Spin the Dawn by Elizbeth Lim
Jan. 26th, 2020 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
under_the_silk_treeMy Eleventh book for ljbookbingo is Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim for #17 POC Author, card found here:
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. ~Amazon Description
I really enjoyed this book. Maia is an awesome protagonist. She is smart, determined, a bit naïve and loves her family fiercely. In a Mulan-esque move she takes her father's place in a competition for the emperor to choose a new imperial tailor. Ms. Lim does such a great job of making this world that Maia inhabits come alive, the royal court intrigues and the mythology was interwoven together perfectly. I especially loved Maia's interactions with Edan the court enchanter, their relationship starts off a bit antagonistic but at the same time you can tell they are fascinated with each other. Their friendship may get off to a rocky start but the author does such a great job of showing you how they start to care for each other and how that turns to love. The journey they go on to make the three mythological dresses is exciting and very well done. The sequel comes out later this year and I can't wait. I highly recommend it!
ljbookbingo is Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim for #17 POC Author, card found here: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. ~Amazon Description
I really enjoyed this book. Maia is an awesome protagonist. She is smart, determined, a bit naïve and loves her family fiercely. In a Mulan-esque move she takes her father's place in a competition for the emperor to choose a new imperial tailor. Ms. Lim does such a great job of making this world that Maia inhabits come alive, the royal court intrigues and the mythology was interwoven together perfectly. I especially loved Maia's interactions with Edan the court enchanter, their relationship starts off a bit antagonistic but at the same time you can tell they are fascinated with each other. Their friendship may get off to a rocky start but the author does such a great job of showing you how they start to care for each other and how that turns to love. The journey they go on to make the three mythological dresses is exciting and very well done. The sequel comes out later this year and I can't wait. I highly recommend it!
