Book Review — Spinning Silve

Title:  Spinning Silver

Author: Naomi Novik

Genre: YA Retelling/Fantasy

Pages: Hardback, 466

ISBN: 978-0-399-1809-9

Opening Lines: "The real story isn't half as pretty as the one you've heard."

Rating:

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of money-lenders, 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 Tsat Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadily choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.

~ Jacket copy

In a small town forty minutes away from Vysnia, a young Jewish girl and her family fight for survival. Despite being the daughter of a moneylender—and the granddaughter of a renown moneylender—Miryem knows the bite of cold and the bitter sting of hunger. Unlike her grandfather, Miryem's father's generosity is his downfall. Rather than collecting the debts owed to him, he allows the townspeople to walk all over him and forgives their debts. As the town grows fat, his family goes hungry. When her mother falls ill, Miryem takes up her father's books and starts collecting the debts. Following her in grandfather's footsteps, she is rumored to "spin silver into gold". Unfortunately, the rumors find the ear of the Staryk lord—fey who are known to covet gold—and he sets a challenge for her . . . One that will ultimately mean her life.

Spinning Silver functions as a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin; however, Novik uses multiple different story lives to breathe new life into the old fairytale. The story is told from from approximately seven different points of view, which range from Miryem, the tsarina, to the tsarina's companion. Without giving too much away, all of the different narrators/stories end up leading to the end—either the destruction of the human world through the forever-winter of the Staryk or the destruction of the Staryk world by a demon. And the choice rests on both Miryem and the tsarina. 

The book was beautifully written! The author has a way with words, and she had be hooked from the beginning. The alternate take on Rumpelstiltskin was a breath of fresh air. However, despite the amazing writing and the retelling aspect, I did not love this book as much as I hoped. The Staryk and their tenuous relationship with the humans was not fully explained, nor the strife connected with the demon. Further, the multiple storylines and narrators ended up distracting from the story. While the author did create rich, round characters, I did not care for many of their storylines or POVs. For example, whenever Wanda's little brother took over narrating, I ended up skimming the chapters. Unfortunately, it took away from the central story rather than adding to it. Moreover, the exposition felt too long. As a reader, I would have liked to spend more time in the Staryk kingdom and less time following Wanda/her younger brother. And, even those the tsar's storyline becomes important, too much time was spent on that—and not even on the important aspects of his story.

On the whole, if it weren't for the beautiful writing and original story, I would give this book 3 skulls. If it like retellings, definitely read this one! The different narrators were not my glass of whiskey, but don't tel that stop you from enjoying the rich writing style.