This is another book that I got from the book and tea swap last year and one that I’ve heard quite a bit about! I’m always a bit scared to pick up Asian-inspired fantasy because I’m afraid I’ll nitpick at it, but I didn’t have this problem (not sure if that’s good or bad).

In Spin The Dawn, Maia Tamarin takes on her brother’s identity in order to participate in a contest to be the next Imperial Tailor. However, a family heirloom causes her to catch the eye of the Emperor’s court magician, and his ability to see through her disguise could bring him great trouble.

The cover for Spin the Dawn made me think this was going to be a Chinese-inspired fantasy, but it turns out that the Chinese influence here is quite sparing. The idea of a silk road is in the book, as are the descriptions of some of the food, and there’s an emperor, but that’s about it. Names aren’t Chinese (just look at Maia’s name), and I’m pretty sure the idea of making three dresses from the sun, moon, and stars comes from Allerleirauh, a German fairy tale. The Chinese fairytale influence that I can see is that of the Cowherd and Weaver girl. In a way, the light touch with the Chinese influence works. When fantasy novels borrow very heavily from Chinese culture, I find it easier to notice things that are off, like the ambiguous use of terminology in Descendant of the Crane. Just lightly putting in some elements helps it the world to feel different, but not so Chinese that I start to check for accuracies or inaccuracies. (If you are looking for something that draws heavily from Chinese mythology, I loved The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu).

In terms of character, my favourite is actually not our two protagonists, but Lady Sarnai, the woman who kickstarted Maia’s journey. I found her fascinating – she hunts, she’s educated, and she’s doing all she can to avoid marrying the emperor. I suspect she has a novel-full of stories inside her, and it would be interesting to see the court from her eyes.

Given that this is a YA (or is it NA?) fantasy, I shouldn’t have been surprised when a romance occurs midway through the story. I don’t think I fully buy the romance, but it does play a part in the events towards the end so I see why it’s there. I also liked that this was a relatively straightforward quest narrative, because I binge-read the book while sick and didn’t need anything too complicated.

All in all, I found this to be a fun, light read. Maia’s determination to make it on her own is endearing, even though she has a magical item, and I enjoyed both the sewing battles and Maia’s final quest. If you take it as what it is, it’s a light, breezy read that fans of YA will probably enjoy.

Featured Image: Photo by pina messina on Unsplash