The Children’s Book Review | August 21, 2019
Elizabeth Lim is the author of Spin the Dawn (out 7.9.19 with Knopf BFYR) and Reflection: A Twisted Tale (Disney Press). Raised on a hearty diet of fairy tales, myths, and songs, Elizabeth was a professional film and video game composer before becoming an author and studied music at Harvard College and the Juilliard School. She grew up mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
Elizabeth Lim’s Selfie with Spin the Dawn
I do 99% of my work inside my “cave” or so I call it, so I thought it’d be nice to bring my words outside for my shot with Spin the Dawn. So I’m TERRIBLE with selfies, and after several attempts to get one of me with my book (most ended up with it covering my face since I couldn’t get everything in the frame nicely), I asked my husband to help me out. Hence, my very happy and relieved smile! Loosely inspired by Chinese folktale and the Silk Road’s historical setting, Spin the Dawn is about a young seamstress who must disguise herself as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor. Her tasks to sew three magical dresses of the sun, moon, and stars lead her on an adventure of danger and romance.
Elizabeth Lim’s Shelfie
As you can see with the top shelf, I experimented briefly with organizing my books by color, but I gave up on the rest of my shelves. I was lucky enough to be part of the fabulous Electric Eighteens, a 2018 debut group for children’s book authors, and I keep many of my fellow Electrics’ books on the top shelf so I can admire them and see some familiar friendly faces when I visit my shelf to run down my TBR. As you can see from my shelfie, a good majority of those books is fantasy and historical fiction, which is what I’ve loved to read most ever since I was a kid! Just cut off are some of my contemporary reads, and below (not pictured) are a bunch of research books and craft-related books that I like to consult whenever I’m drafting a new project.
To learn more about Elizabeth Lim, visit: Twitter.com/lizlim, Instagram.com/elimpix, and elizabethlim.com.
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Written by Elizabeth Lim
Publisher’s Synopsis: 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 enchanter, 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.
Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.
Ages 12+ | Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers | July 9, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-0525646990
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Discover more books like Spin the Dawn,written by Elizabeth Lim, by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with Chinese, Magic, Romance, Royalty, and Young Adult Fiction; and be sure to follow along with our Selfie and a Shelfie series.