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Spin the Dawn

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Spin the Dawn

By: Elizabeth Lim
Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest
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About this listen

 Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping fantasy about a teenage girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars. And don’t miss Elizabeth Lim’s new novel, the instant New York Times bestseller, Six Crimson Cranes!

“All the cutthroat competition of a runway fashion reality show and the thrilling exploits of an epic quest." —The Washington Post

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia makes the ultimate sacrifice and poses as a boy to take his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors in a cutthroat competition for the job.
 
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the unthinkable final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the sun, the moon, and the stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
 
Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this fantasy novel is not to be missed.

"This is a white-knuckle read." —Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter Literature & Fiction Multicultural Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction Fantasy Royalty Magic

Critic reviews

"Maia's perspective as a working tailor makes her world vibrant and full of sensory details that are sure to delight even the most jaded of fantasy readers." —NPR

"Part Project Runway set during the Silk Road era, part epic adventure. . . . This will have broad appeal." —Kirkus Reviews

"Beautifully written with a can’t-wait-for-the-sequel ending, this breathtaking and fast-paced Silk-road inspired fantasy from the author of Mulan-retelling Reflection (2018) is sure to enchant readers beginning to end." —Booklist

"An addictive magical adventure." —SLJ

"Spin the Dawn is pure magic. Romance, artistry, and deep enchantment." --Gregory Maguire, bestselling author of Wicked

"A thrilling tale as rich as velvet and as exquisite as fine embroidery." —Heidi Heilig, author of The Girl from Everywhere
All stars
Most relevant
This book isn’t perfect, but for what it is it’s fairly good. It successfully reimagines the Mulan story, even though the ending takes an unexpected twist.

Good for what it is

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loved it. the story telling was great and it truly was such a magical read/ listen.

great story.

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Beautiful imaginative story with wonderful narration! Definitely recommend to fans of fantasy, YA and romance! 💛

Amazing

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An excellent book with an interesting storyline and characters. You feel invested in the love story as well as wanting the two main characters to succeed in their quest. The writing and narration keep you listening and wanting to find out what happens next! Definitely left it open for the next book in the series but I can’t believe I have to wait until July for the next one!

Keeps you listening

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This story was great and I loved the whole thing from start to finish. I definitely want to read the next one and I can't wait for it to be published.. but... I really hope they don't use the same narrator! Lifeless monotone and boring but worst of all she made the strong awesome protagonist sound like a whiny little crybaby and the mysterious sexy love interest sounds like a boody indifferent jerk who only has one tone of voice no matter what he had to say.. I OFTEN wanted to stop listening or even throw my phone through the room because of the terrible narrator making the protagonist so whiny but held on because the story was so good.

Great story but terrible narrator :/

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