Is Spinning Silver Worth Reading?
by Naomi Novik
Ada’s Score
Naomi Novik reimagines Rumpelstiltskin through the story of Miryem, a moneylender's daughter in a fairy-tale Eastern European village who boasts she can turn silver into gold — a claim that draws the attention of the deadly Staryk king of winter. Novik weaves together three women's perspectives to create a richly layered story about power, survival, and unexpected alliances. The novel is attentive to the historical antisemitism its protagonist navigates without ever flinching. It is a sophisticated, feminist retelling that transcends its source material.
Fantasy Spotlight“Novik writes fairy tales that feel genuinely dangerous. Miryem is resourceful and real in a way fantasy heroines rarely are.”
When Winter Comes to Collect Its Debts
What I adore about Spinning Silver is how Naomi Novik weaves together three women's voices, each one refusing to be a footnote in someone else's story. This isn't just a clever Rumpelstiltskin retelling—it's a meditation on value, on what we owe each other, on the cold mathematics of survival softened by unexpected warmth. If you loved Uprooted but wished for something even more intricately braided, this one will keep you up far past midnight.
Ada Brief
AI reading intelligence“Novik writes fairy tales that feel genuinely dangerous. Miryem is resourceful and real in a way fantasy heroines rarely are.”
When Winter Comes to Collect Its Debts
What I adore about Spinning Silver is how Naomi Novik weaves together three women's voices, each one refusing to be a footnote in someone else's story. This isn't just a clever Rumpelstiltskin retelling—it's a meditation on value, on what we owe each other, on the cold mathematics of survival softened by unexpected warmth. If you loved Uprooted but wished for something even more intricately braided, this one will keep you up far past midnight.
Book Details
- Publisher
- Macmillan
- Published
- January 1, 2018
- Pages
- 466
- Language
- ENG
Get This Book
Affiliate linksISBN: 9780399180989
Disclosure: ReadAda earns a commission on purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Ada’s Score Breakdown
4.4
This breakdown reflects how Ada weighs the book’s strengths and flaws, not aggregated reader data.
Common Questions About Spinning Silver
- Is Spinning Silver worth reading?
- Novik writes fairy tales that feel genuinely dangerous. Miryem is resourceful and real in a way fantasy heroines rarely are. Ada rates it 4.4 out of 5.
- How many pages is Spinning Silver?
- Spinning Silver is 466 pages long — around 8–9 hours at an average reading pace.
