4.5 starsI’m. Just. SO. Happy.This is completely different from UPROOTED. Kind of. It’s still a fairytale-like story, but it’s wholly unrelated to the Dragon and Agnieszka. There are no awesome tree people. There’s no wooden Kasia or royal orphans or upstart wizards. There are awesome some-other-kind-of-people who may or may not be wintery in origin. And a not-so-awesome demon. And not one, not two, but THREE new heroines, all hampered by expectations, all saying, EFF that, RAWRRR. Full RTC.

“I am not your subject or your servant, and if you want a cowering mouse for a wife, go find someone else who can turn silver to gold for you.” This was a buddy read with my elvish friend, Maica! I’m so glad that we decided to read this together! <3Confession Time: I was a bit scared going into this because I loved Uprooted so bloody much. And how on Earth could Naomi Novik possibly improve upon that pure and utter perfection, which included wizards, royals, tree people, and all sorts of other f...

I’ve had Naomi Novik’s work on my reading list for a long time, but this was my first time picking up anything by her. I loved the Rumpelstiltskin story as a child, so when I heard that she was writing a retelling of it, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy—and now, it made me wonder how I ever lived without the incredible worlds of magic and fantasy she crafts. I wasn’t sorry they didn’t like me, I wasn’t sorry I had been hard to them. I was glad, fiercely glad. The story alternates perspec...

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik is a 2018 Del Rey publication. I need more stories like this one in my life! I rarely grab a fantasy novel, although, I am often tempted by them. I respect the genre immensely because of the thoughtfulness and work required for world building and the huge imaginations of fantasy writers. However, no matter how badly I might want to dive into a high fantasy, I always manage to talk myself out of it. My first excuse usually has to with the heft of the book, and the

No one freak out, but I just thoroughly enjoyed a fantasy book 😍 this was so immersive and well written and I liked it a heckin’ ton!

But the world I wanted wasn't the world I lived in, and if I would do nothing until I could repair every terrible thing at once, I would do nothing forever. Spinning Silver is a masterful tapestry of interwoven stories. Containing some of the best lady protagonists of recent fantasy literature, a fantastic narrative around cultural Jewishness, and such diverse fairy tales inspirations as Rumplestiltskin, Hansel & Gretel, A Thousand And One Arabian Nights, and Hades & Persephone, this

Novik has the golden touch—there is richness of writing, richness of setting and richness of characterisation.Spinning Silver was vividly evocative—an artful rendering of snow swirling ghostlike against slate-smeared skies, of crimson flames licking hungrily at the winter air. And there was something about it that was so irresistibly beguiling, thawing my cynical adult heart. I admired Miryem, Wanda and Irina—all of whom, despite the burden of their circumstance, rose up and raised their heads h...

Ok, so I’m officially impressed?I was feeling a bit wary about picking this book up when I first heard about it. I head read Naomi Novik’s other book, Uprooted, a book that had was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo awards for best fantasy, and even won the Nebula. And you know what? I hated it.So, as you can imagine, I wasn’t too sure about this one. Then on a whim, I got it as my Book of the Month, and I decided to read it. Now, all I have to say is that Naomi Novik has found herself a new...

the only thing that has been spun is my never ending boredom. while the silver strands were loosely woven in the beginning and partially spooled by a few enchantingly charming chapters, my attention eventually tangled and frayed away. as with uprooted, this unraveling of enjoyment is most likely my fault and not the storys. because again, this is actually quite a beautiful fantasy concept and a remarkably unique retelling of a classic story. but i just couldnt get into it, the writing, the chara...

Because that's what the story is really about: getting out of paying your debts. There is just something about Novik's fairy tales. Something magical, atmospheric and utterly charming. I didn't like Spinning Silver quite as much as my beloved Uprooted - and I'll explain why a bit later - but it still kept me captivated from start to finish.Spinning Silver is a loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I say "loose" because you will recognise certain elements from the original - turning things into

One of the best books I've read all year. Maybe THE best.Good language. Excellent take on traditional faerie tale tropes. Brilliant storytelling. Amazing characterization.There's nothing not to like here, honestly. And I'm going to be buying several copies as Christmas gifts for sure.

I've decided I'm officially giving up on having a career so I can sit on sun-warm patches of moss in the moors and perennially recite really mediocre poetry about how good this book is.

ARC provided by Dey Rey in exchange for an honest review. “Bring me the winter king, and I will make you a summer queen.” Spinning Silver is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I loved this story with every fiber of my being. And Naomi Novik is a master at storytelling and interweaving stories together. You all know that this is a very loose reimaging of Rumpelstiltskin but I’d say it’s more of an empowering tale of three girls, all on three different paths, all promised to three...

2020 reread for my IRL book club. We had an excellent discussion and I have a pretty good Powerpoint on this book that I made for our book club meeting if anyone ever needs it, lol. And I still think this book is marvelous.All the stars!! One of my favorite fantasies ever ... I think it's officially part of my desert island collection. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature: It’s not often that I end a novel in awe of characters, the world-building, and the depth and complexity of the themes,...

Novik introduces three daring female protagonists in this clever re-imagining of Rumpelstiltskin. Here is a realm of magic and mysticism, of cruelty and heartbreak, fringed with glittering ice and populated with creatures carved from the wildest corners of the imagination. The initial chapters titillate with high stakes, compelling characters, and enchanting descriptions of warm food and a forest cloaked in snow, but the narrative is soon bogged down by several ruinous flaws. Despite encounterin...

4.5/5 starsIf Uprooted is my Hell, then Spinning Silver is my Heaven.Five years. It’s been exactly five years since I’ve read Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Honestly speaking, I never intended to read Spinning Silver. I consider Uprooted one of the worst fantasy novels I’ve read, and I had no motivation in trying out more of Novik’s works for five years. However, after hearing from many readers—one of them being my friend, Elliot Brooks—who disliked Uprooted that Spinning Silver worked wonderfully for...

This novel is pure escapism; it is enchanting, mystical and, most importantly, it's a fantastic piece of writing. I loved it. Go read it!I’m a critic but I found nothing to critique here. And for me that says a lot. I often find it hard just to sit back and enjoy a story without pulling it apart and dissecting all the elements of the book. It’s just want happens when you’re and English student. You consider the characters, the themes and everything the writing is trying to convey. With this, how...

Ok. This is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin...but not. What I mean is, Novik really took the idea of spinning straw to gold and the importance of a name, and just made that shit her own new story.*tips hat*So, in this fairytale Eastern Europeanish setting, there's this spunky little Jewish girl named Miryem that kicks ass and takes names. She ends up with not only all the normal problems an ambitious female minority would have, but also the extra (and quite HUGE) problem of doing impossible thing...

Spinning Silver is a tale of hope and magic, with brave maidens and scary monsters, set against the harshest conditions in the cold and brutal winters of Lithuania. I'm not sure what I was expecting going in, but this book blew me away. It was charming and mesmerizing, sweeping me into the story right from the first page.Nothing makes me love a book more than a strong female character, and this book has three! Our heroines are clever, courageous, and spirited. Each has been dealt a crappy hand b...

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book PrescriptionUpdate: After finishing Uprooted, I know that Naomi's style is just not for me!!DNF @25%I was so excited for this book because I wanted to read a book by Naomi for so long now. Uprooted is one of the oldest books in my TBR. I didn't know the tale of Rumpelstiltskin so I read it before this out in preparation for this. Then I saw that this was a big book and I didn't know how the author is going to retell such a short s...