For some reason, 2019 seems to be the year of the girl-has-to-dress-up-as-a-boy-because-reasons books. I've read a few books in the last couple of years with this trope, to varying success. Flame in the Mist was mediocre, Walk on Earth a Stranger was really good (let's not talk about the awful sequels), and Under a Painted Sky is, in my opinion, underrated.

But then 2019 came. So far, I have three books on my shelves (all OwlCrate books, which is another conversation entirely) that revolve around the trope of a girl dressing up as a boy for some reason. The first I read was Crown of Feathers, a book I was looking forward to but ended up not enjoying. The reason the main character in that book cross-dresses felt very contrived to me. We Hunt the Flame is still sitting on my shelves, but I plan on reading it in August so we'll see.

As far as Spin the Dawn is concerned, what initially drew me in was the fantastic cover. The description of this as a cross between Mulan and Project Runway didn't actually do anything for me, but I liked that the main character is a seamstress and I like books with competitions, so I decided to pick it up and give it a shot.

I ended up really enjoying this book. I wouldn't say it's a new all-time favorite, but I couldn't stop reading it. I loved how the author interpreted myth and fairy tale from her culture. I see some critical reviews calling this a watered-down Mulan, and I just don't agree. This is a completely different story. The ONLY similarity between this and the legend of Mulan is that a girl poses as a boy. That's it. It would be like me saying that every book with a cross-dressing girl is a Mulan rip-off.

I enjoy Maia as a character. She doesn't always make the decisions I would make, but her motives are pure and I can't fault her wanting to protect her family.
Edan is interesting, but I wish I knew more about him. Perhaps if this had been dual-perspective and we could've seen his POV I would've connected to his character a bit more, but I still enjoyed him.
The romance does happen a little quickly. I would've liked a bit more banter and conflict between them before they get together. At the same time, I enjoyed their relationship.

My one big issue with this book is that I wanted more. I actually feel like it's almost two different books--the first half is the competition and the second is more of a quest storyline with her and Edan going out on their own. I feel like that first half could've been its own book, with more of the political intrigue and then the relationship between Maia and Edan could've been a little more slow-burn. Then the quest could've been the second book, and the third could be the aftermath of everything that happened there.

The main critique that I've seen is people upset with the fact that this book doesn't have more discussion about gender identity with Maia exploring how she feels about dressing and being perceived as a man. It didn't bother me, but I do understand where reviewers are coming from.

I will definitely read the sequel when it's released next year and look forward to the author's subsequent books.

Reread March 2019
3 stars
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this as much the second time around, and completing the duology ended up being a disappointing experience.



Original rating

4.5 stars

Wow. WOW. That was fun.

I love both of these authors whether they are writing together or separately, so I knew that I would probably like this book. But it definitely exceeded my expectations.

What I liked:

1. The premise. I love that this book’s characters have their roots on Earth and that they were kind of fish out of water on this planet. I heard this described as Indiana Jones in space, and I kept having Tomb Raider and National Treasure go through my mind, so that should tell you what you need to know about the tone of this story.

2. The characters. I really enjoyed both Mia and Jules on their own and their relationship with each other. I loved that using her street smarts and his book smarts they navigate their way through these clues. They complement each other really well.

3. The writing. I don’t know how they do it, but Alice Kaufman and Meagan Spooner co-author books and make it seamless. These two obviously work very well together and have complementary styles. I’d be curious to know more about their process. Do they write alternating chapters? Does one handle Mia’s and the other Jules’s? However they do it, it’s done very well. I like the dual POV, especially since both of these characters are really interesting.

You can also tell that these ladies do their research. From musical theory to rock climbing to linguistics, this book was informative without being boring.

4. World Building. I thought they did a great job creating this new planet and also explaining what Earth had turned into. Both sound pretty terrifying.

5. The plot. Once it got going, Unearthed was a fun, fast-paced story. I don’t want to get into too much of what happens and why, but I found myself trying to figure everything out along with them. I’ve read some reviews that say this was boring to them because the characters talked to much, and maybe it’s the total nerd in me, but I was really intrigued by all of that. I never really felt like the plot dragged after the beginning.

6. The ending. THAT ENDING. I just...

What I didn’t like:

1. I wish we’d had a couple more puzzles. I was really excited about this aspect of the book and i just wish there had been more.

2. This is super nitpicky, but it did take me about 60-75 pages to really become invested in this story. I don’t think it would be a problem on re-read (which I definitely plan on when the second book comes out) but as they were establishing the characters, their separate missions, and this world it took awhile for it to get going. That being said, once it did take off it never stopped.

I really loved this book. I can’t wait for the next one!

So, in case you couldn't tell by the 5-star rating...I loved this. I know this isn't a perfect book, but it's absolutely perfect for me. It's exactly what my nerdy Renaissance-Faire-and-Shakespeare-loving heart wanted.

I connected really intensely with Emily. Like her, I tend to be a stress ball and jump to conclusions about how people around me are perceiving me. Instead of 'asking the right question' I can assume the worst, which isn't great for your emotional health. But it's real, and as I was reading her story I could absolutely see myself in her.

I loved Simon, and their flirty banter. I loved that it began as their alter egos, pirate and wench, and how it organically grew between them as themselves. Their romance doesn't happen right away, which I liked. There are some sexy scenes in the second half of the book, but that's not ALL this book is, which is nice. There's an actual story to go along with the romance. Also, I never felt cringy or uncomfortable reading the intimate scenes. They aren't fade-to-black, but they also aren't explicitly graphic, or at least not as graphic as other 'romance' books I've read that are pretty much just porn masking as romance.

I loved Emily's relationship with her sister and niece. If there was one bit that I wish had been expanded on, it would've been April and Caitlyn's relationship and April's growth. I'm just saying, I wouldn't be mad if the author's next book was April's story.

I had a stupid grin stuck on my face for pretty much this entire book, and I can't wait for the author's next!

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book. I wouldn’t say it’s a new favorite, but I did read it in one sitting.

I could absolutely see this book as a movie. It had a very cinematic quality to me.

I don’t tend to read thrillers with quite this much graphic violence, which is why it doesn’t get a higher rating from me. Also, some of the dialogue felt awkward to me with phrases that just seemed out of place.

I think I would absolutely give this author another chance.

1.5 stars There are times when I'll read a book that I don't care for, but I think I would've liked when I was younger. I'm not sure if this is one of those books. On one hand, it is an interesting setting for a YA fantasy: Turn of the century England. And there are some very witty moments in this books with regards to the writing. But the story itself lacks depth and direction, and the characters, specifically Gemma, make the worst possible decisions in every circumstance.

I get that they are young women. Young people do dumb things all of the time, especially when authority figures are telling them not to. But Oh My Goodness...these girls just have zero common sense.

There is a super lukewarm romance in this book. Actually, it's not even lukewarm. The dude in question is only in a handful of scenes for fleeting moments here and there. He has zero personality. We know next to nothing about him. Yet Gemma has several fever dreams of him throughout the book and I get the feeling we are supposed to be swoony about him. But there is literally NO relationship to actually speak of.

Mix that in with an unhealthy dose of fat-shaming and self-harm that is never challenged or adequately addressed, and you get a book that is just a mess.

Now, I made the mistake of buying the other two books in the series as well (this and the second were purchased at a library book sale for .50 a piece, the third was a few dollars on book outlet, so it's not like I'm out a bunch of money) so I may give the second one a shot and see if the story improves. I think this was Libba Bray's first published work. I've also read The Diviners, which I thought was just okay, although the writing and storytelling was definitely better than this, so I have hopes. Not high hopes...but hopes.

2.75ish stars

I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, considering it was free on amazon for kindle. I’ve never read a Sarina Bowen, but heard good things about some of her other books.

I was intrigued by the setting of a family farm/cidery. Every time they started talking about food and farm-to-table, I was hungry.

I liked the idea of the romance more than the execution. I’m a sucker for second-chance romances, but the jump from friends with benefits in college to obsessed with each other ten years later happens a bit quickly. And there are some really misogynistic comments made that I think we’re supposed to swoon over, but just strike me as hypocritical and dickish.

For example, there is a scene where a pig is slaughtered (It’s not graphically depicted. Remember, this takes place on a working farm). The sister of Griff, the male protagonist is actually the one to kill the animal, a moment that has her brother praising her skill. But then when Audrey, a TRAINED CHEF, wants to help butcher the animal, he freaks out and is then surprised that she is so capable. There are a couple more moments like that where Griff tries to ‘protect’ Audrey that don’t sit well with me.

I did like Griff’s family and other side characters, though it was more their family dynamic than individual personalities, which weren’t exactly super unique.

I also liked the movie references, being a nerd like that. :)

I checked out the other books in the series from my library, because I don’t feel like need to pay $3.99 for each of the other FIVE books in the series (explains Griff’s HUGE family/friend circle...protagonists for future books) so maybe I’ll check them out. The books are very quick and readable, but I’m not sure how long the actual romance will stay with me.

I’d never heard of this story before chaperoning my son’s trip to the theater where they were putting on a stage production of this story. It was fantastic and I decided I should read the source material.
I actually listened to this on audiobook, so I don’t know if the book has illustrations in it, but having seen it performed on stage I had no trouble visualizing everything that was going on. The voice actor did a wonderful job with several accents and injected a lot of emotion into her performance.
This is a lovely story and I wish it had been around when I was young.

2.75 stars
I picked this book up because I saw someone compare it to Christina Lauren's books, which I'm a sucker for.

I didn't hate this book. It's fine. It was a light, quick read that I can see people enjoying. That being said, it isn't a new favorite.

I felt like the scenes became incredibly repetitive in the second half of the book, with the female protagonist, Emma, repeatedly trying to avoid our male protagonist because she couldn't put her big-girl panties on and use her words. And if there was a way that she could possibly misinterpret a situation, she would. It got to be a little much.

I actually liked Cooper, the love interest, even though he isn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier. He just doesn't get enough on-page time. There are several scenes between Emma and their friends Nick and Henry that could have included Cooper, but didn't. We find out after the fact about scenes that happen between Cooper and the other characters, but I would've liked to see it on the page. As it was, Cooper felt very disconnected from the rest of the group. I kept wishing I could get scenes from Cooper's POV, because being in Emma's neurotic headspace for the entire book was a little exhausting. I'm neurotic enough on my own. I think this would've been much stronger as a dual-perspective novel, and maybe in third-person rather than first.

There were some structural things that also got on my nerves. As I said, we spend a lot (A LOT) of time running around in Emma's head, with all of her thoughts. Most of the time, her inner dialogue is denoted with the use of italics. However, there are also many times where we get what I'm assuming to be a nugget of wisdom that is always preceded by "EMMA THOUGHT:" or "EMMA REMINDER:" It feels very forced, as if the author is attempting to create quirkiness in Emma that isn't actually there.

My other issue is that this book has too many things going on. Characters are introduced but not really fleshed out. I'm assuming that they will appear in later books (this is the first of a series of companion novels) but I'm not sure why they all needed to be introduced here. Also, the 'other woman' who Emma hates from college is a prominent part of the story, but only actually appears in a couple of scenes, and is hated by everyone who meets her, because of course they prefer our heroine. She is a caricature of the 'mean girl' archetype and served no real purpose other than to cause more anxiety and insecurity in Emma. Cooper's political rival is also ridiculous and unrealistic. I'm not sure exactly what purpose he served. All through the book, he shows only incompetence and disregard for the people in the town. So much so that it isn't any surprise whatsoever who wins the election. Then we find out a little piece of tacked-on information after the fact that would've been nice to see actually happen, rather than be told about it after the fact.

I found myself skimming the final quarter of the book or so, because I was so over her character. It was obvious that Cooper had feelings for her above friendship or a professional relationship, and her denial of it got so old. The last half of the book just got messier and messier as it went along.

When I started this review I had given this book three stars...during this review I've realized it isn't a 3-star book. I still don't hate it, but it definitely doesn't feel like a final draft. I don't think I'll continue with the series.