Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

“You will hold the seams of our family together, Maia. No other tailor in the world can do that.”

– Elizabeth Lim

Specifics:

Book: Spin the Dawn

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Published: 26th June’2019

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Series: The Blood of Stars #1

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Pages: 392

My rating: 4/5

Blurb:

A GIFTED TAILOR IN DISGUISE.
THREE LEGENDARY DRESSES.
THE COMPETITION OF A LIFETIME.

On the fringes of the Great Spice Road, Maia Tamarin works as a seamstress in the shop of her father, on r a tailor of renown. She dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well.

When a royal messenger summons her ailing father to court, Maia poses as his son and travels to the Summer Palace in his place. She knows her life is fore fit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to save her family from ruin and achieve her dream of becoming the imperial tailor. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

The competition is cut throat, and Maia’s job is further complicated by the unwelcome attention of the court  enchanter, Edan, who seems to see straight through her disguise. But nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three gowns so dangerously beautiful, it will take a quest to the ends of the earth to complete them…

BOOK 1 in the BLOOD OF STARS duology.

“War comes at a great cost, and from that sacrifice comes peace. Sometimes we must let go of what we value for the future of our country.”

– Elizabeth Lim

Review:

What do you get when you thoughtfully mix magic and the art of sewing? An extremely enjoyable tale with twists and adventures like no other!

Spin the Dawn is the first installment of The Blood of Stars duology by Elizabeth Lim. The premise of the book is so different and unique. It’s the story of a girl who wants to be the best tailor in the world in a time where that is not something that women were allowed/expected to do.

It’s the story where she tries to break stereotypes and backward thinking but at her own comfort, by posing as her brother. She does get help along the way which also gives rise to a forbidden love story (my favourite kinda love stories)

The book is narrated from Maia’s point of view and initially she comes across as a hesitant, timid girl but given that she’s posing as a boy and lying to the entire kingdom, that was definitely expected. She also tries to be righteous in the competition for being the imperial tailor and that almost costs her, her life.

But eventually, with some help from Edan, the enchanter who sees her for her true strong self, she overcomes her fears and hesitations and embraces herself and grows into a warrior.

The adventures that Edan and Maia take in order to procure the raw materials needed for Lady Sarni’s wedding are very well set. The journey is the life of the book but I was a bit dissapointed that the procuring of the item itself wasn’t that well explained as the buildup and aftermath were.

The story shows off how strong the love for family is and how weak that love can make you at the same time. It has such strong and empathetic characters who wouldn’t think twice before sacrificing themselves to protect the ones that they love, even though it means that they cannot be with them for longer. It shows off that passion, if fed in a good way and put in hard-work can always grow into something great.

The book is a very smooth and easy read. It’s like a breath of fresh air. I mean for someone who loves dresses and magic (that’s atleast 64% of us), a book that brings them both together in a way where sewing is the heart of the magic is kind of like a dream come true.

Overall it was a great read. I finished it with my friend in under 4 divided hours and I want to get into book 2 asap.

I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars.

“Sometimes finding the way is tricky, but you always do. As long as you don’t give up.”

– Elizabeth Lim

Spoiler alert:

The book had some expected but fresh plot twists and some that totally had me by surprise.

The one that I was expecting probably because it was hinted at was Edan turning into a demon. He does that to protect Maia from being claimed by a demon who marks her while she tries to get the blood of the stars.

The scissors being a gift from the goddess Amana to the tailor who stitched the dresses for her children was a happy twist. I think once Maia found out about it, she embraced the scissors even more.

Maia using her one wish from Amana to save Edan and then lying to him that she’s free too showed off her strength in such an impressive way.

Now, we obviously knew that her identity wasn’t going to be a secret but may be it’s lady Sarni’s impossible quest or that the enchanted scissors would come in handy or that her stitching was impressive, she got a chance to be the imperial tailor as Maia and not her brother. She does prove herself by managing to stitch the dresses.

Coming to the characters:

Maia Tamarin: She is a dreamer who had a very strong family and the loss of it made her even stronger. She wanted to be the imperial tailor and when opportunity came knocking it’s way, she took it and achieved it. Her art of stitching speaks for her. Her love speaks volumes of how wonderful her heart is. She sacrifices herself for everyone that matter and doesn’t bat an eyelid while doing it. I cannot wait to find out what happens to her.

Edan: He has a thousand names and he was the 7th of his parents 7 sons. From what we find out, it is obvious that he has had a harsh childhood but does not really hate that he’s under oath under a monster for a thousand years. But love triumphs and he decided to do right by Maia and even sacrifises himself to be a demon for eternity. He’s a classic example of good trying so hard to stay in while it is easy to just give in to evil.

Questions that Unravel the dusk should give us answers to:

1. How can lady Sarni evade the enchantments?
2. What happens to the emperor now that he doesn have Edan under oath anymore?
3. Will there be a war or a wedding?
4. When does Edan find out that Maia lied to him?
5. How does Maia evade the demon?
6. Will the emperor come for Maia’s family?

“You’re used to being underestimated, so you want to prove yourself. Don’t let that be your crutch. Accept help when you need it.”

– Elizabeth Lim

Reasons to pick up the book:

1. Unique story
2. has a strong and determined female character who has her flaws but is ready to embrace them
3. Projects strong family values and love
4. unpredictable
5. Adventurous
6. has a happy ending with an intriguing cliffhanger

Cons:

1. I would have liked a little more details onto the adventure itself
2. The build up was too good but the adventure ended in a page or two
3. Too many unanswered questions have me pacing for the next part of the series

“Seize the wind,” I whispered. “Don’t become the kite that never flies.”

– Elizabeth Lim