Addie Thorley

A must-read for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, transforming The Hunchback of Notre Dame into a powerful tundra-inspired epic. Before the massacre at Nariin, Enebish was one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army: a rare and dangerous Night Spinner, blessed with the ability to control the threads of darkness. Now, she is known as Enebish the Destroyer—a monster and murderer, banished to a monastery for losing control of her power and annihilating a merchant caravan. Guilt stricken and scarred, Enebish tries to be grateful for her sanctuary, until her adoptive sister, Imperial Army commander Ghoa, returns from the war front with a tantalizing offer. If Enebish can capture the notorious criminal, Temujin, whose band of rebels has been seizing army supply wagons, not only will her crimes be pardoned, she will be reinstated as a warrior. Enebish eagerly accepts. But as she hunts Temujin across the tundra, she discovers the tides of war have shifted, and the supplies he’s stealing are the only thing keeping thousands of shepherds from starving. Torn between duty and conscience, Enebish must decide whether to put her trust in the charismatic rebel or her beloved sister. No matter who she chooses, an even greater enemy is advancing, ready to bring the empire to its knees.

Night Spinner

Sheila Goicea

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Page Street Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication. 

Content Warning: Death, Gore, Blood, Starvation, Torture, War


  You don’t need a master, Enebish. Be your own hero. You can save yourself--and me--but only if you open your eyes.

Enebish has known a life of duty and battle her entire life. Having been known as one of the best warriors in the Sky King’s army, she created her identity around that. Also being a Night Spinner--a special Kalima power that allows one to have the ability to bend night within her grasp--she was an indispensable asset. Until, one day, she lost control and slaughtered a merchant caravan. Forced to quell her storm, her dearest friend and surrogate sister Ghoa had to maime her in order to get her under control. 

  Followers of the New Order attain exaltation by reporting the mistakes of others. The more grievous the infraction, the closer they come to rapture. And I, the most notorious criminal in the empire, am imprisoned in the heart of their den.

In the aftermath, Enebish becomes known as Enebish the Destroyer, and is branded a traitor to the kingdom. Ghoa, being the commander of the Sky King’s army, is able to secure her a spot hidden away in a monastery, where she will be looked after under strict supervision, instead of executed for her crime. A moonstone is placed into her chest in order to sever her connection with her magic, and secure the safety of others around her.

  The sky doesn’t care that I am wicked and ugly. The clouds never rain down judgment for my crimes, and the moon shines without flinching on my injured limbs and scarred face. The majority of Ashkar may despise me, but the heavens will always embrace me in arms of frost and wrap me in a blanket of starlight. In the eyes of the Lady of the Sky and Father Guzan, I am accepted. Wanted.

Enebish, scorned and fallen from her pedestal, severed from her magic, crippled, and left without much purpose, is forced to create a new life for herself. She finds purpose in training the king’s eagles, but still flirts with the night when it comes around each evening. In a land where the Lady of the Night and Father Guzan are no longer worshipped as the Sky King had denounced their existence, Enebish finds herself yet another outcast, as her relationship to the night leaves no question that they are alive and real.

One day, Ghoa visits the monastery. It is the first time Enebish has seen her since her banishment. There to retrieve the king’s eagles, Ghoa gives Enebish leave along with Serik, a monk at the monastery, to see the eagles safely to the celebration. The excursion doesn’t go without a hitch, however, and Enebish finds herself at the center of ridicule. From out of nowhere, a group of rebels led by the notorious Temujin interfere and tell Enebish to seek them out.

When Ghoa learns about her interaction with Temujin, she offers Enebish a reward if she can hunt the criminal down. She would be reinstated to the army if she could infiltrate enemy lines and capture Temujin. Wanting her old life back more than anything, Enebish agrees, but underestimates the difficulty involved. The truth behind the ongoing war is also underestimated, as the empire’s situation is much more dire than she ever realized. Between the Sky King’s empire and the rebel forces, citizens are desperately in need. Enebish stretches herself to appease Ghoa, but finds that what she thought was the right path may end up being the wrong one.

Night Spinner’s main character Enebish certainly embodies many admirable traits. First, she’s a warrior, but this “past-life” is not a honed edge any longer, and allows fraying to occur at the sharpness in her character. She’s courageous, but also fearful due to being branded a traitor for a terrible crime. Humbleness mirrors pride knowing what her Kalima can do but now is unable to do anything with the night. It is in these attributes that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is visible. Other than this and her obvious disfigurement, I didn’t find much correlation between the two. To be honest, I haven’t read or watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so my memory may be jaded by time.

Full of unique mythology, culture, and magic, Night Spinner offers a rich setting for a probing tale of politics and betrayal. The beginning of this story is especially contextual, and gives the reader a fine sense of the world in which it is set. Several plot twists also hide themselves within the plot, but some I had guessed before the truth had been revealed, which was a little disappointing. Despite this, Night Spinner offers a familiar, yet unique story about a character that faces an impossible situation, only to rise above to face head-on yet another. 

Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Minimal.
Violence: Moderate, including graphic and torture scenes

My Rating: ★★★★

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Dark, romantic, and powerful, Night Spinner will sweep fans of Leigh Bardugo and S. Jae-Jones into a dangerous fantasy world loosely inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Before the massacre at Nariin, sixteen-year-old Enebish was one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army: a rare and dangerous Night Spinner, blessed with the ability to control the threads of darkness. Now, she is known as Enebish the Destroyer—a monster and murderer, banished to a remote monastery for losing control of her power and annihilating a merchant caravan. Guilt stricken and scarred, Enebish knows she should be grateful for this sanctuary. But when her adoptive sister, Imperial Army captain Ghoa, gives her the opportunity to deliver the Sky King’s hunting eagles to the capital, Enebish leaps at the taste of freedom. She arrives during a festival, and though Ghoa warned her against it, she finds herself being swept up in the revelry and accidentally humiliates the Sky King. During Enebish’s public punishment, she’s freed by the notorious rebel Temujin. Ghoa has been hunting him for months, and now the Sky King has called Enebish’s loyalty into question, since Temujin attempted to rescue her. Realizing it may take a criminal to capture a criminal, Ghoa makes Enebish a tantalizing offer: bring in Temujin, and not only will her crimes be pardoned, she will be reinstated as a warrior.

Aleena Korell

4 1/2 stars. Really enjoyed this one! Comparisons to Shadow and Bone are merited, but to me Night Spinner is its own story, Enebish is her own character, and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.

Tom Turner

A very well constructed story

Having not read many retellings I was uncertain how I would find this, but I was very pleasantly surprised, there were a number of surprises I didn't see coming (though I don't know whether this would be the case in a reread.) The characters were good, and the dynamics between them interesting. I will vary much be interested in continuing with the series.

Samantha Bass

So the beginning of this story was kinda boring. I don’t say it because I’m expecting great action from the start but it wasn’t until about 30-40% of the way through the book that things got really interesting. There were some seriously slow moments in the story that had me going “do I even want to finish this”? Well, I read the whole thing and I really enjoyed it. I thought the plot was good and loved the aspect of the world. Besides the slowness there were some things I wasn’t a fan of - like the main character’s demure. She kept repeating how weak and small she is even though previously she was one of the strongest and most confident warrior. It wasn’t very believable that someone’s personality would change that drastically. Would I believe they would doubt themselves more? Yeah. Would I believe they wouldn’t take as many risks? Yeah. But to go from warrior to a soft noodle didn’t comprehend for me or for the character.

Another thing I wasn’t a fan of was the unanswered plot point. I won’t spoil it, but this point was made over and over again but after every twist, turn, and reveal, this question still was not answered. I hope it will be answered in future books because I’m curious why it was brought up so frequently with no answer or follow up. Besides that, I liked the book. Some characters annoyed me but you don’t get a long with everyone you meet and that’s fine. Overall, I liked the book and I am interested in reading the next book in the series.

Tiffany Engler

I love retellings. I love being able to compare this new story to an older one. When I heard there was a Hunchback Of Notre Dame retelling, I was on it as fast as I could. Hunchback Of Notre Dame is my all-time favorite Disney movie!

Night Spinner follows our main character, Enebish. She has night spinning powers. Which means she can basically wield the night as a weapon and she can hide herself and others in darkness. She is placed in isolation at Ikh Zuree for something she did a little over two years ago. Her powers are contained.

Until she and Serik are tasked with bringing Enebish’s birds to a festival that the king is attending. At the festival, things go completely wrong and Enebish is placed on a zurig to hang for two hours. She gets saved by Temujin, who escapes capture as he is a deserter who is plotting against the king.

Once Enebish is back at her santuary, Ikh Zuree, she’s visited by her sister Ghoa. Ghoa wants Enebish to find Temujin and turn him in to regain her trust back with the king. Enebish goes on this journey to find Temujin, but she learns that she may not be on the right side of this war.

This book was beautifully done. It’s loosely based off The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. The aspects that were used were obvious. The sanctuary, the disability and the festival. There are other similarities that I will not share in order to avoid spoilers.

Night Spinner is filled with plot twists and a ton of betrayal. I couldn’t decide who to trust throughout this book! I cannot wait to see what awaits Enebish in the second book.

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok | You can find my review here.


  As always, a copy of this book was provided by the authors in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. 


Honestly, I'm breathless right now. Wow, Addie Thorley. Wow, Night Spinner. Where to start? I feel like I've just gone and run miles through an enchanted forest or something and now I have to bring myself back down to earth/reality. Something that needs to be said straight off the bat is that Night Spinner is truly a breathtaking and action packed fantasy--Thorley has crafted something that is pure magic.

She breathes new life into the story that inspired Night Spinner, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and transforms it into something new. Even if you don't enjoy the story that it is re imagining, you will devour Night Spinner.

My heart is racing a bit as I look back on the ride that is Night Spinner. Like all good retellings, it has a spark of its original story but is, ultimately, something of its own. Whiplash can be expected from its varied plot-twists. Thorley's prose is awe inducing in its vividness. Each page is full of descriptive magic and a lush landscape of mythology, world-building and romance. Night Spinner is the sort of novel that gives you an electric charge that lasts for days.

Once you pick up Night Spinner, you won't want to put it down. If you love a classic and diverse fantasy, Night Spinner is a total must-read for you. From the moment you meet the darkness that is this magical system, and the bleak and mysterious past of our lead, Enebish, you'll be engrossed in this richly drawn world.

Night Spinner is fast paced and thrilling; beautifully written and energetic. For every danger, there is a romantic turn. For every swoon-worthy exchange, there is a heart aching twinge of regret. For every revelation, there is a new question. And for the ending? There's nothing but anticipation of what could possibly come next.

In short? Addie Thorley is a total pro at weaving a story that is engrossing, romantic and intriguing. It is everything a reader could want out of a fantasy and will leave readers wanting more. Night Spinner is a surefire standout of 2020 and a definite must-read. Night Spinner is not only YA at its finest, but retellings.

Unputdownable. Breathtaking. Epic. Atmospheric. Incredible.

Liz Griffin

Really enjoyed this one. Setting was unique, characters were believable, and that ending!! I would have liked a *bit* more foreshadowing, but I guess it wouldn’t have been such a crazy twist.

Night Spinner

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