Book Blurb:
Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.
4 Out Of 5 Stars
Genre: Another-World, Ghosts, Heart-Wrenching, Historical, Romance, Royal-Court, Supernatural, Suspense, Teen--
Legitimately, the best way to describe this book is Mulan meets project runway with a dash of magic added for flavor. Who ever came up with that is spot on, I can't even imagine a better way to sum this story up. Using skill and potentially magic to create outfits that should not even exist was so cool to see, I loved the cut throat nature of the competition and see the creations come together. It doesn't hurt to have a pair of magic scissors though...
But that is only the first part of the book, the second is best described as an adventure quest, which kinda sorta reminded me of the quest and side tasks that makes up the East of The Wind, West of the Sun fairytale. (there may be a Chinese equivalent of that tale but I am unaware of it). I love love love that story, but I will admit that I wanted the first part to go on longer because it was such a cool unique idea and I ate it up. The adventure quest was interesting, but very familiar, with a girl being sent on a task where she meets people along the way, some help some hinder.
The story had a LOT of complexities and so many moving pieces, at times I was almost uncertain of who to root for (besides Maia) because everyone else had some sort of ulterior motive or master who controlled them. The story was a mix of magic, hidden identity, court politics, spies, a dangerous competition, war, lies, questing, epic wonderful heartbreaking romance, scary demons, curses... and probably more that I am just not thinking of now. This was a very enjoyable read that I was not completely expecting and I need the next book to see how everything will play out.
No comments:
Post a Comment