I’ve had “Spinning Silver” by Naomi Novik downloaded on my iBooks for a year or two now, but I only read it last week.

I regret so much for putting it off that long.

Naomi Novik, I think, is a master at characters and pacing. She manages to write stuff in a way that you’re like “Give me what I want!” and she’s like “Nah, bro. Work for it. Read all 400-something pages. Then we’ll talk.”

I read her debut “Uprooted” and I’m just a big fan of Agnieszka and The Dragon. And then one day, I guess I ran out of things to do and decided to read Spinning Silver already. I finished it within the day, and I was on the edge because I was reading in bed, so I couldn’t even sleep immediately after reading. (Side-note: I finished it later than my bedtime and I could barely breathe during the last few chapters.)

The Goodreads intro reads:

“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.”

And what I really like about Naomi Novik is that she gives us a premise that is this long, because it really just barely grazes the rest of the story that she will unfold for us. Like, all of ^ that ^ is the tip of the iceberg, the surface of an epic fantasy.

Even getting through the 400-something pages, you’re still left reeling and wanting more. Compared to Uprooted, I think Spinning Silver could have done a better job at fleshing out the romantic relationships, and overall the tone and themes were definitely more mature.

Of the three characters, I like Irina (the lord’s daughter) the best. She’s kind of the Sansa Stark, minus the dumb girl-pawn arc. I mean, Irina is a pawn but she isn’t dumb. And I just appreciate that she is never really distracted from her duty, to the point of ruthlessness.

Miryem is the main character and she’s smart in a different way. Her motivations are clear, and by God, she tries her best. She really does. Wanda is also amazing in her own way, and she’s a very strong character that grows into a nurturing one. I also really enjoyed Miryem and Wanda’s partnership: sisters be doing it for themselves.

The character with the clearest voice was Tsar Mirnatius. When I say clearest voice, I mean the POV alternates between seven different people and it’s not labelled so you’re not sure who is speaking until you read through the context. But once it’s Tsar Mirnatius’ turn, you can immediately tell because he’s just this sarcastic, venomous and funny narrator.

My favorite thing about Spinning Silver is that you can identify so many fairy tale and lore elements that Novik honored. Of course, everyone mentions the Rumpelstiltskin part, but you can see bits of Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, The Snow Queen/East of the Sun, West of the Moon, the Persephone Greek myth, a Jewish fairytale about a Golden Mountain, even Howl’s Moving Castle. It combines a lot of the things I definitely appreciated as a reader (because of who I am as a reader) and it feels good to pick-up those hints.

Definitely, Spinning Silver is more attuned to worldbuilding using stories and real cultures compared to Uprooted, and overall I highly recommend it. It’s a great read and it’s good for getting the mind to work.