I have no words. This was one of the top books I wanted to read this year and it did not disappoint. I missed Elizabeth's writing style.

What a beautiful way to end the duology. I absolutely loved the journey of Maia and Edan. I loved the adventure, the magic, the romance, I just had such a fun time reading this book! The journey that Maia goes through is amazing and seeing her grow from a simple tailor to a demon while battling to maintain her humanity was brilliant. I loved the way the story wrapped up. This was definitely a fairytale worth reading.

I absolutely loved this story. I always get nervous on duologies. Will the sequel rise to the occasion or fall flat? For me, this sequel was just as phenomenal as the first. I love Maia and her strength. Lim is a fabulous storyteller. While a frequent finished series request of mine is wanting more (and I do want more of this world and these characters), I finished this book satisfied. This will be a favorite reread series of mine. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for the eARC.

There was a lot of character development that I enjoyed in this book, especially from the first. The ending really got me, and seemed abrupt. I didn’t see it coming, and feel like there were other avenues to travel. Is there going to be another book? This made it seem impossible and that was disappointing.

I really enjoyed this book as much as the first. It is a great sequel and I think many will enjoy it. For more of my views, click the link below.

Spin the Dawn enchanted me with its beautiful twist to Mulan story. I always enjoy retelling and when I loved the first book of this duology, I couldn't miss the chance of reviewing the sequel! Unravel the Dusk was a great conclusion that's turning the wheel of a retelling into its own fantastic and magical story.

Right from the beginning, I could tell that this book will have a greater scale than the last one. The writing easily sucked me in, the words wove vivid images in my head. I couldn't stop reading! Suddenly, I was already halfways through the book in one sitting. The fast pace helped a lot. Every scene written is important, there were no such thing as overly described or paragraphs that's going on and on about stuff like a mere food.

Aside from the pace, I also loved the plot. Things were built up into one grand moment that took my breath away and managed to draw tears from my eyes. The climax was gut-wrenching, jaw-dropping, and terrifying. I didn't think that I'd be so sad when I finished this book but the story left me with a bittersweet feeling. The first book might give me the vibes of a fairy tale. Though the sequel still have some of its beauty, it was certainly darker than that. Maia's struggles were proof to that.

As our FMC, Maia was strong and brave. She wanted to sacrifice everything if it meant saving the lives of her loved ones. Her journey in this book wasn't easy, especially the part when she tried so hard to fight her transformation. My heart broke for her. I loved her development from the innocent girl with big dreams to a wiser and humble individual.
Edan, on the other hand, was still the same caring and gentle person. His life has changed since he no longer bound by his oath. This change hardened his already unbreakable mind but his heart forever belonged to Maia.
I feel the need to mention some of other characters. Lady Sarnai was basically amazing in every way. She was smart and bold. Her certain steps and skill as a warrior made me love her even more.
Ammi is the kind of person I aspire to be. She was kind and loyal. Her pure heart light up some of the dark moments in this book.

I still support Maia and Edan's relationship, even more so after I finished this sequel. I could see how much their love meant so much to each other. There were times when the romance in a book annoyed me because they were too cliché. That's not the case with this book, what happened it's the opposite. I totally engrossed with the romance because that made the whole story feel like a lovely fairy tale.

For me, Unravel the Dusk is a book that just not about a girl trying to be the hope of her kingdom.
It is about facing your demon straight on and never let it defeat you. It's scary and frightening but you are stronger than whatever it is that's dragging you under.
It is about knowing when to retreat from everything, to take a breath and rest. Even when you feel like everything is over, when it is not over yet, you can still fight in another day.
It is about relying to the people you trust and love. Even when it feels like all hope is lost, you still have those people who are going to show you the light.
It is about learning to let go. This is hard but you must open your heart and be free of the guilt, rage, and other feelings that weighing your soul.

Overall, I enjoyed every second spent reading Unravel the Dusk. It was a beautiful yet heartbreaking story with great characters, awesome world building, and touching love story wrapped in a powerful story. If you haven't read Spin the Dawn, I recommend you to add it to your TBR. For you who have read the first book but still hesitate to continue this duology, I'd tell you: the sequel won't disappoint.

Overall Enjoyment: 5/5
Characterization: 4/5
World building: 3/5
Diversity: 3/5

I've recently been really disappointed in a lot of the sequels of the books I've been reading so I was honestly a little hesitant about reading this book. If you're like me let me reassure you! I loved this book!!!! I feel like it has a very similar tone to it as the first book and this book was so lyrical at some points I just fell in love. Definitely recommend.
The characters. We focus as before mostly on Maia. Maia who is now facing the consequences of her actions in the first book. This book spends a lot of time focusing on Maia's thoughts and feelings about what's going on around her. I felt like the characterization was excellent. We do see Edan again which I was a bit worried about. We get a bit more of his background in this book, but we mainly learn about him through Maia. Let me tell you readers, the relationship between these two makes me heart melt and soar at the same time.
World building. Most of the world building happened in the first book so there wasn't a ton of new information added, but I kept the rating high because I think the writing stayed true to the world that had been built for us previously.
Diversity. The main character is Maia who is an Asian woman (Chinese-inspired I think). All the characters are people of color. There's even a vague mention of a man with a male lover, but its said it passing.
Overall, I loved this book. I loved the plot, I loved the character, and I loved the writing. This is a series I will continue to enjoy. I couldn't recommend it enough!

Note: this review is for the last book of a duology and may contain slight spoilers. You can find my review of the first book, Spin the Dawn, here: http://www.happyindulgencebooks.com/2019/07/02/blog-tour-spin-the-dawn-review-giveaway/.

“I had the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars with me: three pieces of magic as old as the world itself. I just hadn’t known how to use them - until now.”

UNRAVEL THE DUSK was a magical, fulfilling conclusion to this beautiful fantasy duology that seeks inspiration from Asian cultures. The most notable one is a reference to a well-loved Chinese folktale, which really resonated with me. Readers will love Maia’s story as she battles the demon within her and fights for her country and people.

In the previous book, Maia dresses as her brother to become a tailor and is challenged to weave dresses of the sun, the moon, and the blood of stars. In this book, she has to deal with the consequences of weaving those dresses and the incoming civil war going on in her country between the emperor and the shansen. Previously, she had to deal with court intrigue and a journey that would change her life. This time, she emerges as someone more accustomed to lying and more resilient. She uses this resilience to pave the way towards revolution in her country and stop the demon-possessed shansen from taking over.

First and foremost is that this book is told from the first-person point of view of Maia, and readers are expected to see her overcome many obstacles. The biggest one is the emerging demon inside of her that demands attention. She grapples with doing what’s right and balancing that with the powers of the demon, as the demon gives her power. However, she’s only a girl, and she finds herself giving into the dark demands of the demon, which leaves readers on the edge of their seats as they fear for her future. Maia faces difficult paths, but her empathy and will to do what’s right may save her in the end.

Along for the ride is the shansen’s daughter, Lady Sarnai, who was a bully to Maia in the first book. She’s steely and strong and good with the bow. While her original role was to marry the emperor to achieve peace, her character evolves into someone more empathetic and patriotic - someone who could be the face of change in the tides of war. There’s also Edan, the court enchanter who disappeared after the end of the first book, and who she fell in love with. Although there is less progression in Maia and Edan’s relationship in this book, their bond towards each other is as strong as ever. I do think there could have been more evidence on the bond, since their feelings were an accumulation of the previous book and they started this book being separated. Either way, both characters play a critical role in the future of Maia’s country.

Lim paints a beautiful world with lots of star/sky aesthetics and hints of magic entangled in everything. The world-building isn’t in-depth, but it’s creative and fun and the perfect backdrop to Maia’s journey. Her character growth has been progressive, from the first book to now, and readers will enjoy seeing that development (even if it comes with some frustration).

Overall, this duology will remain in my heart for a while. The gorgeous covers will pull you in, but Maia’s incredible story and her introduction to magic and the power of a pair of enchanted scissors will keep you enchanted. I recommend SPIN THE DAWN and UNRAVEL THE DUSK to fantasy lovers who are ready to explore a new world with a tailor heroine. If you’re a romantic at heart, like me, you’ll also find this tale sooo fulfilling, leaving all the delightful, warm emotions at the end.

Content/Trigger Warnings: death of parent and grief, war, mild violence

Thank you Knopf Books for the review copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for choosing me to receive an advanced copy of Unravel the Dusk!

Warning: this review contains some spoilers for the first book in the duology, Spin the Dawn

Maia Tamarin succeeded in her quest to craft the dresses of the moon, sun, and stars, but at great cost to herself. The man she loves has gone into hiding, the kingdom is on the brink of war, and something dark is stirring within her body. In a desperate bid to save the kingdom, Maia is forced to wear the dress of the sun and impersonate the Emperor’s bride-to-be. But how can Maia possible save the kingdom if she can’t even protect herself? As the rift grows within her, Maia will have to choose between her kingdom and her soul.

You can get your copy of Unravel the Dusk on July 7th from Knopf Books!

Elizabeth Lim did not disappoint in her conclusion of the Spin the Dawn duology! I actually found that I enjoyed this book even more than the first one! I felt like the characters had really matured in this story, truly coming into their own as forces of magic and willpower. As a costume designer, I loved the elements of design and sewing that were woven into the story. I was especially glad to get to see more page-time for my favorite character, Lady Sarnai! Every scene of this story was both thrilling and thoughtful!

My Recommendation-
I would recommend both Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk to anyone looking for a rich fantasy world, with characters who love deeply and fiercely. If you are a fan of Girls of Paper and Fire or Sky in the Deep, this series would be a great pick for your next read!

Lim's sequel to 2019's Spin the Dawn provides a satisfying conclusion to this lush fantasy duology. Lim's writing continues to weave its own magic, continuing the story of imperial tailor Maia Tamarin as she fights to save her country, her family, and her own soul. Readers will delight in Lim's exquisite world-building, as Maia's journey to reclaim her humanity takes her across A'landi.

That being said, I frequently found myself wishing Maia's story had been stretched into three books. While her story is compelling, it also feels rushed. I wanted to be able to linger in A'landi; as it is, I feel like I was on a very brisk guided tour.


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Maia has battling the demon growing inside her. She knew she was losing herself a little each day. When things go wrong with the emperor's wedding to Lady Sarnai, Maia and Ammi left. Keton told Maia that the war would never end if this marriage didn't happen. Maia knew she had to see Edan again. Bandur was pushing her to get to Lazur and she finally relented. But she asks for time and she uses that to figure out what to say to Edan. Ammi had to be left behind after Maia attacks her when she wasn't in control of herself. She kept hearing the voices and was having nightmares. The voices called her Sentur'na and Maia knew that would be her demon name.

Maia and Edan work on a plan for what they should do to defeat Bandur. After leaving Lazur again, Maia knew she had a matter of days. Her eyes glowed red more often and she was getting claws. She decided that she needed to go back and fight for A'landi. The shansen had made a deal with a demon and he has that help. There is almost nothing left of himself. Maia was told that she would have a choice to make before she got back. But if she did what she wanted, she would die. Maia was willing to do anything to save her father, brother, and Edan. She tells Lady Sarnai and Edan how to kill her if she gets out of control. Edan refuses to believe that she won't be herself, even as a demon. He believes she is good and that she can fight it.

The book kind of took off right away, so I feel like most of the things I can mention will spoil a bit of the story. I think that you'll enjoy this if you liked Spin the Dawn. There is a lot of war and death, but Maia and Edan's story never got lost in the plot. They were tied together and that love wasn't going to be stopped for anything.

I gave this 4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

Warnings for war, blood, death, lashings, death of a horse, and beatings.

FINALLY THE SEQUEL. I very much enjoyed Spin the Dawn so I was ecstatic to be able to read and review the ARC. I’ve already got it preordered and am so excited to display it on my shelf! Anyways, Unravel the Dusk picks up where the previous book left off. I didn’t reread Spin the Dawn before I read this, and I wish I had. There were some things I had forgotten between that one and this one. Overall, if you didn’t want to, you could probably get away with it. Much of this book takes place as an internal struggle that Maia goes through.

The Writing
I loved Lim’s writing in the first one, and this one continues that trend. Her writing keeps the both the characters engaging as well as the plot whether it is a slower moment or a faster one. I cannot express how happy I was when reading this book, because I felt everything was flowing together so well, and it worked for me. I was chugging through this at a fantastic pace because it was so beautifully written. Always a good thing! I just love the descriptions and the dialogue in this book, it all falls together so naturally. It made for a delightful read.

The Pacing
The pacing of this book is different than that of the first book. This one feels that it is more of a mixed bag of pacing. The book takes place in several parts, and you can feel when something is going to happen. There is suspense and curiosity in huge doses. I was really impressed with that. Sometimes I feel when a book switches between action and non-action there are weird transitions. I didn’t feel that way about this book at all. In fact, I absolutely loved every moment of it. Part of it is because this takes place in different settings, and we don’t have too many of the “this is a long journey” text.

The Plot
The plot of this, as I mentioned, is very much Maia’s internal struggle with her demon – quite literally. The book is very much devoted to her desire to be the best she can and save her kingdom, all the while dealing with the demon inside. And it was a really great contrasting plot, and there were some things I wasn’t expecting to happen! This plot was very much more character driven than the previous book, and a deeper look into people themselves. Of course, we continue having the outside force of the Shansen threatening the kingdom, and you are always going to want to root for Maia.

The Characters
Maia as a character was built beautifully. She is a tangled mess of feelings, emotions and choices. Every decision she makes can change the world, and she knows this. But Maia is determined to be strong, despite the mistakes she makes. Maia is a great character, and I was just always so in love with how Lim created her.
Edan returns in this as well, and his part is interesting. I think how the relationship between them plays out is well done, and doesn’t override the main plot of the book at all. In fact, how it is woven in is lovely.
Lady Sarnai also returns, and we get to see a different side of her – and I won’t say anymore than that.
One thing I loved above all is the power the ladies in this book had.

The Worldbuilding
As with the last book, I liked the world building. We get enough depth that you don’t feel underwhelmed and it isn’t overbearing so it doesn’t feel like an infodump. You get the important parts, and that is what makes this world so magical.

Overall
This book is so good, and such a brilliant sequel to the first book. I cannot recommend it enough – it is easily one of my very favorite sequels!

Review will be published on my blog closer to release date.

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

Unravel the Dusk answers all the questions that we were left with at the end of Spin the Dawn. The writing is beautiful although at times a little to wordy for me, I found myself skimming some paragraphs. I didn't feel as connected to the plot or to the characters as much as I did in Spin the Dawn, Maia constant struggle with her two (or three?) inner monologues got to be a bit much for me to continue to follow. I was pleased to see that Edan had returned but didn't have such a huge part, the main focus of the story was on Maia. It did end a little too cleanly but it is a fairy-tale retelling after all! Overall I enjoyed my time reading this sequel.

I loved this duo! I am new to Elizabeth Lim as an author, and will certainly return for more titles. One of my favorite tropes is the retelling of a fairy tale. While Unravel the Dusk, and it's prequel Spin the Dawn are not true retellings, they gave me a feeling of connection to fairy tales and princess stories. The closest similarity I could sense was Aladdin, as the duology includes a Jinn, voyages on a flying carpet, and a tiger. Maia is a wonderful heroine who is feisty, kind, and ambitious. In Unravel the dusk, her story that began in Spin the Dawn continues.. She faces challenges and adversaries that her strengths are called upon to meet both on the battlefield and inside her own mind. Edan is a constant presence even as Maia wavers in her belief that a happy ending could be a possibility for their love. I truly loved the ending, and was somewhat surprised but also very pleased by how the initial conflict, presented in Spin the Dawn, was resolved. Highly recommended!

This book, much like Spin the Dawn, is such a lyrical book. Elizabeth Lim has such a fine way with words, and every scene she describes makes me wish I was in her story. The opulence of the scenes is incomparable. The journey that Maia is on is just *chef's kiss*. I truly enjoyed reading this and cannot wait to have a finished copy on both my shelf and the library shelf.

First and foremost, a special thank you to Netgalley and publisher for providing me with an ARC of this marvelous book! The opinions below are my own.
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Pros
1. The writing: Luscious, brilliant, beautiful, and exciting.

2. The characters: Fully fleshed out characters with unique personalities that did not ever go OOC.

3. Relationships: Beautiful and complex relationships between lovers, family members, and friends were represented in this story.

4. Folklore: I've heard people say that they felt the magic system was lacking, but I truly feel like the author did this on purpose. This was not a book where we dive into the inner workings of magic, but instead portrays magic as divine, mysterious, and beautiful. Magic is more described than explained, and for a purpose- to keep its mysterious nature.

5. The Ending: Decent wrap-up, but it could have been better!

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CONS
1. The writing: More can be said with less! I frequently dock stars (or half a star) for flowery writing that is unnecessary. There were quite a few scenes in this book that I found myself skimming over because it took me away from the main plot and did not substantively add to character development. I understood that the main character, Maia, was struggling with her inner demon. No need to talk about it every two pages or go off on a plot tangent to prove how much she was struggling with it. Stick to the main scenario/plot line and develop the character, please!

2. Characters (Lady Sarnai): I understand that my dislike of Lady Sarnai is completely subjective, but nonetheless, I wanted to write about her. I understand that she was to portray a female warrior raised among men and very harsh conditions. She was written to be an unflinching and ruthless leader who did not bend to the desires of others.... BUT- she come off as self-centered, a snob, and, to be quite frank, an asshole. I hated how Maia kept bending to Sarnai's will to the point that I started wishing Maia embraced the darker side of her powers just to put Sarnai in her place.

3. Relationships: The lovers. I very much enjoyed the courtship and flirtation in the first book, and even the part where both lovers declared their love for each other (and this is saying a lot coming from someone who abhors cheesy love scenes). This book, though... I'm so glad they spent most of their time apart from each other because when they were together they kinda made me want to gag. It isn't as bad as other books *cough* Sarah Maas Throne of Glass *cough* but it could definitely have been toned down with.

4. Pacing: I'll be honest and say that this book dragged for me when compared to the first, with scenes that were not really necessary and to the point where the beautiful writing started grating on me a bit.

5. The Ending: (Totally biased) I think a there was a little too much that happened that was convenient for the story to have a happy ending. I would have liked for a more complicated ending.

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And that's a wrap!

Kindly,
Monica

Find me on YouTube: Little Bad Books

Absolutely wonderful!!! I LOVED the first book with its stunning imagery and beautiful storytelling, and was overjoyed to see that the sequel lived up to the first! Beautiful!

Unravel the Dusk is the second half of the duology that begins with Spin The Dawn. It’s a fairly gentle read even with the genre typical violence, Since it feels like a fairy tale you just know that if the characters remain brave and true and keep showing all the fairy tale virtues that things will be okay in the end and good will prevail. If you’re in the mood for a escapism and a sweet romance I recommend this series highly.

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

Unravel the Dusk is the sequel to Elizabeth Lim's well-received Spin the Dawn, which was marketed as Mulan meets Project Runway. As a sequel, this novel is very much difficult to review without spoiling the first book.

Unravel the Dusk picks up shortly after the end of Spin the Dawn. Lim addressed all of the questions I had at the end of that novel, and wrapped up what I believe is a duology in a satisfying way. I did enjoy the plotlines of Spin the Dawn more, but I thought Lim was clever in how she resolved the issues raised in Spin the Dawn during the telling of Unravel the Dusk.

Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience of Unravel the Dusk and was grateful to have the opportunity to read it early.

This was a beautiful and impactful sequel that did not disappoint. The characters and worldbuilding were engrossing and I really enjoyed this sequel.