Arini's Reviews > Spin the Dawn

#1 Spin the Dawn — 3.75 Stars
#2 Unravel the Dusk — 2 Stars

I didn’t know a tale about knitting and sewing competition could be this F A S C I N A T I N G! This book was so fun, exciting, and full of adventure. Not to mention, unique and magical. Just so you know, I’ve never watched Mulan or The Project Runaway. The only thing I know about the former is that it’s about a girl pretending to be a guy. And in that regard, this book does have that aspect. Anything else, I can’t really comment on. Regardless of that, this book is still pretty special. Even if I’d known well both of those stories this book was inspired by, I would most likely gonna love it anyway.

Characterisation

It was such a delight reading about the characters in this book. Maia is bold and unrelenting. She has doubts, but she never gives up. She also doesn’t hesitate in making sacrifices for the people she loves. Edan is, well, who wouldn’t be charmed by someone with his wit? He’s hilarious. For an enchanter who’s lived for more than 500 years, he still seemed rather boyish though. Lady Sarnai is an interesting character. She likes to give our girl a hard time. I’m curious to know more about her and what had made her to be so bitter all the time.

Relationships

The family portrayal in this book was so sweet and heartwarming. Although we only get to see it in the beginning and at the end, it was heartfelt. I have only sisters in real life, and reading about older brothers always fills me with longing and a bit of envy. Meanwhile, the romance was so cute. The banter was extremely amusing. It got a little corny after our two main leads became aware of each other’s feelings. I’d almost wished they’d just keep bantering and never kissed cause they got so annoyingly lovey dovey together.

World building

The world in this book is wonderful. It’s full of traditions and myths and legends of the gods. There are even spiritual creatures, like ghosts and demons. You can feel the Middle Eastern/Asian (Chinese) influences. The magic is a little flimsy in my opinion. But I loved the idea of how one must sacrifice their freedom to become an enchanter. I also loved the concept behind the trials of the body, mind, and soul.

Things that don’t make sense

The scissors! How can a pair of scissors turn a piece of fabric into a full sewn dress? I know it’s enchanted. It can sew and paint?! Basically it can do all kinds of sewing and knitting work. Also, anything to do with the mind, body, and soul trials, I had a bit of a hard time imagining it. For example, climbing up the mountain to get the blood of stars. How does the laughter of the sun, tears of the moon, and blood of the stars even look like? I mean, I gather they just look like tiny sparkly sprinkles, but do they really?

Overall thoughts :

Spin the Dawn is an enchanting read that captivates readers with its adventurous tale of chasing myths and legends, stepping outside the confines of societal norms, as well as fighting for the people you care about. The characters are lovely to read. The plot is adequately engaging. I found the beginning and the middle to be thoroughly mesmerizing while the ending to be a little sloppy. The world inside it is a true sight to behold while, on the other hand, sometimes you might find yourself struggling to visualize certain parts of the book bcs the author doesn’t give quite vivid elaboration.