Name: Ada's review of Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Item: Spinning Silver
Rating: 3
Author: Ada

Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver is a new take on the classic fairytale Rumpelstiltskin, from Naomi Novik, the author of the award-winning Uprooted.Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty - until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power, and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued. Channeling the heart of the original fairy tale, Naomi Novik deftly interweaves six distinct narrative voices - each learning valuable lessons about sacrifice, power and love - into a rich, multi-layered fantasy.

Spinning Silver

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.

But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.

Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again.

Emily McMeans

“But it was all the same choice, every time. The choice between the one death and all the little ones.”

(Bre)anne✨

How could you: what could you give someone that would be a fair price for all their pain, for all those buried years of sorrow?

“My lady, we would not reside anything you wished to give us,” Tsop said a little helplessly, after they all three exchanged a look. “But we have always heard that in the sunlit world, mortals give 

 to one another to fill the hollowness where they fail to make return, and you have already given us so much that we shall only answer it with our lives’ service: you have given us names in your voice, and raised us high, and filled our hands with gold. What are your thanks besides that?”

There was a gruesome inevitability to it all. My life has been a sequence of monsters one after another tossing me about to suit their whims; I’ve got a finely tuned sense for when another round of buffeting has arrived.

What he meant was he didn’t want this in his house. He had come with his krupnik and his clever plans and got my father drunk and built this rage in him like a fire, and now it was burning everything and he wanted to run away from it.

As she dropped her hand and turned back into the room, our eyes met: we didn’t speak, but for a moment I felt her a sister, our lives in the hands of others. She wasn’t likely to have any more choice in the matter than I did.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “One of the year’s strongest fantasy novels” (NPR), an imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale from the bestselling author of Uprooted. NEBULA AND HUGO AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • NPR • Time • Tordotcom • Popsugar • Vox • Vulture • Paste • Bustle • Library Journal With the Nebula Award–winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss. Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Praise for Spinning Silver “A perfect tale . . . A big and meaty novel, rich in both ideas and people, with the vastness of Tolkien and the empathy and joy in daily life of Le Guin.”—The New York Times Book Review “Gorgeous, complex, and magical . . . This is the kind of book that one might wish to inhabit forever.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Cool and clever and . . . dire and wonderful.”—Laini Taylor, author of Strange the Dreamer “The Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale has never been as captivating. . . . Spinning Silver further cements [Novik’s] place as one of the genre greats.”—Paste

A Novel

🌞Laur🌞

I looked out over that glittering sea, those impossible frozen face staring back at me expressionless with disapproval: they couldn’t put me into this picture, either, and they didn’t want to. There 

 some smiles in the nearest circles, cruel and familiar: they were the same smiled I’d grown up with all my life, the ones people had work when they told me the story of the miller’s daughter, the smiles  when I’d knocked in their doors the first time. Only this time, they weren’t even smiling at 

 : I was too small for that. They were smiling at 

, a little incredulous, nobles pleased to see their own king bought low and marrying a brown lump of a mortal girl. 

“It's not seemly for a girl,” my grandmother tried, but my grandfather snorted. 

“Gold doesn’t know the hand that holds it,” he said

Natalie Sypeck 

Jamieson

(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.

Sivani

Mel 

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.

Bethany s. 

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. 

A.L.L.

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.

Meagan Fischer 

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.

Lara Engle

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! 

Lucy Mills-Taylor

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!

Ami Is Dreaming Again

momo-reads

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.

Hope Gamble

Excellent 

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

Spinning Silver: A Novel

menna

im overwhelmed with feelings for this book

Miryem was brought up in a snowbound village, on the edge of a charmed forest. She comes from a family of moneylenders, but her kind father shirks his work. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, his family faces poverty – until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what’s owed, and her neighbours soon whisper that she can turn silver into gold. Then an ill-advised boast attracts the cold creatures that haunt the wood. Nothing will be the same again, for words have power. And the challenge she’s issued will change the fate of a kingdom. Channelling the spirit of the original Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, Naomi Novik has written a rich, multi-layered fantasy about sacrifice, power and love that is a joy to read.

Rachel Kanyid

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.

LOVED this! For me, this was definitely better than Uprooted. And the twisting of the different stories together went nicely! Was that Baba Jaga's house?????

TW to be added later

LOVED this! For me, this was definitely better than Uprooted. And the twisting of the different stories together went nicely! Was that Baba Jaga's house?????

Janice Hopper

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.

Claire

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

WHAT THIS BOOK HAD NO REASON BEING THIS GOOD!!! I loved all the different POV changes, but how it all followed the same story so seamlessly. I NEED TO KNOW THE STARYK KINGS NAME!!!! COME ONNNN!!! 

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

Minnie Mazuera

anxiouspixie

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.

"A fresh and imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale from the bestselling author of Uprooted, called "a very enjoyable fantasy with the air of a modern classic" by The New York Times Book Review. Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power, and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued. Channeling the heart of the classic fairy tale, Novik deftly interweaves six distinct narrative voices--each learning valuable lessons about sacrifice, power and love--into a rich, multilayered fantasy that readers will want to return to again and again"--

Spinning silver

Callisone Dozier

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.

Inga Kühn 

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.

Turtle lover

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 :<

Jamieson &
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

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Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik