Scan barcode
A review by flowerpaladin
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is a tough one to rate because, through no fault of its own, the book has been recommended to me numerous times as romantic fantasy. But, in fact, it has virtually no romance at all. So I come away from it feeling vaguely dissatisfied, even though it was exquisitely written.
The alternating points-of-view were something I never quite got used to, and I'm not sure they were really necessary. That said, I liked Wanda and Stepon's the most. I also liked Mirnatius (surprisingly - more on that in a bit). The writing is, again, exquisite. Novik truly is a gifted wordsmith!
As a fantasy book, I found it a bit confusing. I didn't always follow what was going on or why things were happening. For example, I don't know why Miryem develops the abilities that she develops. I don't really understand what happened to Mirnatius and his mother. I don't fully understand the motivations behind the Staryk king's actions. Still, the world was lush, and I cared about these people, though only the women at first.
The Staryk king is incredibly unlikable for about 98% of the book. He looks and acts the part of a vicious tyrant, only for us to be shocked to learn he's really just a decent dude all along. (You can perhaps tell I didn't buy this character "development" lol.) The same can be said somewhat for Mirnatius, but since we do get his POV, it was easier to buy that he wasn't really a bad person. However, the story didn't really make it clear who was really in control when he and Irina first met. In any case, the Staryk king wasn't being controlled by anyone. His horrible behavior was all on him.
Still... I enjoyed the book. A lot! I did get stuck around 3/4s of the way through, but that was only because I realized there was no real romance. (I guess we could call it poorly done romance because I have a feeling we're supposed to believe two of these characters love each other by the end of it, but there have been no signs that that's actually true.) I slipped back into reading fanfic for a bit, just to get that warm, romantic arc I was craving. But I found I missed Novik's storytelling, and so I returned and persevered. And here we are :)
Oh, I've seen it said that the book is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I... guess? There is one part of it that's sort of like that. But it's literally one chapter. I would throw in Hades and Persephone as a more likely retelling.
The alternating points-of-view were something I never quite got used to, and I'm not sure they were really necessary. That said, I liked Wanda and Stepon's the most. I also liked Mirnatius (surprisingly - more on that in a bit). The writing is, again, exquisite. Novik truly is a gifted wordsmith!
As a fantasy book, I found it a bit confusing. I didn't always follow what was going on or why things were happening. For example, I don't know why Miryem develops the abilities that she develops. I don't really understand what happened to Mirnatius and his mother. I don't fully understand the motivations behind the Staryk king's actions. Still, the world was lush, and I cared about these people, though only the women at first.
The Staryk king is incredibly unlikable for about 98% of the book. He looks and acts the part of a vicious tyrant, only for us to be shocked to learn he's really just a decent dude all along. (You can perhaps tell I didn't buy this character "development" lol.) The same can be said somewhat for Mirnatius, but since we do get his POV, it was easier to buy that he wasn't really a bad person. However, the story didn't really make it clear who was really in control when he and Irina first met. In any case, the Staryk king wasn't being controlled by anyone. His horrible behavior was all on him.
Still... I enjoyed the book. A lot! I did get stuck around 3/4s of the way through, but that was only because I realized there was no real romance. (I guess we could call it poorly done romance because I have a feeling we're supposed to believe two of these characters love each other by the end of it, but there have been no signs that that's actually true.) I slipped back into reading fanfic for a bit, just to get that warm, romantic arc I was craving. But I found I missed Novik's storytelling, and so I returned and persevered. And here we are :)
Oh, I've seen it said that the book is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I... guess? There is one part of it that's sort of like that. But it's literally one chapter. I would throw in Hades and Persephone as a more likely retelling.