A decent follow up/ending to The Spindle of Fate, though I wanted more vengeance.

This one is less hellish than the first, but has a larger focus on the characters in exchange.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

Evie is back and only 2 weeks after her first adventure into Diyu, the Chinese underworld. In the first book of the series, Evie journeys to Diyu with the hopes of finding her mother but is unable to bring her out. Now, she must learn to live without her mom and to ensure her aunt does not kill the man who killed her mom. Evie is torn between what she wants to do and what she has been asked to do.

Evie is also now the head of the Weavers guild and holds the role her mother once held within the guild of elders. She is still learning what this means as her mom never shared much about the guild or it's duties since she never shared that portion of her life with her daughters. There is a lot Evie is trying to learn on the fly and on top of all of this, she is trying to balance her friendships and find a monster who escaped Diyu with an accidental bit of help from her.

I like that we explore revenge from the perspective of a fairly mature 13 year old. Evie really does her best to be the person she thinks here mom wants her to be and to support her dad in the best ways she can, but she's also still a budding teenager with a lot of emotions and a mom who recently passed. There are moments that will break your heart and there are moments which are surprising. I also enjoy that Evie and Kevin can be friends without there being any level of romantic undertones, especially with hormonal teenagers (who always seem to be coming of age). Such a great conclusion to Evie's story. I look forward to more from this writer in the future.

A young girl must confront her mother's killer while balancing her life as a new Weaver of fate as well as keeping secrets from her friends and family. Picking up where the first book left off Evie is now the new weaver, taking the place of her mother's job after her mother was murdered. On top of that it is up to Evie and the Guild to contain the escaped monsters from the underworld that have returned to earth... and the fact that the secret Evie is keeping from her beloved aunt is that the man who killed Evie's mom is in fact her aunt's fiance. This is the conclusion to the series but it just kinda felt lackluster. The first book was a fun journey but this one just felt like the pacing was so slow and that I just didn't feel as invested in the characters or the stakes. It just kinda felt like it was dragging on for me personally. I do think other young readers will have fun with this series but it just kinda fell off for me.

Release Date: July 8, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed the first book of this duology, so I was eager to read this one! It's continues where the first books leaves off, so I recommend reading The Spindle of Fate first.

When we left Evie after her trip to the afterlife, she had just learned that her Aunt's fiance, The Gambler, had murdered her mom. Since her mom had made her promise not to tell anyone, especially her Aunt, Evie set about figuring out how to get revenge on The Gambler without spilling the beans on the whole murder business.

Evie reunited with old friends and picked up a new one who was part of another Guild. There certainly were strange things happening around town and demons showing up, which made this book fast paced and exciting.

A satisfying ending although I wish we had a little bit more after the climax. Didn't quite live up to how much I loved the first book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Recommended for ages 9+.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The Thread of Destiny by Aimee Lim is the first person-POV Chinese mythology-inspired sequel to The Spindle of Fate. After the events of the last book, Evie is just as determined as ever to avenge her mother’s murder but she also doesn’t want to break her aunt’s heart by exposing that Evie’s mother’s murderer is also her aunt’s fiancee. But weird things are happening in town and Evie might get a chance that is too good to give up.

One of the things I really liked about this is that this is a revenge book for kids that also treats the situation with complexity and explores other situations where people make choices that are only good for one person. Evie learns that her mother helped erase the feelings of a young woman of Chinese descent for a Japanese-American man because the young woman’s grandfather couldn’t handle it. Knowing what I know about recent Chinese-Japanese relations, I do understand why the grandfather had hang-ups, but much like Evie and her mother, I fully agree that the young woman should have been allowed to make her own choices. The way the story presents the scenario is that Evie and her mother are right while also presenting the ways the situation is not quite as simple as we want it to be.

Much to my surprise and delight, Kevin does indeed return. I love depictions of boy-girl friends with no romantic undertones. I also very much do like Kevin as a character and how he interacts with Evie as he understands her desire for revenge and her grief more than a lot people their age would, but he also is willing to pull her back if necessary.

Evie’s grief is explored in ways I wasn’t really expecting. One of the things that broke my heart but also made sense for her relationship with her mother was that she admits it’s not fair that she had twelve years with her mother and her sister who had a better relationship only got eight. That shows a real maturity in understanding her sister’s grief and putting aside her own feelings for a moment while recognizing to herself that she did still love her mother.

I would recommend this to fans of Chinese-mythology inspired fantasy and readers looking for a Middle Grade centered around grief and revenge

The Thread of Destiny picks up where Aimee Lim’s debut left off, sending Evie Mei Huang from the underworld back into an equally chaotic reality—one filled with escaped monsters, mysterious fog, and an ever-growing tangle of responsibilities. While this sequel didn’t quite match the emotional depth or pacing of the first book, it still delivered plenty of heart and high-stakes adventure.

Evie’s new role as head of the Weavers Guild brings a fresh layer of tension and maturity to her journey. Spinning people’s fates isn’t exactly easy work, especially for a twelve-year-old trying to hold together friendships, family, and an entire city on the brink of magical disaster. The stakes remain high, and the threats—both supernatural and emotional—feel real.

The book’s strengths lie in its worldbuilding and mythology. Dìyù’s influence still lingers, and the eerie yellow fog and creepy monsters add a spooky, suspenseful vibe. Kevin and Evie’s strained friendship adds some nice emotional weight, even if it doesn’t quite get the same level of development as in book one.

Although the pacing felt uneven at times and certain plotlines felt a bit overstuffed, I appreciated Evie’s continued growth and the imaginative threats she faces. It’s a solid follow-up that lays the groundwork for more to come, even if it didn’t quite hit the same highs as the first installment. Fans of the series will enjoy returning to this world—and likely cheer for Evie as she threads her own path forward.

2.5 ⭐

This book was pretty underwhelming. Evie is such an unlikable main character that it’s hard to root for anything she does, especially since most of her goals come off as self-serving and inconsiderate of other people’s feelings. The side characters felt really underdeveloped, and since we’re stuck in Evie’s POV the entire time, they stay pretty flat throughout. Overall, it just didn’t leave much of an impact.

Aimee Lim's debut THE SPINDLE OF FATE was an absolute delight. Its sequel THE THREAD OF DESTINY takes place two weeks after the previous book ends, but it can definitely be read on its own.

Evie Mei Huang is still reeling from the death of her mother, her trip to the Chinese underworld of Dìyù to try to rescue her, and the revelation that Evie must now succeed her mother as the head of the Weavers Guild. She's also burdened with a secret mission of revenge against her mother's killer - who is about to marry her very pregnant, extremely glamorous aunt - but that may have to wait as a host of demons has escaped Dìyù along with Evie herself. Plus she has all of the usual problems a twelve-year-old must face: making new friends, keeping old ones, and getting her field trip permission slip signed.

It's almost unfair to judge THREAD against SPINDLE, a spectacular debut with deft worldbuilding based on Chinese mythology. The follow-up is not as expansive or cohesive as its predecessor, but it's still a fun and exciting read. Lim's demon creations are memorable. But making even more of an impression is Evie, whose morality always shines through no matter the struggle. Written with an engaging voice and frequently as funny as it is scary.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the review copy.

The Thread of Destiny picks up two weeks after The Spindle of Fate, so be sure to grab that one first. You won't regret it.

Finding the truth about her mother's death has only made Evie's life more complicated - and her very pregnant aunt is about to be married! Only adding to the complications, Evie's journey into Hell has unforeseen consequences, both for herself and the world.

We see a number of familiar faces from the first book and friendships can be just as complicated - and as necessary - as family. Aimee Lim touches on all these relationships with care and depth, giving readers a complex view into grief, family promises, and friendship. Knowing what the right thing to do is difficult, but with care and being true to herself, Evie finds the path.

Excellent worldbuilding without overpowering the characters or the theme. Highly recommended for those who enjoy magical realism, diverse fantasy, and characters at that difficult stage between childhood and becoming a teenager.

The Thread of Destiny by Aimee Lim was a delightful and quick read full of adventure and heart! The voice is genuine and, despite the high stakes of Evie needing to save her aunt from marrying a murder and sewing up a hellhole, Lim masterfully weaves moments of levity throughout. Plenty of adventure while also highlighting the many tricky dynamics of friendship, responsibility, promises, and parent-child relationships.