Spin the Dawn

I absolutely loved every single part of this book. I feel like it was written so well.

It had everything I wanted the book to have. There's a strong willed main character who has several obstacles to overcome, a sweet and passionate forbidden romance, world lore, magic, funny moments, and so much more.

I personally love how Maia, the main character, is someone I can easily relate to. She has her strengths and weaknesses like any other well written character, but she doesn't read as ordinary to me. Her personality, resilience, and goals really bring the character to life.

Basic summary (from what I remember): Maia is a small port town girl (around eighteen for most of the book) who has been forced to take care of her father and three brothers ever since her mother passed away. She helps with everything, all the house chores, the shop responsibilities all of it(because her father has weakened with age and sadness over the loss of his wife). Her father was once a renown tailor, but he is unable to work now as he once did. Maia has taken over all his tailoring and basically runs the business while her father is the name of the business (women are not allowed to have businesses and things like that.) War between Maia's country and a bordering one brings carnage to her family. She loses two of her brothers to the war, Finlei and Sendo, and her last brother Keton comes back home with crippled legs and a hollow spirit. Shortly after her brother returned from war her father was summoned to the Emperor's summer palace because of his skills as a tailor. Knowing her father is unable to attend in his bad health and that the Emperor's summons cannot be ignored, she steals Keton's clothes and disguises herself as her brother and answers the Emperor's summons. After she made the trek to the summer palace she is informed that he (she) is not the only person who was summoned. He (she) was one of twelve. Maia, while pretending to be Keton, bests the other twelve tailors for the position of being the Emperor's bride-to-be's tailor. Along the trails of the competition the Emperor's Enchanter named Edan took interest in her work and also in her. She won the competition but her secret was out she was revealed as a woman. The Emperor made a deal with Maia, he would make everyone forget she was a woman (Edan the enchanter is bound to the emperor and must do his bidding) and she must do what he and his bride-to-be demand of her family will be slaughter along with her. Having no way to reject the terms she was sent on a perilous journey to sew three dresses of legend: One dress sewn with the laughter of the sun, a second embroidered with the tears of the moon and a third painted with the blood of the stars. Edan disobeys the emperor (through loopholes) and assists Maia with her quest. While searching for these ingredients to sew the magical dresses of legend over a period of months she discovers that she is involve with the enchanter. He falls in love with her too. During her quest Maia finds herself in danger many times. While gathering the blood of the stars she finds herself unfortunately marked by a demon (an enchanter that went bad, all Demons are made this way.) In order to save her Edan makes a deal with the demon and agrees to become a demon in his place on the same day the dresses are due. Maia and Edan return to the palace and Maia finishes the dresses of magic. She puts on the dress painted with the blood of the stars and makes contact with the Mother goddess, Amana. She makes a deal with Amana and manages to free dan from his oath to the Emperor, but in doing so he loses his magical gifts and she is bound to take Edan's place in the demon's deal. Edan is convinced to flee from the emperor for his safety and Maia is granted the title of the first woman tailor the emperor has ever had. The book ends with Maia struggling to overcome her demon like symptoms from taking over after she has a heartfelt goodbye with her remaining brother and father.

Obviously I skipped a whole lot of details, but that's the gist of it. I really enjoyed every bit. I'm starting the second book Unravel the Dusk right after I am done with this.

The world is unique yet familiar at the same time. The whole setting of the story reminds me of Mulan, as does her pretending to be a boy. Asian cultures, magics and older traditions blend seamlessly in these pages.

I recommend this book highly to my friends and acquaintances and I think anyone reading this review should too.