Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim / a dark and fiery conclusion to a beloved duology

Am I surprised the my first book review would be YA fantasy? Not at all.

I can’t describe how excited I was when I received the library notification that ebook was reading for me to check out. I absolutely adored “Spin the Dawn”, and I had highly anticipated the release of its finale. I was ready to hop back into one of my favourite series of all time, to a world that I loved with all my heart.

Sometimes, things don’t work out the way we want and that is exactly what happened for me with this book. Today I’ll be reviewing “Unravel the Dusk” by Elizabeth Lim, and examining why I am feeling the way I am about this book.

UNRAVEL THE DUSK

Elizabeth Lim | Published 7/7/20

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

ADD TO GOODREADS

The thrilling sequel to SPIN THE DAWN, a magical series steeped in Chinese culture. // Maia Tamarin’s journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. The boy she loves is gone, and she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor’s bride-to-be to keep the peace. // But the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the battle within. Ever since she was touched by the demon Bandur, she has been changing . . . glancing in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red, losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It’s only a matter of time before Maia loses herself completely, but she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.

‹ what i loved ›

• I really enjoyed exploring more on the magic aspect of the dresses and get to know the true powers that they hold. It felt like the bridge between the two books and explained why they were such a rare spectacle. To me, it really represents the core of fashion design – each piece is meant to tell a story and is created with purpose and intention.
• Once again the imagery in “Unravel the Dusk” is magic itself. Lim has such a beautiful voice with her words and it brings the story alive. The battle scenes brought me to the edge of my seat (literally), and were intense and fast paced.
• To be honest I forgot about Ammi’s existence, but it all came back to me when we were reintroduced. Maia and Ammi’s friendship is so pure, I can’t with these two!! She is the textbook definition of loyalty and unconditional love and never gave up on Maia. Ammi always held onto hope for her even when she couldn’t do it to herself.
• I absolutely LOVED how Lady Sarnai stepped into her much deserved spotlight!! It was something that I really wished to see after reading “Spin the Dawn”, and it made me so happy to have more of her stories. I honestly adore this woman Maia x Sarnai would be iconic and unstoppable and she is such a fascinating and meaningful character that deserves a book on her own!!
• Oof there is no words in the entire vocabulary that can describe the moment when it revealed that Maia and Edan represented the traditional Chinese folk tale: Weaver and the Cowherd*. It was so cleverly woven into the plot and I will forever STAN Elizabeth Lim.

*It brought back memories of when I heard this story as a smol potato! The version that my country has is slightly different – it’s so interesting to see how there are so many variations/interpretations of one tale. From now own, whenever I remember Weaver and the Cowherd, the first thing I will think of is Maia and Edan lol.

‹ disappointments ›

• Unfortunately there was a significant lack of character growth in our beloved protagonist. She was like a lulling wave at the shore; still something but not much. Maia was full of life and had aspirations in “Spin the Dawn”, but it all dwindled down in this one.
• I missed Edan. My baby child whom I had wrapped so tightly into a blanket. I was so sad that he only made a reappearance around half way into the book! His character was so witty, adorable, yet complex – he seemed to end up as merely the “love interest”.
• Whereas the magical aspects that were introduced in book one were explained, it felt that the new elements of this book were glossed over. I would have been interested in learning more about the history of the demons and the purpose and power of the amulet. As the final book to a series, it seems like it would be of upmost priority to make everything… make sense. Unfortunately it seemed to fall flat on this case.
• It felt like Maia was on a continuous sprint, without taking any breaks. There was one conflict after another and it seemed like there wasn’t a chance for us to really delve into it since it passed by so quickly.
• In conclusion – with examples seen on the past few points – it really felt like the ending was rushed. The chapters that were filled with action to the brim didn’t last long, and it just all seemed to end so abruptly. If I didn’t know that this was the final book, I would have definitely felt that the ending would be on the third instalment. Personally I found that it was underwhelming and it didn’t seem like the finale to a series that I adore with all my heart.

‹ favourite quotes ›

“I will stay by your side until the fire in the sun grows cold and the light of the moon is no more. Until time blots out the stars.”
― Elizabeth Lim, Unravel the Dusk

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“We were like the sun and the moon, sharing the same stars and the same sky.”
― Elizabeth Lim, Unravel the Dusk

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“I know that for every dawn, dusk must unravel its darkness.”
― Elizabeth Lim, Unravel the Dusk

‹ final verdict ›

Even though the process to the ending suffered a fall, it gave us the last page that we ultimately wanted to see. “Unravel the Dusk” was an intricately woven tapestry on destiny and how we fight for the people we love. Despite the slight disappointment, “Spin the Dawn” will remain as one of my favourite series of all time, one that will become a timeless classic.

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Have you read Unravel the Dusk yet? Are fantasy books a hit or miss to you? What recent YA book do you think will become a classic in the future? Hope you enjoyed my first book review, please feel free to tell me your thoughts <33