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haley49's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Antisemitism, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Dementia, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
maeverose's review against another edition
3.0
Gratuitous violence. Mostly from Wendy and Stepon’s povs, where they had to bring up at every opportunity that their father abused them. It felt like the author was just throwing it in there to keep the book feeling dark and gritty but there was no real purpose to it. We already know from the first few chapters that their father is a despicable human being, it didn’t need to be mentioned repeatedly every single time it switched to one of their povs.
The multiple povs. I only cared about Miryem’s and Irina’s a little bit towards the second half of the book. However I wouldn’t say the others were unnecessary (well, Magreta’s maybe) or couldn’t be interesting to other readers. I felt that it was usually pretty clear who’s pov it was right away, but the book does switch povs multiple times in every chapter, so it could get annoying.
Bad autism rep? I wanted to talk about one of the perspectives in particular: Wanda’s younger brother Stepon. His narrative voice is especially different from the others and I can’t tell if it’s just supposed to be that he’s young, abused and had a very isolated upbringing, or if he’s autistic coded. He has sensory issues with noise too, which could be a trauma response from his abuse, I’m not sure, but it felt like an attempt at a very stereotypical representation of autism, and if it was I don’t like that. It’s a very narrow minded interpretation of autism, not to mention it was just so tedious to read.
It’s overwritten. It definitely could’ve (should’ve, imo) been at least 100 pages shorter. Maybe its just because I wasn’t enjoying it that much but it felt like a drag to get through. I was bored for a lot of it.
The writing. Her style just doesn’t work for me. I liked the winter descriptions, and the folktale style of it, but I found certain sentences to be worded awkwardly to where I’d have to read them multiple times to get what she meant. It was the same with Uprooted for me. Like she’s trying to make it sound pretty but it’s just awkward to read. Could just be me. I did find some sentences that were actually grammatically incorrect though…
Homophobic?? This one was easy to miss, but the only - very minor side character - that’s gay has a crush on his own cousin. I feel like I don’t need to explain how that’s problematic.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Incest, Miscarriage, and Classism
Graphic: Eye trauma Moderate: mentioned child rapegoizi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Death of parent
rockyroadbutch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Sexism, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
pejms's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty and Miscarriage
leilorenzo's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The female characters were loveable and their journey a very interesting one.
I found the main characters' development at the beginning of the book to be her most interesting bit, but the rest of the book started uncovering other lives and stories so it was still enjoyable.
The male main character was... forceful. I understand the reason behind it, and the fact that his species and rank make it so that it seems natural, but I still worried about the message younger readers would receive from it. Given the problems and how they went about solving them it was not as problematic as Edward and Bella's relationship but... I mean.... there were some questionable moments.
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Torture
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
mmefish's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Child death
Minor: Rape
soundlysmitten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Something I admired about this novel is the variety of myths it draws from while still maintaining a distinct narrative. To name a few: Miryem’s trials with the Staryk King channel the tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Hades & Persephone, Irina’s predicament with Mirnatius incorporates aspects of Bluebeard and One Thousand and One Nights, and Wanda’s story seems to involve elements of Hansel and Gretel as well as The Juniper Tree.
However, if you enjoy an abundance of action, this might not be the book for you. The content is complex but the pace is more leisurely and the quaint language and spellbinding imagery are best appreciated unhurried. With a myriad of POVs to boast, the story does meander quite a bit, but I personally enjoyed the way it goes. Some people mention disliking how the author chose to use the symbol of a spinning wheel to signify a change in perspective rather than label each section by name. But again, I found the spinning wheel charming and thought there was always enough context to properly glean who was speaking.
As the most popular narrative still seems to imply a heroine must be of ‘unparalleled beauty’ or whatever, I appreciated that the women in Spinning Silver are not prized for their appearance, but for their agency, loyalty, and resoluteness. They each have some questionable moments, but it seems natural for a person’s flaws to flare dramatically in survival mode. And by the end, Irina learns to wield a balance of cunning and compassion, Wanda pairs her newfound independence with fierce devotion, and Miryem is both empowered and humbled at once. Even though there’s a bit of romance in the conclusion of the story, I was glad to see each character’s personal journey played out independently first. And I loved that the story emphasizes family more than romance. Let sisterhood and found families abound 😽
Most notably, I’d like to acknowledge the portrayal of Jewish heritage in Spinning Silver. To me, one of the most beautiful parts of the book involves the gifting of a Jewish name. Of course, there’s also mentions of hatefulness which point to the history of antisemitism. But in retrospect, I see how Miryem playing Rumpelstiltskin, specifically, may further serve to challenge antisemitic stereotypes. This connection was lost on me initially because I was ignorant till just now of the roots of the fairytale I grew up hearing. And turns out this is not the only tale by the Brothers Grimm inspired by antisemitism… Is this common knowledge?
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
Passing mentions of infant death, death by childbirth, child marriage, and execution by hanging. Themes around agency, obligations, and possessiveness -- specifically of daughters/wives/women overall -- in family relationships and marriage. Sexual assault/harassment is mentioned and discussed but mostly not present; several scenes involve pressure upon mutually unconsenting parties to consummate a relationship and unwanted sexual advances.blossomclouds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The tropes that are played on - familiar and ripe with the potential to go in an unhealthy direction - are executed in a way that makes complete sense but isn't predictable or flat, at least it wasn't to me. The magic of it comes together so nicely.
The characters are fleshed out through their own narration, I thought, and what multi-faceted and gripping characters they are.
I have only delight in my heart after reading this.
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty