Spinning Silver is not a sequel to Novik’s wonderful Uprooted. The two novels have no characters, setting or magic in common, and, although Novik says both books are set in the same world, the stories and countries are far apart. Spinning Silver is also not as good as Uprooted.
Spinning Silver gives us three heroines, and Miryem, daughter of an improvident, hapless Jewish moneylender, Irina, daughter of an ambitious duke and Magreta, the poor daughter of an selfish, cruel man has two brothers to protect. The three ladies live in a country similar to Old Russia, where Jews are kept in their ghetto and in their place, always at risk for pograms and perfect scapegoats for a too-long winter.
Miryem realizes her father would rather let his family freeze and nearly starve than to demand repayment. She takes over his job, demands her father’s debtors pay on their loans and discovers she has merchant talent and can turn silver into gold. The Staryek king hears her boast that she can turn silver into gold and leaves a bit of silver on her doorstep. Miryem is smart and takes the silver to her cousin’s suitor, a jeweler, who turns the silver into a bewitching ring that catches all eyes. The jeweler sells the ring to Irina’s father. Next the Staryek leaves a larger pile of silver, which Miryem and the suitor turn into a necklace. The third time Miryem asks the Staryek king what he will give her in return; he will make her his queen – whether she wants it or not.
So far we have the outline of a Rumplestiltskin fairy tale, but the novel has far more depth than the tale. The Staryek king terrifies Miryem, and she calls upon the backbone she found when demanding loan payments and stands up to him. She forces him to see her as an individual instead of as a despised mortal.
Meanwhile, the demon-possessed tsar marries Irina because his demon wants to consume her. The demon loans the tsar magic and in return, the tsar must provide the demon with victims. The tsar is cursed with the demon because his mother bargained for her power in exchange for her infant son. He doesn’t know how to rid himself of this unwanted monster and is terrified that his nobles will discover he is possessed and burn him as they did his mother.
Magreta comes into the tale because her drunken, worthless father owes Miryem’s family; since he cannot repay the loan Margreta works for Miryem’s family, eventually taking over some of Miryem’s collecting tasks.
All three ladies live in fear. Miryem first fears her neighbors, then the Staryek king. Irina fears her husband’s demon and knows that if the nobles kill him that they will kill her or imprison her in a convent. Magreta fears her father and fears for her brothers.
The novel’s story is how all three overcome their fears by winning against terrible odds and tyrants. This is the best part of the book.
The romances are weak. Novik gives us reasons that the Staryek king will want and admire Miryem, but we don’t really see why Miryem would want to marry him. Irina of course has no choice because she already is married to the tsar and we see hints that the two will be happy together, but there is no compelling love story here. Neither the Staryek king nor the tsar are fascinating people, nothing like Sarkan, the dragon in Uprooted. All the men feel like blank slates, only there for the girls to be strong against.
The other weak point is that the dangers feel muted, distant. The characters tell us they are in danger and we can certainly see it, but the threats don’t feel as immediate as they should. Even when Miryem fears her king will kill her for not completing a task the story focuses on her determination more than on the danger, and the same is true for Irina and Margreta. All three girls either have or develop spines of steel and spend most of their emotional energy on remaining adamant. I certainly appreciate that in a character – far better than moaning and groaning – the side effect is we lose the sense of deadly peril.
Overall the writing, pacing, world building are excellent. I was a little disappointed because Spinning Silver is not as good as Uprooted, lacking its overall emotional punch.
4 Stars
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