Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Fantasy, Retellings
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.
“I liked to feel their eyes on me, weighing me like a purse, and being able to hold my head up when they did it, feeling my own worth.”
I loved the fairy tale style of this book, I found it so captivating and magical! I loved getting to know all the great characters with the different points of view. The story, while slow to get going, was full of surprises at the end and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The historical, wintery setting is just perfect as well. I don’t actually know the story of Rumpelstiltskin, which I think this is loosely based on, but I loved the story regardless. Just like with Uprooted, Novik has a way of bringing these tales to life.
“But I had not known that I was strong enough to do any of those things until they were over and I had done them. I had to do the work first, not knowing.”
I loved the three main characters, Miryem, Wanda and Irina. They have all led such different lives, all with their own hardships, but all manage to find an inner strength to help and protect the people around them. I think the different POVs were managed really well throughout the book, even though it took a while to get to know all the characters. The most striking one for me was Stepon, the young boy who has such a unique understanding of the world, which I found very endearing.
“And more to the point, I was reasonably certain he wasn’t going to try and devour my soul. My expectations for a husband had lowered.”
It is a slow book. I found myself a third of the way through thinking ‘It feels like it should be nearly finished. Something about to go down’. But it kind of didn’t, it just kept plodding along, and then somewhere along the way I got hooked and couldn’t put it down anymore. It was definitely worth the slow start. With three main characters it does take time to get to know them, and I enjoyed that.
“I wouldn't hold myself that cheap, to marry a man who'd love me less than everything else he had, even if what he had was a winter kingdom.”
I thought the magic in this story was just beautiful; the Staryk (winter elf-like people), the deal-making and the magical jewellery. It was almost like a bunch of different fairy tales woven into one, and it worked so well. I also love that Wanda thinks math is magic. 🥰
If you enjoy this I would highly recommend you try Uprooted or The Bear and the Nightingale.
Happy reading!
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