The three main characters, Miryem, Wanda and Irina, each have their own adventures and narrate the vast majority of the book. The story within Spinning Silver is told through first person narrations from a variety of the characters featured within the book. With no other choice, Miryem, Irina and Miryem’s servant, Wanda, embark on a daring quest to free themselves from these terrible forces.

However, the Tsar has a dark secret that could threaten the realm, and Irina must find a way to survive his terrible powers. Irina has caught the attention of the Tsar and has used magical Staryk silver to win his hand in marriage. If she fails, she dies, but if she succeeds, an even worst fate awaits her: marriage to the cruel king in his harsh kingdom of ice.įorced to find a way to escape her life of captivity, Miryem finds a common cause with Irina, the daughter of a powerful nobleman. The Staryk king sets Miryem an impossible task: to turn three increasing amounts of silver coins into gold. But words have power, and this boast has been overheard by the king of the Staryks, powerful fairies who hold dominion over winter. As her business grows, rumours soon spread that she has the ability to turn silver into gold. Forced to harden her heart and take over the family business, Miryem is soon successful in her new career and quickly turns her family’s fortunes around. Miryem is the daughter of an ineffective village moneylender, whose kind nature is taken advantage of by their neighbours. Publisher: Macmillan Publication Date – 10 July 2018įrom award-winning fantasy author Naomi Novik comes an innovative novel that repackages the classic fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin and portrays a fresh and much darker take on a story no longer fit for children.

Spinning silver