Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is a magical retelling of The Ballad of Mulan. I read this book as part of Charity Rau’s 2022 Fairy Tale Reading Challenge during the month of March. I actually got this book on a whim at the bookshop one day, as I wasn’t wholly captivated by the blurb on the back. I didn’t really have a book in mind in that visit but I was intent on getting a book that day. And I’m so glad I read this. I flew through this book so quickly and enjoyed just about every page.
Maia Tamarin is the best tailor of her village and she dreams of becoming a master, but as a woman, she must keep her talents hidden. Until her father, a former master tailor, is summoned to the palace to compete in a contest to become the imperial tailor. Worried for her ill father’s health, Maia goes in his place, posing as her older brother. The challenges are difficult and the competition ruthless, and the court enchanter seems to see through her disguise, but Maia is determined to succeed. Even when the final challenge seems impossible – create three magical gowns from the sun, the moon, and the stars – Maia faces the perilous journey to prove herself a master.
I adored this book. It wasn’t perfect and I had a few issues with it, but as a whole, it was fantastic. I’m a sucker for a good fairy tale retelling (I have an entire shelf dedicated exclusively to retellings and it constantly needs readjusting to fit in new additions) and while the original tale of Mulan is actually a folk song, Spin the Dawn definitely felt like a fairy tale world.
I loved the romance in this book, especially the romantic interest which I won’t reveal until the spoiler section. It appealed to all the tropes that I fall for every time. The characters had good banter and I enjoyed watching their relationship change and grow over time. Sometimes, it did get a little corny, but I still loved the romance.
I knew then that we were like two pieces of cloth, sewn together for life. Our stitches couldn’t be undone.
Spin the Dawn, p.344
The world of A’landi was very vibrant and beautiful to experience. The magic system is incredible and unique to the world. We also got to see many different terrains, including a desert, the mountains, and even a spooky island. There are palaces for the season which were beautifully detailed. We only got to see the Summer and Autumn palaces so far but I’m sure we’ll see the others in the sequel, and I can’t wait to visit them.
I understood now why so many revered Amana’s dresses, why some called them her greatest legacy. Because of them, she gave us the world as we knew it. Day after day and night after night, she spun the dawn and unraveled the dusk.
Spin the Dawn, p.340
As I said, I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I had a problem with how the first half and the second half are so different from each other. It’s like we have two different stories completely, with some key elements of the synopsis left behind as we moved into the second part. I won’t get too specific so that I don’t spoil it for those who haven’t had the chance to read the book yet. All I will say is that we go from Project Runway to the Impossible Task trope of fairy tales. Both are great for the story, but I wish they had been tied together rather than feeling like separate plot points that divide the first and second halves of the story.
The rest of the review will be filled with spoilers as I go into detail over the issues I had with the story.
Continuing in the discussion about the story feeling divided, it felt like the main ideas were abandoned in the second half, only to be brought back briefly in the end. Maia is supposed to be posing as her brother but almost immediately, her secret is found out by Edan, the court enchanter. He holds this knowledge over her, which I like, but I didn’t feel the tension from this. Because the secret was revealed not long after. In the final challenge, Maia is revealed as a woman to the entire court, including the emperor and his bride-to-be. We are less than 40% through the book. And as Maia sits in the dungeon to wait for her execution, Emperor Khanujin fixes everything and has Edan erase their memory of her deception and she’s made the imperial tailor. So the competition is officially over halfway through the story.
She is given a challenge immediately after being named the new royal tailor. She must sew the impossible dresses of the goddess Amana. All of a sudden, we are no longer in the palace but on a perilous journey with Edan. I loved the journey. Like I mentioned before, we get to explore various terrains and it made the world feel so much more real and vibrant. I don’t dislike the journey at all, especially as we get Edan and Maia falling in love over the course of it.
But, I wish the challenges had lasted longer in the book. They took up such a small portion of the story, even though the synopsis seemed to hinge on them. They’re what brought Maia to the palace, they’re what will determine who will be the imperial tailor. But the competitors are whisked away quickly, with several being dismissed at once. It began to feel rushed very early on and I wish we had spent more time with it. I liked the cutthroat atmosphere that Maia had to navigate as a boy, living a lie. I wish that she had learned the magic in a later challenge and was barely scraping by on challenges, but still using her own talent. Then the magic gets revealed as things become tenser and more dangerous. With the magic in the first challenge, it lessens the stakes for our character and makes it pretty obvious she’s got the competition in the bag.
I wish Maia’s journey to make the dresses had been part of the competition. I was under the impression that there would be many others taking this same challenge, all racing to complete the gowns first. This would’ve increased the tension, as Maia is racing against both time and people. Instead, we get a brief run in with Norbu which I thought would lead to some big chase or confrontation but was forgotten a page later. It would’ve been interesting to see the different competitors come up with their answer to the challenge. Like a dress that’s the laughter of the sun is spun from the most beautiful gold thread, or the blood of the stars are rubies or red diamonds. But only Maia has the true dresses.
And in the end, the Emperor reveals Maia’s identity to everyone out of nowhere. Why go through the trouble of making everyone forget Maia is a girl when he was just going to reveal it anyway? If we hadn’t had the reveal earlier, I think this would’ve worked better. Maybe the Emperor learned her identity early on from Norbu who was spying on everyone, but the Emperor promises to keep her secret because of her magic. So when all the tailors go off on their journeys for the last challenge, we still have Maia needing to keep up her disguise. I really didn’t like how she was able to go back to being Maia in the journey when it was such a big part of the synopsis. It was forgotten far too quickly.
“My father promised he’d never force me to marry. He taught me to hunt and to fight like a man. I was just as good as all my brothers. And now?” Lady Sarnai wrung her hands. “He broke his promise to me. At first I thought it was because the war and magic had blackened his heart, but that is just the way of men. For what is a promise if it’s made to a woman?”
Spin the Dawn, p. 105
I also wish we got more time with Lady Sarnai. Her story mirrors Maia’s in a lot of ways. As a woman, she has no say in her future, but unlike Maia’s father, hers sold her away to a marriage she doesn’t want. I like how brutal and ruthless Sarnai is, but I wish there had been some sort of comradery with Maia. When the truth of her identity is revealed, Sarnai immediately sends her to her death, with a cruel beating beforehand. I would’ve expected some level of compassion for a girl needing to disguise herself to make a life for herself, but I guess the unexpected makes it all the more interesting. I really hope that we get more of Sarnai’s story in the next book.
I absolutely adore Edan. He’s mysterious, he’s got amazing quips, and he’s very layered. There’s more to him than we initially see and I loved learning more about him and his past. He was definitely my favorite character in the book and undoubtedly charmed me the first time we met him.
“How thoughtful, Your Highness. I have been thinking about having new shoes made, but I think I’ll stay with my current pair a little longer. I’ve no desire to walk on any more pins and needles than one does with you already.”
Spin the Dawn, p.84
The magic in this world was so easy to understand and believe in. The way Edan uses it and the constraints he has makes it very vivid and real and not just a fix-all kind of thing that makes life easy. The fact that Edan had to give up part of his self to achieve this level of power, making himself indebted to whoever wears the amulet that his oath is tied to. My one complaint is Maia’s reaction to magic. She is very doubtful about the existence of magic, even though it’s very prominent in the court. There’s a royal enchanter who’s always by the Emperor’s side and the fact that magic caused a rift with the Shansen in the first place. Magic is integral in this world, so why is Maia not a believer?
“All enchanters must swear an oath – it prevents us from becoming too powerful, or greedy. Magic is…addictive, you see. And over time, it can corrupt.”
Spin the Dawn, p.239
Spin the Dawn is still a very enjoyable read, despite the complaints I had. I recently picked up the sequel, Unravel the Dusk which will explore the repercussion of Maia’s dealings with the demon, Bandur. I’m excited to continue the story in this gorgeous world and see how Maia manages to undo her deal and escape her fate. As well as navigating her new betrothal to Emperor Khanujin and the disappearance of Edan.
Be Bold 