Synopsis:
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.
When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk--grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh--Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.
But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I honestly can't believe this was written by the same author of Uprooted. Spinning Silver is literally the anti-thesis of Uprooted. Everything I hated about Uprooted - the weak characters, unnecessary romance, and poor pacing - are so vastly improved in Spinning Silver, it's like it was written by a different person.
God, where do I even begin? I LOVED this. The three main female characters - Miryem, Wanda, and Irina - are each so complex and dynamic, to the point where I enjoyed reading every single one of their POVs. Even if not all of their problems or goals are world-ending, they're so excellently executed that Novik makes you feel the weight and anxiety of every issue the same. In fantasy, authors tend to focus in on the BIG stakes, and I appreciated the attention paid to smaller-scale problems, without compromising the larger narrative or making characters feel irrelevant. Novik even made me love nearly every single side character, and when does that ever happen? I may fall in love with maybe one or two especially compelling side characters, but almost ALL OF THEM??? I'd have told you it couldn't be done, before reading this.
The thing that definitely took me by the most surprise is that there's no romance in this novel. There are possibilities of romance littered throughout the book, but it's always brushed away in order to stress the importance of the characters and their journeys. I wasn't expecting it at all, especially after reading Uprooted, and it was such a pleasant surprise. But because I loved all the characters so much, I almost wish the reader did see more romance? At least towards the end, when it made sense. I trust Novik now to strike a really good balance between an attention-demanding plot and a well-developed romance.
I didn't think the writing in Uprooted was anything special, but Novik really shows her skill in Spinning Silver. I almost never enjoy multi-POV books written in first person, because every character has the same voice. But Novik writes in at least six POVs over the course of the novel, and they all sound distinct and different. What??? HOW??? As a writer myself, I'm honestly amazed!!! Like damn, I wanna be able to write like that!!! I've never enjoyed first person POVs so much before.
Also can we also talk about how Novik NAILED the fairy tale vibes in this book?? Uprooted felt really contrived and somewhat generic, but Spinning Silver really excels in borrowing from the Rumpelstiltskin story, while still doing something really unique. The throwback elements are there, but surrounded by a plot, world, and characters that feel very original. Novik organically blends the familiar conventions of fairy tales with such a strong world and characters that the whole thing feels fresh and inventive.
The pacing is also much improved from Uprooted, I think because everything that drives the story - the characters, world, and plot - are much better developed and more interesting. Novik still manages to pack a ton into this novel, but the story reads more seamlessly than Uprooted, which felt like it was split into three distinct parts. I do think the story as a whole feels like it's a little slow-paced, but it's more that Novik gives the illusion of being slow-paced when actually the novel passes you by very quickly. Spinning Silver clocks in at almost 500 pages, and I wanted more when I got to the end.
I can't believe how much I enjoyed this! If you didn't like Uprooted, I highly recommend giving this a try. There's a lot to love here.
God, where do I even begin? I LOVED this. The three main female characters - Miryem, Wanda, and Irina - are each so complex and dynamic, to the point where I enjoyed reading every single one of their POVs. Even if not all of their problems or goals are world-ending, they're so excellently executed that Novik makes you feel the weight and anxiety of every issue the same. In fantasy, authors tend to focus in on the BIG stakes, and I appreciated the attention paid to smaller-scale problems, without compromising the larger narrative or making characters feel irrelevant. Novik even made me love nearly every single side character, and when does that ever happen? I may fall in love with maybe one or two especially compelling side characters, but almost ALL OF THEM??? I'd have told you it couldn't be done, before reading this.
The thing that definitely took me by the most surprise is that there's no romance in this novel. There are possibilities of romance littered throughout the book, but it's always brushed away in order to stress the importance of the characters and their journeys. I wasn't expecting it at all, especially after reading Uprooted, and it was such a pleasant surprise. But because I loved all the characters so much, I almost wish the reader did see more romance? At least towards the end, when it made sense. I trust Novik now to strike a really good balance between an attention-demanding plot and a well-developed romance.
I didn't think the writing in Uprooted was anything special, but Novik really shows her skill in Spinning Silver. I almost never enjoy multi-POV books written in first person, because every character has the same voice. But Novik writes in at least six POVs over the course of the novel, and they all sound distinct and different. What??? HOW??? As a writer myself, I'm honestly amazed!!! Like damn, I wanna be able to write like that!!! I've never enjoyed first person POVs so much before.
Also can we also talk about how Novik NAILED the fairy tale vibes in this book?? Uprooted felt really contrived and somewhat generic, but Spinning Silver really excels in borrowing from the Rumpelstiltskin story, while still doing something really unique. The throwback elements are there, but surrounded by a plot, world, and characters that feel very original. Novik organically blends the familiar conventions of fairy tales with such a strong world and characters that the whole thing feels fresh and inventive.
The pacing is also much improved from Uprooted, I think because everything that drives the story - the characters, world, and plot - are much better developed and more interesting. Novik still manages to pack a ton into this novel, but the story reads more seamlessly than Uprooted, which felt like it was split into three distinct parts. I do think the story as a whole feels like it's a little slow-paced, but it's more that Novik gives the illusion of being slow-paced when actually the novel passes you by very quickly. Spinning Silver clocks in at almost 500 pages, and I wanted more when I got to the end.
I can't believe how much I enjoyed this! If you didn't like Uprooted, I highly recommend giving this a try. There's a lot to love here.
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