I absolutely love the title name, “Spin the Dawn,” and its unique cover. Plus I’m always intrigued to read fantasy involving cultures other than my own. However I skimmed the first half, then didn’t finish the rest. Which means I also didn’t complete the duology.
I want to find more books where women are already participating in a universe where they can be leaders and treated equally without it being odd or different or strange. I need recommendations where the norm in the story is what we currently hope for our daughters and granddaughters. Including my own novels, I’m tired of reading the same themes where women are degraded, used and viewed as weaker in any way.
Yes, I’m assuming her character arc probably showed that she eventually kicked ass and conquered adversity in her way, but I want a story where women aren’t always struggling to overcome inequality.
Here’s the blurb of Elizabeth Lim’s story:
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 makes the ultimate sacrifice and poses as a boy to take 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 in a cutthroat competition 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 unthinkable final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the sun, the moon, and the 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.
Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this fantasy novel is not to be missed.