Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars)

Product Description

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping fantasy about a teenage 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.
And don’t miss Elizabeth Lim’s new novel, the instant New York Times bestseller, Six Crimson Cranes!“All the cutthroat competition of a runway fashion reality show and the thrilling exploits of an epic quest.” —The Washington Post

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 makes the ultimate sacrifice and poses as a boy to take 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 in a cutthroat competition 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 unthinkable final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the sun, the moon, and the 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 fantasy novel is not to be missed.

“This is a white-knuckle read.” —Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter

Review

“Maia’s perspective as a working tailor makes her world 
vibrant and full of sensory details that are sure to delight even the most jaded of fantasy readers.” 
—NPR

“Part 
Project Runway set during the Silk Road era, part
epic adventure. . . . This will have
broad appeal.” —
Kirkus Reviews”
Beautifully written with a can’t-wait-for-the-sequel ending, this breathtaking and fast-paced Silk-road inspired fantasy from the author of Mulan-retelling
Reflection (2018) is
sure to enchant readers beginning to end.” —
Booklist”An
addictive magical adventure.” —
SLJ”
Spin the Dawn is
pure magic. Romance, artistry, and
deep enchantment.” –Gregory Maguire, bestselling author of 
Wicked”A
 thrilling tale as 
rich as velvet and as 
exquisite as fine embroidery.” —Heidi Heilig, author of 
The Girl from Everywhere

About the Author

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SIX CRIMSON CRANES!
 

ELIZABETH LIM grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she was raised on a hearty diet of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Before becoming an author, Elizabeth was a professional film and video game composer, and she still tends to come up with her best book ideas when writing near a piano. An alumna of Harvard College and the Juilliard School, she now lives in New York City with her husband and her daughter.

Spin the Dawn (book 1 in the Blood of Stars duology) was her first original novel, and
Unravel the Dusk is her second. She is also the author of the
New York Times bestseller
Six Crimson Cranes and a contributor to the Twisted Tales series.

Visit her at elizabethlim.com
Follow her on Twitter at @LizLim
Follow her on Instagram at @elimpix
 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I had three brothers once.
 
Finlei was the oldest–the brave one. Nothing frightened him, not spiders or needles or a flogging from Baba’s cane. He was the quickest of us four children, fast enough to catch a fly with only his thumb and a thimble. But along with his dauntlessness came a craving for adventure. He despised having to work in our shop, having to spend the sun’s preciou