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crunchycrystals's review against another edition
adventurous
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
the humor was a bit cringey at times but i thought the message behind it was really nice and the descriptions of the characters emotions made me genuinely cry its fun. also i love fairytale retellings and thought the way those aspects were incorporated were really cool especially in the last half and enjoyed zinnia's personality i really like her
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical content, Rape, Blood, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion
witcheep's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This novella is a fresh take on fairytale retellings: it not only retells a classic tale of the Sleeping Beauty, but also acknowledges that there already are numerous iterations of the same story. If you are interested in folklore, you'll enjoy the witty commentary on traditional roles of fairytale characters, agency, and other tropes in this novella.
The main character Zinnia has a rare medical condition that makes her life expectancy only 21 years ("the curse"). This has made her relate to the tale of Sleeping Beauty and even get a degree in folklore to dive deeper in all it's iterations. Zinnia's interest in the tale makes her likeness to it explicit.
The main character Zinnia has a rare medical condition that makes her life expectancy only 21 years ("the curse"). This has made her relate to the tale of Sleeping Beauty and even get a degree in folklore to dive deeper in all it's iterations. Zinnia's interest in the tale makes her likeness to it explicit.
And maybe the dying girl rules are garbage, and in stead of us trying not to die, we should be trying to live.
On her 21st birthday, a drunken dare has Zinnia prick her finger on a spike of a spindle, and she finds herself transported to another dimension.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual assault, Violence, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Abortion
craftysnailtail's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This is the first novella of Harrow's I've read and it was pretty enjoyable! Her style of writing here is quite different and much more casual compared to Ten Thousand Doors of January.
The storyline was fun and Zinnia managed to draw me in as a fellow chronically ill woman. The disabled representation was well done, in my opinion. The grief, hope, and unfairness of it all felt realistic.
As Harrow says, it's very much spider-verse meets fairytale (with an extremely feminist twist). Felt a bit like a well written fanfic, and the pop culture references weren't for me, but overall, it was the perfect length and vibe for a whimsical afternoon. I was satisfied with the ending and am looking forward to more novellas by her.
The storyline was fun and Zinnia managed to draw me in as a fellow chronically ill woman. The disabled representation was well done, in my opinion. The grief, hope, and unfairness of it all felt realistic.
As Harrow says, it's very much spider-verse meets fairytale (with an extremely feminist twist). Felt a bit like a well written fanfic, and the pop culture references weren't for me, but overall, it was the perfect length and vibe for a whimsical afternoon. I was satisfied with the ending and am looking forward to more novellas by her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Terminal illness
Minor: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, Medical content, and Sexual assault
emglange's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Perfect amount of story for a novella - not overly complicated or drawn out, but exploring the story to a satisfying conclusion. I don’t see a lot of sleeping beauty retellings that I like but this was great.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Abortion
micaelacccc's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness and Chronic illness
Minor: Abortion, Rape, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
steeped_in_books's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Chronic illness, Rape, and Cursing
Minor: Cursing, Confinement, Violence, Alcohol, Drug use, and Abortion
daffodilcherry's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A fun, quick read that was completely endearing!
Wheelhouse items: fairytale retelling, journey to another world, multiverse, happy endings, disabled/chronically ill main character, lesbians.
Wheelhouse items: fairytale retelling, journey to another world, multiverse, happy endings, disabled/chronically ill main character, lesbians.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape and Abortion
haliahli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Abortion, and Death
lidia7's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Rape
Minor: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Blood
brokenbodybitch's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book; I think it was a very interesting take on the sleeping beauty story and I liked how the disability rep was sprinkled into the story. This may have been pretty short but I love the amount of detail added, it was very well developed for how short it is, and yes your base knowledge of fairy tales is slightly required but it is still explained just the right amount to refresh your memory. This retelling talks about other retellings which I really liked [very multiverse and it was fun], and I specifically liked how the differences between versions and how they were talked about; they were used to put other things in context and different lessons were pulled from the stories to add to the 'current' plot line. I really liked the disability rep in this book because yes she is independent or whatever but she knows her body limits her and I liked how the limits were touched on (to an extent). There is a magical cure in the end of this book BUT I personally don't think it was completely horrible, I think it was handled respectfully for the most part but it is something to be wary of going into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Medical content, Terminal illness, Grief, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Abortion, Rape, Sexual assault, and Self harm
Minor: Violence