(3.25) Pretty cool but I still felt that Uprooted was better. Some parts were confusing as hell and the magic system was not explained properly. Other than that, very nice characters and I enjoyed the multiple perspectives.

I think I read this wrong

Okay, so I’m probably going to have to reread this at some point. Probably when I feel like reading a slow burn fantasy. I’m really sad that I didn’t love this as much as Uprooted. The storyline was interesting and the world interesting, I just didn’t/couldn’t connect with as much. The first problem I had was the multiple POVs. I wasn’t expecting multiple POVs when I first picked this up and to be honest it was not a welcome surprise. It made it really confusing, I just didn’t find it necessary and overall just lessened my enjoyment of this book. The second thing I struggled with was the characters. I wasn’t particularly attached to any and didn’t really care for Irina’s POV and Miryem was a little bit too cold. Overall, I read this when I was in a weird reading mood so maybe it was just the timing that’s affecting my opinion of it. So we’ll see when I reread it again. I’ll still be reading more of Naomi Novik’s books for sure.

Extremely satisfying by the end. I did struggle to finish this, but it was a very busy time. Beyond that, though, I felt the pacing was kind of weird? Almost as though it was very….very…. slow…. Andthenleapedhugestepsforwardallatonce. Slow and fast. Slow and fast. It was weird. I deeply enjoyed and appreciate the story regardless. It reads like a classic - timeless. I was by no means excited about this but found it relaxing and interesting, and by the end of the many - at times too many - pages, I can only describe it as brilliant.

I love Naomi Novik’s work. She gives each character a voice, and her making this book multi-POV really shows how wonderfully she can get into her characters heads and figure out not only how they would act but also what they would think.

This was my favorite book of 2019. This is the only book I have bought several copies of, just to give away because I loved it so much and want others to get the same enjoyment from it. I love fairytales, but even I must admit that the genre is a little stagnant. Spinning Silver however, was an incredibly fresh and inventive retelling of Rumplestiltskin that somehow retained all of the familiar and charming elements of a classic fairy tale. More important, it was strong throughout and it stuck the landing with a satisfying ending. There was no point at which it felt the story lagged. I loved Naomi's use of humor and the way magic is conceptualized too. Beyond that, there are a plethora of strong and interesting female characters, a masterful weaving together of several different strings of folklore, and while it was predictable overall, there were many little details and twists I was not expecting that I delighted in encountering. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book (and I am a person who regularly derives a lot of fun and entertainment from books). Highly recommend this book, it was pure enjoyment and extremely entertaining. I owe Patrick Rothfuss a great deal of gratitude for recommending it on a podcast interview I listened to.

A beautiful modern adaptation. I honestly didn't even realize the inspiration until close to the end. Some exciting twists along the way and endearing characters.

Enchanting, insightful, and just plain magical, Spinning Silver is one of those books that make you sad when they're over because they're just so good. It's too much to really explain because there are multiple perspectives, reimagined fairy tale and mythical creatures, ethical quandaries, and more. I mean, when you're telling someone about a book and say, "Well, the thing with the king of the winter kingdom is complicated by the fire demon who is possessing the tsar," you know it's all complicated. But it's also smart, considerate, and timely with its themes of fairness, friendship, family, and understanding those who are different from you. Sometimes you get what you're due and sometimes you're lucky enough to get so much more.

Absolutely loved this book, the world created was magical. Great re-telling of a fairytale, would definitely read again. The only challenge I had was keeping up with all the different POVs but it was worth it!

A beautiful story describing what it is like to be the main heroine of an old-school fairytale. The dark realities of the difficulties of women during these times and the tenacity and wit these women use to thrive make this book AMAZING. On their own, each is extraordinary, but only through their joined effort (much of which is done unknowingly), can the story reach its conclusion. The atmosphere and the magical vibes are beyond stunning. A great read!

Everything about this book is magical, the setting, the storytelling, the characters. One of the rare books that I will happily re-read multiple times.

Excellent I will say, keeping up with the many different POVs wasn't easy at times, but so worth it! Absolutely loved the ending!

im overwhelmed with feelings for this book

I liked how much time this story covered and that a lot of backstory was given. A lot of tales like this skip straight to the BIG stuff, and forget about character development until halfway through. I liked that we saw the development of the characters from the beginning.

2019 re-read for our SFF book club. I think I liked this a little better the second time. I eye-read it this time, in a dead tree version. It was a little easier to see that some of the language was really lovely here. I also saw the Persephone/Hades elements a little more clearly. Which makes this a REAL mashup: Rumplestiltskin; the Snow Queen; Hades/Persephone; and I know there's a fairy tale somewhere where a lonely child got advice from a tree who also embodied her mother, but I can't think what it was. Having all these elements did make the story a little cluttered, but it still mostly works. I appreciated the peasant girl Wanda more than I did the first time. The younger brother, Stepon, had a small part, but I appreciated the way his character was drawn. I also still think it was an odd choice on the author's part to start each section WITHOUT any indication of who was speaking. It was relatively easy to get who it was from context, but I have to wonder why the author decided to make the reader do that little extra bit of work. Still recommended. =================================================== This was a lovely book. I liked it rather better than Uprooted, largely because it didn't have the same problematic relationship dynamics as the previous book. The book reads a bit like a mashup of Rumplestilskin and The Snow Queen, but with strong or determined women as protagonists. And while there was the turning-into-gold aspect, there was no actual spinning involved in this version. It also made me think a bit of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. They're both books set in some 18th/19th century fantasy version of Russia in winter, with a strong fantasy element. My one quibble was that the story got a little convoluted as it went along. There were 3 female viewpoint characters: Miryen, Wanda, and Irina. Then a couple other viewpoint character have their say. While they do advance the story, it begins to feel a little cluttered as it went along. But it's a mild complaint. I listened to the audiobook version. The only fault that I have with the narrator is that she could have differentiated a little better among the womens' voices. I had to listen carefully to know who was speaking, because the character names weren't announced, and the differences among them were pretty subtle. Recommended.

4.5 stars :) loved the world building and characters. Not too fond of the long chapters but still enjoyed it very much || update: this book still rlly stick with me and I think it deserves to be on the 5 star list

magical fairytale vibes! Reminded me a lot of the winternight trilogy.

This was my favorite book of 2019. This is the only book I have bought several copies of, just to give away because I loved it so much and want others to get the same enjoyment from it. I love fairytales, but even I must admit that the genre is a little stagnant. Spinning Silver however, was an incredibly fresh and inventive retelling of Rumplestiltskin that somehow retained all of the familiar and charming elements of a classic fairy tale. More important, it was strong throughout and it stuck the landing with a satisfying ending. There was no point at which it felt the story lagged. I loved Naomi's use of humor and the way magic is conceptualized too. Beyond that, there are a plethora of strong and interesting female characters, a masterful weaving together of several different strings of folklore, and while it was predictable overall, there were many little details and twists I was not expecting that I delighted in encountering. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book (and I am a person who regularly derives a lot of fun and entertainment from books). Highly recommend this book, it was pure enjoyment and extremely entertaining. I owe Patrick Rothfuss a great deal of gratitude for recommending it on a podcast interview I listened to.

Honestly reading this book gave me the same feeling as reading fairy tales did as a child. I thoroughly enjoyed it. One important caveat: do not read in summer. I wished I had read this book wrapped in a blanket by a fire with a mug of cocoa.

This folklore retelling was so beautiful. Novik's writing was so stunning and complex. The characters were so colorful and fleshed out, I couldn't choose which POV I liked more.

So Naomi Novik seemingly told the story of the Anti-Persephone. 
Interesting take on Rumpelstilzchen, you do notice some of the phrases from there, but not a lot. It's mostly its own story, which is so inventive. I really liked the range of characters even though I wasn't the biggest fan of some characters themselves. It has a few strong female ones, which is great.

Well, I am not really into these kinds of stories and I just tried it so it's like i never give these kinds of genres 5 stars but the story was great tho. It was just too long for me :<