![Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik](https://i0.wp.com/tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Spinning-Silver.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
Also by this author: Uprooted
Published by Del Rey on July 10, 2018
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy
Pages: 466
Source: Publisher
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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.
So, forewarning, I am going to present a very unpopular opinion here. It will take almost no effort for you to go find any number of glowing reviews for this (there is a lot of love out there for it), so keep that in mind as I voice my dissension here.
The story is about Miryem, the daughter of a money lender. I like that her character is strong, and that she takes charge in situations, is able to step in and do what she can to improve their business. She is also fair and level headed. Her role as money lender causes her to cross paths with Wanda, a peasant girl who we learn is a very hard worker and victim of circumstance. There are additional POVs as well, but I never connected with them as much as these two.
Honestly, this is one of those books where I found myself not caring about or connecting with most of the characters, and just struggled with the storyline because of it (I typically struggle to enjoy a story if I don’t get that care about the characters). I was, at best, apathetic about the story. That is a horrible way to feel about a book.
I am often a proponent of multiple POVs and appreciate how they can really flesh out a story and add depth to the world and characters. They can create complexity to the story that just can not be achieved with a single POV. However, I do sometimes notice a book where I think it would benefit from a smaller scope, sticking to just one POV (or possibly two). This is one of those books. I don’t feel like the underlying story or world is so complex that it warranted the number of POVs, and for me, they diluted the story. instead of enhancing it It kept me from having the page time I needed to really connect with the characters better and engage with the story. Personally, I would have preferred the focus to be mainly on Miryem or Wanda, or maybe even both. But the other POVs, while helped disseminate information, just felt like a detraction for me. Not everyone has this problem with the book (as is evident by the amount of love for I mentioned earlier). Some readers were obviously able to engage with Novik’s approach, just for me, it didn’t work.
And I don’t want to list only negatives. Novik is a talented writer, and even though I struggled with this one more than I would like, I do believe it was because of the structure rather than quality of prose. The fairy tale aspect of it is appealing and well done as well. There was also great atmosphere. Some readers will love it just for the fantasy elements and the fairy tale vibe, some readers will find that connection that I found missing, others may find just the tone and atmosphere pull them in and they can find that love for this book I’ve seen so many readers experience. But, for me, it just wasn’t enough.
It’s too bad this didn’t work for you, but yours isn’t the only negative review I’ve read. I’m sort of glad now I didn’t ever get a review copy?![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
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yeah, I think this was a good one to miss. So many other books I wish I’d read instead![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
Sorry to hear Ben you had trouble connecting with the characters. That’s one thing that kinda ruins a book for me too. Hoping I won’t have the same issue when I get around to this one.
Yeah, its hard to care about the story when you don’t care about the characters!![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
I’ve heard several similar complaints about the characters, so you’re definitely not the only one! I loved the first person POV of Uprooted so I was a little disappointed to hear this one would have multiple POVs.
yeah, I really feel like it would have been more engaging if it had been told more like Uprooted was![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
We can stand on the “unpopular opinion” side of the fence together then. I also thought there were way too many POVs in Spinning Silver, and maybe more exposition than I like. There were times when I was skimming long paragraph after long paragraph just to get to dialogue. So… yeah, it was a disappointment for me, too. :/![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
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*phew* always nice to know I’m not alone … definitely struggled to get through much of the book![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
Glad it wasn’t just me who couldn’t connect to this one. I know this book is so beloved among her fans, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. It didn’t help that I was expecting a lot after Uprooted.
Right? Not that I want other people to not enjoy books, but always so nice when you have issues with a highly praised/loved book to hear there are some others out there that felt the same way![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
That is how I felt with the first book Uprooted. I just wasn’t interested.
yeah, it’s too bad.![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
Great review! I DNF’ed her other book, Uprooted, for similar reasons you listed here. I’m glad I decided to skip this.
yeah, I would guess if you had similar issues with Uprooted, this one really wouldnt work for you![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
Oh too bad it wasn’t more for you there
yeah, a bit disappointing![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it. I did. I loved the spirit and perseverance of the women. I have no problem with people having a different opinion. I think the narration helped me a lot in flowing with the story. Anne – Books of My Heart
Glad you were able to enjoy it!![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
What a shame… I haven’t yet had a chance to read this one, but it is on my TBR list. I loved Uprooted and looked forward to enjoying this one, too. Thank you for a frank, honest review.
hope you enjoy it more than I did 🙂 Lots of people did 🙂![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
I did enjoy this but I can see where you’re coming from in terms of some of the pov storylines – for me thiey felt unnecessary. I found this an engaging read, very much so in some respects, but, I felt that some of the later parts of the story lost my interest a little and the ending felt rushed. I loved the fairytale feel and Miryem.
Lynn :d
yeah, I think for some readers, the fairytale aspect will help quite a bit![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018
With all those negatives, I was surprised to see you give it 3stars!
Do you have a page explaining your star ratings because I’m a little confused.
Thanks!
I very rarely give below three stars, and when I do, the book is usually a complete train wreck, which this one wasn’t. I didn’t care for the way it was told with all the POVs, but I still could appreciate other aspects of Novik’s writing and could tell that despite my issues, others could still enjoy it for other reasons. My review may have sounded harsh, but the reality is that I can appreciate why the strengths of the book (that maybe I didn’t dwell on enough), would be enough for other readers and I usually reserve below three stars when I feel like there are major issues with the writing versus my preferences based on the structure of the story (and I realize the line between the two could be debatable). If that makes sense.![My Profile](https://tenaciousreader.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves – September 1, 2018