Summary:
Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young 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.
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 poses as a boy and takes 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 vying 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 final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of 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.
My Review:
"Ask me to spin the finest yarn or threat, and I can do it faster than any man -even with my eyes closed. Yet ask me to tell a lie, and I will stumble and falter to think of one. I have never had a talent for spinning tales."
Pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway, this instantly captured my attention. I read this three months ago (I'm so behind with writing reviews its unbelievable!) I finished this in two days, it would have been faster if I didn't have university work to complete, but it left me thinking about it and yearning to read it -which is always a sign of a great book.
The writing style was lyrical and flowed, the mythology that was included was extremely interesting! The Legend of the God of Thieves was magical. I enjoyed the plot, there were twists that I both expected and didn't expect. I loved the idea of crafting the magical garments, "One woven with the laughter of the sun, another embroidered with the tears of the moon, and lastly, one painted with the blood of the stars." The journey that the characters had to undertake to collect these objects was exciting, interesting and gripping.
Maia and Edan were my favourite characters, I enjoyed the trope of slow-burn fake romance turned into real romance. The romance was believable and swoon-worthy.
This was a book well-deserving of the hype and I'd recommend for lovers of romance, fantasy, mythology and magic.
5 out of 5 stars.
