I loved the growth he encouraged in Maia and was extremely sad to see them part at the end of Spin the Dawn. He is a fantastic mix of a powerful man in his own right but still lets Maia shine.

My only (minor) complaint is that we do not get to see Edan until about halfway through the book. Elizabeth’s writing draws you in and provides you a very colorful and engaging world without bogging you down in unneeded information or flowery words. Unravel the Dusk is so rich in culture and world building that it makes you feel as if you are traveling with Maia on her journey. It was one of the things that I loved so much about Spin the Dawn and my admiration continues through this book. But which one will succeed? The ReviewĮlizabeth’s writing is fluid and easy to read. Maia is torn by her two natures – her demonic curse that is calling her to return to the Isles of Lapzur and her human side who is a devoted daughter, sister, lover, and citizen of her nature who wants to save those she cares about. Unfortunately for Maia, it quickly falls apart and she’s left trying to pick up the pieces again and save her nation and loved ones from utter destruction. In a move of desperation, Maia steps into Lady Sarnai’s place under disguise to prevent the wedding and quickly weakening truce from completely falling apart.

Doing her duty, Maia dresses Lady Sarnai in one of her three magical dresses, only to have it almost kill Lady Sarnai. The action gets rolling in the book very quickly as Lady Sarnai tries to escape before her wedding to the emperor, only to be caught and forced to proceed. She’s depressed, lonely and struggling – but immensely more powerful and tougher. However now, try as she might, she is failing at not giving into the pull of her dark tendencies. When we left her at the end of the last book, she was a mostly free woman – no longer hiding under the guise of being a man and she was finally receiving the recognition she deserved all along for being the incredibly talented tailor. Our story begins several months after the end of Spin the Dawn and Maia is struggling to hide a new secret, the secret that she is slowly turning into a demon. I was completely thrilled to dive back into Maia’s story and of course see more of Edan (swoon). I was so honored to be given an advanced reader copy of Unravel the Dusk as Spin the Dawn was one of my top three reads of 2019! Unravel the Dusk did not disappoint, and was even better than Spin the Dawn in so many ways. You can read my review for Spin the Dawn here. Warning: Review may contain spoilers for Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) by Elizabeth Lim.

Unravel the dusk