Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
I absolutely loved Naomi Novik's first book in this fantastical world, Uprooted and waited anxiously for this one. Although not the same characters as in Uprooted, Naomi was a way of writing these fantasy worlds and characters that is so magical and I definitely enjoyed this book almost as much as Uprooted.
When I first started reading Spinning Silver, I was enthralled and enchanted just like I was in Uprooted. Although it was still enjoyable throughout the entire book, there were a few points that made it a little less great than Uprooted which I'll get to soon.
Spinning Silver is a very loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin; there are certain similarities to the original story of turning items into gold, the importance of names, etc. but this story is very different with many new characters and plot lines. A few different characters also seem to embody Rumpelstiltskin due to different situations or characteristics.
I loved each of the three main characters in this book. Miryem, Wanda and Irina are all such strong women who know what they want and what they are worth and fight tooth and nail for others to see this in them. I loved that Naomi switched between these three main characters' points of view so you truly saw this magical world in different perspectives and stations in society. They each have very different experiences but also become intrinsically intertwined in the best way possible. Each also experiences the magic of the land in a different way which made the book even more mysterious.
In that way, I almost started to like it more than Uprooted, but then about halfway through the book, you begin to get other characters' points of view. This is when the book started to lose some of it's magic for me as I felt these sections were added fluff and unnecessary. These characters added some random history or emotions that I just felt didn't truly add anything to the three main characters' plot lines, or confused me as I thought I needed to know if and then it was unimportant. I also was a bit disappointed at the end of the book as one character's story is wrapped up with a very pretty bow, almost a bit too perfectly to fit the atmosphere of this book. And one other character you don't hear from again after the big climax. Why does one character get a pretty package and the other is just left out when we've been reading back and forth the entire time?
Overall, I'd still absolutely recommend it and especially to anyone who also enjoyed Uprooted. The writing is still fantastic and Naomi is wonderful at producing these creative, mystical worlds and characters. Such a wonderfully written fantasy!
Synopsis: 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. 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.