I read this book for CYBILS. Although it’s not a finalist, I really liked it and I would love to get to share it with all of you. 

Maia has worked as a tailor in her father’s shop for years. She dreams of owning the shop one day, however, she cannot as a woman. When the king asks her father to attend a competition to become the royal tailor, she jumps at the chance to earn a better life for her father and brother. She also wants to prove that she can do it, even as a woman. She disguises herself as her brother and enters into the world of the king with its danger and perhaps even magic–even though it’s forbidden.

Four Stars

This book says it’s a Mulan and Project Runways mix and I guess it is, at the beginning. The book feels like it’s split into two different sections. The part that the jacket describes and then an epic adventure. I don’t want to give a lot away, but I felt it important to say that the description doesn’t do it justice, and it turned me off at first.

I really enjoy Maia as a character. She’s a hard worker, quick on her feet, and crafty and not just with clothes. I really liked getting to know her and watching her world view grow. She’s been through a lot in life, and yet she continues to try to see the best in the world. She is a fighter and it was awesome how she represented women.

The magic in this world is very intriguing and I am eager to learn more about it. The book didn’t end at all how I thought and I really want to know that the next book holds. It’s going to take a very different turn.

This a decently long book, but I really enjoyed it.