Spin the Dawn — Teen Review

Maia Tamarin has always been an excellent tailor, following in her father’s footsteps with thread and needle. But while her aspirations reach sky-high, her reality is potentially having to marry the loathsome son of a baker in order to keep her broken family afloat. She’s fully prepared to face her fate until an opportunity comes knocking on her door. Posing as her brother to go compete in the court for the position of imperial tailor with several other skilled tailors, Maia must complete various impossible trials of silk and satin while concealing her identity as a girl to secure her appointment and make a decent living.

Spin the Dawn, based upon the fairy tale that tells of a seamstress who was challenged to create three dresses of the sun, moon, and stars, perfectly captures the mystical air around the original story by incorporating elements of it into in-world legends. After Maia is challenged to do the same, the author sets her on a journey to gather the materials she needs with her magician love interest, whose romantic moments with her eventually turn cloying to the reader. Lim paints a beautiful, Asian-culture inspired artwork of a world with a brush dipped in lavishness and illusions around every corner.

4.5 stars.