Welcome to Litsy!

Much like The Wolf and the Woodsman, I can recognize craft, but this isn‘t my favorite. Lim is a terrific author, but the pacing! I felt like I was sprinting, so it was hard to really sit and steep and enjoy the writing when we were going mach speed thru the plot. I didn‘t mind the romance, but I wish it would‘ve helped us to learn more about the magic system. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

First time poster here! Still trying to figure out the app. Just wanted to share my current read, I am so happy to have found out about Elizabeth Lim. I love her writing, she takes me to a magical place that no other book has taken me. I love the feel of story. The romance, the magic, the scenery.. I highly recommend!!! #spinthedawn #elizabethlim #mythology #Japanese #Chinese

Still recovering from my slump.

I liked this.

Got these books in the mail today. Love the beautiful covers.

I was going to post this yesterday for #firstlineFridays but I still wasn't sure if this was the one to get me out of my slump.

Well, I'm sure now. I just finished 10 chapters and am now on page 106. 🙌

(It's still Friday somewhere, right? 😅)

I‘m a huge fan of Elizabeth Lim and her takes on myths and fairy tales! I saw someone say this book is “a mix between Project Runway and Mulan” and that description is perfect. Just like with Six Crimson Cranes, I wanted to keep reading when the story finished. The excited and frustrating feeling when you realize the adventure continues but you need to go out again to get the next book!

This is the first book in the Blood of Stars series by Elizabeth Lim. I liked that the heroine (pretending to be her brother) was a seamstress and made beautiful garments with her grandmother‘s magic scissors. There‘s also an enchanter who discovers her secret. I am anxious to read Book #2! #52 #BookSpin #25 #BFC22 #ReadMyRoom #BOOKED2022 set in China #FAIRYTALECHALLENGE Mulan #SERIES2022 #Pantone2022Colour BlueberrySpicyMustard #TheRoyalReadathon

I got a signed edition from owl crate at my local bookstore and I am SO pleased with this book! It slows a bit in the middle, but other than that, this is an excellent story with elements of Dress of a Thousand Furs, and a tiny bit of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, two of my favorite fairy tales.
Maia takes her fathers place in a competition for tailors and must embrace magic and survive politics.
4.5/5 stars, can‘t wait to read the sequel!

Final read for March. This was a fun YA fantasy read. Loosely inspired by Mulan, the youngest child of a respected tailor pretends to be a boy to compete for the emperor‘s tailor. The first half is the competition, the second half is an adventure/romance. It almost feels like 2 different books and a little uneven, but still a fun quick read. 3.5⭐️
#PopSugar - quote on cover
#FairytaleReadingChallenge - Mulan
#bookspinbingo - bingo!

Maia dresses as her brother to join a competition to become the imperial tailor before a grand wedding. But nothing about the competition, the emperor, or his bride is quite what it seems.

Good grief, Lim‘s world building is exquisite. The mythology, the landscape, the artistry, the magic is all just *chef‘s kiss* But lord, this romance irked me. I dislike “getting annoyed into love.” The drama has definitely hooked my interest. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

#WeekendReads
1. Just started tagged, listening to Firekeeper‘s Daughter & reading Welcome to Corruption on KU
2. Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone - 902 pages
3. My friend has a great short story called The Shift by Evelyn Crowe on bookfunnel

I really wanted to love this book. The writing and the culture did deliver, but I felt old reading this. I just didn't feel anything for the characters. And the ending wasn't the best for me. ☹

I would still recommend this to younger readers though. Elizabeth Lim's writing is worth it.

⭐: 3.75

"You're used to being underestimated, so you want to prove yourself. Don't let that be your crutch. Accept help when you need it."

Almost halfway through this book. Gives me that Empress of All Seasons feel. Unsure if that's a good thing or not.

My first #DNF of the year.
This is a 14-hour listen.
And after 2+ hours, I heard nothing interesting/compelling/original to hold my interest.
So I‘m walking away.

It's been a busy month with uni deadlines and the festive season, so I took the opportunity for a spa day before getting ready to to get back to it today. I still haven't got back to it, but I'll get there!
Thanks again @jenniferw88 for the wonderful book

I liked the characters, I truly did. Atmosphere was also unbelievable beautiful and somehow unique. For me the beginning was a bit more intriguing than the last part with quests. Overall enjoyable and a bit different read.

Book 2 during #20in4

I received this book from owlcrate 2 years ago. It took me 2 years to get to it. This book didn't interest me at all. I did not care for tailoring nor do I care for the trope of girl dressing up as a boy to admit herself into trials or tournaments. The beginning was awfully slow but once it picked up once magic and the enchanter was introduced. The romance was a little much at times. It simmered then just boiled over. Looking forward to concluding

I loved this book. A unique quest story in a great world. I've heard it compared to Mulan but other than being an Asian girl dressed as a boy I don't feel like that's accurate. Maia travels her world with an Enchanter to capture the sun, moon and stars to weave into dresses. Magical. #catsoflitsy #aliceinwonderland

I am disappointed. This had all the boring plot points of a YA regency/fantasy novel packed into one.

#SpinTheDawn #YoungAdult #kindle

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

I managed to finish this one in two days! Loved the world Lim created, and the focus on sewing and creativity. Not the biggest fan of the romance, but whatever, I liked both characters individually. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#litsyspringbreak #china

Day 19: China

5/5 for this awesome fantasy! This Mulan retelling was so amazing! Maia is such a strong female character. I love the magic in this story. Edna is also a great character. He is mysterious and funny. I love them both. I cannot wait to read the next one. I recommend this book!

I absolutely love this book I‘m in love with Maia and Edan the book was amazing

This book rocks!!! It‘s like Mulan meets Project Runway, but it doesn‘t end there. I loved this book. Wonderful and imaginative YA read.

My goal for the #NovelNovember readathon is to get caught up on my past bookcrate books! Luckily, I only have a few left: Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, Bone Crier‘s Moon by Kathryn Purdue, and Night Spinner by Addie Thorley! If my library hold on Unravel The Dusk comes in, hopefully I‘ll get around to that too!

@Andrew65

“Ask me to spin the finest yarn or thread, and I can do it faster than any man - even with my eyes closed. Yet ask me to tell a lie, and I will stumble and falter to think of one.”

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

𝚀𝙾𝚃𝙳: 𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚜?

I started collecting bookish pins when I became a subscriber to @owlcrate and been obsessed every since! It‘s so hard to pick a favorite when they‘re all so beautifully made, but I really like the Spin the Dawn pin they included! Are you a subscriber and do you have a favorite?

I also make pin hoops, which is shared in this photo! You can check out my Etsy shop for hoops I have available 😁

I knew then that we were like two pieces of cloth, sewn together for life. Our stitches couldn't be undone.

I wouldn't let them.

We melted into each other until the dawn slid into dusk, and the sun paled into the moon, and the stars, once lost, became found again.

Seize the wind. Don't become the kite that never flies.

There was something strange about Emperor Khanujin. Strange and wonderful, I thought.
Or strange and terrible.

No drawing could have done the emperor justice. Even the sun seemed to fall differently upon him, so that he glowed like a god from the heavens.

This was such a fun read because it was a combination of "Mulan", "Project Run Way", and a magical adventure. I wasn't expecting much, but I really enjoyed Maia's story and am patiently waiting for the second book to be put into my library.

Cats, books, and comfy quilts. Am I ready for another school week? Maybe...but getting some reading in to clear my mind. This is such a weird school year.

I was a fan of this. The project runway meets Mulan pitch is so accurate. I really loved Maia and Edan. I can‘t wait to see how things wrap up in the sequel.

Someone decided she needed to sleep on my book despite me only having 50 pages left to read. Good thing she‘s cute! ❤️

Almost done with this and I‘m really liking it so far.

3 💫💫💫 I found this book boring and slow. Written from the first person, the main character is lacking in tantalizing details. At times I felt it read like a cook book, instructed and expected.

#BookSpinBingo

@TheAromaofBooks

OMG this was amazing!! This was described as Mulan meets Project Runway and it actually was. Maia is a tailor who goes to the palace, taking her father's place. The King has ordered all the tailors in the land to compete in a contest to make his future wife a wedding dress. Maia must then go on a journey with the court enchanter to get material to make 3 dresses based on the children of the goddess - the sun, the moon, and the stars.

This is pitched as Project Runway meets Mulan, and it was a fun read. Maia— disguised as her brother—partakes in a competition to be the new Imperial Tailor, & there‘s magic involved, but then the story takes a bit of an unexpected turn to be about a quest? I liked the relationship that builds between Maia & Edan (the enchanter), and the magical element, but I was hoping for more of a court politics/courtly intrigue storyline. Between Pick & So-So

After this week, I will essentially be done with all of my work on my MSW! Which, apparently means that I think I will have all the time in the world to read in May. (Even though that's not likely- I'm still working full-time, and I'm pregnant, so my energy level is pretty low. Not pictured: sun down motel, assassin's apprentice, Elantris and final empire, wizard of Earthsea, making a believathon TBR, and trying to prioritize nonfiction as well!

🌈 📚 🌈 Reorganized my bookcase and decided to do rainbow stacks in my beds side board! 🌈📚 🌈
#bookstacks #rainbow

So hard to rate this one as it felt like two different books. The first part, with a competition and hidden identity and jealousy and such, was really good and held my interest! But the second part felt like a completely different book (kind of like The Poppy War), with most characters disappearing and a romance taking center stage. It dragged for me, and the character development mostly stopped. I will read the sequel, but am not antsy for it

This book is great! I am so excited for the next one to come out in July. I am so mad at this cliffhanger! I want to know what is going to happen next! #owlcrateexclusivecover

This felt almost like two books to me. Part one was very much about a competition and saving a family. Part two was a quest to collect materials. But overall it had a fan fairytale vibe.

Mulan meets one of those fashion design reality shows, plus lovely writing and immersive world building. With her brothers fighting in the war and her father ill, Maia‘s family receives a summons for her father, a tailor, to appear at the emperor‘s court. Maia dresses as a boy and goes to the court in her father‘s place. The competition to become the emperor‘s tailor is fierce, but dangerous magic could destroy Maia forever.

This was a refreshing and enchanting read. I absolutely loved this story. It is a mix of Mulan and Aladdin with a bit of a twist. Although I have done this before and was really looking for a different read in fantasy and knew ahead of time ... this is the beginning of a series and ends on a cliff hanger... the next book is not due out until July 2020. I have pre ordered it though.

I can't stop admiring the details in this cover 😍

I wanted to love this book, but it was so predictable which made it boring.

#7days7covers #covercrush day five. I love the melding of fighting and sewing on the cover. I love the easy way she holds the scissors and the way the thread is wrapped around them. Also, the cadmium yellow endsheets make for a beautiful contrast. Not gonna lie, picked this book up because of its cover.