Welcome back to The Bibliophagist! I hope that you’ve all enjoyed your weekend. If you aren’t aware, Mercury is in retrograde right now and for some of us, that means we feel awful. I have been having trouble sleeping which is very unusual but the perks of that are that I can read more books…if I could focus and get into them. Fortunately, I found a book that I loved and I was able to take part in this amazing blog tour hosted by Fantastic Flying Book Club. This is such an amazing tour company, one of the only ones I know of that don’t charge authors or publishers to schedule tours with them. That’s fantastic right?!
Anyway…let’s get on to this tour for yet again, another amazing Asain fantasy novel! Man…I am really loving that there are so many of these being published recently. It makes my Asain loving heart extremely happy. Don’t forget to check out all the other great posts for the tour here.
Spin The Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) 
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Published: July 9th, 2019
Publisher: Knopf
Book Length: 416 Pages
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
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Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository (Use my referral ID: TheBibliophagist)
Disclaimer: I received a NetGalley copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
Maia Tamarin 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, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Can we just examine the intricate details of this cover? The cover is as beautiful as one of Maia’s gowns…it begs you to pick it up and open the cover!
About the Author
Elizabeth Lim grew up on a hearty staple of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Her passion for storytelling began around age 10, when she started writing fanfics for Sailor Moon, Sweet Valley, and Star Wars, and posted them online to discover, “Wow, people actually read my stuff. And that’s kinda cool!” But after one of her teachers told her she had “too much voice” in her essays, Elizabeth took a break from creative writing to focus on not flunking English.
Over the years, Elizabeth became a film and video game composer, and even went so far as to get a doctorate in music composition. But she always missed writing, and turned to penning stories when she needed a breather from grad school. One day, she decided to write and finish a novel — for kicks, at first, then things became serious — and she hasn’t looked back since.
Elizabeth loves classic film scores, books with a good romance, food (she currently has a soft spot for arepas and Ethiopian food), the color turquoise, overcast skies, English muffins, cycling, and baking. She lives in New York City with her husband.
Review
This book is so much more than the summary! I will admit, reading the description describing this novel as a mix between Mulan and Project Runway I was not excited to read this. They had me at Mulan but the other half did not make me run to pre-order a copy any time right away. Let me tell you that this book is so, so much more than that. I knew that this was another Asain fantasy novel and honestly, the Mulan retelling might be the only reason I still picked this book up but I am so happy that I did!
‘Ask me to spin the finest yarn or thread, and I can do it faster than any man–even with my eyes closed. Yet ask me to tell a lie, and I will stumble and falter to think of one.
I have never had a talent for spinning tales.’
Maia might not be able to spin tales but Elizabeth can spine a tale that brings you into the world alongside the most amazing characters to venture out on a journey to complete a nearly impossible task.
The concept for this is a new twist on the classic Mulan story that I would have never imagined. Women aren’t allowed to be tailors..wait. This made no sense to me because when traditionally we think of those who sew clothing, women dominate that world in our eyes. Not here and I completely understand. Being a tailor and creating such clothing would bring with it power in its own right and women can’t have power…or can they?
Maia does not let anything stop her from trying to help her family live a better life. Here is where we have the majority of the Mulan similarities. She cuts her hair, dresses as a man to portray her brother, and attempts to live a life only a man is permitted to. Here, this is the life of a tailor. I really loved this concept, a woman fighting to prove she is every bit as good if not better than a man.
I really enjoy how the novel is paced so well throughout. When one problem seems to be solved, another is thrown in the face of the characters. Speaking of characters…let’s get to that next.
Maia: I have to say I love Maia so much and I knew I would. To be frank, I love any Mulan-ish character. The main reason is…they are so strong! I love a strong female lead character and Maia is exactly that. She knows what she wants and she is not willing to let anything stop her. She risks everything, even her life, to pose as her brother to help her family survive. It’s inspirational and as a mother and someone who values family so much, maybe that is why I love her so much.
Edan: Oh Edan…the magician. He had taken a liking to Maia from the start and I enjoy that he only tries to help her. I loved the dynamic between him and Maia.
Magic, demons, and royalty oh my! I love that a system of magic was woven in to this beautiful world. (See what I did there? I was able to thread a joke in there…haha ok I’m done now). This world is so well thought out and the amount of detail that went into describing everything from the interactions among characters to the clothing was astounding but not over done.
Spin The Dawn is a beautifully written young adult Asain fantasy that weaves bits of magic and romance into each page. I did think it read a bit ‘young’ which is fine as it is targeted at ‘YA’ readers. This novel is surely going to be well loved by many fans of Mulan and those that love a strong female character with a sense of pride and duty to her family.
Don’t miss out! Grab your copy today…psst it is released today so no waiting!
Giveaway
Now…this is a very different type of giveaway. Each blog is giving away one free copy of Spin The Dawn to a US resident.
What do you think? Have you watched Project Runway? Have you read this book? I love retellings, what is your favorite?
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I have read several Peter Pan retellings that I enjoyed very much, including Peter and the Starcatchers. I also enjoyed a King Midas retelling in A Touch of Gold last summer.
I absolutely love retellings! I’m so excited for this book. The cover is absolutely stunning!