Night Spinner by Addie Thorley (Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by Page Street Publishing on February 11th 2020
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Loners & Outcasts, Monsters, Royalty, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 400
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.
Night Spinner by Addie Thorley is a book I had on my TBR list from the moment I read the summary. I love the idea of a retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame but with a female character and magic. In a world where magic means power, this book will have you wondering who can really be trusted and what everyone’s endgame is.
Thorley does a great job of setting this story up with Enebish as the main character. Her magic is the thing that has made her a monster to the people and having been one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army, her magic has been her downfall. I couldn’t help but feel sad for Enebish. With the “help” of her adoptive sister, Ghoa, her punishment for losing control of her power and killing an entire merchant caravan is that she has been banished to a monastery.
It’s hard for Enebish to look at this as merciful as all she wants is to be useful again and as a Night Spinner, she can control the threads of darkness – a power that is very rare and dangerous. When Ghoa approaches her with an offer, she’s unable to refuse. If Enebish can hunt down the rebel Temujin, she can have her freedom and be reinstated as a warrior. Of course, Enebish jumps at this opportunity and as she ventures out on her mission, she begins to learn more and more about what is really going on and she struggles with who she can trust.
I loved Enebish. She isn’t afraid to take chances and she is willing to risk everything for the people she loves. Unfortunately, having been locked away from the world for so long, it definitely takes her a while to figure out what is going on.
On the other hand, I did NOT trust Ghoa. She always appeared to be only looking out for herself an when her history with Enebish and the Army are revealed, I felt totally vindicated for my feelings. As for Temujin, I’m still on the fence. My favorite was Serik – it felt like he was the only one who was there to do whatever was needed to help and protect Enebish. Don’t get me wrong, he also seemed to get her into a number of bad situations, but he was the one who was there for her when she most needed someone.
I can’t say a whole lot without giving away the story, so you’ll have to pick this one up to know more of the details. Just know that I really enjoyed this. The pacing was just right, there’s plenty of action, some great characters, and a story that will keep you wondering what will happen next. I’ll definitely be picking up more by Thorley in the future as she continues to write books that I can’t put down.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
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