I think most of you have heard about Fantastic Flying Book Club. I had 7 or 8 tours scheduled with them, so I’m going to do my best to post as much as I can about each book. Sadly, I don’t have a giveaway.
Unravel the Dusk (The Blood of Stars #2)
Publisher: Knopf
Release Date: July 7th 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
The thrilling sequel to SPIN THE DAWN, a magical series steeped in Chinese culture.
Maia Tamarin’s journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. The boy she loves is gone, and she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor’s bride-to-be to keep the peace.
But the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within. Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red, losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It’s only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, but she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.
YA fantasy readers will love the sizzling forbidden romance, mystery, and intrigue of UNRAVEL THE DUSK.
BOOK LINKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/36683940-unravel-the-dusk
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eIeWOC
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unravel-the-dusk-elizabeth-lim/1134237363?ean=9780525647027
ITunes: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/unravel-the-dusk/id1484298024
Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Unravel-Dusk-Elizabeth-Lim/9780593302019?ref=grid-view&qid=1589052252672&sr=1-2
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/unravel-the-dusk
Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Elizabeth_Lim_Unravel_the_Dusk?id=nuO3DwAAQBAJ&hl=en_US
This is a book two and will have spoilers for book one below.
I thought this was a pretty good ending to a duology. The pacing was good throughout the book and I enjoyed the writing. I liked Spin the Dawn more, but just a little bit.
Maia has battling the demon growing inside her. She knew she was losing herself a little each day. When things go wrong with the emperor’s wedding to Lady Sarnai, Maia and Ammi left. Keton told Maia that the war would never end if this marriage didn’t happen. Maia knew she had to see Edan again. Bandur was pushing her to get to Lazur and she finally relented. But she asks for time and she uses that to figure out what to say to Edan. Ammi had to be left behind after Maia attacks her when she wasn’t in control of herself. She kept hearing the voices and was having nightmares. The voices called her Sentur’na and Maia knew that would be her demon name.
Maia and Edan work on a plan for what they should do to defeat Bandur. After leaving Lazur again, Maia knew she had a matter of days. Her eyes glowed red more often and she was getting claws. She decided that she needed to go back and fight for A’landi. The shansen had made a deal with a demon and he has that help. There is almost nothing left of himself. Maia was told that she would have a choice to make before she got back. But if she did what she wanted, she would die. Maia was willing to do anything to save her father, brother, and Edan. She tells Lady Sarnai and Edan how to kill her if she gets out of control. Edan refuses to believe that she won’t be herself, even as a demon. He believes she is good and that she can fight it.
The book kind of took off right away, so I feel like most of the things I can mention will spoil a bit of the story. I think that you’ll enjoy this if you liked Spin the Dawn. There is a lot of war and death, but Maia and Edan’s story never got lost in the plot. They were tied together and that love wasn’t going to be stopped for anything.
I gave this 4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.
Warnings for war, blood, death, lashings, death of a horse, and beatings.
Quotes:
Demons devour you piece by piece. Memory by memory. Until you are nothing.
Time eases all wounds, even ones to the heart.
Sensing the earth would bleed once more with war, the heavens wept. Rain poured from the skies, falling first like needles, then in sheets.
Death did not frighten me as much as it once had.
Magic was the blood of stars falling from the sky, the song of my enchanted scissors-eager to make a miracle out of thread and hope.
Elizabeth Lim grew up on a hearty staple of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Her passion for storytelling began around age 10, when she started writing fanfics for Sailor Moon, Sweet Valley, and Star Wars, and posted them online to discover, “Wow, people actually read my stuff. And that’s kinda cool!” But after one of her teachers told her she had “too much voice” in her essays, Elizabeth took a break from creative writing to focus on not flunking English.
Over the years, Elizabeth became a film and video game composer, and even went so far as to get a doctorate in music composition. But she always missed writing, and she turned to penning stories when she needed a breather from grad school. One day, she decided to write and finish a novel — for kicks, at first, then things became serious — and she hasn’t looked back since.
Elizabeth loves classic film scores, books with a good romance, food (she currently has a soft spot for arepas and Ethiopian food), the color turquoise, overcast skies, English muffins, cycling, and baking. She grew up in Northern California, with a brief stint in Tokyo, Japan, but now lives in New York City with her husband and their daughter.
Elizabeth graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. in music and a secondary in East Asian Studies. She completed her graduate degrees (MM, DMA) at The Juilliard School.
She is represented by Gina Maccoby of the Gina Maccoby Literary Agency.
AUTHOR LINKS
Website: https://www.elizabethlim.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6926374.Elizabeth_Lim
Twitter: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6926374.Elizabeth_Lim
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethlimbooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elimpix/
Have you read Unravel the Dusk? If not, have you read Spin the Dawn? Are they on your TBR?
I have read mixed reviews about this one. Some enjoyed it, for some it was a disappointment. But your review was definitely a refreshing one to read, Kristi! 🦋 Loved it, as always! 🌻
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Thanks for the great review. I just read Spin the Dawn a few months ago and really enjoyed it. You’ve got me excited for the new book in the series. I already reserved it at the library. Thanks.
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