This book was phenomenal. I loved it, adored it, enjoyed it to the fullest. Everything about it was so appealing from the cover to the description (Mulan is one of my favourite movies!). So I had to review it.

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim came out earlier this year and it follows girl tailor Maia in a world that resembles the Silk Road, as she dresses as a boy to be the Imperial Tailor and provide for her family. It seems fairly simple, the usual girl disguised as boy trope. But this book becomes so much more than that for so many reasons. So many elements I love! Color! Mythology! Fairytales! The Silk Road! Ah mi!

The plot was gripping. It moved slowly, which made the reading process slower but at the same time, the story grips you in a soft way. The story moves from poignant as Maia explores her relationship with her brothers and the way women are underestimated and not respected to rivetting as Maia begins to compete against eleven men to become the imperial tailor. I had thought that the book would end with the decision of who the imperial tailor would be, but the competition seemed to end early on. From around 40% Elizabeth Lim begins to construct the world outside the summer palace. Lim mixes Chinese mythology with fairytales of her own and the result is wondrous. I love folktales and fairytales from around the world. I collect them in fact but have never been fortunate to find books on Chinese mythology or folktales, so this book was a treat. I found the way that sunlight, starlight and moonlight were captured to be intriguing, well thought out and fairytales in their own right.

Characterwise I really liked the characters. Sendo was barely in the book and yet I felt I connected to him. The author explored the loss of siblings and described it as a tangible loss which remained through the book. I thought it was so well done especially considering how that sort of loss never truly leaves you. It remains woven through life and that’s exactly what Elizabeth manages to show. I found Maia quite relatable. She was annoying at times and naive but I thought it made her more relatable given that she had led such a sheltered life before. She grew into her own person and that was lovely to see. I liked the chemistry between her and Edan, the banter was well done and it didn’t read as an insta-love thankfully. The romance turned more from rivals to lovers which is my favourite kind. I do wish that Edan was a young enchanter, I’m not a big fan of large age gaps, anything greater than eight years is weird for me so a 500 year age difference was tough for me. But I looked at this the same way I do when I read fae novels, ignorance for the most part.

And now, the reason this book garnered four stars from me, was the writing. Luxurious, immersive writing. The laughter of the sun? The blood of stars? I am obsessed with the celestial bodies and being able to see them described so fully, and with such a new viewpoint was so interesting and rewarding.

I can almost taste color when Elizabeth Lim writes it. Everything was described so beautifully. It didn’t come alive in my mind as stories usually do but it came alive as illustrations. I could imagine the most stunning illustrations for a number of scenes and it is such a sad thing that I can’t draw because the images and paintings that my mind has conjured while reading this book are so rich and so lush filled with violent riots of color. I’ve never been very interested in fashion but if there’s one thing that could draw my attention, it’s the description of the embroidery in this book. Embroidery has always been to me the telling of stories using a needle and thread. Jewel colored stitches on toned fabrics, nothing is more beautiful. I want the clothes in the book. The paper jacket, the embroidered shawl.

The scenes with the demons were actually chilling and I found myself looking over my shoulder while on the flight (on which I was reading the book) because it made me feel uneasy. That is a mark of stellar writing

A story of myth and legend interwoven with the tale of the struggles of fighting for what we as women deserve. It gave me a chance to explore Chinese mythology while sailing alongside skeins of magic, romance and beautiful embroidery. I can’t wait for the sequel!