From the New York Times bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes comes a fantasy filled with courtly intrigue, deceitful demons, and breathtaking gowns … the stakes are higher than ever in this thrilling sequel to Spin the Dawn!Maia Tamarin’s journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she … kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she loves, is gone–perhaps forever–and no sooner does she set foot in the Autumn Palace than she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor’s bride-to-be to keep the peace. When the emperor’s rivals learn of her deception, there is hell to pay, but the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within.
Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red; losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It’s only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, and in the meantime she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.
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: Unravel the Dusk
: The Blood of Stars #2
: Elizabeth Lim
: 4/5
After the ending of the last book I was super curious to see where the story would go and what would happen to Maia… and especially to see if there would be a happy ending. I found the beginning a bit slow to get into, but once the story really gets going you don’t want to stop reading. I had a couple of these moments throughout the book, so I think the pacing could have been better. I loved the characters and I especially liked how we got to see more of Ammi and how their friendship developed. The character development was good in this one, but I wish we had more time with Maia and Edan together. The story itself was good as well and I was definitely not expecting the story to go the way it did which I really liked. Moreover, I loved the Chinese/Asian influences in this book, it made it just more magical. I recommend reading this duology, especially if you like Chinese/Asian influences.
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Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Unravel the Dusk starts with a back-story of Maia and her family:- interactions with her mom, brothers, and father, lessons on sewing and embroidering, and learning about life’s lessons. It is an intimate look into the Tamarin family dynamics.
Fast forward after the prologue, the story continues with Maia’s present dire predicament in the last book. The war is happening, and many battles are brewing inside Maia’s head and outside around her. The whole book is gut-wrenching with the choices made, prices paid and consequences faced by each one of the characters.
The author bridges the POV from the last book, still like it’s still the next chapter, seamlessly with an excellent prologue of Maia’s past when most of her family members are alive. It gives rare insight into the relationship and deep connections that sequentially hints to why Maia is a unique enchanter, a class of her own, and will not succumb to the pitfalls of others who failed. Maia’s strength comes from this. It will also make her win over everything – and reward her with a brief piece of heaven – a surprise for readers at the end.
More Asian beliefs and mythological themes are poured into the pages as Maia tries to find a way to save her family, her beloved, her country, and herself as she became bound to the magical and mystical dark powers of her land. It is
I enjoyed the “threads of fate” and how Maia’s mom told her that she is beyond a woman seamstress or an imperial tailor. Her path is higher and more transcending.
There is more fear and uncertainty that readers will feel for Maia. I cried so many times in this book because of the impossible choices and sacrifices Maia had to take for the country’s greater good. She will meet more new characters while some old ones in Book 1 like her trial competitors, which delighted me because a few of them were very lovely to Maia. Readers can expect more demons, ghosts, and the supernatural in this book – a lot more than in Book 1 and an unexpected reunion that will tip the scales of victory to Maia!
Unravel the dusk was one of my most anticipated read of this year. I have love Spin the dawn and was really looking foward to the sequel and I wasn’t dissapointed.
Maia have manage to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon and the stars. But when she come back the kingdom is on the verge of war and Edan is missing. But thats not the worse. When she had touched the demon Bandur, she have started to change and is slowly loosing her mermory. Starting to loose control of her magic, her mind and her body. Her eyes are turning red sometimes. She’s becomming a demon… But her priority will still be finding her lover back, saving her family and bring peace back before loosing herself.
I have really love the conclusion of this duologie. Can’t wait to read more by Elizabeth Lim.
Not only is Unravel the Dusk an incredible sequel, but it is also a fantastic conclusion to an already fantastic series.
Spin the Dawn was a fantastic opening novel to the Blood of Stars duology and Unravel the Dusk was able to keep up the incredible momentum.
Great Development of Maia
One of the best things about this novel was the character development. Maia was a good character in the first novel, but Lim builds off that, allowing her to grow exponentially. Maia is facing her darkness now whereas, in the previous novel, she was facing her mortality and discovering her inner strength.
However, after the events of Spin the Dawn, Maia is slowly turning into a demon. This now means she has to contend with this darker side of her, her anger and desire for revenge.
It is interesting to see the evolution of Maia as she tries not to succumb to being a demon. Her evolution of being a demon makes the story more engaging because she fights it every step of the way.
Nevertheless, the temptation is too hard for her, and she rationalizes, tapping into the power to save people. It says much about her character because she is willing to put her well-being to save those who do not deserve it.
However, it also says much about the complexities of other characters. Look at the Emperor. He is cruel and vindictive, but he genuinely cares about his kingdom. And Lady Sarnai as well, a resentful cruel princess who has more honor than anyone. Alongside Maia, they are multifaceted characters who are complex and so very human. They are all so relatable and engage the reader because they give tension to the plot and enhance the character dynamics.
More Involved Plot
As for the story itself, it is both tension-driven and character-driven. Lim continues Maia’s journey, but it takes another look at the power of the dresses. The utilization of the dresses reflect so much, the mind, body, and soul, and they bring more magic to the story.
By taking this focus on the dresses, Lim expands the magic of the novel and the tension. However, the energy the dresses and character dynamics insert into the novel makes the novel compelling. Nothing goes according to plan for Maia, and the new relationships she builds with other characters is enriching. The evolution of Maia’s relationship with Lady Sarnai was a pleasant surprise. Once again, by developing Lady Sarnai from more than a resentful princess, it opened the door to so many opportunities. It created so much tension between the characters and reflected the growth of the story as well.
Final Thoughts
All in all, this is such an engaging story. The journey that Maia embarks on is incredibly powerful. There is slightly less adventure in this story as it focuses more on the impending war, but the inner turmoil Maia faces engages the reader. It is a story about the battle between one’s inner darkness, relating it to the reader on an emotional and enlightening level.
Unravel the Dusk was such a brilliant conclusion to the series. It has such fresh folklore to it, and it just engages the reader on every level.