maia as she fights her bargain with Bandur trying not to turn into a demon or give in to the evil desires and wishes for power and such.
There's also more of my favorite swoony romance with Maia and Edan and other developing romances with other characters etc. Also in this book, there's more focus on Maia, it seems than in the previous book with her figuring out herself, her journey with her identity, hopes, wishes, dreams, love.
It's a wonderful, uplifting story with hard parts much like real life and left me feeling happy, upbeat and inspired.
I was enthralled and entranced by this story that she weaves of this girl, Maia and her dreams and how it is for Maia once she gets her dreams and has to figure other things out and learn of self-sacrifice and true love for herself, for her family, those she loves, others and her country. I can't wait to read more of her magical books like this one that sweeps you away to another enchanting world where anything is possible and good triumphs in the end.
If you haven't read Spin the Dawn then get on it to be ready for Unravel the Dusk, go now and make sure to put Unravel the Dusk on your list, pre-order it and prepare yourself for an otherworldly trip to a beautiful lush world filled with magic.

<b><i>A long time ago, a foolish girl was asked to weave the sun, embroider the moon, and paint the stars, three impossible tasks she did not believe she could accomplish. But that foolish girl was lucky, even more so because those three impossible tasks freed the boy she loved.</b></i>

I’m currently crying in bed. This past week i’ve just been very sad and so I’ve gotten extremely invested into every book i’ve read and this was no different

I LOVED the first book. The characters, the story, the writing!! Everything was so magically perfect in my eyes and I was so excited to read this one. When I saw I got an ARC THIS MORNING I came straight home from work and i’ve been reading it for about 4-5? hours :”)

I’m usually not the biggest fan of duologies because I feel like it’s not enough time to wrap an entire story up but this one....managed to do that + more

This was different from the first in that it was a l o t darker and I was basically scared and sad the entire time which I didn’t really....enjoy considering my current mental state

At the same time, I like that she manages to weave new elements into the same story in both books. It’s refreshing to not have the same thing happen over and over

I’m not gonna say much about the actual content since it’s not out till summer 2020 but :”)
I feel...??? A lot of things right now i’m just emotional but I reallllly liked this book!

I’m not good with formulating my thoughts but i’m happy with this way this ended. The main thing that kept me invested was the relationships Maia had with everyone. LOVE

I’d totally love to see another spin off about a certain someone....really....feel free to do that and send it my way whenever you want! (ok fine i’m talking about Sarnai.....I personally want more of her story)

I’m feeling too much right now so maybe closer to the release date i’ll come and touch up this extremely vague and random review!

<i>ARC provided by Publisher via Netgalley <3 Thank you!</i>

I went into this book excited to read it as I really enjoyed Spin the Dawn and it didn't disappoint. It's just as good if not better than the first book. I'm so happy that I got approved to read this book as if I had known how good it was and had not been able to read it I would have gone insane. I can't wait to own this book when it's released next year.

Spin the Dawn was my favorite new release of 2018, so it's not surprising that I absolutely adored the sequel, Unravel the Dusk.

Unravel the Dusk begins immediately after Spin the Dawn ends: Maia has completed Amana's dresses and freed her beloved from the emperor's control, but in so doing, she has been cursed to become a demon. Throughout the remainder of the novel, Maia struggles with the ramifications of the curse as she slowly loses her humanity. For a while I was terrified that Lim would rip out my heart, but I'll say that I think the ending is pitch perfect. The finale is poignant and hard-won, and it truly kept me guessing until the end. Elizabeth Lim has become an auto-buy author for me, and I'm anxious to read whatever she writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me access to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well with a release date that happens to be my birthday I figured this would be a thrilling end to a series and I wasn’t wrong.

“Unravel the Dusk” finds Maia struggling to control the demon that lurks within her soul hungry for complete control as she tries her best to maintain peace in the kingdom but when things go south she finds herself on the run from royal guards but with each step she takes she finds herself moving closer to ghosts calling her home.

I was a little nervous going in to this book because with all duologies I have this fear that they won’t be able to wrap everything up before it ends but thankfully this book manages the pace it needs to keep the suspense between Maia and her fight to maintain control over the demon as well as the brewing tensions that spill over into war.

I genuinely didn’t know how the book would end and if it would be happy or not but I am glad with how it all tied together and the little moments that connected the characters while offering them their own moment to say goodbye, whether that was permanent or temporary, as well as how it managed to expand the mythology a bit further as the temptation for evil whispered into the ear of our heroine.

I really enjoyed this series and I can’t wait for everyone to get a chance to see how it all comes together in a magical and bloody end.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This was one of my most anticipated sequels of 2020 and I was lucky to have received an advance copy. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Wow.. I enjoyed this so much! The writing was wonderful and the way Maia's story played out was basically how I hoped it would. This sequel tied everything up nicely and doesn't leave you wondering about other things at the end. I highly recommend picking up Spin the Dawn and of course this one!

Maia's journey continues in this sequel to "Spin the Dawn". Maia's deal with the demon has consequences even she cannot foresee. Maia believes in sacrificing herself for others, even if it causes her death. However, each day the demon within becomes stronger, urging her to use the magic, which causes Maia to lose some of herself. The man she loves, Edan, is safe from the emperor, but who will do anything to protect Maia. The dresses Maia created cannot be worn by a mortal and she has to take the place of the emperor's bride to be, but backfires, for the demon that controls the invading army craves what it has been promised. No deal with a demon is ever good. As the story continues, we see Maia losing some of herself each time she uses her demon abilities, but she does not give up, for her heart is strong. War is coming and it will be battle of demons. Will Maia be strong enough to save all without giving into the demon within? A good conclusion to the series.