Read Along – Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim Part II

**Disclaimer: There are spoilers below for Spin the Dawn.  Please see my review if you want a spoiler free analysis.**

Title Spin the Dawn

Author Elizabeth Lim

Section Covered Part Two The Journey (Chapters 17-31)

Description from Amazon

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 enchanter, 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.

Initial Thoughts

I loved Part One.  Like, LOVED it.  Hands down, this is one of the best competition plots I have ever read.

Part Two – The Journey

Edan and Maia!  I’m so happy that Edan was more of a central character in this section.  Also, I’m super happy to see that most of the section is just the two of them.

I loved the mythological elements that Elizabeth Lim wove into this story.  Not only was Maia charged with making dresses of myth, they have such intricate and fascinating stories behind them.  I loved the world building used here.

Also, I was thrilled to see Maia’s hero moments.  She is definitely doing Mulan justice now.  And, there are so many nods to Aladdin here!  What a fun surprise.  Mulan and Aladdin are my two favorite Disney movies and to see both of them represented in this story was almost too much for my fragile little heart to bear.  It was perfection.  I loved the realization that Edan is actually a genie and the fact that they had to use a magic carpet to fly to the location that held the blood of stars.

Lastly, I loved the organic transformation of Maia and Edan’s witty banter into an epic romance.  I thought the timeline made everything seem very plausible and I loved that too.  No insta-love, just two people who always had chemistry falling in love.  It was timed correctly and well written.

Hopes for Part Three

No cliffhangers!  That’s all I want.  As noted above, this book is perfection so far and I couldn’t bear to live with a cliffhanger ending.  That’s my only wish for Part Three.