YA Review: SPIN THE DAWN by Elizabeth Lim

 

Spin the Dawn
by Elizabeth Lim

Published by Alfred A. Knopf

July 9, 2019

392 pages

Plot: 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 poses as a boy and takes 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 vying 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 final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of 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.

Review: Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim was a high-stakes fantasy with it's own Chinese-inspired mythology.  It was a very emotion-filled story of a young girl named Maia who takes the place of her father who is too weak, to compete for the position of Royal Tailor to the Emperor.  Unfortunately, tailors cannot be women, so Maia disguises her self as her brother in order to compete.  While there, she meets the Lady Sarnai, who is being forced by her father to marry the Emperor.  She is not happy about it and is trying to delay the wedding as much as possible.  In her last effort to stall the wedding, she asks Maia, who is referred to as Master Tamarin, to make the 3 dresses of their goddess Amana.  Maia knows this is an impossible task because it would take the tears of the moon, the blood of the stars, and the laughter of the sun to make these legendary dresses.  Maia does have a pair of magical scissors that have been in her family for centuries, but she's not sure they will be able help her complete this task.  This is where Edan, The Lord Enchanter, steps in to accompany Maia on her journey because he wants to ensure she succeeds.  The fate of their Kingdom and for peace depends on it.

The journey is a laborious one, full of danger and impossible challenges.  But, with the help of Edan, Maia has a chance to succeed.  Because if she doesn't, the Emperor will kill her father and brother.  So much happens on this journey and it changes Maia and Edan forever.  There is a romance that builds slowly between the two that only grows as the story progresses.  I would classify it as an enemies to lovers romance. The story is told through Maia's point of view, and the author did a great job with her character growth and internal conflict.  It was a roller-coaster of emotions because the story turns darker as it progresses.  The author also reflects on how wars affect families and the heartbreak of losing loved ones.  The romance is the story is only secondary to the plot, which is to prevent another war between two kingdoms by ensuring Lady Sarnai marries the Emperor.  

If you like Asian-inspired mythology and a high-stakes fantasy/romance, then you will enjoy Spin the Dawn.  Looking forward to reading Unravel the Dusk and finding out what happens to Maia, Edan, and the fate of their Kingdom. 

Rating:  5 Hearts!
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Lone Star Blog Tour: THE TAKEAWAY MEN by Meryl Ain ***Book Blitz***

 

THE TAKEAWAY MEN By Meryl Ain

 

Publisher: SparkPress

Pub Date: August 4th, 2020

Pages: 265 pages

Categories: Historical / Jewish Literature / Sibling Fiction / Holocaust

With the cloud of the Holocaust still looming over them, twin sisters Bronka and Johanna Lubinski and their parents arrive in the US from a Displaced Persons Camp. In the years after World War II, they experience the difficulties of adjusting to American culture as well as the burgeoning fear of the Cold War. Years later, the discovery of a former Nazi hiding in their community brings the Holocaust out of the shadows. As the girls get older, they start to wonder about their parents’ pasts, and they begin to demand answers. But it soon becomes clear that those memories will be more difficult and painful to uncover than they could have anticipated. Poignant and haunting, The Takeaway Men explores the impact of immigration, identity, prejudice, secrets, and lies on parents and children in mid-twentieth-century America.

PRAISE FOR THE TAKEAWAY MEN: “At a time when the darkness of the Holocaust is being whitewashed, Meryl Ain’s remarkable debut novel illuminates the postwar Jewish American landscape like a truth-seeking torch. An emotionally rich and lovingly told saga of survivors, with great sensitivity to what was lost, buried, and resurrected.” — Thane Rosenbaum, author of The Golems of Gotham, Second Hand Smoke, and Elijah Visible. “The author’s tale is sensitively composed, a thoughtful exploration into the perennially thorny issues of religious identity, assimilation, and the legacy of suffering.” — Kirkus Reviews

Purchase Links: 

Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes and Noble | AppleBooks | GooglePlay | Indiebound

Meryl Ain’s articles and essays have appeared in Huffington Post, The New York Jewish Week, The New York Times, Newsday, and other publications. In 2014, she co-authored the award-winning book, The Living Memories Project: Legacies That Last, and in 2016, wrote a companion workbook, My Living Memories Project Journal.  She is a sought-after speaker and has been interviewed on television, radio, and podcasts. She is a career educator and is proud to be both a teacher and student of history. She has also worked as a school administrator. The Takeaway Men is the result of her life-long quest to learn more about the Holocaust, a thirst that was first triggered by reading The Diary of Anne Frank in the sixth grade. While teaching high school history, she introduced her students to the study of the Holocaust. At the same time, she also developed an enduring fascination with teaching about and researching the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg case. An interview with Robert Meeropol, the younger son of the Rosenbergs, is featured in her book, The Living Memories Project. The book also includes an interview with Holocaust survivor, Boris Chartan, the founder of the Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, New York. Meryl holds a BA from Queens College, an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an Ed.D. from Hofstra University. She is a lifetime member of Hadassah and an active supporter of UJA-Federation of New York.  She lives in New York with her husband, Stewart. They have three married sons and six grandchildren. This is her first novel.

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YA Review: A CASTLE IN THE CLOUDS by Kerstin Gier

 A Castle in the Clouds
by Kerstin Gier

Published by Henry & Holt and Company

January 28, 2020

336 pages

Plot: Way up in the Swiss mountains, there's an old grand hotel steeped in tradition and faded splendor. Once a year, when the famous New Year's Eve Ball takes place and guests from all over the world arrive, excitement returns to the vast hallways.

Sophie, who works at the hotel as an intern, is busy making sure that everything goes according to plan. But unexpected problems keep arising, and some of the guests are not who they pretend to be. Very soon, Sophie finds herself right in the middle of a perilous adventure--and at risk of losing not only her job, but also her heart. 

Review:  A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier is a cute cozy mystery with a light romance.  In this story, Sophie Spark is an intern at the luxury hotel Castle in the Clouds.  There she befriends the hotel owner's son, Ben, and a mysterious boy named Tristan, who may or may not be a thief.  While there she learns that Ben’s father plans to sell the hotel in addition to the possibility that there may be a child kidnapper posing as a guest. The setting is in the Swiss mountains around Christmas time and it's the type of book you read slowly as you get to know Sophie and all the hotel guests. The real intrigue doesn't happen until half way through the book though.

I did enjoy this book, but it did take a while for me to get into it. It wasn’t until I reached the middle of the book that it started to pick up and get more interesting.  Thankfully, the second half of the book was worth the wait. 

If you like a cozy mystery with a bit of romance that you’ll enjoy A Castle in the Clouds.  It is a slow-start book, with most of the action and interesting parts starting about half-way in.  So you’ll have to be a little patient with it. This is a stand alone book.  I highly recommend Kerstin Gier’s Ruby Red series if you enjoy a good time-traveling adventure/romance.  

Rating: 3.5 Hearts

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