Spin the Dawn: 1 (The Blood of Stars)

Book Introduction:This is the debut novel of Elizabeth Lim. The book is a fairy-tale retelling of the celebrated Disney movie – Mulan where she meets Aladdin and they dive in to the world of Devil wears Prada! Maia, the youngest child of her family - is a seamstress. She wants to be known as the best tailor in the land of A’landi. One day the opportunity knocks at her door for the same. But, it came with a challenge! Now, she is stuck in a situation of saving her family’s reputation or saving her life. What will she choose to do?My Feelings on Reading this book:This book has it all – fantasy, mystery, romance, thrill and MAGIC! It has a completely unexpected story line, different from the many fantasy books I have read. I was surprised by the pace of the book – such a fast paced book still it is so calm and all set to make you fall in love with it. The book has an Asian / Oriental vibe to it. I loved tiny hints of romance which is so tastefully written. I loved how strong willed Maia was and how she never gave up on any situation whatsoever and fought with everything she had in her arsenal. She was a character - worthy of all the appreciation. The character arc of Edan was beautiful as well. The words are woven in such a subtle manner. I could not get enough of this book. The mystery and thrill is crafted fluently and I was just hooked to it till the very end. I was not feeling bore at all. I was connected to the characters in every way. I felt like the book should open a portal for me to dive in. It will always hold a space in my heart forever. It ends with a cliff hanger and I am so thankful that I have the other book ready on my shelves to dive in as soon as I can.Recommended to:- YA lovers.- People who want to explore the world of fantasy – you can definitely start with this.- People who wish to read about Magic, or witchy stuff or want some subtle thrillers.

"ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴏᴀᴛʜ ɴᴏᴡ, ᴍᴀɪᴀ ᴛᴀᴍᴀʀɪɴ. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴇ."Mulan meets Runway Project (Interesting isn't it?) that's the first thing that caught my eyes. I love this book. Another thing I love was the cover of the book and I love it (Isn't it beautiful?) one of the best book covers I've seen.The story revolves around Maia who is always worried about her family's well being and wanted to become an imperial tailor but couldn't because she's a girl. When she got the chance, she has to conceal her identity and enter the competition as her brother. I adore her. She's very passionate and fearless. There"s one thing I like about her is if she set her mind on something she'll complete it no matter what. Edan, how can I forget about him? Edan is love. From the beginning, I started liking him. If there's something which made Maia's journey interesting then, it is Edan. Just like Maia, he's also passionate. He knows what is his responsibilities towards his emperor. I the way he protects Maia from the difficulties they faced. The writing style, it's amazingly easy to understand and easy to read. I love the blend of eastern culture and fantasy. The ending of the book was a bit shocking. The book is very well written.

The quality of the book was amazing💜💜💜and the story was beautiful

I can't be more happy to get this product in such a beautiful condition without any sort of damage. Though the print is very slightly dim but that's ok. The encryption of the title is beautifully layered on the cover page. Thank you so much for making us to get such international books in easy peasy way .

GO FOR IT. THAT'S ALL I'VE TO SAY.

It was a very interesting book

"'Seize the wind', I whispered. 'Don't become the kite that never flies'"Destiny is indeed very funny. One choice and it takes a complete U-turn that LEDs to what remains of our life.'Spin the Dawn' is the empowering story of Maia Tamarin, who dreams of becoming the imperial tailor in a society where girls are allowed to be nothing more than servants to men.Armed with magic and a magician, she sets out on a conquest to stitch the dresses of the legendary goddess, using the laughter of the Sun, the tears of the Moon and the blood of the stars.Engaging and riveting, this book is a portal to an entirely new universe that mixes a Disney movie and an Indiana Jones expedition.Powerful character arcs, an interesting love story and a stubborn monarch, this book is every fantasy reader's dream.

Have you read Spin the Dawn? If not, then I will recommend you to leave everything and pick this one up and you will up for joy ride you never expected. After reading the reviews I knew that I am going to like this book but I was not at all prepared to love this book this much. The book is worth every hype every attention it is getting. The ambience, the characters, the story everything is damn perfect that I didn't want the book to end at all. The only disappointment I felt was that I have to wait till July 2020 to know what happens next which I must say is pure torture!

Spin the Dawn is sold as Mulan crossed over with Project Runway. As a fan of both of those things, I was eager to give this one a shot. Maia's father is summoned to the Emperor's court to compete to become the royal tailor; two of Maia's brothers died in the war and the third was severely injured. A competent seamstress, Maia picks up her grandmother's shears and answers the call, dressed as a boy. At the palace, Maia competes with tailors with years of experience whilst struggling to hide her true identity. But one man in particular - the court sorcerer - seems to see right through her...I liked Maia. She was sympathetic and earnest. What I was surprised by, was how only the first third of the plot really resembled Project Runway, the actual contest aspect of the book. The rest of the novel focuses on Maia's epic quest to sew the three dresses of legend: one with the laughter of the sun, one with the tears of the moon, and the last with the blood of the stars.One thing I'm not a fan of was the Edward Cullen-esque romance. A man who is hundreds of years old who goes after a young girl, tells her it's better if they aren't together, and then she pines after him loads until he is gracious enough to kiss her. Ew. Also they've known each other about a month and they're fantasising about having several kids. YA style.I liked the Project Runway style competition, the focus on sewing, the borrowing and new adaptation of the Mulan story. I liked how easy this was to read, I just thought it needed a bit more work and a love interest that wasn't five hundred years old.

The cover of this book is stunning and the cover alone would get five stars from me, but the rest of the book? Not so much. I'm honestly struggling to know what to say in my review of this book because I honestly just don't have that much to say. I didn't feel connected with this book at any point and never really felt sucked into the story.I largely like Maia, I think she's an interesting and complex character but there was something missing for me about her. She is meant to be a strong independent woman but she spends so much of her time relying on Edan to get her out of trouble that it sort of contradicted itself. So much focus of this book is spent on their romance and I think this is largely where it lost it for me because I wasn't invested in them as a couple. Edan becomes intrigued with her because... she's a girl pretending to be a boy? or because he knows there's magic in her veins... honestly not sure which he knew first.I literally felt at points like I was watching Project Runway; yes I get it's meant to be like that but it felt like it was pulled from the script of the show and felt so off balance to the rest of the book. I think there is a good concept behind this book, but if we took away the Princesses stubbornness and attempts to delay her wedding there literally wouldn't be a book in the first place. There are no other conflicts that lead to the events so it just kind of leads them wanting....I didn't hate this book at all and definitely think it has potential but I was constantly waiting for that wow moment to hook me in and it just never came. I think the romance overtook the plot and ruined it for me.

With a beautiful start, this had my heart from the prologue. And I can’t help but want to completely and utterly root for Maia and contain so much faith for her! I enjoyed the story in its entirety but I really loved the scenes between Maia and Edan.The book is divided into parts and the first part deals with the ‘Project Runway meets Mulan’ vibe, and then it branches out after that and becomes a quest that is a perilous journey to try and deliver the ‘unobtainable’ to make the intended of the Emperor satisfied. [I have sympathy for her but I still dislike her lol][I really enjoyed this book, and I am aware of the conflict and issues that some have had with it, I was mindful of that while reading.]

I DEVOURED this in a single day. Honestly it was so beautiful and I knew right from the outset that I would love it. I have to thank Elizabeth Lim for writing such a beautiful YA novel - and even better for making it the first in a series!! I have found difficulty in finding YA books that I enjoy in recent times. But this hit all the right notes.Maia is such a likeable protagonist and I love the arc that she went through as a character. I love love LOVED Edan and the way his relationship with Maia developed from curiousity to protectiveness and beyond.I loved the whole world and how the author made each scene so vivid and real.Five stars. Can’t wait for the next one.

Elizabeth Lim has spun a wonderfully magical tale that slowly reeled me in and has left me wanting more.Inspired by Mulan, this is the story of Maia, who poses as her brother in order to become the Imperial Tailor at the Royal Court. There she must compete with other renowned tailors to secure her place. Competition is fierce, and Maia faces many challenges. She also becomes drawn to the Royal Enchanter Edan and must fight to hide her secret.The story really comes into its own when Maia and Edan must go on a journey across the land. I loved the myths and magics that Lim brought to life here and this journey really caught my imagination.There was so much depth and emotion put into the relationships in this story, especially between Maia and her family, which I loved. As for that ending....just wow! I cannot wait for the second part of this duology to release next year.