Rating: 2/5 stars
I enjoyed Spin the Dawn a lot so I was looking forward to reading Unravel the Dusk.
Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t as good as the first. I’m so so sad about this because the first book was really good.
What I loved about Spin the Dawn was the Mulan similarity, that Maia had to pretend to be her brother to enter the imperial tailor competition, and that she then had to sew dresses from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. I loved that unique yet impossible task, and those two plot points were what drew me into the first book. Unravel the Dusk loses both of those aspects and turns into a completely different story.
*Spoilers here for Spin the Dawn but not for Unravel the Dusk*
At the end of Spin the Dawn, Maia has been cursed by Bandur, a demon, while trying to save Edan, her one true love. The entirety of Unravel the Dusk takes the outcome of that event and runs with it. The whole plot here is about how Maia’s going to break the curse and how she and Edan can truly be together in the end. The three dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars are still present in this book, but the way in which they’re incorporated felt unrealistic to me and I just couldn’t get on board. Basically, what started as a unique concept has turned into every other young adult fantasy series and becomes all about the romance. This was super disappointing to me because I really did think Spin the Dawn was a standout entry in the YA genre.
Ultimately, I think that Unravel the Dusk is too homogenous to the other romance-heavy YA books out there, and it doesn’t offer anything new to the table like Spin the Dawn did. I would say that you should know what you’re getting yourself into before you start this series because the reasons I initially liked it are not present in this installment. I didn’t dislike this book—mostly I was just disappointed, but my constant feelings of “meh” while I was reading are why it’s getting only two stars. I’m glad this was only a duology because if there were any more books, I likely wouldn’t be reading them.
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