Spin radically retells the story of a mythical woman who, until now, has been underrepresented in the YA feminist retelling genre: Arachne, the weaver who dared to challenge Athena. In the myth as recounted by Ovid in the Metamorphoses, the enraged goddess turns proud Arachne into a spider, cursed to spin for eternity. In this bold YA reworking, Rebecca Caprara uses the ancient connections between weaving and storytelling to spin a new tale, which follows Arachne from childhood as she learns her craft, suffers through hardship and tragedy, and attempts to make a life for herself along with her best friend, with whom she has a tender, sapphic bond. 

The novel, told in easy-to-read verse that will appeal to teenage readers, is heavily indebted to the #MeToo movement in its portrayals of standing up to sexual violence and oppressive authority—Caprara reimagines Arachne not as a warning against hubris, but a woman who has the courage to speak truth to power, even if it comes with awful consequences. Both Arachne and Athena are complex characters, and their climactic conflict, in which Athena could have been easily reduced to a one-dimensional villain, rejects that simplistic narrative in favor of a more thoughtful exploration of how women can be both victims and enablers of male sexual violence. Arachne ultimately transforms into a spider, just as in the original myth, but here she is not silenced or defeated: her new form comes with new opportunities, and the novel ends with defiant hopefulness. I would recommend this novel for readers 15+, due to its mature themes of violence and sexual assault. - Molly Fording