Reviews

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

maskofthedawn's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

wildflower_magic's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book had me obsessed since I started it. I loved the odes to fairy tales, and the subtle ones had me hanging on every word to find more comparisons. The characters were fascinating and I loved the multiple point of view setup. 

bookish_emily's review

5.0

Spinning Silver weaves a tale of magic, resilience, love, leadership, and family through the eyes of myriad interconnected people struggling to survive a harsh winter made worse by the Staryk, a people made of ice and snow. Among them are Miryem, a young Jewish woman rescuing her father's moneylending business from ruin; Irina, a duke's daughter thrust into the spotlight as a result of her Staryk ancestry; and Wanda, hardworking daughter of an abusive father fighting to protect herself and her brothers. Naomi Novik does an amazing job of bringing these characters and their feelings to life in a story inspired by Rumpelstiltskin and other Polish folk tales. Spinning Silver grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go!

bookph1le's review

2.0

Suuuuuuper disappointed in this book. After reading and absolutely adoring Uprooted, I could hardly wait to get my hands on this one, so I was so let down. Will try to post a more complete review.

finestgreen's review

2.0

Getting through this was a long slog. Too many point of view characters with too little distinction, too little reason for curiousity

foxybooktalk's review

Naomi Novik is just not for me

krln's review

4.0

I didn’t expect to love this book so much! It felt very different, not sure if its because of the Slavic roots or something else. I must say I felt like sone of the characters or character dynamics couldve been a little more fleshed out - like I loved them but I felt there couldve been more scenes or something because I feel like this was just the minimum to show their interactions but nothing more. Obviously it wasnt that bad or I wouldve given a worse rating though.

Oh and I felt like the chapters couldve said the name of the character that the point of view was from? Like I usually got it after a few words or sentences but it wouldve helped. And also maybe I would remember the character names more - I always have a problem with this though, I usually memorize the names at, like, the ending of a second book (at best).

Btw Im not sure where exactly it was supposed to be located but the word Fleck means stain in my country. So. The name Myriam gave the girl wasn’t that nice, at least in my language. But slavic languages differ and i guess it is similar so maybe its not as rude in other language lmao

And for anyone who isnt English - it wasnt a hard read, but Ive read easier, mostly its the style of writing not necessarily the vocabulary

dahud's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Very atmospheric and fairytale like. Like a walk in Polish woods during a winter night. What I wished „Uprooted” would be.

owlfacewitch's review

5.0

Very different from Noviks first fantasy book, “Uprooted”, but still as good if not better. Technically a take on Rumplstiltskin, but was so entirely original I kept forgetting that was the intention. For those who like romance, it is less prevalent in this than it is in “Uprooted”, but still conveys her mastery of the “enemies to lovers” trope that we all love.

a_rash_read's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25