Courage sparkles!
Spinning Silver: A Novel by Naomi Novik
A gripping story that seems to combine Rumpelstiltskin with overtones of several other traditional tales and comes up with something completely different.
The lands of Lithvasn are under perpetual winter, frozen in place by the Staryk, a deadly race that remind me of high elves, far above humanity in their scale of being.
A young Jewish girl, Miryem, daughter of a moneylender, takes it upon herself to regain debts owed the family. Debts that have left the family close to starvation. In doing this she shows a solid business head and the family fortunes are turned around. She turns dross into gold. And this is exactly why she attracts the attention of the Staryk King, who seems to be a cross between an arrogant Elf Lord and the male equivalent of the wicked Ice Queen.
Another young woman from the same village is hired by Mireym to work off her father's debts. This is a turning point for Wanda. Her father is physically abusive and this new position enables Wanda to not only secret away some money, but she learns the magic of reading and numbers. And has at least one meal a day.
Meanwhile at the nearby city of Vysnia where Miryem's grandparents live, the Duke's plain daughter, Irina, captures the interest of the Tsar. Staryk silver that Mireym has had made into jewelry plays no small part. The Tsar it seems is possessed by a demon. Of course all three women's lives become entangled, magic, devastating continual cold and the demon's insatiably loom large. Death by winter or demonic assault seem the only choices. Continual surprises kept me focused. Just as events look like being resolved, another pathway opens up, another layer is added.
I loved Novik's steady building of tension and creative turns in the story. I loved the way all three families intertwine. We are privy to their stories and the consequences of actions and choices in all three families. Just when I could see what was happening, an unpredictable turn would be taken.
At times I was left feeling sorry for the Staryk King, and then the Tsar who's possessed by a fire demon. The resolution had me glued to the final word.
A fascinating read!
A NetGalley ARC
*****
The lands of Lithvasn are under perpetual winter, frozen in place by the Staryk, a deadly race that remind me of high elves, far above humanity in their scale of being.
A young Jewish girl, Miryem, daughter of a moneylender, takes it upon herself to regain debts owed the family. Debts that have left the family close to starvation. In doing this she shows a solid business head and the family fortunes are turned around. She turns dross into gold. And this is exactly why she attracts the attention of the Staryk King, who seems to be a cross between an arrogant Elf Lord and the male equivalent of the wicked Ice Queen.
Another young woman from the same village is hired by Mireym to work off her father's debts. This is a turning point for Wanda. Her father is physically abusive and this new position enables Wanda to not only secret away some money, but she learns the magic of reading and numbers. And has at least one meal a day.
Meanwhile at the nearby city of Vysnia where Miryem's grandparents live, the Duke's plain daughter, Irina, captures the interest of the Tsar. Staryk silver that Mireym has had made into jewelry plays no small part. The Tsar it seems is possessed by a demon. Of course all three women's lives become entangled, magic, devastating continual cold and the demon's insatiably loom large. Death by winter or demonic assault seem the only choices. Continual surprises kept me focused. Just as events look like being resolved, another pathway opens up, another layer is added.
I loved Novik's steady building of tension and creative turns in the story. I loved the way all three families intertwine. We are privy to their stories and the consequences of actions and choices in all three families. Just when I could see what was happening, an unpredictable turn would be taken.
At times I was left feeling sorry for the Staryk King, and then the Tsar who's possessed by a fire demon. The resolution had me glued to the final word.
A fascinating read!
A NetGalley ARC
*****
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