Review - Night Spinner (Night Spinner, #1) by Addie Thorley

Title: Night Spinner (Night Spinner, #1)

Author: Addie Thorley

Pages: 403

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Release Date: 11th February 2020

Blurb from Goodreads:

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. 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.

 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

 

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Page Street Publishing and NetGalley*

 Enebish is a Night Spinner - someone with the ability to control darkness and pull down the stars from the sky. She was once a great warrior and fought for the king, but after losing control of her powers and killing innocent people, Enebish has been locked away at a monastery and is now known as Enebish the Destroyer. Enebish knows she should be grateful to still be alive, but longs for her old life.

When the commander of the king's army, Ghoa, (who is Enebish's adopted sister), offers Enebish the chance to leave the monastery and return to her old life, she can't say no.

Enebish sets off on a journey to find Temujin, the leader of a group of rebels that seize army supplies.

Can Enebish find Temujin and return to her former life?

I enjoyed the author's previous novel so I was intrigued to read Night Spinner, especially as it was inspired by/was a retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. However, I unfortunately ended up disappointed.

Enebish was an OK character, but I didn't feel that I fully connected with her. I did feel sorry for her at times, but I also found her a little bit annoying.

The plot took a while to get going for me and I struggled to get into the storyline. I did think about DNFing, but decided to keep going, and in a way I'm glad I did because there were some good twists at the end that I didn't see coming.

The setting and magic were interesting and I would be interested in finding out more about them.

I'm not sure if I will be continuing with this series.

Overall, this was an OK read.