What a beautiful tale! 
 I haven't read many books of such kind (of this genre) because I am always afraid that would be just a romance mixed with dragons and fairies, and so on. When I find such gem I am simply happy. 
 The strongest part of this novel is the world and the narration. Elizabeth C. Bunce created not only the gripping world. I can imagine that one could dream up a fascinating world but it is not enough. One must also be able to show it to a reader. Bunce did it perfectly. I have lived in Stirwater for the last days. There wasn't important if there were pages about everyday life and work of weavers or about big events and mysteries. It was equally interesting and exciting. 
 As for a plot and a main story (based on the story about Rumpelstiltskin) it was also great. I don't know tale about Rumpelstiltskin, so I don't know how much it was changed here. But this version is beautiful. At the end I was really touched. 
 So, it is simply a masterpiece of the genre. It will be my favorite (modern written) fairy tale next to Enchanted (here why) and Ella Enchanted (here why). 
 For more I recommend a comprehensive review of Sarah.