Spin The Dawn - Elizabeth Lim

Described as “Project Runway meets Mulan,” Spin The Dawn by Lim is a young adult fantasy founded in Chinese culture. Although fashion plays a major role in the first half of this book, it's an adventure story at heart.

"I want you to know that some journeys have ends, but not this one. This one will change you. Irrevocably." "Don't all journeys change you?" "It isn't the same." He leaned forward. "I, too, once journeyed beyond the stars." "What did you find?" His voice turned lethally soft. "That it's just the beginning."

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Let's start with the backstory: “For centuries, a shansen was chosen from her family to serve as A’landi’s military leader and protect the country from its hostile Northern neighbors. But when Khanujin’s father and brother died, the current shansen refused to pledge allegiance to Khanujin. And so the Five Winters’ War began.” To bring peace between the nations, a marriage is arranged between Emperor Khanujin and the shansen's daughter, Lady Sarnai. Therefore, an imperial competition is organized to find the perfect tailor to create a wedding dress. The protagonist Maia Tamerin disguises herself to compete, though only men are qualified. The stakes if her identity is discovered? To be hanged alongside her father and brother.

Through every strenuous challenge, Maia is caring, audacious and proficient. The author highlights these traits as the story's time period prevents women from rising above men, but Maia Tamerin always goes beyond expectations. Even when tasked with making dresses from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. A seemingly doomed task since no one has survived the quest. Here, she partners with Edan, a powerful sorcerer (and the forbidden love interest). Edan can be smug at times, but always loving and capable.

The journey allows readers to visualize the magical world building. Even in the darker parts of the story, the writing never lost its bright mood. The author's voice really shines through, pulling readers deeper into an enchanting world that's mystical and vivid. The text creates a visual tour of A’landi, taking readers through fiery desert lands and frozen, moonlit cave pools, as well as shadowy, nightmarish isles filled with ghosts and demons. The world building fantastic.

One bothersome part was Maia getting involved with things she didn't understand. In an attempt to "save Edan," she sort of ignores his thoughts on specific situations (I won't explain because...spoilers). Maia stubbornly goes through with her plan. However, her decisions raised the stakes and builds irresistible tension. In the end, it created a suprising plot twist and left me craving the sequel.

Overall, this colorful story is rich with vibrant imagery and characters. Each character is distinct and lush in complexity, which translates well to the plot. The author has a story to tell and creatively compresses it into a fast pace without ever feeling rushed. Spin The Dawn is the perfect read for anyone wanting a rollercoaster of a whimsical journey with bandits, sorcerers, royals, and ghosts.