A review by hanarama
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

adventurous hopeful tense medium-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

3.0

The Good: 
  • Plot is fun and interesting. 
  • Main character is clever and likeable. 

The Bad: 
  • Prose is a little more tell than show at times. 
  • Romance is a bit bland and over takes the plot after a point. 

You Might Like this Book if You Like: 
  • Fairytales and impossible tasks. 
  • Competition storylines. 
  • Fashion

The story is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway, which I feel is a bit disingenuous. The only similarity to Mulan is that Maia crossdresses in order to enter the initial competition, which only lasts for about 1/3 of the story. 
The majority of the story follows the structure of a fairytale or legend, wherein Maia is given 3 impossible tasks to complete.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the story is fairly interesting, however people looking into the book based on that description may feel a little bamboozled. 

Beyond that, this is a highly patriarchal setting where women are prevented from working as anything more than maids or cooks. I expected the book to be more critical of this, but it really wasn't outside of how Maia is effected. There are a few comments made regarding the Emperor's betrothed, but not much beyond that. I would have liked at least the love interest to be less patronizing towards Maia. While he seems very supportive of her goals as a tailor, he still comes off as kind of belittling. 

The moments spent in the world's mythology are compelling and fun. I loved the descriptions of the clothes and Maia's work, but I felt like there was a lot that could have been improved with this book. I will likely still read the second book, and I am hoping to check out Six Crimson Cranes at some point, but this one was pretty middle of the road for me. 
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