puffins57's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
magdalena_k's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
juliterario's review against another edition
4.0
Tejer el Alba es el primer libro de la saga de Elizabeth Lim, una novela que disfruté a montones a principios del 2020 y cuya secuela moría por leer. No sé, siento que Tejer el Alba llegó a mis favoritos de lo que va del 2020 porque hacía mucho que no me atrapaba una novela de fantasía juvenil de esta manera. La escritura, los personajes, la ambientación y la premisa de esta novela me maravillaron de pies a cabeza, y por eso amé tanto el inicio de esta saga. Sin embargo, siento que eso fue todo. Como continuación de la historia, Unravel the Dusk tiene una trama nueva, y lamentablemente esa nueva historia no me atrapó. Lo que yo amé del primer libro se acabó, y lo nuevo no era algo que necesariamente me interesara. Por eso, aunque creo que este libro es asombroso y vale la pena y lo amé por completo, no me causó mucho a nivel personal. Y... no sé... eso es todo.
thewordslinger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ya'll, I dunno. This one didn't quite get there for me.
There's a lot of back and forth in this from Maia. A lot of "I am powerful, I can do this impossible task with the help of my friends/the boy I love" and then, when even the slightest thing goes awry, "I'm a miserable demon who's just gonna hurt people so I have to leave and be miserable and alone".
I get that the author was trying to have Maia struggle with the changes she's undergoing. But I think she missed the mark a little. Because the constant flip flopping got repetitive and boring and then downright irritating. Every time she got angry and lashed out I had to skip 3 or 4 pages after to miss the pity party she inevitably throws herself. This Maia wasn't the same spitfire character she was in book 1 and it sorta sucked.
There's also an awful lot of "I could tear them limb from limb with a thought" or "I could slip into her mind and bend her to my will" or "don't they know I could burn them all to ashes with a snap of my fingers?" ...but we never actually get to see ANY of that. Not even close. When Maia fights, she's always up against the impossible. She's always barely alive, barely succeeding. So for all this internal boasting she's doing, there's zero evidence to back it up. Her "demon self" is arrogant, but also impotent.
And when spectacular stuff <i>does</i> occur, it's as if it's happening TO her, rather than her making a decision or sacrifice. It's all the magic in the dresses, the sun, stars, or moon. Never Maia.
In book 1, I had zero problems with Maia, but in this one, I didn't like the person she became (even after the demon possession or whatever). I didn't really see it as growth for the better. She treats her friends and even her love interest poorly (even when she's not being all grry demon), she feels weak and run-down and indecisive. If this book was supposed to be about her internal battle making her stronger, I don't think it accomplished that task.
Some of the charm and chemistry between her and Edan fizzled too. Which is saying something because they don't even meet up again until the 50% mark. I would almost say that the two swapped roles in this one--where Edan is the eternal optimist and Maia is Ms. Doom and Gloom...but I don't think it's accomplished well. Instead, it just sort of puts a wedge between them for the vast majority of the book. And the Great Enchanter is reduced to generic love interest. Sidekick. Hype man. I get the man's got little magic--but it's like without it, he's almost completely useless to the plot. Book 1 stripped him of the 1 thing that made him unique and powerful and purposeful? Really?
The feel of this book in general is different from book 1. In Spin the Dawn, we're awash in vibrant folklore and history and culture. This book feels a lot less rich in that way. We've got <i>plenty</i> of action and intrigue, there's a lot of focus on the journey to save the country and destroy the demons--which ordinarily I'd eat up, but coming out of book 1 where we got all those things AND this rich atmosphere...it falls short.
Lim's writing is still just as good, though. I cannot fault her for that at all. The story is great, I just don't think it quite measured up to book 1, and it's tough not to compare when this is a duology.
There's a lot of back and forth in this from Maia. A lot of "I am powerful, I can do this impossible task with the help of my friends/the boy I love" and then, when even the slightest thing goes awry, "I'm a miserable demon who's just gonna hurt people so I have to leave and be miserable and alone".
I get that the author was trying to have Maia struggle with the changes she's undergoing. But I think she missed the mark a little. Because the constant flip flopping got repetitive and boring and then downright irritating. Every time she got angry and lashed out I had to skip 3 or 4 pages after to miss the pity party she inevitably throws herself. This Maia wasn't the same spitfire character she was in book 1 and it sorta sucked.
There's also an awful lot of "I could tear them limb from limb with a thought" or "I could slip into her mind and bend her to my will" or "don't they know I could burn them all to ashes with a snap of my fingers?" ...but we never actually get to see ANY of that. Not even close. When Maia fights, she's always up against the impossible. She's always barely alive, barely succeeding. So for all this internal boasting she's doing, there's zero evidence to back it up. Her "demon self" is arrogant, but also impotent.
And when spectacular stuff <i>does</i> occur, it's as if it's happening TO her, rather than her making a decision or sacrifice. It's all the magic in the dresses, the sun, stars, or moon. Never Maia.
In book 1, I had zero problems with Maia, but in this one, I didn't like the person she became (even after the demon possession or whatever). I didn't really see it as growth for the better. She treats her friends and even her love interest poorly (even when she's not being all grry demon), she feels weak and run-down and indecisive. If this book was supposed to be about her internal battle making her stronger, I don't think it accomplished that task.
Some of the charm and chemistry between her and Edan fizzled too. Which is saying something because they don't even meet up again until the 50% mark. I would almost say that the two swapped roles in this one--where Edan is the eternal optimist and Maia is Ms. Doom and Gloom...but I don't think it's accomplished well. Instead, it just sort of puts a wedge between them for the vast majority of the book. And the Great Enchanter is reduced to generic love interest. Sidekick. Hype man. I get the man's got little magic--but it's like without it, he's almost completely useless to the plot. Book 1 stripped him of the 1 thing that made him unique and powerful and purposeful? Really?
The feel of this book in general is different from book 1. In Spin the Dawn, we're awash in vibrant folklore and history and culture. This book feels a lot less rich in that way. We've got <i>plenty</i> of action and intrigue, there's a lot of focus on the journey to save the country and destroy the demons--which ordinarily I'd eat up, but coming out of book 1 where we got all those things AND this rich atmosphere...it falls short.
Lim's writing is still just as good, though. I cannot fault her for that at all. The story is great, I just don't think it quite measured up to book 1, and it's tough not to compare when this is a duology.
untitledlullaby's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t know whether to give this a three or a four. I’m gonna be generous and say a four. It feels like the writing got a bit worse since the first book or maybe it’s because it has been a while since I read the first. Maia herself is less interesting and Edan hardly shows up so the ending isn’t near as sweet as it should have been. I rolled my eyes a couple of times too. But it was a quick and easy read and some of the story was pretty interesting with good ideas
l30n4s's review against another edition
4.0
The whole book is good qnd the ending made me so happy. Last few chapters are my favorite
hoffnungswolke's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
english review only
slight spoilers
This (along with Spin the Dawn) will be on the very top of my favorite list for a really long time.
Elizabeth Lim's writing is so engaging and absolutely stunning. Her world building is beautiful. I just loved this world and the magic system so much.
The characters. Maia is going to be one of those characters that will stick with me for a really long time. I loved her journey, her strength, her determination, and her flaws. And Edan, screw book boyfriends, I'm making him my book husband.
The side characters. They all felt so fleshed out, especially Ammi and Sarnai (listen I love that girl with all my heart.)
And the relationships. I love the friendship between Maia and Ammi so much, and whatever weird friendship situation is going on with Maia and Sarnai. FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS, MAN. The family dynamic, I loved that we got way more of Maia and her family, cause they mean the world to me.
I can't end this post without mentioning my love for Maia and Edan. Their relationship. It's been a hot minute since a couple in a book gave me so many feels. I loved their chemistry, I love their journey. I LOVE EVERYTHING about them.
slight spoilers
This (along with Spin the Dawn) will be on the very top of my favorite list for a really long time.
Elizabeth Lim's writing is so engaging and absolutely stunning. Her world building is beautiful. I just loved this world and the magic system so much.
The characters. Maia is going to be one of those characters that will stick with me for a really long time. I loved her journey, her strength, her determination, and her flaws. And Edan, screw book boyfriends, I'm making him my book husband.
The side characters. They all felt so fleshed out, especially Ammi and Sarnai (listen I love that girl with all my heart.)
And the relationships. I love the friendship between Maia and Ammi so much, and whatever weird friendship situation is going on with Maia and Sarnai. FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS, MAN. The family dynamic, I loved that we got way more of Maia and her family, cause they mean the world to me.
I can't end this post without mentioning my love for Maia and Edan. Their relationship. It's been a hot minute since a couple in a book gave me so many feels. I loved their chemistry, I love their journey. I LOVE EVERYTHING about them.
eiranidzz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
natcommon's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
A very strong second book that did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend the duology. It won’t disappoint, especially if you like Asian mythology and folklore.
ARC received through NetGalley and all opinions are my own.
A very strong second book that did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend the duology. It won’t disappoint, especially if you like Asian mythology and folklore.
ARC received through NetGalley and all opinions are my own.