Format: E-Galley, 416 pages
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
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.
Spin the Dawn is the first installment in author Elizabeth Lim's The Blood of Stars series. The publisher has sold this as Project Runway meets Mulan in
this sweeping fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete
for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to
sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars. 16-year old Maia Tamarin lives in the land of A'landi where she seemingly was born with a needle and a pair of scissors in her hands.
While being a tailor is strictly a man's job, Maia exceeds even her famous father. With the 5 year war finally done, and with the loss off 2 brothers, and a lame third brother, Maia dons her brothers male clothing to travel to the Imperial palace in hopes of becoming the Imperial Tailor. If she is discovered as a woman, she could be executed since it is against the law for a woman to become a master tailor. The tailor competition consists of (12) of the best tailors in the land. What makes Maia think she can win?
Maia has a pair of magic tailoring scissors that help her create
beautiful things even when sabotaged by other contestants. Maia does not trust magic and knowing her scissors are something is extremely frightening. However, it becomes clear that her magical scissors might be the one thing that
could save her. After surviving a brutal competition, Maia is given a near impossible task. Make 3
wedding dresses for the emperor’s soon to be wife, from the laughter of
the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars
She reluctantly joins
forces with the Emperor's Enchanter to go on an impossible journey. There's more magic to Maia than meets the eye, and her development from a
shy young woman into an unstoppable force of nature is breathtaking. There is also more to Edan, than meets the eye. Maia goes from thinking the world operates in one way, to finding it is much different than she could ever understand. Edan also opens her
mind in various ways. He has been alive for centuries and has seen the
world and the way it changes, offering up a new perspective to the
world.
These trials challenge her; they challenge her mind, body, and soul, and
open different aspects of herself Maia did not know she had. It is a
riveting journey that she goes on and her dynamics with Edan. They make
such a great team, and Edan is such an enigmatic character. The way he
moves and elevates the mystical part of the story perfectly balances out
Maia’s realism. Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden
romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is
pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.
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