★ ★ ★ ★ ★
After venturing into a fantasy series that never seems to come to an end, I've told myself to wait as long as I could before diving into a fantasy book. More often than not, they're part of a series. I've been waiting to read this book for a long, long time. And as the saying goes, all good things come to those who wait. I finished this, breathless from all the magic Elizabeth Lim brought into my life, and am now free to continue stirring that pot with the next book, Unravel the Dusk.
First of all, can I say how gorgeous the cover is? Tran Nguyen is one of my favourite artists!
The voice that this book has is one-of-a-kind. To read about the Chinese culture Lim has included in this is heartwarming, because so many of it is what I've grown up with, particularly the food. Her writing style is lyrical and poetic; her descriptions always paint vivid images in my mind so beautifully. World-building is fantastic too, complex yet so well-planned. Every bit of information was released to the reader at a good pace, so I wasn't dumped with it at all.
We begin with the introduction of Maia and her family. Her father is a renowned tailor, who started to fade away when his wife died. The relationship between Maia and her family was really beautiful. Fun, too, of course, before all the bad things happened. She's a strong one, being able to hold the family together despite all the hardship. So to see her get through the tasks required by the fierce Lady Sarnai, the daughter of the general who had been at war with the emperor, and become the imperial tailor is not surprising. Yes, even if she's a girl. Through it all, she has the support of the enchanter, Edan, who's constantly teasing her and getting on her nerves, but who learns to love her, and she him. The build-up for their romance is so sweet. That forbidden romance! I love it. Such is my taste.
But the most mindblowing of all was how Lim was able to think of all the challenges Maia had to go through to complete the three magic gowns for Lady Sarnai. Before getting into all of them, she has to collect the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of the stars. Just reading all that again brings good shivers and makes me sigh. And I found myself constantly rooting for her as she got through every difficult task. It's really no easy feat.
The book ended with a nice twist, so now I'm on to the next book, eagerly awaiting to see how it'll all end.