Spinning Silver: A Novel

This book had me guessing what would happen next. It was a great read and the audio version was a great listen as well. It made me smile and life my brows and want to cry and it's not your typical fairy tale either.

It is influenced by Rumplestiltskin but it is much more than a retelling. It is full of great characters most of which are capable woman full of agency. When you finish it you are left with a feeling of hope and wonder about high magic.

I have read twice already in about a month and thoroughly enjoyed it both times

I loved Uprooted and Spinning Silver is very much in the same vein. Some of the romance later in the novel felt very similar to Ms. Novik's previous work, but that should not deter readers. I will be recommending Spinning Silver and buying copies for friends, but maybe not in winter, brr...

I have enjoyed Naomi Novik's novels and have been looking forward to reading Spinning Silver. I was not disappointed. This is a wonderful book with an original story. The lead characters are compelling and the story telling kept me enthralled until the very end.

I had a mixed experience with Spinning Silver, though the overall quality of the writing, plot, and characters were good enough for a four star rating. It definitely wasn't as stellar as the other two books I've read by this author, His Majesty's Dragon and Uprooted. But this novel still had some notable highlights.

First I'll address what I liked. The three main women characters were well fleshed out and engaging. I also enjoyed the evocative and magical depiction of the winter kingdom...a great example of successful fantasy world-building. Parts of the plot were quite strong, including the interweaving of different story threads in the lead up to a satisfying ending.

Now for the things I didn't like. Although parts of this novel felt relevant or suspenseful, those were interspersed with long plodding sections that seemed mostly unnecessary. Too many peripheral individuals got introduced as point of view characters (all in first person)...some of these not until halfway through the book. This slowed the pacing down considerably, and many of their scenes felt like filler. To make matters worse, the parts told from Stepon's point of view were irritatingly awkward and simplistic, in a misguided attempt to show him having a "child's" voice. He was even given the role of narrating one of the novel's most pivotal scenes, a choice that completely baffled me.

Overall this book had the potential to be much better...edited down to about half the length. Then the ingenious plot and world-building would have a chance to shine, without being muffled in so much extraneous detail. Still, if you like fantasy with a rich fairy tale flavor, you'll probably enjoy Spinning Silver.

I loved this story. It was a real page turner and I love how it was told from the point of view of several different characters and locations. Even the bad guys were hard to hate. Great all the way to the end!

As I expected from Naomi Novik after reading Uprooted, this one was also wonderful . The compelling story revolves around strong female characters, and apart from having some very powerful underlying messages, it's also very fun to read.

Amazing book - I wanted it to never end - this author is ranking up there with my favorites that can make me laugh and cry and shake my head in wonder at the plot twists and depth of feeling in the characters that they create

This was a delight to read. A lovely fairytale re-telling that I didn't want to put down.

I had read Uprooted and was looking forward to this - so now I have to go and read the Temeraire series. I can't wait!

I loved uprooted, and so of course I had to give this a try and I was absolutely delighted. If you love fairy tales, brave and powerful women, and plucky strength in adversity, this is a good choice for you!

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Spinning Silver, and Naomi Novik has once again brought us another beautiful novel. This one is a loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, told from six different points of view. The stars of the show are three young women. Miryem - the daughter of a Jewish money-lender, Wanda - daughter of a poor, abusive, alcoholic father, and Irina - quiet and unassuming daughter of a local Duke. Right away I fell in love with all of them, and the quiet strength shown in their trials. All three started at various low points, but rose and showed inspiring, courageous leadership against those that tried to oppress them.

“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 absolutely a spiritual sister to Noviks Uprooted, and delivers the same delicious and chilling atmosphere. Instead of a hostile and sinister magical forest, we get a bone chilling and wintry magical forest. Either way, my atmospheric forest-y needs were met. I've been really into fairy-tale retellings with elements of Slavic folklore lately, and this most certainly fits the bill.

Without treading into spoiler territory, I highly recommend reading this. It had one of the most perfect endings that I’ve ever read, and I even shed a few tears. You won’t be disappointed!

I am not a fan of multiple POVs. And no book that hops between three different main characters and one of their brothers should not be this good. Because POV hopping, especially amongst three women (two of whom are pretty similar voices) doesn't give you time to fall in love with the particular voice, the one you're going to hang your heart on as you follow that character through the trials and tribulations of their story.

But somehow Spinning Silver takes a Duke's daughter, a Jewish moneylender's daughter, and the town drunk's daughter and spins them into a compelling narrative involving the winter-kingdom of the Staryk knights who ride fanged deer, the small-town bitterness and tensions of farming folk, and a fire demon's quest to destroy winter.

But don't let that fantastical description fool you. There is magic, yes, and a demon, but really it is about everyday life and taking care of your loved ones.

And what I loved is that the powerful emotions and courage of the three main characters are expressed in the ways they got on with their tasks. Whether it was Wanda deciding to take over Miryem's money lending duties or Miryem going about turning silver to gold in the most practical, exhausting way necessary, or Wanda getting on with spinning, knitting and cooking porridge in a small house once her whole world had come undone. They all expressed a kind of practical courage that is a powerful example of womens' strength.

"...the high magic, magic that came only when you made some larger version of yourself with words and promises, and then stepped inside and somehow grew to fill it."

My love for these characters kind of crept up on me slowly. Miryem is a bit cold and Irina is a bit prickly and Wanda is a bit passive at first. But then I was cheering on as Irina found ways to survive her marriage to the fearful Tsar, and Miryem somehow fulfilled every binding promise to the Staryk, and Wanda made a home for her brothers. At the end I found myself just as reluctant to leave the world Novik had created in Spinning Silver as I'd been when finishing Uprooted.

This is a very, very good book. Because it quietly, and without much fanfare, it weaves the magic of everyday endurance and love with the ice-cold magic of the Staryk. And while it is different from Uprooted, it has the same breathless wonder and difficult love.

I liked the story line but felt there was a lot being said without saying anything. Just dragged on and on until finally some part of the story would start moving along and then start dragging again. I didn’t feel any connection with any of the characters....there was no depth, for example, of the big hulk that was the king? What did he look like, what was he thinking, why did he dislike his queen so much? Too many questions!

Book is too much of everything: magic, religion, abusing, women power and the miracle of love at the end. A lot of words, a lot of emotions and great portion of humour: still satisfactory to read, but at the end all of this mess is starting to be more annoying, than enjoyable.

Uproted was a way too clear and clewer, than this.

The author made the first sixty pages of Spinning Silver available as a pre-release promotion I loved reading about young, industrious Miriyam, who saves her family from ruin and also the starving children of another family. I pre-ordered the book. It turns out that Miriyam's story is only one of the threads in Spinning Silver. Miriyam's story shares space with new characters who are difficult to like and admire. Chapters start in a character's voice, and it takes two or three sentences to realize who is speaking -- it's a game. (An annoying game.).
The second main character, a Duke's daughter, has no mother. She has spent her entire childhood -- 18 years -- shut away with a fearful, hand-wringing nanny. There are rooms in the Duke's large house she has never visited. She is not allowed outdoors. She has no accomplishments or education or interests. Somehow the nanny's love and fierce protection have allowed this character to become a fully-formed human being with courage and political savvy. She is married off to a tsar to form the royal society's most unlikely pair -- he's a self-absorbed, exceptionally handsome prat and she is chilly at her core, friendless and homely. Resistant to her fate as the tsar's wife, unyielding, she has no interest in exploring the dimensions of her new role. Instead, she runs away through a magic mirror each night to sleep with her nanny in an alternate world. At one point, profoundly confused and frustrated, the tsar starts to cry. I feel for him.
Alongside the chilly winter landscape of a Slavic land lies a cold, magical world and its inscrutable, cruel, proud king. The two lands are at odds over wild game in the border forest, and the cold world's need for gold. At times, the plot bogs down (too many details about the silver coin challenge) and other times it meanders. Some characters are so unlikable, it seems impossible that the author would redeem athem. The author refuses to follow an outline -- she talks about writing a bogus outline to satisfy someone, her editor I guess -- and instead she discovers how things unfold as she writes them. I think the book would be better if the ending were known in advance. More foreshadowing could take place, and the case for saving two of the main characters might be more persuasive. Like the horse-drawn carts that carry characters to new places, the plot drags the reader along behind, bouncing along the bumpy dirt roads of the journey.

I really wanted to like this book, as I loved Uprooted, but these stories seemed forced and so much goes unexplained. I really did not like how different perspectives would pop up so far along in the narrative. I would have been happy with just the three girls perspectives, but she kept adding POV from other characters which made the book a bit chaotic.

There was potential for a good story, but the lack of depth to the plot and characters really had me forcing myself to read in order to finish the book.

“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 stay it’s more of an empowering tale of three girls, all on three different paths, all promised to three different men, while all being looked over by three different mothers. Three is such a constant theme in this book, too, and it really helps reinforce that this story feels like a tangible piece of magic in your hands while reading. This book is nothing short of a masterpiece.

“The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard.”

The Three Girls:
➽ Wanda - a girl who has had to be strong, because it’s the only life she has ever known. Wanda has spent her short life taking care of her brothers and trying to please a father who is impossible to please. But that all changes once she is the only way to pay back his debts.
➽ Irinushka - a girl who has been born into royalty but has never known love from her blood family. Irina is still determined to save her people, by any means necessary.
➽ Miryem - a girl who will do whatever it takes to save her family. Miryem is strong, and relentless, and one of the very best characters I’ve ever read in my entire life. And she becomes one of the most feared moneylenders in her village, and she discovers that she awfully good at turning silver to gold. But she is not the only one that notices.

“That part of the old story turned out to be true: you have to be cruel to be a good moneylender. But I was ready to be as merciless.”

The Three Mothers:
➽ A Passed Away Mother who continues to look after her children.
➽ An Adoptive Mother who has unconditionally loved her child from the start.
➽ A Birth Mother who wants nothing more than her child safe and happy.

“A robber who steals a knife and cuts himself cannot cry out against the woman who kept it sharp.”

The Three Marriages:
➽ Filled with Hate because even in 2018 some men want to believe that they know what’s best for a woman, no matter the cost.
➽ Filled with Fire because some people are born into a world without a chance, regardless of money, power, and privilege.
➽ Filled with Cold because protecting the thing you love is sometimes something you’re willing to do anything for.

“...someone had climbed down and looked through our window: someone wearing strange boots with a long pointed toe.”

And these three girls, with their mothers, forced into their three marriages, all come together and create something so beautiful that I don’t even have words to express it. I will say that Miryem is for sure the main character. I will also say that we get to see a lot more points of view than these three girls and their betrothals. And the story is something that is so whimsical, so feminist, and nothing short of an honor to read.

Trigger and content warnings for hard scenes to read about loss of a parent, siblings, and death of children, for extreme parental physical abuse, brief mention of animal deaths, mention of past rape, sexual assault, alcoholism, torture, violence, murder, and use of the word Jew (not negatively, but it still didn’t feel good to read at times).

But one thing I did want to touch upon is how much Judaism plays such an integral role in this story. Miryem and her entire family are Jewish, and from the first to last page this plays a pivotal role in the story. I am not Jewish, but I still loved this inclusion so very much. Also, I’m adding “go to a Jewish wedding” onto my bucket list immediately. To my Jewish friends: please, invite me to your weddings.

Spinning Silver is such a love letter to found families everywhere, too. You guys know I love reading about found families, but all three girls in this book are the epitome of found families. Unconditional love is truly the strongest force in this universe, and not only does this book showcase that, it also celebrates that.

Overall, this just felt like a story that was single-handedly created for me. From the Staryks, to the Winter King, to the traveling between places, to the so very strong female cast, to the magic, to every single word on every single page. I swear, opening this book felt like magic and I never wanted to shut it. And I know I am being rather vague with my synopsis, but I truly believe that this book is probably best to go in not knowing much, and to just experience this otherworldly story firsthand. Without a doubt, this will make my “best of 2018” list and will forever have a place on my favorites of all-time shelf. Thank you so much, Naomi Novik, for a story I will cherish forever. And that last line will take my breath away every reread. Perfection.

“Because that’s what the story’s really about: getting out of paying your debts.”

(Note: This is a mostly-spoiler free review! Not mentioning any specific characters or plot points, but I will be discussing general content and themes pretty extensively.)

There is, honestly, a lot to recommend about Spinning Silver! It's a fun and engaging read, and I was genuinely invested in the twists and turns of the plot, and how the various characters came together to interact with each other. Naomi Novik, as usual, does a fantastic job with making antagonists sympathetic and giving them good reasons to be flawed, but also the space to work through those flaws. If you're looking for a strong character piece, something to immerse yourself in, where you can support and cheer on and really feel for the main characters, then you really can't go wrong here.

But as much as I wish I could, I can't say that it's a great book. I really can't, at all.

One thing about Spinning Silver - and I wouldn't consider this a spoiler, at all - is that it's set somewhere in (as TV Tropes would put it), The Old Country, or rather Eastern Europe with the serial numbers filed off.

Another thing about the book is that it's unabashedly about the female experience. I think, personally, that this is great. Letting the subaltern speak and giving voices to people and groups who have are not typically represented in traditional fantasy works is something she's explored in her previous work, Uprooted, and this is very much a sequel in spirit to that.

So it's a book about women and girls, and the issues they face, and the courage and strength and wisdom they have in the face of all that. It's about how they find their own solutions, and... and, here's the thing, is that for me it never really actually goes far enough with this or explores it properly, to the point where the least believable aspect of the book was not the winter-bringing supernatural Staryk (aka, a fae by any other name that acts just as weird) but rather its take on religion, families and society.

To put it simply, it's a book where women! Show a lot of strength! And are clearly asserting themselves and finding their voices and being heard in what is obviously a blatantly patriarchal system. But the whole time, the whole book, Novik steadfastly refuses to actually engage or confront what made the system that way. It's jarring. It's a story that attempts to tell the story of what the experience of being marginalised is like, while drawing back from explaining why such marginalisation exists to begin with.

I don't think it's entirely for me to speculate on why, but I will say this is how it shows: It shows in a character questioning and challenging the structure and rules and norms of an alien society, but never once casting even half as critical a gaze on her own. It shows in a character changing their views of a family with a different faith, growing from distrust to acceptance, but never once actually confronting the issue of why she had those prejudices to begin with. It shows in a character who resents her lack of agency and the limited options available to her as a result of her gender, but not showing the structures that created such a situation.

Naturally there is a theme that unites all these examples, and it's I think the book's biggest weakness - for all it questions, and for all the strengths it shows, it never quite dares to confront anything controversial.

Like religion.

And oh boy, that's... a problem. Because religion is one of the biggest themes in the book. One of the key, central ones, and casts a big shadow over the characters’ lives. They do interact with it in different ways, but interacting with something without ever truly engaging with it is pretty much the same thing as tossing a Token Diversity Cast Member in a show and saying, hey look we're inclusive now! While portraying them a complete stereotype and pretty much a joke at their own group.

What happens in Spinning Silver, basically, is that it features openly Jewish and openly Christian characters who practice their faith, show allegiance to it, draw strength from it and identify with it. The book discusses Job and Esther, as they listened, instead of what happened to Eve and Miriam, as they questioned. It shows supportive, warm and genuinely loving families, and finds comfort in their existence, but never shows what might, or could, or would happen if someone challenged the spoken and unspoken power structure that exists throughout them. Women turn roles where they are cast as weak or secondary into positions of strength, and triumph in it, and yet somehow they fail to ask why those were the only positions they had to begin with. There is this weird free pass given to the patriarchy in general, which quite frankly is completely at odds with everything else that the book seems to be trying to say.

Like, a big point of the book to me seemed to be how women reclaim their agency and put their own spin on the roles they were given. But all the confrontations that happen and all the challenges issued in the book are personal and not systemic. People confront each other, fight with each other, and grow together. But in terms of narrative conflicts, it's all very - it's man against man, man against self, man against nature and somehow, for some reason, not man against society.

Maybe that's because it's easier to weave a story where you only have to fight what's standing in front of you, rather than take on an invisible structure of relationships and obligations and unspoken expectations that's probably too sensitive for YA fiction, or something.

But I honestly was expecting something more. And that's because of Novik herself, sort of.

I've followed her writing for a long while. Both published fiction, and other stories. And the thing is, this is something she can and has taken on in other works. One thing that I always look forward to is how she offers her own takes on established narratives, examining them from a different lens and taking characters and plots apart to create works that are equal parts engrossing and enlightening. It's the best sort of fix-it fic; where even the structural problems, the ones that can't be fixed by any one person, are confronted head on and not just waved away, and where characters don't just examine what they're doing, but how they're thinking, too.

They're very good! And yet, a lot of those things are just strangely absent here.

On one hand, I suppose it's different, when you're working off an established canon as opposed to creating your own. But at the same time, the strongest parts of her writing in fandom sometimes completely fail to make it to her published work, and it's vaguely confusing and perhaps mildly disheartening. I've never quite been able to figure out why. She did an Ask-Me-Anything on Reddit at one point, and someone pointed out that while she has clearly no issue exploring queer relationships in much of her fandom writing, there have been exactly 0 seconds of on-screen romance between any LGBT characters in her published work.

I'll quote her own response to this: We don’t get nearly equal amounts of women as true protagonists (or antagonists) in the media that tends to inspire my fanfic. In my pro work, I want to create women characters who are independent protagonists, and relationships where the woman is allowed to get laid and to love (and to have an orgasm!), and also to continue to place equal value on her own work and her own life.

Which is a nice response, all things considered! But as someone on the same thread replied: 'So do lesbians not exist or'

(That particular statement never did get an answer.)

So Spinning Silver just ended up feeling like - like something I had greater hopes for, I guess. As in, I feel like Novik is clearly capable of confronting and addressing aspects that are absent from the narrative, but has made a clear authorial decision not to. But to me, when you include Abrahamic religions explicitly and by name, and then put them in a rich, well fleshed out and highly detailed setting, and then proceed to examine and consider pretty much everything that exists in that setting besides religion itself, it doesn't work.

Because you can't say that it's 'that world's religion, which we're going to handwave the details of, and just assume is a lot more utopian and nicer than the version that actually exists here, in our world'; not when you're also establishing that it's fundamentally the same exact thing, that contributed to the same exact male-dominated political and family structures which form a big part of the plot. And you can't say the characters aren't aware of it, or aren't able to question it, not when you've established them as smart and strong and steadfast in the face of men and demons and kings.

But perhaps male gods and religious leaders are different, somehow, from all the other authority figures out there. I wouldn't be able to say for certain, on account of them conveniently not showing up in any way that would actually force the characters to address them.

Still, when all is said and done, Spinning Silver is an entertaining book. It's easy to recommend to friends and family, and I am glad a book like this exists for people to get into and enjoy. It's something that brings joy and puts a smile on the face of many of its readers, and I can't hold that against it. And I commend, at least, the general spirit in which it seems to have been written.

I just wish it could've worked for me, too.

The retelling of fairy tales in contemporary form is nothing new. Both the classic and updated versions are at their best when they give glimpses into the darkest and brightest aspects of humanity.

SPINNING SILVER by Nebula Award-winning author Naomi Novik does just that. In it, she gives readers a variant of the Rumpelstiltskin story, which centered on a woman taken captive and forced to spin straw into gold. She is assisted by a strange man-like creature, but only because he wants something in return. It is not until she learns his name that she can escape from his poor bargains and her original captor. Novik takes some of the basic elements of this dark and familiar tale, reworking them to create a novel about empowerment, bonds of servitude and of loyalty, unexpected friendships, and more. She sets all this in a world that seems just recognizable, but is threaded through with magic and mystery.

Miryem Mandelstam is the granddaughter of a rich and powerful moneylender and the daughter of a poor and unsuccessful one. When her father’s kindness and lack of business acumen threaten the health and survival of her family, she takes matters into her own capable hands: collecting payments, making trades and updating the ledger, all of which starts to bring her and her parents out of poverty. She even begins to earn enough to hire an assistant, a young woman named Wanda whose father owes the Mandelstams but is unable to pay his debt. Working with Miryem and her parents gives Wanda freedom from her abusive father’s house and an opportunity to create a better life for herself and her two brothers. She grows confident in her intelligence and skills. Although she had been taught (like most people she knew) to distrust or even revile Jews, she finds comfort, compassion and hospitality in the Mandelstam household.

Fortunes seem to be changing for Miryem and her parents. But her accomplishments have attracted unwanted and dangerous attention as well. The people of Vysnia and beyond live in fear of the Staryk, a race of magical winter folk who bring with them violence and terror when they leave their frozen kingdom for the sunlit world. The Staryk king stalks Miryem until he finally takes her away to his mountain home, making her his queen without her consent and forcing her to turn all his silver to gold. While Miryem toils for the king and plans her escape, Wanda stays with the Mandelstams, working and caring for them and her brothers. When her father loses control of his temper for the last time, it is with the Mandelstams that Wanda seeks refuge.

All the while, the plain and lonely daughter of a greedy duke, recently wed to the tsar with the help of some magical charms, is coming to terms with her husband’s terrible secret and her own nascent powers. To free herself from the ravenous desires of a demon, Irina must choose between two terrible outcomes. Then, to save the people she never wanted to rule, she must make a terrible choice once again.

The stories of all three women --- Miryem, Wanda and Irina --- interweave, as with their actions they control the fate of two worlds and all who live in them. The result is an exciting (though at times a bit slow) and provocative read.

SPINNING SILVER is fantasy light, but the ideas that Novik explores are serious and important. There is magic in this book, but it creates atmosphere and tension without driving the entire story. More important than the fact that Miryem can change Staryk silver to gold is that she has a valuable skill for which she is taken captive, and her loss of autonomy and power is something to be rectified. The same is true for Wanda and Irina. This is a novel about women who were assumed to be weak and passive but turned out to be strong, assertive, wise and more valuable than any of the particular skills they possess. The world in which the human characters live seems all too real --- a Russian or Eastern European kingdom of toil, long winters and anti-Semitism --- and Novik does a great job blending the elements of historical authenticity with those of her imagination.

Contrasting heat and cold, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, men and women, power and subservience, and then wonderfully turning it all around again, SPINNING SILVER is both an entertaining and thoughtful novel.

Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Using a Baltic setting to create a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, Novik has crafted an engaging fantasy very different from her previous work, Uprooted. Straying far from the inspiration fairytale, the story is grounded by using a medieval Lithuanian setting. And while the Jewish and Christian references may pull one out of the fantasy aspects, it also gives the story more credibility and lifts it above most fairytale retellings. This is a very rich and layered novel but too many minor character POVs do drag the story a bit and keep it from flowing smoothly.

Story: Miryem is the daughter of a moneylender; her mother's family is famous for their success in the business. But Miryem's father is too kind-hearted to collect the money he lends and the family is in desperate straits as a result. Taking over the business herself endears her to her successful grandfather but her parents are worried she is hardening her heart in the process. Irina, meanwhile, is the rather plain daughter of a Duke. She is hardstuck in a world of politics and machinations. When she learns she is betrothed to the cruel young son of the King/Tsar/Kaiser, she fears for her life. Wanda, meanwhile, is the daughter of a poor and drunken crofter. She wants only to protect her brothers and survive each day from her father's beatings. These three women's stories will become entwined as cruel elf lords, evil demons, and the cruelty of man converge.

The story is solid and works on many levels. What starts as Miryem's POV soon expands organically to a host of separate characters. There are three main leads, though realistically I feel that Wanda's (and the other side character's) sections could have been cut and the story would have flowed better. But there is masterful storytelling on how and when each character's POV is introduced. As well, those who appear fully 'evil' in the beginning will be completed explored by the end as being multifaceted. It all makes perfect sense and the strength of characterizations here is definitely the novel's strongest asset. Wanda, Irina, and Miryem are very distinct characters whose voices will never be confused: from Wanda's simple view of life, Irina's passive solutions, to Miryem's very direct and almost aggressive addressing of issues. Each person felt authentic to the period and the story.

Novik's previous novel, Uprooted, felt in many ways lacking in emotional depth and the characters never seemed grounded enough. Not so in the case of Spinning Silver. Honestly, the story is so well crafted here that it feels like its own distinct fairytale rather than a retelling/reimagination. Using characters from all three classes (serf, merchant, lord) and various religions (from pagan to Jewish to Christian), we have a tale that works on so many levels and is relatable both to the period in which it was set (medieval) as well as to the modern reader.

The magic here is understated yet the book is fully magical. There is romance as well that is nicely written and incredibly rewarding by the end. No instaluv here - Novik is too nuanced as a storyteller to give us the usual 'fairytale retelling' cliches. The relationships here are all developed independently, organically, and realistically. As well, the main characters use their wit, not any random abilities, to navigate the tricky situations in which they find themselves.

If I had one issue, it is with the extra POVs (e.g., Wanda's little brother). I can see why Novik wanted them included and yes, each voice was very distinct. And they have an impact on the eventual denouement in small ways. But without any chapter headings, it took rereading several times to figure out whose POV we would get. The characterizations were rich enough that it wasn't too hard - but all the same, it pulled me out of the story several times since I had to read several paragraphs repeatedly until I knew whose POV I was reading. This review is before the book's publication, however, so they may add chapter headings at publication. But that said, I found myself skimming through the extra characters as their perspective on the story just wasn't as interesting as the three mains.

In all, I liked the previous work Uprooted but so many of the characters in that book felt elusive and hard to pin down. Not so with Spinning Silver. The stories don't look to be set in the same time/universe despite the cover similarities. Uprooted was full fantasy while Spinning Silver is a Baltic fairytale retelling. Spinning Silver also felt much more satisfying and had an extremely high level of writing craft evident by the intricate storylines and how they eventually converged at the end. Although I am giving it a four star rather than five star rating, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to all readers, even though who don't read the fantasy/urban fantasy genre.
It's an incredibly well written novel. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Spinning Silver, and Naomi Novik has once again brought us another beautiful novel. This one is a loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, told from six different points of view. The stars of the show are three young women. Miryem - the daughter of a Jewish money-lender, Wanda - daughter of a poor, abusive, alcoholic father, and Irina - quiet and unassuming daughter of a local Duke. Right away I fell in love with all of them, and the quiet strength shown in their trials. All three started at various low points, but rose and showed inspiring, courageous leadership against those that tried to oppress them.

“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 absolutely a spiritual sister to Noviks Uprooted, and delivers the same delicious and chilling atmosphere. Instead of a hostile and sinister magical forest, we get a bone chilling and wintry magical forest. Either way, my atmospheric forest-y needs were met. I've been really into fairy-tale retellings with elements of Slavic folklore lately, and this most certainly fits the bill.

Without treading into spoiler territory, I highly recommend reading this. It had one of the most perfect endings that I’ve ever read, and I even shed a few tears. You won’t be disappointed!

I am not a fan of multiple POVs. And no book that hops between three different main characters and one of their brothers should not be this good. Because POV hopping, especially amongst three women (two of whom are pretty similar voices) doesn't give you time to fall in love with the particular voice, the one you're going to hang your heart on as you follow that character through the trials and tribulations of their story.

But somehow Spinning Silver takes a Duke's daughter, a Jewish moneylender's daughter, and the town drunk's daughter and spins them into a compelling narrative involving the winter-kingdom of the Staryk knights who ride fanged deer, the small-town bitterness and tensions of farming folk, and a fire demon's quest to destroy winter.

But don't let that fantastical description fool you. There is magic, yes, and a demon, but really it is about everyday life and taking care of your loved ones.

And what I loved is that the powerful emotions and courage of the three main characters are expressed in the ways they got on with their tasks. Whether it was Wanda deciding to take over Miryem's money lending duties or Miryem going about turning silver to gold in the most practical, exhausting way necessary, or Wanda getting on with spinning, knitting and cooking porridge in a small house once her whole world had come undone. They all expressed a kind of practical courage that is a powerful example of womens' strength.

"...the high magic, magic that came only when you made some larger version of yourself with words and promises, and then stepped inside and somehow grew to fill it."

My love for these characters kind of crept up on me slowly. Miryem is a bit cold and Irina is a bit prickly and Wanda is a bit passive at first. But then I was cheering on as Irina found ways to survive her marriage to the fearful Tsar, and Miryem somehow fulfilled every binding promise to the Staryk, and Wanda made a home for her brothers. At the end I found myself just as reluctant to leave the world Novik had created in Spinning Silver as I'd been when finishing Uprooted.

This is a very, very good book. Because it quietly, and without much fanfare, it weaves the magic of everyday endurance and love with the ice-cold magic of the Staryk. And while it is different from Uprooted, it has the same breathless wonder and difficult love.

I liked the story line but felt there was a lot being said without saying anything. Just dragged on and on until finally some part of the story would start moving along and then start dragging again. I didn’t feel any connection with any of the characters....there was no depth, for example, of the big hulk that was the king? What did he look like, what was he thinking, why did he dislike his queen so much? Too many questions!

Book is too much of everything: magic, religion, abusing, women power and the miracle of love at the end. A lot of words, a lot of emotions and great portion of humour: still satisfactory to read, but at the end all of this mess is starting to be more annoying, than enjoyable.

Uproted was a way too clear and clewer, than this.

The author made the first sixty pages of Spinning Silver available as a pre-release promotion I loved reading about young, industrious Miriyam, who saves her family from ruin and also the starving children of another family. I pre-ordered the book. It turns out that Miriyam's story is only one of the threads in Spinning Silver. Miriyam's story shares space with new characters who are difficult to like and admire. Chapters start in a character's voice, and it takes two or three sentences to realize who is speaking -- it's a game. (An annoying game.).
The second main character, a Duke's daughter, has no mother. She has spent her entire childhood -- 18 years -- shut away with a fearful, hand-wringing nanny. There are rooms in the Duke's large house she has never visited. She is not allowed outdoors. She has no accomplishments or education or interests. Somehow the nanny's love and fierce protection have allowed this character to become a fully-formed human being with courage and political savvy. She is married off to a tsar to form the royal society's most unlikely pair -- he's a self-absorbed, exceptionally handsome prat and she is chilly at her core, friendless and homely. Resistant to her fate as the tsar's wife, unyielding, she has no interest in exploring the dimensions of her new role. Instead, she runs away through a magic mirror each night to sleep with her nanny in an alternate world. At one point, profoundly confused and frustrated, the tsar starts to cry. I feel for him.
Alongside the chilly winter landscape of a Slavic land lies a cold, magical world and its inscrutable, cruel, proud king. The two lands are at odds over wild game in the border forest, and the cold world's need for gold. At times, the plot bogs down (too many details about the silver coin challenge) and other times it meanders. Some characters are so unlikable, it seems impossible that the author would redeem athem. The author refuses to follow an outline -- she talks about writing a bogus outline to satisfy someone, her editor I guess -- and instead she discovers how things unfold as she writes them. I think the book would be better if the ending were known in advance. More foreshadowing could take place, and the case for saving two of the main characters might be more persuasive. Like the horse-drawn carts that carry characters to new places, the plot drags the reader along behind, bouncing along the bumpy dirt roads of the journey.

I really wanted to like this book, as I loved Uprooted, but these stories seemed forced and so much goes unexplained. I really did not like how different perspectives would pop up so far along in the narrative. I would have been happy with just the three girls perspectives, but she kept adding POV from other characters which made the book a bit chaotic.

There was potential for a good story, but the lack of depth to the plot and characters really had me forcing myself to read in order to finish the book.

“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 stay it’s more of an empowering tale of three girls, all on three different paths, all promised to three different men, while all being looked over by three different mothers. Three is such a constant theme in this book, too, and it really helps reinforce that this story feels like a tangible piece of magic in your hands while reading. This book is nothing short of a masterpiece.

“The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard.”

The Three Girls:
➽ Wanda - a girl who has had to be strong, because it’s the only life she has ever known. Wanda has spent her short life taking care of her brothers and trying to please a father who is impossible to please. But that all changes once she is the only way to pay back his debts.
➽ Irinushka - a girl who has been born into royalty but has never known love from her blood family. Irina is still determined to save her people, by any means necessary.
➽ Miryem - a girl who will do whatever it takes to save her family. Miryem is strong, and relentless, and one of the very best characters I’ve ever read in my entire life. And she becomes one of the most feared moneylenders in her village, and she discovers that she awfully good at turning silver to gold. But she is not the only one that notices.

“That part of the old story turned out to be true: you have to be cruel to be a good moneylender. But I was ready to be as merciless.”

The Three Mothers:
➽ A Passed Away Mother who continues to look after her children.
➽ An Adoptive Mother who has unconditionally loved her child from the start.
➽ A Birth Mother who wants nothing more than her child safe and happy.

“A robber who steals a knife and cuts himself cannot cry out against the woman who kept it sharp.”

The Three Marriages:
➽ Filled with Hate because even in 2018 some men want to believe that they know what’s best for a woman, no matter the cost.
➽ Filled with Fire because some people are born into a world without a chance, regardless of money, power, and privilege.
➽ Filled with Cold because protecting the thing you love is sometimes something you’re willing to do anything for.

“...someone had climbed down and looked through our window: someone wearing strange boots with a long pointed toe.”

And these three girls, with their mothers, forced into their three marriages, all come together and create something so beautiful that I don’t even have words to express it. I will say that Miryem is for sure the main character. I will also say that we get to see a lot more points of view than these three girls and their betrothals. And the story is something that is so whimsical, so feminist, and nothing short of an honor to read.

Trigger and content warnings for hard scenes to read about loss of a parent, siblings, and death of children, for extreme parental physical abuse, brief mention of animal deaths, mention of past rape, sexual assault, alcoholism, torture, violence, murder, and use of the word Jew (not negatively, but it still didn’t feel good to read at times).

But one thing I did want to touch upon is how much Judaism plays such an integral role in this story. Miryem and her entire family are Jewish, and from the first to last page this plays a pivotal role in the story. I am not Jewish, but I still loved this inclusion so very much. Also, I’m adding “go to a Jewish wedding” onto my bucket list immediately. To my Jewish friends: please, invite me to your weddings.

Spinning Silver is such a love letter to found families everywhere, too. You guys know I love reading about found families, but all three girls in this book are the epitome of found families. Unconditional love is truly the strongest force in this universe, and not only does this book showcase that, it also celebrates that.

Overall, this just felt like a story that was single-handedly created for me. From the Staryks, to the Winter King, to the traveling between places, to the so very strong female cast, to the magic, to every single word on every single page. I swear, opening this book felt like magic and I never wanted to shut it. And I know I am being rather vague with my synopsis, but I truly believe that this book is probably best to go in not knowing much, and to just experience this otherworldly story firsthand. Without a doubt, this will make my “best of 2018” list and will forever have a place on my favorites of all-time shelf. Thank you so much, Naomi Novik, for a story I will cherish forever. And that last line will take my breath away every reread. Perfection.

“Because that’s what the story’s really about: getting out of paying your debts.”

(Note: This is a mostly-spoiler free review! Not mentioning any specific characters or plot points, but I will be discussing general content and themes pretty extensively.)

There is, honestly, a lot to recommend about Spinning Silver! It's a fun and engaging read, and I was genuinely invested in the twists and turns of the plot, and how the various characters came together to interact with each other. Naomi Novik, as usual, does a fantastic job with making antagonists sympathetic and giving them good reasons to be flawed, but also the space to work through those flaws. If you're looking for a strong character piece, something to immerse yourself in, where you can support and cheer on and really feel for the main characters, then you really can't go wrong here.

But as much as I wish I could, I can't say that it's a great book. I really can't, at all.

One thing about Spinning Silver - and I wouldn't consider this a spoiler, at all - is that it's set somewhere in (as TV Tropes would put it), The Old Country, or rather Eastern Europe with the serial numbers filed off.

Another thing about the book is that it's unabashedly about the female experience. I think, personally, that this is great. Letting the subaltern speak and giving voices to people and groups who have are not typically represented in traditional fantasy works is something she's explored in her previous work, Uprooted, and this is very much a sequel in spirit to that.

So it's a book about women and girls, and the issues they face, and the courage and strength and wisdom they have in the face of all that. It's about how they find their own solutions, and... and, here's the thing, is that for me it never really actually goes far enough with this or explores it properly, to the point where the least believable aspect of the book was not the winter-bringing supernatural Staryk (aka, a fae by any other name that acts just as weird) but rather its take on religion, families and society.

To put it simply, it's a book where women! Show a lot of strength! And are clearly asserting themselves and finding their voices and being heard in what is obviously a blatantly patriarchal system. But the whole time, the whole book, Novik steadfastly refuses to actually engage or confront what made the system that way. It's jarring. It's a story that attempts to tell the story of what the experience of being marginalised is like, while drawing back from explaining why such marginalisation exists to begin with.

I don't think it's entirely for me to speculate on why, but I will say this is how it shows: It shows in a character questioning and challenging the structure and rules and norms of an alien society, but never once casting even half as critical a gaze on her own. It shows in a character changing their views of a family with a different faith, growing from distrust to acceptance, but never once actually confronting the issue of why she had those prejudices to begin with. It shows in a character who resents her lack of agency and the limited options available to her as a result of her gender, but not showing the structures that created such a situation.

Naturally there is a theme that unites all these examples, and it's I think the book's biggest weakness - for all it questions, and for all the strengths it shows, it never quite dares to confront anything controversial.

Like religion.

And oh boy, that's... a problem. Because religion is one of the biggest themes in the book. One of the key, central ones, and casts a big shadow over the characters’ lives. They do interact with it in different ways, but interacting with something without ever truly engaging with it is pretty much the same thing as tossing a Token Diversity Cast Member in a show and saying, hey look we're inclusive now! While portraying them a complete stereotype and pretty much a joke at their own group.

What happens in Spinning Silver, basically, is that it features openly Jewish and openly Christian characters who practice their faith, show allegiance to it, draw strength from it and identify with it. The book discusses Job and Esther, as they listened, instead of what happened to Eve and Miriam, as they questioned. It shows supportive, warm and genuinely loving families, and finds comfort in their existence, but never shows what might, or could, or would happen if someone challenged the spoken and unspoken power structure that exists throughout them. Women turn roles where they are cast as weak or secondary into positions of strength, and triumph in it, and yet somehow they fail to ask why those were the only positions they had to begin with. There is this weird free pass given to the patriarchy in general, which quite frankly is completely at odds with everything else that the book seems to be trying to say.

Like, a big point of the book to me seemed to be how women reclaim their agency and put their own spin on the roles they were given. But all the confrontations that happen and all the challenges issued in the book are personal and not systemic. People confront each other, fight with each other, and grow together. But in terms of narrative conflicts, it's all very - it's man against man, man against self, man against nature and somehow, for some reason, not man against society.

Maybe that's because it's easier to weave a story where you only have to fight what's standing in front of you, rather than take on an invisible structure of relationships and obligations and unspoken expectations that's probably too sensitive for YA fiction, or something.

But I honestly was expecting something more. And that's because of Novik herself, sort of.

I've followed her writing for a long while. Both published fiction, and other stories. And the thing is, this is something she can and has taken on in other works. One thing that I always look forward to is how she offers her own takes on established narratives, examining them from a different lens and taking characters and plots apart to create works that are equal parts engrossing and enlightening. It's the best sort of fix-it fic; where even the structural problems, the ones that can't be fixed by any one person, are confronted head on and not just waved away, and where characters don't just examine what they're doing, but how they're thinking, too.

They're very good! And yet, a lot of those things are just strangely absent here.

On one hand, I suppose it's different, when you're working off an established canon as opposed to creating your own. But at the same time, the strongest parts of her writing in fandom sometimes completely fail to make it to her published work, and it's vaguely confusing and perhaps mildly disheartening. I've never quite been able to figure out why. She did an Ask-Me-Anything on Reddit at one point, and someone pointed out that while she has clearly no issue exploring queer relationships in much of her fandom writing, there have been exactly 0 seconds of on-screen romance between any LGBT characters in her published work.

I'll quote her own response to this: We don’t get nearly equal amounts of women as true protagonists (or antagonists) in the media that tends to inspire my fanfic. In my pro work, I want to create women characters who are independent protagonists, and relationships where the woman is allowed to get laid and to love (and to have an orgasm!), and also to continue to place equal value on her own work and her own life.

Which is a nice response, all things considered! But as someone on the same thread replied: 'So do lesbians not exist or'

(That particular statement never did get an answer.)

So Spinning Silver just ended up feeling like - like something I had greater hopes for, I guess. As in, I feel like Novik is clearly capable of confronting and addressing aspects that are absent from the narrative, but has made a clear authorial decision not to. But to me, when you include Abrahamic religions explicitly and by name, and then put them in a rich, well fleshed out and highly detailed setting, and then proceed to examine and consider pretty much everything that exists in that setting besides religion itself, it doesn't work.

Because you can't say that it's 'that world's religion, which we're going to handwave the details of, and just assume is a lot more utopian and nicer than the version that actually exists here, in our world'; not when you're also establishing that it's fundamentally the same exact thing, that contributed to the same exact male-dominated political and family structures which form a big part of the plot. And you can't say the characters aren't aware of it, or aren't able to question it, not when you've established them as smart and strong and steadfast in the face of men and demons and kings.

But perhaps male gods and religious leaders are different, somehow, from all the other authority figures out there. I wouldn't be able to say for certain, on account of them conveniently not showing up in any way that would actually force the characters to address them.

Still, when all is said and done, Spinning Silver is an entertaining book. It's easy to recommend to friends and family, and I am glad a book like this exists for people to get into and enjoy. It's something that brings joy and puts a smile on the face of many of its readers, and I can't hold that against it. And I commend, at least, the general spirit in which it seems to have been written.

I just wish it could've worked for me, too.

The retelling of fairy tales in contemporary form is nothing new. Both the classic and updated versions are at their best when they give glimpses into the darkest and brightest aspects of humanity.

SPINNING SILVER by Nebula Award-winning author Naomi Novik does just that. In it, she gives readers a variant of the Rumpelstiltskin story, which centered on a woman taken captive and forced to spin straw into gold. She is assisted by a strange man-like creature, but only because he wants something in return. It is not until she learns his name that she can escape from his poor bargains and her original captor. Novik takes some of the basic elements of this dark and familiar tale, reworking them to create a novel about empowerment, bonds of servitude and of loyalty, unexpected friendships, and more. She sets all this in a world that seems just recognizable, but is threaded through with magic and mystery.

Miryem Mandelstam is the granddaughter of a rich and powerful moneylender and the daughter of a poor and unsuccessful one. When her father’s kindness and lack of business acumen threaten the health and survival of her family, she takes matters into her own capable hands: collecting payments, making trades and updating the ledger, all of which starts to bring her and her parents out of poverty. She even begins to earn enough to hire an assistant, a young woman named Wanda whose father owes the Mandelstams but is unable to pay his debt. Working with Miryem and her parents gives Wanda freedom from her abusive father’s house and an opportunity to create a better life for herself and her two brothers. She grows confident in her intelligence and skills. Although she had been taught (like most people she knew) to distrust or even revile Jews, she finds comfort, compassion and hospitality in the Mandelstam household.

Fortunes seem to be changing for Miryem and her parents. But her accomplishments have attracted unwanted and dangerous attention as well. The people of Vysnia and beyond live in fear of the Staryk, a race of magical winter folk who bring with them violence and terror when they leave their frozen kingdom for the sunlit world. The Staryk king stalks Miryem until he finally takes her away to his mountain home, making her his queen without her consent and forcing her to turn all his silver to gold. While Miryem toils for the king and plans her escape, Wanda stays with the Mandelstams, working and caring for them and her brothers. When her father loses control of his temper for the last time, it is with the Mandelstams that Wanda seeks refuge.

All the while, the plain and lonely daughter of a greedy duke, recently wed to the tsar with the help of some magical charms, is coming to terms with her husband’s terrible secret and her own nascent powers. To free herself from the ravenous desires of a demon, Irina must choose between two terrible outcomes. Then, to save the people she never wanted to rule, she must make a terrible choice once again.

The stories of all three women --- Miryem, Wanda and Irina --- interweave, as with their actions they control the fate of two worlds and all who live in them. The result is an exciting (though at times a bit slow) and provocative read.

SPINNING SILVER is fantasy light, but the ideas that Novik explores are serious and important. There is magic in this book, but it creates atmosphere and tension without driving the entire story. More important than the fact that Miryem can change Staryk silver to gold is that she has a valuable skill for which she is taken captive, and her loss of autonomy and power is something to be rectified. The same is true for Wanda and Irina. This is a novel about women who were assumed to be weak and passive but turned out to be strong, assertive, wise and more valuable than any of the particular skills they possess. The world in which the human characters live seems all too real --- a Russian or Eastern European kingdom of toil, long winters and anti-Semitism --- and Novik does a great job blending the elements of historical authenticity with those of her imagination.

Contrasting heat and cold, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, men and women, power and subservience, and then wonderfully turning it all around again, SPINNING SILVER is both an entertaining and thoughtful novel.

Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Using a Baltic setting to create a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, Novik has crafted an engaging fantasy very different from her previous work, Uprooted. Straying far from the inspiration fairytale, the story is grounded by using a medieval Lithuanian setting. And while the Jewish and Christian references may pull one out of the fantasy aspects, it also gives the story more credibility and lifts it above most fairytale retellings. This is a very rich and layered novel but too many minor character POVs do drag the story a bit and keep it from flowing smoothly.

Story: Miryem is the daughter of a moneylender; her mother's family is famous for their success in the business. But Miryem's father is too kind-hearted to collect the money he lends and the family is in desperate straits as a result. Taking over the business herself endears her to her successful grandfather but her parents are worried she is hardening her heart in the process. Irina, meanwhile, is the rather plain daughter of a Duke. She is hardstuck in a world of politics and machinations. When she learns she is betrothed to the cruel young son of the King/Tsar/Kaiser, she fears for her life. Wanda, meanwhile, is the daughter of a poor and drunken crofter. She wants only to protect her brothers and survive each day from her father's beatings. These three women's stories will become entwined as cruel elf lords, evil demons, and the cruelty of man converge.

The story is solid and works on many levels. What starts as Miryem's POV soon expands organically to a host of separate characters. There are three main leads, though realistically I feel that Wanda's (and the other side character's) sections could have been cut and the story would have flowed better. But there is masterful storytelling on how and when each character's POV is introduced. As well, those who appear fully 'evil' in the beginning will be completed explored by the end as being multifaceted. It all makes perfect sense and the strength of characterizations here is definitely the novel's strongest asset. Wanda, Irina, and Miryem are very distinct characters whose voices will never be confused: from Wanda's simple view of life, Irina's passive solutions, to Miryem's very direct and almost aggressive addressing of issues. Each person felt authentic to the period and the story.

Novik's previous novel, Uprooted, felt in many ways lacking in emotional depth and the characters never seemed grounded enough. Not so in the case of Spinning Silver. Honestly, the story is so well crafted here that it feels like its own distinct fairytale rather than a retelling/reimagination. Using characters from all three classes (serf, merchant, lord) and various religions (from pagan to Jewish to Christian), we have a tale that works on so many levels and is relatable both to the period in which it was set (medieval) as well as to the modern reader.

The magic here is understated yet the book is fully magical. There is romance as well that is nicely written and incredibly rewarding by the end. No instaluv here - Novik is too nuanced as a storyteller to give us the usual 'fairytale retelling' cliches. The relationships here are all developed independently, organically, and realistically. As well, the main characters use their wit, not any random abilities, to navigate the tricky situations in which they find themselves.

If I had one issue, it is with the extra POVs (e.g., Wanda's little brother). I can see why Novik wanted them included and yes, each voice was very distinct. And they have an impact on the eventual denouement in small ways. But without any chapter headings, it took rereading several times to figure out whose POV we would get. The characterizations were rich enough that it wasn't too hard - but all the same, it pulled me out of the story several times since I had to read several paragraphs repeatedly until I knew whose POV I was reading. This review is before the book's publication, however, so they may add chapter headings at publication. But that said, I found myself skimming through the extra characters as their perspective on the story just wasn't as interesting as the three mains.

In all, I liked the previous work Uprooted but so many of the characters in that book felt elusive and hard to pin down. Not so with Spinning Silver. The stories don't look to be set in the same time/universe despite the cover similarities. Uprooted was full fantasy while Spinning Silver is a Baltic fairytale retelling. Spinning Silver also felt much more satisfying and had an extremely high level of writing craft evident by the intricate storylines and how they eventually converged at the end. Although I am giving it a four star rather than five star rating, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to all readers, even though who don't read the fantasy/urban fantasy genre.
It's an incredibly well written novel. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

If you haven't yet encountered the writing of Naomi Novik, then you are in for a treat. Rich world building, complex characters, and a story that grows and deepens as it goes to always keep you eager to find out how it all ties together. Novik draws on her Polish heritage and adds in fantasy elements that delight and terrorize in all the right places.

Miryem is the daughter of a Jewish moneylender. When she takes over the collections and does a much better job of it than her father ever did, she attracts the attention of a Staryk lord. The Staryk raid the land of men and steal gold, so when their lord hears Miryem boasting that she can turn silver to gold, he takes her.

Irina is the daughter of a duke, relegated to a cold bedroom at the top of the house with her old nurse. But her father manages to marry her off to the tsar, and puts her life in jeopardy by doing so. Irina knows that the tsar is the son of a witch and suspects him of sorcery. Even being the tsarina will not be enough to save her if he decides he is tired of her.

How do the lives of a kidnapped Jewess with a talent for making money and a young noblewoman who was never out of her father's keeping become intertwined? What do the Staryk, the tsar, and the state of the kingdom have in common? And after all the plots and counter-plots, who will be left alive at the end? You will have to read to find out.

Highly recommended for YA readers who enjoy reimagined fairy tales. This is a combination of Rumpelstiltskin and other elements that fantasy readers will want to hoard like dragon's gold.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Well, it sure does have a beautiful cover!
Unfortunately, this book wasn't the best fit for me. Although, I did really enjoy the basics of the story being told, most of the characters, the plot was good, the diversity of character and strong wills of the female leads, all of these things were very, very good and quite enjoyable. However, I didn't enjoy the authors writing style making it less pleasant of a reading experience. It made this one of the hardest reviews I've written so far. I was into the story enough to keep going to find out what everyone was doing and how they all fit into the story but just had to struggle a bit to get through it.
All that aside, this story takes different characters who are on very different paths in life yet with some very important similarities. The fables, myths, and legends used to make this story happen are terrific and the author does have an extreme talent in bringing these to life. You will find heartache, love, brutality, compassion, fire and ice and so much more. The story is told from the perspective of a whole lot of different characters so you have to read a little bit of each section to figure out who it is exactly at some points.
I won't give the story away and I would recommend you read this one for yourself and see how you feel about this book and the writing. It's a great story, I just wasn't a fan of the writing style myself.

Full disclosure, I listened to this one on Audible. And I would HIGHLY recommend that, as the narrator does a stunning job. But more about that later. First, a review of the story itself:

I didn’t know if I’d like this one as much as I liked UPROOTED, but to much delight and surprise, I actually liked this one even more. Miriam, Wanda, and Irina are complex, strong characters who were well developed and fulfilling to follow as they each went on their growth journeys. And they did grow — so much! They’re everything I could ask for in female protagonists.
The “villains” of this tale are also complex and unexpected. I normally don’t love this many viewpoints in a book, especially new ones introduced late in the game, but I was surprisingly fine with it this time. Once again, I was totally entranced by Novik’s worldbuilding and found myself wanting to linger there longer. I enjoyed the theme of maternal love woven throughout this sprawling, adventurous tale. And I’m always a sucker for a good Hades/Persephone retelling, so this was deeply satisfying in that regard.

I especially loved the voice of Chernobog. Novik and the narrator in the audio version really make the whole experience so creepy and so deliciously compelling. Do yourself a favor and listen to the audio. But even if you don’t, this story is still magical and well constructed and the characters will stick with you long after you finish.

***4.5 STARS***

PLOT

I'm not quick to say I have a type when it comes to books or anything for that matter however, this slower paced wintry read seems to fall in line with some of my favorites (think The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden or The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco). Spinning Silver is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, an adult fantasy that takes on real life hard hitting issues (please see Content Warnings above) while weaving a tale about debts owed and the relentless winter that is plaguing the land. A tale about three daughters left to pay the price of bad decisions made by their fathers. Their lives intertwined--Miryem, Wanda, and Irinushka have every odd set against them in a world that would soon rather have them married and birthing children than in a position of power.

CHARACTERS

Told through multiple points of view, we start off with Miryem who loves her father for the good man that he is but recognizes how terrible he is as a money lender. Miryem and her family are struggling in poverty while those in the village that have borrowed from her father continue to prosper whilst not paying their debts. Money lending runs in the family & just like her grandfather Miryem has a knack for collecting from those that owe her. She sets out to settle the books and quickly makes a turnaround of their fate. However, she also manages to capture the attention of the Staryk King aka Lord Winter himself. The Staryk believes Miryem may have the power to transform silver into gold and promises her his hand in marriage if after his 3 visits, she has made into gold all of the silver he brings her. Each load he drops off being impossibly larger than the last because deep down inside, this Staryk King doesn't see Miryem as a worthy Queen. Meanwhile, Miryem's "Cold" approach seems to match the Satryk King quite well IMO ?

Wanda works for Miryem's family tending to the house-chores and any manual labor. Miryem teaches Wanda her #'s and takes her long when collecting monies owed. In Miryem's home, Wanda learns what love looks like and it isn't the daily beatings she gets at the hands of her alcoholic father. Sort of an adoptive daughter, Wanda finds herself looking after Miryem's parents and plays an important role later on in the story. I really love Wanda's character, she's someone who if shown even a little love to, will honestly go hard for you. We see this play out with her own brothers which made her scenes so heartfelt

Irinushka daughter of royals, Irinushka's father has already promised her hand to a Tsar as a way to gain political favor. The Tsar has a deep dark secret he's keeping & is the reason for which he has yet married and produced an heir. There's a ton of pressure on Irinushka & instead of succumbing to it, we see an intellectual rise up and make some interesting power plays. Irinushka is a natural at politics

There are also a slew of supporting characters that come in throughout the story. Many are memorable like Irinushka's Nana of sorts who raised her and only wants to see her happy. We also travel a bit with Wanda's brothers. In the Staryk King's world we meet a different kind of people who at first come off as cold hearted but end up being quite the opposite

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

There are very few books I've come across with the power to transport me from the very first page. Usually it takes some settling in and getting to know the world a bit. Spinning Silver however is already set-up and literally feels like opening the door in the back of the closet that leads you to Narnia. These make for some of my favorite reads and linger behind even after I've closed the book. At times this book was heavy on the heart with scenes of violence in Wanda's home. Seeing her & her siblings being physically hurt mercilessly and the fear they carried was tough to get through. Paired with the very different home life of Miryem and the love her family has for one another made for a deeper connection to these characters lives. We see a village deeply rooted in antisemitism, Miryem is Jewish and is seen honoring the Sabbath even in the most undesirable circumstances. In the background we have the threat of an endless Winter and we see the effects it takes on the people. I only docked it half a star because we get so many POV's throughout & although it was written in a way so as to not make it overwhelming, it still felt like I could do without some. I found myself wanting to get back to certain fave characters quicker than others but that is not unheard of in a multi-POV story. Overall, I highly reccomend this spell-binding tale over a cup of hot Cocoa or Tea ?

This was an awesome book that is a mixture of Rumpelstiltskin and Russian folktales. I absolutely loved Miryem, the main protagonist. When her mother becomes sick she takes over her father's job of moneylender and is 100% better at actually collecting on their clients debts. Clients who despise her and her family for the fact that they are Jewish. One day she boasts that she can change silver into gold and catches the attention of the Staryk king. The Staryk are fae who travel through the winter forest around Miryem's village. What I loved about Miryem was how strong and intelligent she is about how she deals with the Staryk and with the villagers. I also loved the other characters like Irina who is used by her father who is a duke as a pawn to gain power in the Russian nobility, and Wanda whose father is abusive and places little to no value on her life. All of these women have to take control of their lives in a world that tries to stop them from doing just that. I love how their stories are spun together with each other and with magic. It makes for a very engaging tale, that I highly recommend. In fact I am going to check out her other books because I loved this one so much.

Some fairy tale retellings find realistic explanations for what was originally magic. This book is unusual in providing more and deeper and stranger magic than "Rumplestilstkin," while providing a painfully realistic analogue for the miller's daughter, complete with a significantly more sympathetic father. Novik weaves this tale together with several others, one of which I suspect has its own fairy or folk tale roots. Her vivid descriptions, her well-drawn characters, and her suspenseful plot threads all combine for an enthralling story.

One of Novik's strengths is the way she allows relationships between characters to evolve, and we see that strength displayed throughout this book.

There are quite a few POV characters, and Novik doesn't bother to label them when she changes from one to another, but it never took more than a sentence or two for me to figure out which was which.

There is a plot-critical magical convergence in this story, never explained, and perhaps not needing any explanation beyond the activity of magic.

I found the resolutions of the various intertwined plot-and-character arcs quite satisfying.

ovik is working at the summit of her powers with this strong, female-centered epic. She easily matches the achievements of Katherine Arden, Robin McKinley and Jane Yolen with this retelling of a classic fairy tale - Rumpelstiltskin - layered with history and a feminist spin. Her account of Miryem the money-lender's life in the shtetl is absorbing enough, even before she attracts the attention of the gold craving Staryk and strikes a bargain that she is determined to see through to the very end. Her servant Wanda has her own destiny to discover and Irina the Duke's daughter, bred to be a trophy wife, may just remake herself into a ruler. Magic seamlessly blends with religion as Miryem's Judaism, Wanda's Catholicism, Irina's rigid class status all influence our heroines' growing powers and changing natures. Novik is a lush wordsmith who plays with multiple perspectives and plotlines and grows her fantasy from the roots of many tales, fairy, history and found. The reader will need to read every word of this long volume, pay attention and embrace Novik's world building - this is the sort of read where if focus is lost, the whole construction goes down. Take the ride, it's worth it!

Spinning Silver
By
Naomi Novik

What it's all about...

Three young women who don’t seem to have a connection end up with a powerful connection that will unite them forever. This is not an ordinary retelling of Rumpelstiltskin but rather a story of cold chilling power, demons, and three young women who are willing to fight for others. Irina, Wanda and Miryem...one noble, one an underdog and one a money lender. All have special talents. When they come together...their force is a mighty one.

Why I wanted to read it...

I love this author’s work...plain and simple. It’s incredible.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

I loved each girl’s story...I even loved the Staryk...the sort of ice creatures that ruled. I loved the adventure. I loved the world that everyone lived in and I loved the ending.

Why you should read it, too...

Readers who want a harsh yet beautiful fantasy...well...those readers will love this book!

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, Edelweiss and the store. It was my choice to read it and review it.

If you’ve read and enjoyed her previous work, all you need to know is that Spinning Silver will not disappoint. Set in another carefully constructed world, the magic anchored by very real human and not-so-human characters, Spinning Silver delights by weaving together elements from familiar stories – fairy tales and fantasy alike – into a new and delightful whole, far greater than the sum of its parts. Unlike her previous novels, here the first person narrative switches from character to character, seamlessly coming together to tell an engrossing, well-paced tale. The heart of this story is the coming-of-age of the three strong young female leads, their powers and abilities each developing in unique ways, surrounded by the intertwining relationships of friendship, family and love.

This fantasy novel about the braided destinies of three resourceful young women draws on elements of Eastern European fairy tales to create a legend all its own. In a twist on the story of Rumpelstiltskin, a Jewish moneylender's daughter in an alternate-history 19th-century Lithuanian village is kidnapped by the king of the Staryk, sinister ice fairies who want her to turn their enchanted silver into gold. Meanwhile, her peasant housekeeper finds heroism thrust upon her as she strives to protect her young brothers from their abusive father. Their adventures intersect with a reluctant tsarina trying to save her people from the fae's perpetual winter spell. Multiple narrative viewpoints weave a complex tapestry of conflicting loyalties that are ingeniously resolved. Though the book ends, as a good fairy tale should, with some romantic happy-ever-after's, the primary narrative thread is how the three girls grow into their unchosen obligations and become brave leaders.

About a century ago, my great grandfather enjoyed a tiny bit of fame among the Yiddish speaking community in the Bronx for his satirical takes on old Jewish folk tales. I've always regretted that I can't read them -- when I can find them in translation, I know I'm missing out on a lot of the texture and humor. I also find them difficult to relate to, because they highlight perspectives of and on society, and society has changed. They still mean a lot to me, but it's difficult to imagine anyone outside the circle of my family getting much out of them today.

Spinning Silver feels like what I've been missing. It's set in the long-ago, but it is a fresh perspective. This isn't a clever retread of a dusty old fairy tale; it's is a complex, sophisticated piece of modern speculative fiction. It just happens to also be a folk tale.

Do yourself a favor and try the audiobook with Lisa Flanagan. Folk tales are meant to be performed, and she does a lovely job of bringing the characters and the world to life.

The only thing better than a good fairy tale is a good fairy tale with a strong cast of heroines. Naomi Novik has turned Rumplestiltskin on its ear by introducing us to Miryem, a Jewish money lender who breaks tradition by taking over her father's business and creating a reputation for herself: she can turn silver into gold.

Spinning Silver is filled with complex characters, unpredictable twists and turns and magic. Naomi Novik's story held me in enchantment the very beginning. She weaves a magic spell over the reader and then makes you want to stay in the book forever. Easily one of the best books I've read this year, I will be recommending this to everyone I know.

Like a good fairy tale, Spinning Silver begins with a strong foundation of historical fiction. Miryem is a moneylender's daughter in the Jewish ghetto of a small town. She takes over her father's accounts while still a young girl in order to put food on the table, thus "turning silver to gold." Wanda is the daughter of a spendthrift, who is thrilled to work off her father's debt to Miryem's family because it will mean freedom from her father's abuse. Irina is a plain Duke's daughter who feels she is a disappointment to her father because she will not be attractive enough to bring him a powerful alliance. Hard lives in a hard world.
But... there is another world that sometimes overlaps this one. A silvery road, the Staryk road, glimmers into existence in the forest, and sometimes knights from that icy kingdom ride it to raid for human gold, destroying all obstacles in their path. And they have heard of a girl who turns silver into gold....
This is but the beginning to a rich and layered tale of survival, adaptation, debt and payment, family, heartbreak and flickers of love and hope. The author tells the story through the eyes of her characters, mostly from the three girls' viewpoints, but occasionally from more minor characters, including Wanda's little brother, and Irina's elderly nanny. These changes in viewpoint help create an intricate tapestry of experience, adding still more depth to the story. An emotionally involving, complex and beautifully written story. Highly recommended.

This was a very interesting story. It sort of has a rumplestilsken vibe to it but it is very different. I liked the different POV's in the book (there are 5) but I wish there was a better transition between them. There was a noticeable separation but it didn't identify who's POV you were reading; you had to figure it out as you read.

All of the characters who's POV we read from were very different and each had different but sometimes overlapping motivations. They were each courageous in their own ways and did what they thought was right. I really loved how it all came together in the end.

While I did have moments where, when I wasn't reading it, I didn't feel the need to pick it up again, I did get into the story while I was reading it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy and fairy tales.

I received an ARC from the author/publisher during BookCon but all opinions are my own.

I think I will borrow a word or two from another reviewer. "Slow and prodding" is very aptly descriptive of this story. At times I just wanted to quit reading because it was so slow to become borderline tedious. However, I am glad I stuck with it because I intrigued with the cleverness and ingenuity of the three main female characters. I actually rooted for the Winter King because I sensed there was more to him than just a lust for gold. I was pleasantly surprised by the final outcomes. I wont put any spoilers in my review because they were cleverly done.
This story is written in the style of old folktales and that too kept me reading. I loved the winter descriptions and imagery. The author had a way of making me feel the cold and so, in my mind this was a good successful story and worth the read. I did like it a lot! I will be reading more of this author's work.

Just to put it out there: I was not a huge fan of Uprooted, feeling like it fell to easily into the "powerful-magic girl is innately talented and gets hard-working, mean, magical Heathcliff to fall for her." I was very hesitant about even trying Spinning Silver because despite her ability to create a cool world in Uprooted, I fell like she just relied on tired tropes. And a world is nothing if the characters in it are caricatures.

Delighted to say that Spinning Silver is an amazing book with fascinating and complex (and very different) female characters across culture, class, age, and more. The worldbuilding is evocative and the voices of all the characters feel so fresh and unique. I ended up adoring this book.

If I had one quibble it would be that the chapter breaks might not be terribly clear (as soon as you're a paragraph in though, you recognize the character voice and can orient yourself but there were a couple of times where I didn't understand the segue)

I really loved Uprooted and pre-ordered Spinning Silver as soon as I could. If I could say something to my past self just before I was about to open Spinning Silver, it would be, "Lower your expectations."

Spinning Silver is very slow. It is told in first person, but the perspective is shared between about six characters - I can't remember exactly how many, and I think about half of them were pretty unnecessary. The middle 250 or so pages are a slog. The magic is just kind of there - not woven into the fabric of the world like in Uprooted or even explained. I wish I could say the ending was worth it, but it wasn't. The romance is even worse than in Uprooted. And it was pretty bad in Uprooted.

When I finished Uprooted, I told everyone I knew about that book, but I won't be doing that for Spinning Silver.

Spinning Silver
Naomi Novik is one of my favorite authors, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to review her book before it's released. "Spinning Silver" takes the reader on a journey of imagination and tells the story of three overlooked but very strong heroines. Maryem, the main character, must take on adult responsibilities because her father cannot collect the money he's lent to others. She discovers a strength she didn't she had, and becomes an expert at "changing silver into gold" - otherwise known as capitalism! But her skills at making money bring her to the attention of a creature who will challenge her and force her to make difficult decisions, discover an inner strength and create a family that loves and supports her. This story turns the fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin inside out and expands the universe.

I received a copy of this book on NetGalley as a library professional offering an honest review.

I'm not a huge fan of fantasy, but I read it from time to time. And I enjoyed this book for about the first 400 pages. The placement in a Slavic country with a plot line partially based upon a Jewish moneylender's family gave it a bit of historical grounding, and the characters and their behavior -- even the fantastic characters and their behavior -- were fun. However, toward the end it reminded me of nothing so much as some Tchaikovsky symphonies -- every time you think it's going to end, there's another part, and when that ends, there's another part, and so on. I don't know if it was intentional or inadvertent padding, but I got to the point where I couldn't take it any more, and in fact I really didn't care what happened to the characters, so I skimmed the last 66 pages.

In Spinning Silver, Novik has produced what will surely be the hit of the summer with fans of fantasy and fairytales. She has taken the bones from multiple folk and fairy tales and built them into a wholly original and compelling skeleton of a story that is told from several perspectives. Typically in a story with so many protagonists, a couple of them suffer from poor characterization and neglect. No so here. Every character has a role to play, whether it’s our “Queens” Mirayem and Irina or little Stepon or old Magreta, all provide the threads that Novik weaves into a luscious, fascinating story. The base story of Rumpelstiltskin where a maiden must turn straw (in this case, silver) to gold is the foundation of the tale, but Novik weaves elements of European folktales in all over the place. The mountain of glass, the neverending battle between fire and ice/summer and winter, even the moneylender from Shakespeare gets a nod. Oddly enough, the archtype that kept coming to mind towards the end was of the holiday cartoon characters Heat Miser and Cold Miser. The last few chapters could have been that cartoon reworked as an action/adventure movie.

I do hope there’s some editing done before the final version is published. It was just a bit too long - around 80% through I started skimming through to the end. Some of the build up to Mirayem’s turning the massive amounts of silver to gold could be trimmed, as could some of the early chapters. The real action happens in the last quarter, which is where I started to get impatient. Otherwise, this is sure to be on all the “Best of” lists for 2018. Very well done and recommended.

I hadn't read such a consistently inventive fantasy as "Uprooted" in a long, long time, so I jumped at the chance to read "Spinning Silver" as soon as it hit the library shelf. The author takes the fairy tale of a dwarf who could spin straw into gold, and sets the straw on fire. I missed the humor that was a prominent feature in "Uprooted" but her characters are intelligently developed and made me want to follow them through the sometimes confusing switches to multiple different points-of-view.

The setting is Medieval Russian and the three main heroines are a duke's daughter, a peasant, and a Jewess. Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, and she finally takes on her soft-hearted father's collection duties when she realizes that her family is slowly starving to death. With Miryem at the helm, her family begins to prosper. Unfortunately, she is overheard bragging that she can turn silver into gold, and the supernatural King of the Staryk sets her three tasks, all involving her unusual talent. If she succeeds, she will become his bride. If she fails---well this alternative is almost more palatable than marriage to the icy Winter King.

Meanwhile, the local duke's daughter snags an even more horrible marital prospect. If Miryem is likely to freeze on her wedding night, Irina is likely to burn.

How Miryem, Irina, and the peasant girl, Wanda join in the final confrontation between fire and ice is an exciting tale, well-told, although the 'and they lived happily ever after' is a leetle too pat.

What is it about?

Miryem's father is a money lender, but he is too passive to collect any of the payments that are due. Miryem takes over the collecting business when her mother gets sick and there isn't enough wood for the fireplace or food for the table. She finds that she is surprising good at it, and she's also good at trading goods in nearby towns. When the Winter King overhears her bragging about turning silver into gold he decides to make her prove it or regret it. 

Meanwhile, the winters have been getting longer and harder for the last seven years. It's up to Miryem to find a way to stop the Winter King from taking everything she loves including her spring and summers. 

Was it good?

I thought the story was absolutely fascinating. I really liked the three main women characters, but I think some of the other perspectives didn't always enhance the story. Personally I could have done without Stepon or Mirnatius, since most of their story could have been told from the girl's perspective.

The perspectives change frequently. There is always a little symbol but it doesn't tell you who is telling the story now, but it was usually easy to figure out. 

It's really great that this is a one book story. It's so nice to be able to start and finish something in one book, and I honestly think the author did a great job about telling the story without skipping anything important or dragging anything out. It was the perfect length of well told story. 

If you haven't yet encountered the writing of Naomi Novik, then you are in for a treat. Rich world building, complex characters, and a story that grows and deepens as it goes to always keep you eager to find out how it all ties together. Novik draws on her Polish heritage and adds in fantasy elements that delight and terrorize in all the right places.

Miryem is the daughter of a Jewish moneylender. When she takes over the collections and does a much better job of it than her father ever did, she attracts the attention of a Staryk lord. The Staryk raid the land of men and steal gold, so when their lord hears Miryem boasting that she can turn silver to gold, he takes her.

Irina is the daughter of a duke, relegated to a cold bedroom at the top of the house with her old nurse. But her father manages to marry her off to the tsar, and puts her life in jeopardy by doing so. Irina knows that the tsar is the son of a witch and suspects him of sorcery. Even being the tsarina will not be enough to save her if he decides he is tired of her.

How do the lives of a kidnapped Jewess with a talent for making money and a young noblewoman who was never out of her father's keeping become intertwined? What do the Staryk, the tsar, and the state of the kingdom have in common? And after all the plots and counter-plots, who will be left alive at the end? You will have to read to find out.

Highly recommended for YA readers who enjoy reimagined fairy tales. This is a combination of Rumpelstiltskin and other elements that fantasy readers will want to hoard like dragon's gold.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Well, it sure does have a beautiful cover!
Unfortunately, this book wasn't the best fit for me. Although, I did really enjoy the basics of the story being told, most of the characters, the plot was good, the diversity of character and strong wills of the female leads, all of these things were very, very good and quite enjoyable. However, I didn't enjoy the authors writing style making it less pleasant of a reading experience. It made this one of the hardest reviews I've written so far. I was into the story enough to keep going to find out what everyone was doing and how they all fit into the story but just had to struggle a bit to get through it.
All that aside, this story takes different characters who are on very different paths in life yet with some very important similarities. The fables, myths, and legends used to make this story happen are terrific and the author does have an extreme talent in bringing these to life. You will find heartache, love, brutality, compassion, fire and ice and so much more. The story is told from the perspective of a whole lot of different characters so you have to read a little bit of each section to figure out who it is exactly at some points.
I won't give the story away and I would recommend you read this one for yourself and see how you feel about this book and the writing. It's a great story, I just wasn't a fan of the writing style myself.

Full disclosure, I listened to this one on Audible. And I would HIGHLY recommend that, as the narrator does a stunning job. But more about that later. First, a review of the story itself:

I didn’t know if I’d like this one as much as I liked UPROOTED, but to much delight and surprise, I actually liked this one even more. Miriam, Wanda, and Irina are complex, strong characters who were well developed and fulfilling to follow as they each went on their growth journeys. And they did grow — so much! They’re everything I could ask for in female protagonists.
The “villains” of this tale are also complex and unexpected. I normally don’t love this many viewpoints in a book, especially new ones introduced late in the game, but I was surprisingly fine with it this time. Once again, I was totally entranced by Novik’s worldbuilding and found myself wanting to linger there longer. I enjoyed the theme of maternal love woven throughout this sprawling, adventurous tale. And I’m always a sucker for a good Hades/Persephone retelling, so this was deeply satisfying in that regard.

I especially loved the voice of Chernobog. Novik and the narrator in the audio version really make the whole experience so creepy and so deliciously compelling. Do yourself a favor and listen to the audio. But even if you don’t, this story is still magical and well constructed and the characters will stick with you long after you finish.

***4.5 STARS***

PLOT

I'm not quick to say I have a type when it comes to books or anything for that matter however, this slower paced wintry read seems to fall in line with some of my favorites (think The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden or The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco). Spinning Silver is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, an adult fantasy that takes on real life hard hitting issues (please see Content Warnings above) while weaving a tale about debts owed and the relentless winter that is plaguing the land. A tale about three daughters left to pay the price of bad decisions made by their fathers. Their lives intertwined--Miryem, Wanda, and Irinushka have every odd set against them in a world that would soon rather have them married and birthing children than in a position of power.

CHARACTERS

Told through multiple points of view, we start off with Miryem who loves her father for the good man that he is but recognizes how terrible he is as a money lender. Miryem and her family are struggling in poverty while those in the village that have borrowed from her father continue to prosper whilst not paying their debts. Money lending runs in the family & just like her grandfather Miryem has a knack for collecting from those that owe her. She sets out to settle the books and quickly makes a turnaround of their fate. However, she also manages to capture the attention of the Staryk King aka Lord Winter himself. The Staryk believes Miryem may have the power to transform silver into gold and promises her his hand in marriage if after his 3 visits, she has made into gold all of the silver he brings her. Each load he drops off being impossibly larger than the last because deep down inside, this Staryk King doesn't see Miryem as a worthy Queen. Meanwhile, Miryem's "Cold" approach seems to match the Satryk King quite well IMO ?

Wanda works for Miryem's family tending to the house-chores and any manual labor. Miryem teaches Wanda her #'s and takes her long when collecting monies owed. In Miryem's home, Wanda learns what love looks like and it isn't the daily beatings she gets at the hands of her alcoholic father. Sort of an adoptive daughter, Wanda finds herself looking after Miryem's parents and plays an important role later on in the story. I really love Wanda's character, she's someone who if shown even a little love to, will honestly go hard for you. We see this play out with her own brothers which made her scenes so heartfelt

Irinushka daughter of royals, Irinushka's father has already promised her hand to a Tsar as a way to gain political favor. The Tsar has a deep dark secret he's keeping & is the reason for which he has yet married and produced an heir. There's a ton of pressure on Irinushka & instead of succumbing to it, we see an intellectual rise up and make some interesting power plays. Irinushka is a natural at politics

There are also a slew of supporting characters that come in throughout the story. Many are memorable like Irinushka's Nana of sorts who raised her and only wants to see her happy. We also travel a bit with Wanda's brothers. In the Staryk King's world we meet a different kind of people who at first come off as cold hearted but end up being quite the opposite

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

There are very few books I've come across with the power to transport me from the very first page. Usually it takes some settling in and getting to know the world a bit. Spinning Silver however is already set-up and literally feels like opening the door in the back of the closet that leads you to Narnia. These make for some of my favorite reads and linger behind even after I've closed the book. At times this book was heavy on the heart with scenes of violence in Wanda's home. Seeing her & her siblings being physically hurt mercilessly and the fear they carried was tough to get through. Paired with the very different home life of Miryem and the love her family has for one another made for a deeper connection to these characters lives. We see a village deeply rooted in antisemitism, Miryem is Jewish and is seen honoring the Sabbath even in the most undesirable circumstances. In the background we have the threat of an endless Winter and we see the effects it takes on the people. I only docked it half a star because we get so many POV's throughout & although it was written in a way so as to not make it overwhelming, it still felt like I could do without some. I found myself wanting to get back to certain fave characters quicker than others but that is not unheard of in a multi-POV story. Overall, I highly reccomend this spell-binding tale over a cup of hot Cocoa or Tea ?

This was an awesome book that is a mixture of Rumpelstiltskin and Russian folktales. I absolutely loved Miryem, the main protagonist. When her mother becomes sick she takes over her father's job of moneylender and is 100% better at actually collecting on their clients debts. Clients who despise her and her family for the fact that they are Jewish. One day she boasts that she can change silver into gold and catches the attention of the Staryk king. The Staryk are fae who travel through the winter forest around Miryem's village. What I loved about Miryem was how strong and intelligent she is about how she deals with the Staryk and with the villagers. I also loved the other characters like Irina who is used by her father who is a duke as a pawn to gain power in the Russian nobility, and Wanda whose father is abusive and places little to no value on her life. All of these women have to take control of their lives in a world that tries to stop them from doing just that. I love how their stories are spun together with each other and with magic. It makes for a very engaging tale, that I highly recommend. In fact I am going to check out her other books because I loved this one so much.

Some fairy tale retellings find realistic explanations for what was originally magic. This book is unusual in providing more and deeper and stranger magic than "Rumplestilstkin," while providing a painfully realistic analogue for the miller's daughter, complete with a significantly more sympathetic father. Novik weaves this tale together with several others, one of which I suspect has its own fairy or folk tale roots. Her vivid descriptions, her well-drawn characters, and her suspenseful plot threads all combine for an enthralling story.

One of Novik's strengths is the way she allows relationships between characters to evolve, and we see that strength displayed throughout this book.

There are quite a few POV characters, and Novik doesn't bother to label them when she changes from one to another, but it never took more than a sentence or two for me to figure out which was which.

There is a plot-critical magical convergence in this story, never explained, and perhaps not needing any explanation beyond the activity of magic.

I found the resolutions of the various intertwined plot-and-character arcs quite satisfying.

ovik is working at the summit of her powers with this strong, female-centered epic. She easily matches the achievements of Katherine Arden, Robin McKinley and Jane Yolen with this retelling of a classic fairy tale - Rumpelstiltskin - layered with history and a feminist spin. Her account of Miryem the money-lender's life in the shtetl is absorbing enough, even before she attracts the attention of the gold craving Staryk and strikes a bargain that she is determined to see through to the very end. Her servant Wanda has her own destiny to discover and Irina the Duke's daughter, bred to be a trophy wife, may just remake herself into a ruler. Magic seamlessly blends with religion as Miryem's Judaism, Wanda's Catholicism, Irina's rigid class status all influence our heroines' growing powers and changing natures. Novik is a lush wordsmith who plays with multiple perspectives and plotlines and grows her fantasy from the roots of many tales, fairy, history and found. The reader will need to read every word of this long volume, pay attention and embrace Novik's world building - this is the sort of read where if focus is lost, the whole construction goes down. Take the ride, it's worth it!

Spinning Silver
By
Naomi Novik

What it's all about...

Three young women who don’t seem to have a connection end up with a powerful connection that will unite them forever. This is not an ordinary retelling of Rumpelstiltskin but rather a story of cold chilling power, demons, and three young women who are willing to fight for others. Irina, Wanda and Miryem...one noble, one an underdog and one a money lender. All have special talents. When they come together...their force is a mighty one.

Why I wanted to read it...

I love this author’s work...plain and simple. It’s incredible.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

I loved each girl’s story...I even loved the Staryk...the sort of ice creatures that ruled. I loved the adventure. I loved the world that everyone lived in and I loved the ending.

Why you should read it, too...

Readers who want a harsh yet beautiful fantasy...well...those readers will love this book!

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, Edelweiss and the store. It was my choice to read it and review it.

If you’ve read and enjoyed her previous work, all you need to know is that Spinning Silver will not disappoint. Set in another carefully constructed world, the magic anchored by very real human and not-so-human characters, Spinning Silver delights by weaving together elements from familiar stories – fairy tales and fantasy alike – into a new and delightful whole, far greater than the sum of its parts. Unlike her previous novels, here the first person narrative switches from character to character, seamlessly coming together to tell an engrossing, well-paced tale. The heart of this story is the coming-of-age of the three strong young female leads, their powers and abilities each developing in unique ways, surrounded by the intertwining relationships of friendship, family and love.

This fantasy novel about the braided destinies of three resourceful young women draws on elements of Eastern European fairy tales to create a legend all its own. In a twist on the story of Rumpelstiltskin, a Jewish moneylender's daughter in an alternate-history 19th-century Lithuanian village is kidnapped by the king of the Staryk, sinister ice fairies who want her to turn their enchanted silver into gold. Meanwhile, her peasant housekeeper finds heroism thrust upon her as she strives to protect her young brothers from their abusive father. Their adventures intersect with a reluctant tsarina trying to save her people from the fae's perpetual winter spell. Multiple narrative viewpoints weave a complex tapestry of conflicting loyalties that are ingeniously resolved. Though the book ends, as a good fairy tale should, with some romantic happy-ever-after's, the primary narrative thread is how the three girls grow into their unchosen obligations and become brave leaders.

About a century ago, my great grandfather enjoyed a tiny bit of fame among the Yiddish speaking community in the Bronx for his satirical takes on old Jewish folk tales. I've always regretted that I can't read them -- when I can find them in translation, I know I'm missing out on a lot of the texture and humor. I also find them difficult to relate to, because they highlight perspectives of and on society, and society has changed. They still mean a lot to me, but it's difficult to imagine anyone outside the circle of my family getting much out of them today.

Spinning Silver feels like what I've been missing. It's set in the long-ago, but it is a fresh perspective. This isn't a clever retread of a dusty old fairy tale; it's is a complex, sophisticated piece of modern speculative fiction. It just happens to also be a folk tale.

Do yourself a favor and try the audiobook with Lisa Flanagan. Folk tales are meant to be performed, and she does a lovely job of bringing the characters and the world to life.

The only thing better than a good fairy tale is a good fairy tale with a strong cast of heroines. Naomi Novik has turned Rumplestiltskin on its ear by introducing us to Miryem, a Jewish money lender who breaks tradition by taking over her father's business and creating a reputation for herself: she can turn silver into gold.

Spinning Silver is filled with complex characters, unpredictable twists and turns and magic. Naomi Novik's story held me in enchantment the very beginning. She weaves a magic spell over the reader and then makes you want to stay in the book forever. Easily one of the best books I've read this year, I will be recommending this to everyone I know.

Like a good fairy tale, Spinning Silver begins with a strong foundation of historical fiction. Miryem is a moneylender's daughter in the Jewish ghetto of a small town. She takes over her father's accounts while still a young girl in order to put food on the table, thus "turning silver to gold." Wanda is the daughter of a spendthrift, who is thrilled to work off her father's debt to Miryem's family because it will mean freedom from her father's abuse. Irina is a plain Duke's daughter who feels she is a disappointment to her father because she will not be attractive enough to bring him a powerful alliance. Hard lives in a hard world.
But... there is another world that sometimes overlaps this one. A silvery road, the Staryk road, glimmers into existence in the forest, and sometimes knights from that icy kingdom ride it to raid for human gold, destroying all obstacles in their path. And they have heard of a girl who turns silver into gold....
This is but the beginning to a rich and layered tale of survival, adaptation, debt and payment, family, heartbreak and flickers of love and hope. The author tells the story through the eyes of her characters, mostly from the three girls' viewpoints, but occasionally from more minor characters, including Wanda's little brother, and Irina's elderly nanny. These changes in viewpoint help create an intricate tapestry of experience, adding still more depth to the story. An emotionally involving, complex and beautifully written story. Highly recommended.

This was a very interesting story. It sort of has a rumplestilsken vibe to it but it is very different. I liked the different POV's in the book (there are 5) but I wish there was a better transition between them. There was a noticeable separation but it didn't identify who's POV you were reading; you had to figure it out as you read.

All of the characters who's POV we read from were very different and each had different but sometimes overlapping motivations. They were each courageous in their own ways and did what they thought was right. I really loved how it all came together in the end.

While I did have moments where, when I wasn't reading it, I didn't feel the need to pick it up again, I did get into the story while I was reading it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy and fairy tales.

I received an ARC from the author/publisher during BookCon but all opinions are my own.

I think I will borrow a word or two from another reviewer. "Slow and prodding" is very aptly descriptive of this story. At times I just wanted to quit reading because it was so slow to become borderline tedious. However, I am glad I stuck with it because I intrigued with the cleverness and ingenuity of the three main female characters. I actually rooted for the Winter King because I sensed there was more to him than just a lust for gold. I was pleasantly surprised by the final outcomes. I wont put any spoilers in my review because they were cleverly done.
This story is written in the style of old folktales and that too kept me reading. I loved the winter descriptions and imagery. The author had a way of making me feel the cold and so, in my mind this was a good successful story and worth the read. I did like it a lot! I will be reading more of this author's work.

Just to put it out there: I was not a huge fan of Uprooted, feeling like it fell to easily into the "powerful-magic girl is innately talented and gets hard-working, mean, magical Heathcliff to fall for her." I was very hesitant about even trying Spinning Silver because despite her ability to create a cool world in Uprooted, I fell like she just relied on tired tropes. And a world is nothing if the characters in it are caricatures.

Delighted to say that Spinning Silver is an amazing book with fascinating and complex (and very different) female characters across culture, class, age, and more. The worldbuilding is evocative and the voices of all the characters feel so fresh and unique. I ended up adoring this book.

If I had one quibble it would be that the chapter breaks might not be terribly clear (as soon as you're a paragraph in though, you recognize the character voice and can orient yourself but there were a couple of times where I didn't understand the segue)

I really loved Uprooted and pre-ordered Spinning Silver as soon as I could. If I could say something to my past self just before I was about to open Spinning Silver, it would be, "Lower your expectations."

Spinning Silver is very slow. It is told in first person, but the perspective is shared between about six characters - I can't remember exactly how many, and I think about half of them were pretty unnecessary. The middle 250 or so pages are a slog. The magic is just kind of there - not woven into the fabric of the world like in Uprooted or even explained. I wish I could say the ending was worth it, but it wasn't. The romance is even worse than in Uprooted. And it was pretty bad in Uprooted.

When I finished Uprooted, I told everyone I knew about that book, but I won't be doing that for Spinning Silver.

Spinning Silver
Naomi Novik is one of my favorite authors, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to review her book before it's released. "Spinning Silver" takes the reader on a journey of imagination and tells the story of three overlooked but very strong heroines. Maryem, the main character, must take on adult responsibilities because her father cannot collect the money he's lent to others. She discovers a strength she didn't she had, and becomes an expert at "changing silver into gold" - otherwise known as capitalism! But her skills at making money bring her to the attention of a creature who will challenge her and force her to make difficult decisions, discover an inner strength and create a family that loves and supports her. This story turns the fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin inside out and expands the universe.

I received a copy of this book on NetGalley as a library professional offering an honest review.

No matter how tricky it is to read at times, FINISH THE BOOK. I love how beautifully Novik created her characters. Miryem is a force of nature and is not to be reckoned with. I love how the POV switches to Step on sometimes and he describes what is happening as it is. Panova Mandelstam is a DARLING. This would have been five stars if not for the tricky political stuff in the middle. Otherwise it was absolutely brilliant

Spinning Silver is one of the best retellings of an old fairy tale that I've read in a while. It was a vacation read and I had a really hard time of leaving it alone. The characters are very strong and the tale itself is well written.The setting was so well created that you imagine what it looks like while reading. I love the way the girls in this story start to stand up for themselves and make choices that better their lives but also see some of the fixes they get themselves in and out of. The ending was perfect!

I loved this book, perhaps more than Uprooted! This is the story of Miryam, Wanda, and Irina, and how their actions shape the world. I loved the lush and vivid descriptions, the strong character building, the amazing women, and the magical feel of a fairytale sprinkled over it all. The plot twists and turns and I had no idea what to expect, but I loved each new thing I discovered along the way. Highly recommend!

I adored this book. With 6 unique POVs, 3 of which are young women, I was initially concerned that the story could be repetitive, however all 3 of the main protagonists have their own unique character arc and voice. This is a fairy-tale type story, however I appreciated how all the characters fit within a plausible scenario for the time period which this is set. Novik does not shy away from the inherent prejudices that each would encounter in that time period, and incorporates the time period into her narrative, instead of simply using it as a setting.

I would recommend this to all fantasy fans, and even some historical fiction fans who would appreciate the Folk Tale elements.

Spinning Silver is a very fine read. My expectations were high for the sequel to Uprooted and I’m very pleased with what Naomi Novik has crafted. (Note - Uprooted is the book I recommend most, by far.)

Miryem is my favorite of this new host characters, with her determination. This time, the view point shifts among many individuals. The change isn’t explicitly indicated, so it can throw you off sometimes, but it really isn’t a problem. I also found the various magics of the book very satisfying. Finally, I need to commend the setting. The Jewish experience eastern Europe’s past isn’t something I would normally end up reading, and it works very nicely as a fantasy setting.

I received a free copy of this at Denver's comic-con, but I will be buying a hard bound copy for my collection.

I loved this book. It is a perfect blend of fairytale you know with eastern European culture and fable. This author creates strong female characters and lets you live and experience their world right besides them. I loved the shifting perspective between different characters to tell the story. Pay for the audible, it is worth it to bring the people to life.

The writing pulls you into the story and moves quickly. Naomi Novik does a great job making you feel the emotions of the characters. This story has several "main" characters with different view points that come together throughout the story. It's loosely based on Rumplestiltskin, but original enough to feel like a new story. Definitely an engaging read!

Most fantasy books are so predictable these days, and are rather dull for it. Suitable for a younger audience, yet still feels more grown up than other books. Strong, realistic characters. None are perfect. Well written females, not swooning, wishy washy idiots. I love a good fairy tale, plot twists I did not see coming, and characters that stay with me... and this one delivers a true book hangover.

Sure, there may be 3 heroines in the story with their different perspectives, but not a single one of them have any personality at all. Yeah there wasn’t any damsel in distress or swooning moments, but 2 of the 3 girls honestly weren’t really nice at all. I hate the storylines that tell women that the only way to be boss is to be a b*tch. It’s simply not true.

I want a confident heroine, who also knows when it’s ok to be vulnerable. I think Naomi missed the mark with these 3 gals, but in “uprooted” I felt like she toes that line better. Girls, you can be awesome and boss and still not be nasty, they do not have to go hand in hand. Many authors haven’t figured out this balance, so I’m not shocked that it wasn’t found here either. Overall, I loved uprooted, but was definitely disappointed in this novel.

I’ve read two of Naomi Novik’s books: Uprooted and now Spinning Silver. I enjoyed Uprooted but Spinning Silver is now on my all-time favorites list.

And admit, the ending made me tear up.

NPR’s Amal El-Mohtar has the analysis: “the main narrative engine is deep, loving friendships and alliances between women, taken several steps further here as they discuss and debate their circumstances, values, and loyalties.“

I adored Uprooted, thinking that the character development, fantastical storyline, and rich descriptions would entail an equally engrossing sequel. I had wanted to like Spinning Silver, but midway through the book, I started just skipping many pages of lengthy, tedious descriptions of everyone's day to day (rather perhaps focusing on the character's thoughts or relationships to make readers care about them more). The plot was extremely slow and only started picking up at the very end. What also irked me was that none of the characters were likable. Both Miryem and Irina transitioned from innocent, desperate girls into cold calculating murderers and manipulators (and the transition never became plausible). Wanda was just a dull character on whom the author went on multiple pages on her knitting abilities at one point (I don't know, I started skipping). I suppose the author wanted to honor her Jewish roots, but some instances it appeared heavy handed and the religious tone became overly preachy.

Uprooted accomplished the narrative of a spunky brave heroine much better as someone who faced terrible odds but through intellect and courage, persevered. The transition of bitter antagonism to tender romance in the novel was more believable, and you can root for the characters. In Spinning Silver, it felt I was reading a Darwinian saga of attempted matricide, and I would have been fine if no one made it by the end of the last page.

This book was difficult and slow to read. Yet it was worth it too. I loved this story a whole lot. The characters were interesting and I loved this world so so very much. Some parts were not perfect, though, and I had a few small issues. Even so, Spinning Silver is a four star for me. It was a book I liked a lot. Happy that I read it.

I shall try my best not to share spoilers in this review. But there are some things I need to talk about, with the characters and the romance and such. Nothing big, though, only a few small details. This book took me days to finish, because it was so slow to read and with tons of words, but was worth the time it took to finish it.

Though I must also say that I did not love the writing in this one. I felt connected to the world and the characters, and I loved that. But this writing was so messy. And it bothered me a whole lot of times. Many mistakes included, and just not written all that very good either. Hurt my head a little to read it all. Yet this book was pretty much magic, with the plot and the characters. And so it is still a four star for me. I'm not sure, though, that I would ever be able to re-read it. But it was good. And I am glad that I have read it. It's also all kinds of gorgeous looking. This is a story about three young women. Miryem and Wanda and Irina. The book is told from all of their point of views. A bit messy, and without knowing who's mind I'm in when their parts starts. A bit annoying.

We get to know these three girls a lot, though. Shall try my best to share a little bit about each of them. Though this book is long, and we get to know all of them pretty well, and there is so much to know about each of them. I shall not share even most of it. Though I will admit that I wanted to know even more about all of them, haha. And I wish that the ending had been longer. Felt like I deserved a longer ending, after having spent so long having read all of the book, lol. But it was good too. Just, could have been perfect.

Anyway. The first girl we get to know if Miryem. She lives with her mom and dad in a very small town. Her father is a moneylender. He has given money to everyone in town, and he has been letting them all get away with not paying him back. And so this small family is starving and freezing. Until Miryem decides she has had enough. So she starts going door to door, slowly getting their money back. The town may hate her for it, but she is doing what is fair, what they deserved. Oh, how I liked Miryem. She was great.

There is so much more to her story, though. Her story also involves fairies. The Staryk. They are a people living in their winter kingdom, and they are often in towns to steal gold. Their king ends up hearing about Miryem, how she can turn silver into gold. How she has been making her town pay her family back. And now he is at her door, demanding that she turn his silver into gold. And so she does. And her reward for doing so is pretty great. And awful. And all kinds of interesting and awesome. Loved it a lot, to be honest.

And yet there is more to her story. I'm not going to share much more of it. Her family is Jews, and that plays a bit part in this book too, and I liked that a lot. Her story features a lot of magic. And I loved that too. But mostly I loved the Staryk king who came to her. I loved reading about him. And I wish she had treated him a bit better at times. I mean, yeah, he was pretty cold and kind of awful at times. But I loved him, haha. And he was protecting his people. I wish there had been more romance. Sigh. I needed that.

Then there was Wanda. She was a girl who ended up working for Miryem in their small town. She helped her collect the money from those who had borrowed from her father. And oh, the story of Wanda ruined my heart a lot. She was such an amazing girl. But she had had such an awful life. Her mother died some years ago, and she has two brothers, Sergey and Stepon. Their father was a drunk and he beat them and abused them and oh, it was hard to read about. They were also poor. And my heart just ached for them.

There is not all that much to say about Wanda. She was so great to get to know. But she doesn't really have a big journey in this book. She is always there, but more as a background person. I loved her so, though. And I loved how she changed a little in this book. How she grew more confident. We see some point of view of her younger brother Stepon too. And that had a bunch of messy writing that bothered me. Sigh. But I did adore that boy. But I will admit that reading his chapters were simply painful to get through.

And then there was Irina. She is the daughter of a Duke in a town a little bit away from the other girls. She is not beautiful. And she does not think she will end up with a good life. But then Miryem is coming to this town with faerie silver that is getting melted down to jewellery for the duke. And this is a bit thing for Irina. Her future is changed; she is now to marry the Tsar. A boy only a little bit older than her. A boy that she believes is a sorcerer. So much happens with this. Both good and bad. And so exciting too. Loved all of it.

But gosh, I'm conflicted about how I felt about Irina. At times I loved her so much. But at other times she was a bit too cruel and treated the world a bit too harshly. I did not really approve of most of her choices. Ack. And getting to know the tsar she married, Mirnatius, was all kinds of awesome. I grew to love him so much. Yet she treats him badly, and never makes up for it, and ugh. Could have been such an amazing romance. But it was not, not on page. And I am very disappointed. He was such a complicated character.

This book a little bit dark. A little bit hopeful. And full of magic. I loved this world that was created a whole lot. And I loved reading about it. The story was interesting and exciting. I liked most of the characters a whole bunch. I loved how all of the characters were connected. Connected by magic too. There is so so much about this book that I have not shared. And I am not going to. Already written way more than I was going to, haha. I simply could not stop writing about all of these characters and my feelings for all of them.

But I did not like how the romance was. I was expecting there to be romance and love in this story. There was not. Not even kisses. I mean, there are two marriages early on. Yet no kissing. No sleeping together. Seriously? I am so tired of reading books where characters get married, historical time periods, yet they always cheat out of them sleeping together. So tired of that. And then there was just about zero romance as well. I did not approve. Sigh. I shipped them. Small hints. But nothing big. Nothing of what I wanted.

But even so. Spinning Silver was a stunning read. Exciting and beautiful, and filled with characters that I adored. But it also had some issues. And I did not love all of it. But I am glad that I read this book. Huge thank you to Penguin Random House International for sending me the free ARC copy of this book to read and review. I am so curious to know what the rest of you think of this book. You must let me know. This is also my second book by Naomi, I sadly did not like Uprooted all that much, years ago. Though many did.

---

This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books.

*Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy!*

This story could be loosely summed up as a Rumplestiltskin tale— a girl who can turn silver into gold. It is so much more, though, showing strong female characters dealing with anti-Semitism, poverty, arranged marriages, relationship building and more. All this is woven into a compelling story line. The only thing holding me back from giving it five stars was that the world-building wasn’t as strong as it could have been; I didn’t have a clear sense of how the Staryk world operated in relation to the mortal world. Overall, a wonderful read.

As with Uprooted, Naomi Novik transports you to a magical new world in Spinning Silver. I think that she’s a brilliant story teller and can hardly believe that she equaled Uprooted here. A wonderful story, I’m jealous that you have it to discover!

I love pretty much everything Naomi Novik writes, so perhaps I'm biased. This novel, told through several characters, is a delightful blend of many different fairy tales (Rumplestiltskin for one) into something unique. I highly reccommend it!

I read Uprooted and liked it enough to read twice but I LOVED Spinning Silver! The female characters were strong and smart and had excellent problem solving skills but I also liked Wanda's brothers and Miryem's father.
This is one of those books that you enjoy reading so much that you don't want it to end. It was just magical! I have been recommending it to friends and family.

while not nearly as good as the author's previous book set sort of in this world, uprooted, this was really well written and had great fairy tale mythology woven in. definitely recommended if you liked uprooted or maybe catherynne valente's deathless or katherine arden's winternight trilogy (both have some similar russian themed fairy tale elements and awesome female protagonists)

I loved this novel. Fairy tale fantasy is my jam, so this punched all my buttons, especially given the strong female leads. However, I couldn’t give it five stars, because the narrative was just ever so slightly too slow and had too many voices. Three would have been plenty, but adding an additional three halfway through was jarring and slowed down the plot to the point where I started getting restless.

What a wild roller coaster of a tale of two not so beautiful women wed to monsters! Fascinating from beginning to conclusion centered around women who were strong because they needed to be. I already want to read it again.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak, a fantastic retelling of a fairy tale into a story for adults. Novak continues to draw you into her world with believable problems and relatable people. Can't wait for more from her pen.

This was delicious and a pure delight to read. No book has filled me with such satisfaction since N K Jemison's Broken Earth series. It takes a bit to understand the shifts in POV, but each voice gains in insight and complexity as it tells that character's portions of this tale. It leads you on to the next challenge or revelation while immersing you in narratives that speak to the most universal of life's experiences retold as fantasy. I can't recommend a book more highly. Read this book. If you're disappointed, the fault lies in you.

Another amazing fairytale-esque novel from Novik. Spinning Silver borrows from Jewish folktales, Russian folktales, and Rumplestiltskin to beautiful effect. It's a bit broader in scope than Uprooted, with a bigger cast and multiple viewpoint characters, all of whom I really enjoyed. Magic is left to be mysterious in this one, not something to be studied and learned, which made for a dreamlike tone for a lot of the book. I really enjoyed it!

No matter how tricky it is to read at times, FINISH THE BOOK. I love how beautifully Novik created her characters. Miryem is a force of nature and is not to be reckoned with. I love how the POV switches to Step on sometimes and he describes what is happening as it is. Panova Mandelstam is a DARLING. This would have been five stars if not for the tricky political stuff in the middle. Otherwise it was absolutely brilliant

Spinning Silver is one of the best retellings of an old fairy tale that I've read in a while. It was a vacation read and I had a really hard time of leaving it alone. The characters are very strong and the tale itself is well written.The setting was so well created that you imagine what it looks like while reading. I love the way the girls in this story start to stand up for themselves and make choices that better their lives but also see some of the fixes they get themselves in and out of. The ending was perfect!

I loved this book, perhaps more than Uprooted! This is the story of Miryam, Wanda, and Irina, and how their actions shape the world. I loved the lush and vivid descriptions, the strong character building, the amazing women, and the magical feel of a fairytale sprinkled over it all. The plot twists and turns and I had no idea what to expect, but I loved each new thing I discovered along the way. Highly recommend!

I adored this book. With 6 unique POVs, 3 of which are young women, I was initially concerned that the story could be repetitive, however all 3 of the main protagonists have their own unique character arc and voice. This is a fairy-tale type story, however I appreciated how all the characters fit within a plausible scenario for the time period which this is set. Novik does not shy away from the inherent prejudices that each would encounter in that time period, and incorporates the time period into her narrative, instead of simply using it as a setting.

I would recommend this to all fantasy fans, and even some historical fiction fans who would appreciate the Folk Tale elements.

Spinning Silver is a very fine read. My expectations were high for the sequel to Uprooted and I’m very pleased with what Naomi Novik has crafted. (Note - Uprooted is the book I recommend most, by far.)

Miryem is my favorite of this new host characters, with her determination. This time, the view point shifts among many individuals. The change isn’t explicitly indicated, so it can throw you off sometimes, but it really isn’t a problem. I also found the various magics of the book very satisfying. Finally, I need to commend the setting. The Jewish experience eastern Europe’s past isn’t something I would normally end up reading, and it works very nicely as a fantasy setting.

I received a free copy of this at Denver's comic-con, but I will be buying a hard bound copy for my collection.

I loved this book. It is a perfect blend of fairytale you know with eastern European culture and fable. This author creates strong female characters and lets you live and experience their world right besides them. I loved the shifting perspective between different characters to tell the story. Pay for the audible, it is worth it to bring the people to life.

The writing pulls you into the story and moves quickly. Naomi Novik does a great job making you feel the emotions of the characters. This story has several "main" characters with different view points that come together throughout the story. It's loosely based on Rumplestiltskin, but original enough to feel like a new story. Definitely an engaging read!

Most fantasy books are so predictable these days, and are rather dull for it. Suitable for a younger audience, yet still feels more grown up than other books. Strong, realistic characters. None are perfect. Well written females, not swooning, wishy washy idiots. I love a good fairy tale, plot twists I did not see coming, and characters that stay with me... and this one delivers a true book hangover.

Sure, there may be 3 heroines in the story with their different perspectives, but not a single one of them have any personality at all. Yeah there wasn’t any damsel in distress or swooning moments, but 2 of the 3 girls honestly weren’t really nice at all. I hate the storylines that tell women that the only way to be boss is to be a b*tch. It’s simply not true.

I want a confident heroine, who also knows when it’s ok to be vulnerable. I think Naomi missed the mark with these 3 gals, but in “uprooted” I felt like she toes that line better. Girls, you can be awesome and boss and still not be nasty, they do not have to go hand in hand. Many authors haven’t figured out this balance, so I’m not shocked that it wasn’t found here either. Overall, I loved uprooted, but was definitely disappointed in this novel.

I’ve read two of Naomi Novik’s books: Uprooted and now Spinning Silver. I enjoyed Uprooted but Spinning Silver is now on my all-time favorites list.

And admit, the ending made me tear up.

NPR’s Amal El-Mohtar has the analysis: “the main narrative engine is deep, loving friendships and alliances between women, taken several steps further here as they discuss and debate their circumstances, values, and loyalties.“

I adored Uprooted, thinking that the character development, fantastical storyline, and rich descriptions would entail an equally engrossing sequel. I had wanted to like Spinning Silver, but midway through the book, I started just skipping many pages of lengthy, tedious descriptions of everyone's day to day (rather perhaps focusing on the character's thoughts or relationships to make readers care about them more). The plot was extremely slow and only started picking up at the very end. What also irked me was that none of the characters were likable. Both Miryem and Irina transitioned from innocent, desperate girls into cold calculating murderers and manipulators (and the transition never became plausible). Wanda was just a dull character on whom the author went on multiple pages on her knitting abilities at one point (I don't know, I started skipping). I suppose the author wanted to honor her Jewish roots, but some instances it appeared heavy handed and the religious tone became overly preachy.

Uprooted accomplished the narrative of a spunky brave heroine much better as someone who faced terrible odds but through intellect and courage, persevered. The transition of bitter antagonism to tender romance in the novel was more believable, and you can root for the characters. In Spinning Silver, it felt I was reading a Darwinian saga of attempted matricide, and I would have been fine if no one made it by the end of the last page.

This book was difficult and slow to read. Yet it was worth it too. I loved this story a whole lot. The characters were interesting and I loved this world so so very much. Some parts were not perfect, though, and I had a few small issues. Even so, Spinning Silver is a four star for me. It was a book I liked a lot. Happy that I read it.

I shall try my best not to share spoilers in this review. But there are some things I need to talk about, with the characters and the romance and such. Nothing big, though, only a few small details. This book took me days to finish, because it was so slow to read and with tons of words, but was worth the time it took to finish it.

Though I must also say that I did not love the writing in this one. I felt connected to the world and the characters, and I loved that. But this writing was so messy. And it bothered me a whole lot of times. Many mistakes included, and just not written all that very good either. Hurt my head a little to read it all. Yet this book was pretty much magic, with the plot and the characters. And so it is still a four star for me. I'm not sure, though, that I would ever be able to re-read it. But it was good. And I am glad that I have read it. It's also all kinds of gorgeous looking. This is a story about three young women. Miryem and Wanda and Irina. The book is told from all of their point of views. A bit messy, and without knowing who's mind I'm in when their parts starts. A bit annoying.

We get to know these three girls a lot, though. Shall try my best to share a little bit about each of them. Though this book is long, and we get to know all of them pretty well, and there is so much to know about each of them. I shall not share even most of it. Though I will admit that I wanted to know even more about all of them, haha. And I wish that the ending had been longer. Felt like I deserved a longer ending, after having spent so long having read all of the book, lol. But it was good too. Just, could have been perfect.

Anyway. The first girl we get to know if Miryem. She lives with her mom and dad in a very small town. Her father is a moneylender. He has given money to everyone in town, and he has been letting them all get away with not paying him back. And so this small family is starving and freezing. Until Miryem decides she has had enough. So she starts going door to door, slowly getting their money back. The town may hate her for it, but she is doing what is fair, what they deserved. Oh, how I liked Miryem. She was great.

There is so much more to her story, though. Her story also involves fairies. The Staryk. They are a people living in their winter kingdom, and they are often in towns to steal gold. Their king ends up hearing about Miryem, how she can turn silver into gold. How she has been making her town pay her family back. And now he is at her door, demanding that she turn his silver into gold. And so she does. And her reward for doing so is pretty great. And awful. And all kinds of interesting and awesome. Loved it a lot, to be honest.

And yet there is more to her story. I'm not going to share much more of it. Her family is Jews, and that plays a bit part in this book too, and I liked that a lot. Her story features a lot of magic. And I loved that too. But mostly I loved the Staryk king who came to her. I loved reading about him. And I wish she had treated him a bit better at times. I mean, yeah, he was pretty cold and kind of awful at times. But I loved him, haha. And he was protecting his people. I wish there had been more romance. Sigh. I needed that.

Then there was Wanda. She was a girl who ended up working for Miryem in their small town. She helped her collect the money from those who had borrowed from her father. And oh, the story of Wanda ruined my heart a lot. She was such an amazing girl. But she had had such an awful life. Her mother died some years ago, and she has two brothers, Sergey and Stepon. Their father was a drunk and he beat them and abused them and oh, it was hard to read about. They were also poor. And my heart just ached for them.

There is not all that much to say about Wanda. She was so great to get to know. But she doesn't really have a big journey in this book. She is always there, but more as a background person. I loved her so, though. And I loved how she changed a little in this book. How she grew more confident. We see some point of view of her younger brother Stepon too. And that had a bunch of messy writing that bothered me. Sigh. But I did adore that boy. But I will admit that reading his chapters were simply painful to get through.

And then there was Irina. She is the daughter of a Duke in a town a little bit away from the other girls. She is not beautiful. And she does not think she will end up with a good life. But then Miryem is coming to this town with faerie silver that is getting melted down to jewellery for the duke. And this is a bit thing for Irina. Her future is changed; she is now to marry the Tsar. A boy only a little bit older than her. A boy that she believes is a sorcerer. So much happens with this. Both good and bad. And so exciting too. Loved all of it.

But gosh, I'm conflicted about how I felt about Irina. At times I loved her so much. But at other times she was a bit too cruel and treated the world a bit too harshly. I did not really approve of most of her choices. Ack. And getting to know the tsar she married, Mirnatius, was all kinds of awesome. I grew to love him so much. Yet she treats him badly, and never makes up for it, and ugh. Could have been such an amazing romance. But it was not, not on page. And I am very disappointed. He was such a complicated character.

This book a little bit dark. A little bit hopeful. And full of magic. I loved this world that was created a whole lot. And I loved reading about it. The story was interesting and exciting. I liked most of the characters a whole bunch. I loved how all of the characters were connected. Connected by magic too. There is so so much about this book that I have not shared. And I am not going to. Already written way more than I was going to, haha. I simply could not stop writing about all of these characters and my feelings for all of them.

But I did not like how the romance was. I was expecting there to be romance and love in this story. There was not. Not even kisses. I mean, there are two marriages early on. Yet no kissing. No sleeping together. Seriously? I am so tired of reading books where characters get married, historical time periods, yet they always cheat out of them sleeping together. So tired of that. And then there was just about zero romance as well. I did not approve. Sigh. I shipped them. Small hints. But nothing big. Nothing of what I wanted.

But even so. Spinning Silver was a stunning read. Exciting and beautiful, and filled with characters that I adored. But it also had some issues. And I did not love all of it. But I am glad that I read this book. Huge thank you to Penguin Random House International for sending me the free ARC copy of this book to read and review. I am so curious to know what the rest of you think of this book. You must let me know. This is also my second book by Naomi, I sadly did not like Uprooted all that much, years ago. Though many did.

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This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books.

*Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy!*

This story could be loosely summed up as a Rumplestiltskin tale— a girl who can turn silver into gold. It is so much more, though, showing strong female characters dealing with anti-Semitism, poverty, arranged marriages, relationship building and more. All this is woven into a compelling story line. The only thing holding me back from giving it five stars was that the world-building wasn’t as strong as it could have been; I didn’t have a clear sense of how the Staryk world operated in relation to the mortal world. Overall, a wonderful read.

This book was beautifully written and atmospheric. It truly felt like reading a fairytale.
I really enjoyed Miryem and Wanda's perspectives. Both of their characters, traits and motives were so strong, I think this book is more successful than Uprooted in terms of characterization.

As with Uprooted, Naomi Novik transports you to a magical new world in Spinning Silver. I think that she’s a brilliant story teller and can hardly believe that she equaled Uprooted here. A wonderful story, I’m jealous that you have it to discover!

I love pretty much everything Naomi Novik writes, so perhaps I'm biased. This novel, told through several characters, is a delightful blend of many different fairy tales (Rumplestiltskin for one) into something unique. I highly reccommend it!

I read Uprooted and liked it enough to read twice but I LOVED Spinning Silver! The female characters were strong and smart and had excellent problem solving skills but I also liked Wanda's brothers and Miryem's father.
This is one of those books that you enjoy reading so much that you don't want it to end. It was just magical! I have been recommending it to friends and family.

while not nearly as good as the author's previous book set sort of in this world, uprooted, this was really well written and had great fairy tale mythology woven in. definitely recommended if you liked uprooted or maybe catherynne valente's deathless or katherine arden's winternight trilogy (both have some similar russian themed fairy tale elements and awesome female protagonists)

3.5
I loved the Jewish Rep and I loved Miryem and I hated the staryk.
My first ever netgalley. Thank you so much to the publisher!
I liked this book, but I did struggle a bit getting through it at times. There were some narrators I felt we’re a little dragging out the plot and I would have liked to hear more about Irina at the end, but I did like how the story ended for my fave Miryem.
(Also I hated the Staryk so much I have issues with blind evil so...) ALSO WANDA IS A BABE ❤️

The constant shifting of the narrative took a lot away from the story. I think it would’ve been much better if it was told by the perspective of maybe one or two people. Exciting concepts not a fan of the execution

I feel guilty writing a review because I could not read another page after 30 (!). I read a LOT amd really liked her last book, but this one just did not fire for me. It also smacked of being preachy and religious. Both a killer for me. Glad I got to read (or not) it for free.

This book was beautifully written and atmospheric. It truly felt like reading a fairytale.
I really enjoyed Miryem and Wanda's perspectives. Both of their characters, traits and motives were so strong, I think this book is more successful than Uprooted in terms of characterization.

I love love looove Noviks writing! It is like magic, her words breathe life to the story so vividly and beautifully. This story had so many twists that I did not anticipate and was so much more complex than I had thought it would be and it was so GREAT.

Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver is one of the best books I've read this year! Fans of The Bear and the Nightingale will love it!

The story weaves together the lives of three young women who join forces to try to save their world from being overcome by fire or by ice. It's part fantasy, part fairy tale, wholly captivating!

What I Liked

Many stories woven together. The genius of this novel is that it brings so many different elements of fairytales, myths and legends together in a seamless fabric that feels cohesive and convincing. The concept of turning silver into gold, derived from the tale of Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin, is reimagined as Miryem’s talent for earning money and then eventually morphs into an ability to actually physically turn silver into gold. The cottage from Hansel and Gretel even makes a cameo as as a mysteriously uninhabited house in the woods that provides its occupants with whatever they need. When you add to that the imaginative characters of the Staryk lords of winter and the fire demon pitted against them, there was a good mix of both familiar and more obscure myths to add magic and allure to this novel.

Strong female protagonists. There are three young women at the center of the story – all very different and yet very relatable in their own way: Miryem, the wily and determined daughter of moneylenders, Irina, the plain but tenacious daughter of a lord, and Wanda, the peasant girl wanting to provide stability for herself and her brothers. I gravitated most towards Miryem’s character. She definitely has a dominating presence in the novel compared to the other two women and I found her drive, intelligence and independence very compelling. Irina was slightly less interesting initially but becomes more captivating in the second half of the novel, as her portion of the story ramps up. I found Wanda to provide a good counterpoint through her impoverished reality and completely different life experiences, which gave her chapters a unique tone.

Winter setting. I ended up reading this novel between the end of August and early September, while summer was still very much in full swing. The story is set in a wonderful winter landscape, however. The cold and the winter season really are their own characters, who Miryem and the others are often struggling against. From the white enigmatic Staryk road that winds itself through the trees, to their kingdom of ice and frost, to the neverending winter that cloaks Miryem’s village and the woods around it, this is the kind of novel that should really be read with a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and a fuzzy blanket over your lap. If you’re thinking of reading Spinning Silver, I would wait until fall is in full swing or even until winter begins before doing so, to have the perfect setting.

What I Didn't Like

Pace and confusing at times. This could easily have been a 5 star book for me, but unfortunately I found that the pace of the novel really dragged at times, particularly in the middle. Novik’s beautiful writing made up for this in part, but I still found myself wanting to skim to get to some actual action. There were inner monologues for some of the characters that felt overdone and repetitive, and in particular the chapters from the point of view of Wanda’s brother Stepon felt slower and less impactful than the other chapters. I love novels that have alternating narrators but I think Novik overdid it in this case. Having the different voices changing chapter to chapter did play into the ‘woven together’ theme of the book, but the narrator would sometimes change three times within a single chapter and without an introduction as to who was speaking in each portion of the text. It was overall needlessly confusing.

Final Verdict

Set in a transporting winter landscape, Spinning Silver is the adult version of a fairytale with all the magic of the ones you’ll recall from your childhood but the depth and complexity given by adult characters written for grown-up readers.

Spinning Silver is the second book I have read by Naomi Novik, and once again I fell in love with her characters and storytelling. You guys, I spent weeks savoring this book because I did not want it to end. Naomi Novik’s gift of writing is enchanting, mesmerizing, and overall, purely a magical experience.

Told in multiple points-of-view, Spinning Silver weaves together the fairy-tale features of “Rumpelstiltskin” with a new tale of female empowerment. Multiple characters provide details of their surroundings but their narratives are intricately bounded and immersed into one main story. At times the storytelling can become so complex and dense that you have to pay attention to detail to acknowledge whose point of view you are reading. But overall the pacing is executed so well, which allows the narration to mirror a theatrical experience.

In the end, I highly recommend that if you love fantastical fairy-tale retellings, you have to read Spinning Silver. I loved that there are multiple villains in this novel, and both of them are just as sharp and biting as the wintery setting. I admired the idea that romance and relationships are not taken lightly in this book; the fierce female characters make sure that love and respect are earned. Overall, Spinning Silver is a slow-burning fantasy that interweaves rich magic, cunning and bold female protagonists, and antagonists that teeter on being morally gray, and in all honestly, this book was a delectable morsel to read.

This is the ultimate proof that Uprooted was not a fluke. Naomi Novik taps yet again into the rich, multiethnic folklore of her ancestral lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to spin an incredible, riveting tale that blasts stereotypes and flips traditional gender roles upside-down.

What makes Spinning Silver so intriguing is the way traditional folklore stories, characters and elements are reread and retold from a modern perspective until they are almost unrecognisable. Take the Jewish moneylender who is too kind-hearted to collect his debts. Or the peasant girl who prefers to work for a Jew rather than stay with her abusive, alcoholic father. Or the mousy bride who refuses to be submit to her destiny as a meek wife and instead faces danger head-on to protect what she holds dearest. Rather than sticking to social norm, everyone is given the chance to be whoever they want and make whatever they can out of their lives. Stereotypes are blasted out of the sky with dark glee across the book. There is something immensely liberating in this.

Consequently (and very much unlike traditional folklore), there is no one truly good and no one truly evil in the novel. Everyone is flawed, everyone is somewhat broken, everyone makes mistakes, and everyone seeks to protect what they love and treasure in the only way they know. There is so much humanity in Spinning Silver that it reminds me of a novel by Stefan Zweig.

Gender roles—like everything else—are flipped upside-down. Instead of strong men who save damsels in distress, Spinning Silver has strong women who rescue somewhat colourless and apathetic men. This strong feminist undercurrent has nothing to do with modern-day feminism though. Spinning Silver’s women need to be strong because they have no other choice—having been failed by the men in their lives, they either need to take control or end up being treated worse than cattle.

I have to say that Spinning Silver has been an immensely pleasant surprise. When it came out in 2015, Uprooted was such a success that it managed to sweep—or at least make the shortlists—of every major sci fi and fantasy award across the globe. I did not quite expect the author to be able to repeat this feat any time soon, in particular, with the same folklore theme and a Polish-Lithuanian setting. My surprise is therefore all the more sweeter, as I consider Spinning Silver to be the better and more mature novel of the two, with better characterisation and stronger message. The only question is if Naomi Novik is perhaps setting the bar too high for herself this time?

Spinning Silver

Naomi Novik

Del Rey, Jul 2018

480 pages, Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audible book

Fantasy, Fairy retales

✭✭✭✭✭

Library loan

The cover is quite fascinating. I had to keep looking at it while I was reading the book to see if this or that was actually shown on the cover. There is a lot on there. Lots of frost crystals that almost look like the outline of a city skyline in one place, lots of falling silver coins that pass through the young woman’s hands and turn to gold coins, a sack of silver coins that I imagine represent the Staryk King’s treasure that he wanted to be changed to gold, and the image of the Staryk King. The illustration at the bottom is pretty good for a glass mountain.

The story itself is part original fantasy story and part old fairy tales rehashed and given a new look. I’m sure we’re all familiar with the Brothers Grimm and their poor overworked maidens. Turning silver or anything else into gold is nothing new. BUT, the way Ms. Novik uses the gold and the bargaining over its transformation is new. Here we have three major women; Miryem, a young Jewess daughter of a moneylender; Irina, a duke’s daughter with a touch of Staryk blood in her; and Wanda, a poor girl who’s the daughter of a drunken bully who owes Miryem’s father money.

The characters are all just normal people who get caught up in extraordinary times and can either give up or rise to the occasion. Well, half of the characters are ordinary. The other half are either Staryks or a demon. Staryks are winter people, and they are a fierce race. The demon is a hot demon and hates the Staryk people. While the humans are just afraid of them both.

The pace is pretty good throughout. There are times when things are happening fast and you just have to keep up. Then there are times when you’re just wandering along in someone’s thoughts and it seems a bit slow, but that doesn’t last too long and it does give you an in-depth feel for the character as well as setting up what happens later on. The tension throughout the story is excellent and I hated to put the book down to go to bed when I was on page 399 of 466. So the next morning I was at it with my breakfast and read until I was finished. Then I immediately started my review, which is not my usual way of doing things. Typically, I write an outline and let it sit for several days, then turn it into a full review. This one wouldn’t wait. A great fantasy novel in almost 500 pages, a standalone, with a happy ending…WOW! I had to share it right away. It’s not Young Adult, but it’s not beyond the reading abilities of that age range if they’re good comprehensive readers. You have to be able to keep the changing point of view, sometimes within a chapter, straight so that you know who’s who and what’s going on. The author uses mostly those three women I spoke of to tell the story. But there is nothing to tell you who it is when the point of view changes. One reviewer whose review I read said something about icons; but in the library version that I read, I saw no sign of icons for each speaker. Once I got into the book a little way, I had no trouble telling who was speaking. I have every intention of finding the author’s other standalone, Uprooted, to read soon. And I think I’ll give her Tremeraire series a try as well.

Highly Recommended

LOVE it! Magical. Haunting. Each character is so distinct and so beautifully written. Kept thinking about this book for weeks after finishing it. Pretty sure this will end up being a "classic" for me and my family.

This book doesn't disappoint and without giving any spoilers away, I have to say that I finished the book satisfied with the ending. I've read both this and Uprooted (another great story by the same author) and I am looking forward to her next book.

"Spinning Silver" perfectly blends the structure of a modern novel, with the feel and prose of an old fairytale. It is certainly of less romantic artistry than "Uprooted", filled as it is with characters and creatures of seemingly cooler temperaments, set against a bitter backdrop of snow and poverty.

I enjoyed the unique perspectives of the different P.O.V characters, each written with their own distinct voice. This is definitely one of the more original retellings I've come across, especially in how the balance between modern fantasy novel and fairytale retelling is maintained.

Spinning Silver is well-written, exciting, and beautifully executed; I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

I believe fans of Katherine Arden's "The Bear and the Nightingale", or Helene Wecker's "The Golem and the Djinni", might also enjoy this.

Ms. Novik has once again written a fascinating tale that draws in the reader from the very first page. A fairy tale told from the perspectives of three very different women that are each amazingly real. I had to stay up till it was done. My only complaint (besides not enough sleep) is that now it will seem like an interminable wait for the next creation of Ms. Novik.

All of the hours and or so point of view switches can be dizzying, and perhaps the book is a bit longer and wordier than entirely necessary, but it's a beautiful piece of writing. Completely worth the effort.

I did not think it would be possible to top Uprooted, but she does it. Serious examination of prejudice and tribalism that is so relevant to our times. Wonderful characters. Strong, compelling female characters. Novik is tops in my read list.

As much as I enjoyed the Temeraire series, I think Novik has risen to a higher level with Uprooted and, especially, Spinning Silver. This book seems most to be about three major themes: (1) what it is like to actually live in a fairy tale (but where ‘happily ever after’ usually turns into ‘be careful what you wish for’), (2) the importance of family (and how big a difference it makes to have family members who care about you instead of trying to sell you for power or riches or at least free booze), and (3) slamming different worlds together and seeing what falls out (which might be a fire demon or might be a nice lesson in patterned weaving).

The book clearly takes a great deal of initial inspiration from Rumpelstiltskin, but then veers off in a very different direction, while still pulling in elements from other tales. When the fleeing young people come across an abandoned cottage with a giant oven and...well, not candy but at least some semi-edible potatoes), the experienced fairy tale reader will be screaming at the page for the characters to get the heck out of there....