Just finished reading this one, and I’m pleasantly impressed. It is rare that a young adult fantasy book is nicely written and has well-fleshed, unconventional characters.
I like Naomi Novik’s world building. (I’m still under impression after her Uprooted, although it had many flaws.) Spinning Silver is equally captivating and the story line is much improved. It is a very wintery story, and although I hate winter, I was enchanted by the descriptions in the book. I was also immensely happy to read about mature characters, not teeny brats that usually pose as kings or queens in YA literature. The elves were also unusually portrayed, and totally believable.
The only things that annoyed me were a few cardboard characters, all secondary ones, I admit, which might be ok in writing business, although I wanted more dimension in them; and the ending was rushed in comparison to the general pacing.
My verdict - I’m keeping this book on my shelf.