I adore a good fairytale retelling and so when I found out about Spin the Dawn I knew I had to read it! A YA fantasy inspired by Mulan, this diverse book is exactly what I needed to complete one of my reading goals for this year!

If you’re a fantasy junkie like me, I’d recommend checking out: A Curse So Dark and Lonely. As well as A Court of Thorns And Roses– they are both fairytale retellings too!

Introduction To Spin the Dawn

Readers follow Maia Tamarin’s journey of becoming an imperial tailor posed as a boy to sew three magical dresses which seems impossible. Edan, the court magician seems to see through her disguise. It’s a YA fantasy so we all expect romance! But Elizabeth Lim did an amazing job with the storyline, romance and character development! Her writing is absolutely beautiful to read!

The Plot of Spin the Dawn

I loved reading about East Asia and Middle Eastern culture, I could relate to the traditions being introduced. The culture painted a whimsical and vibrant setting and from chapter one I could not put the book down! The world building information was so easy to understand and I never felt like a lot of information was being dumped on me. Plus the book never felt rushed and didn’t have a slow pace too! It starts off as a Mulan retelling and closely follows the original tale The ballad of Hua Mulan. It does follow some cliches which I honestly didn’t mind and I’m all for the cute tropes used in this book! Royalty, slow burn romance- yes please!

The Characters Of Spin The Dawn

In the beginning, readers are introduced to Maia’s family. Often in fantasy books sibling aren’t really mentioned, so I enjoyed reading about the close bond Maia has with her family. But let’s talk about chemistry and the amazing banter between Edan and Maia! I loved Maia’s hot temper, her passion for sewing and her love for family. I dare say she’s a gryffindor and Edan a slytherin which I love! Edan is so witty and I definitely got the Darkling vibes as he is the Emperor’ Enchanter. I won’t mention other characters which may spoil the book, but they were all developed so good! I was definitely intrigued by them and I hope we get to know more about their back story too!

Conclusion

If this review isn’t enough to convince you to read this book, then surely the gorgeous cover art will! I don’t have any complaints other than wishing there was more backstory from characters and the war. But that ending has me wanting the sequel desperately and definitely makes up for it! A five star read for me!

If you’ve read this book, I’d love to hear your thoughts! I don’t think it has been hyped enough over on bookstagram! Or what was your last five star read?