Review: Night Spinner (Night Spinner #1) by Addie Thorley

Night Spinner

(Night Spinner #1)

by Addie Thorley

February 11, 2020

391 pages

Goodreads Summary:

Before the massacre at Nariin, Enebish was one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army: a rare and dangerous Night Spinner, blessed with the ability to control the threads of darkness. Now, she is known as Enebish the Destroyer―a monster and murderer, banished to a monastery for losing control of her power and annihilating a merchant caravan.

Guilt stricken and scarred, Enebish tries to be grateful for her sanctuary, until her adoptive sister, Imperial Army commander Ghoa, returns from the war front with a tantalizing offer. If Enebish can capture the notorious criminal, Temujin, whose band of rebels has been seizing army supply wagons, not only will her crimes be pardoned, she will be reinstated as a warrior.

Enebish eagerly accepts. But as she hunts Temujin across the tundra, she discovers the tides of war have shifted, and the supplies he’s stealing are the only thing keeping thousands of shepherds from starving. Torn between duty and conscience, Enebish must decide whether to put her trust in the charismatic rebel or her beloved sister. No matter who she chooses, an even greater enemy is advancing, ready to bring the empire to its knees.

Review

Pitched as a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling I had almost no idea what to expect from Night Spinner since I knew next to nothing about the original. Intrigued by the synopsis I picked up the book (many thanks to Manda Group for sending me a copy!). While I can't say the story blew me away, it certainly was a good read.

The biggest problem I had with Night Spinner was its pacing. The beginning was so slow I couldn't help but feel bored. Not a lot happened. However, I'm glad I didn't give up on the story because around the halfway point, things got interesting. Some action here and a surprise there kept me flipping the pages. I enjoyed the plot twists very much (more on this below).

I don't think I've ever felt as bad for a character as I did for Enebish through all of Night Spinner. Given what transpired with her power her low self-esteem was understandable but it didn't stop me from wanting to shake her any less. Enebish was too gullible. I hated seeing her being manipulated by those she trusted. Yet one failure after another, Enebish did not gave up. "Discover the depth of your power so you will know the limits of your control." (ARC, p.224) I loved her character growth.

Night Spinner impressed me with some pretty good plot twists. The crumbs leading up to the reveals added to the shock of the truths. So unexpected. "There are a thousand sides to every story. A million shades of gray between black and white." (ARC, p. 184) I hope we get more of these moments in the next book.

Despite the cliffhanger ending, Night Spinner finished on a hopeful note. Such a different tone from the beginning of the book. I'm invested and want to see where Sky Breaker will take the characters and how they will fare.

*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.