Review: Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book a lot. It can be slow going at times, and I feel like that adds to how the story is built. It begins simply with a young woman that helps to reestablish her father's moneylending business. Her success catches the eye of a king that kicks off the reimagining of the Rumpelstiltskin story. The emergence of this fairy creature is both fascinating and frightening. This story is buoyed by other elements including a princess who shares a similar destiny and the children of a family that become intertwined with both women.

There is a lot of depth to the individual stories. Each one adds to the fantastical nature of the book. And each perspective, of which there are a few, lends something new to the story. Sure there is some overlap at times because the same scene might be played out from more than one point of view. I liked this though. It shows how certain story elements are affecting the different character, especially later in the book, rather than just telling or expecting the reader to infer what is happening. The juxtaposition of the fairy king associated with unending winter and the demon of fire is a nice touch as well. It melds two mythical tales into something new and enjoyable.

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