I know I’m late to the party on this one by at least a decade, but better late than never, right?

Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver follows Miryem, a young woman and successful moneylender, whose careless boast that she can turn silver into gold is overheard by the wrong ears. Her boast is challenged by the king of the Staryk—icy beings known for their love of gold and the violence with which they often take it—and she is taken to his realm to create more gold. What Miryem doesn’t realize is that it isn’t just her freedom at stake as she schemes and bargains to escape, but the fate of the Staryk kingdom as well as her home country.

Though Miryem is the center of the story, it isn’t hers alone. Her assistant, Wanda, and Irina, the daughter of a duke, play important roles, and all three are assisted by a strong supporting cast. Novik does a good job in keeping all of her characters’ voices very distinct, as well as their take on the events of the story. She has multiple complex characters that you can see grow and shift in mindset over the course of the story, but all in different ways, and all easy to root for, though at least one you have to get to know a little better before you can confidently root for them.

The complexity of the characters also kept me guessing at the plot, which was a fun change of pace. After Miryem was kidnapped, I kept waiting for the clear cues that the Staryk king was the villain or that we were in an enemies-to-lovers trope, and then as I got to know Irina and her new husband, I was asking myself the same questions, but Novik gives no easy answers, you just have to keep reading and watch it unfold. And don’t assume you can figure out the plot based on the Rumplestiltskin references, either. Novik uses some details from that old story, but she uses them in entirely her own way, and even challenges the traditional interpretation of the miller’s daughter, who made a bargain that she not only failed to keep, but likely never intended to, as a hero. I was also impressed by Novik’s use of those references, along with her world building, to explore the antisemitism surrounding the Jewish moneylender stereotype. The small, snowy village and vast countryside really drive home the simultaneously stifling and isolated atmosphere, especially when compared to the bustling community Miryem’s relatives have in the city.

All in all, Spinning Silver is an easy 3.75 Stars for me.