Spin the Dawn (the Blood of Stars #1)

Synopsis

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as as boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossibly journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

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 tailor 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 prepare 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 the 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. 

Loved

• The Mulan trope. I've realized that I am so here for the Mulan trope- girls dressing up as guys always provides for some awkward moments, interesting relationships, and exciting competition. I do wish this trope had lasted longer, since a lot of people learn Maia's secret pretty early in the story, but while it lasted it was entertaining and added a fun element to the plot.

• Edan. THIS is a book boyfriend- magical, gorgeous, selfless, a tiny bit angsty but not bitter, and having hundreds of years of wisdom and life experience. It's refreshing to have a YA character who is mature, wise, and understands the consequences of what they do, instead of making impulsive emotional decisions. Edan is one of those characters that is intriguing and mysterious at the beginning, and the more we understand about him the more selfless and wonderful he becomes. 

• The competition. The first half of this book is very exciting because of the intensity of the competition to become the Emperor's tailor. This competition is fit with seemingly impossible tasks, secret allies, sleepless nights, and cruel enemies. I wish so much the author had done more with this competition because it only lasts the first half of the book, and I felt there was so much more that could've been done with it. 

• The oriental-inspired magic. While there isn't a structured magic system, this story is teeming with magical dresses, enchanted objects, demons, ghosts, and animal magic. The magic in this story felt very fairytale-like in that there isn't a set magic system and the magic mostly comes from gods and devils. The folklore-style magic complements the oriental setting and gives the whole story an enchanted, fairytale-like feel.

Didn't Love

• I went into this story knowing the competition only lasts half of the book- thanks to talking to people who had read it and reading reviews on Goodreads. Because I went in with this expectation, I wasn't as bothered that the plot dramatically changes halfway through the book. However, if I didn't know this, I would've been really disappointed and might not have finished the book. The competition lasts less than half the book, and the rest of the story is focused on a quest. The quest is interesting, but nowhere near as engaging and original as the competition in the first half. I really wish this had been a standalone and that the author would have done more with the tailor competition because it was very unique and engaging, and I feel like she could have done more with it.

Content

• Language: 
• A few uses of "damn" and "hell."
• Uses of curses from the world ("demon's breath," etc.)

• Sexual content: 
• Quite a few kisses, most of them pretty mellow.
• One implied sex scene: she unbuttons his shirt and takes it off, undoes his belt buckle, then takes her clothes off. Leaves off with "our legs entwined; then we became flesh on flesh . . . " (pg. 283).
• Later a passionate kiss and mentions him kissing her breasts.

• Violence
• Many threats of being murdered or having tongues cut out, tortured, etc.
• A man is murdered and found in a river.
• A man starts a building on fire and tries to trap others inside, crushes the fingers of someone escaping.
• Much talk of the war and soldiers dying and living with injuries.
• Characters have to battle demons using daggers, arrows, and hands. 
• Some fights involving arrows, daggers, and fists, in which quite a few people end up killed.
• Female character is dragged away by men and they threaten to rape her before killing her.

Overall Thoughts

The first half of this book was so interesting, unique and engaging with the Mulan trope and the tailor competition. The second half was very different on the quest, which I enjoyed because Maia and Edan's romance developed and we get to know Edan so much better. But the quest itself didn't feel very engaging and I felt like the plot derailed a lot. I'm glad I went into the story knowing the two halves were very different, otherwise I would've been really disappointed. I still really enjoyed the story, but I wish this would have been a standalone and been more about the competition, rather than adding in all the politics, demons, and other magic. This is definitely worth reading though for the oriental setting, the tailor competition, and especially- Edan :)