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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
An enjoyable-to-read, charming re-imagining of the Sleeping Beauty story.
Robin McKinley has long been one of my favorite authors-- I've read, "Beauty," I don't know how many times-- and, "Spindle's End," confirmed her place in my heart. She's a truly talented reteller of tales, who expands and reinvents the familiar old stories in unexpected and captivating ways. Sleeping Beauty has never been my favorite fairy tale, but in McKinley's hands, it became magical-- which is the highest praise I can give it. I would be interested to know if she ever worked her magic on Cinderella ...
In this retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, baby Rosie is whisked away and carefully hidden by fairies for nearly twenty-one years in an attempt to thwart the curse laid upon her by a vengeful evil fairy: That she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into an eternal sleep.
I really enjoy McKinley’s beautiful prose. Her descriptions are vivid and lifelike. However, I found the story in this retelling slow and a bit dry.
I really enjoy McKinley’s beautiful prose. Her descriptions are vivid and lifelike. However, I found the story in this retelling slow and a bit dry.
I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale re-telling and McKinley is one of the best in this department, in my opinion. She didn't fail to please with this re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty tale. As usual, McKinley takes the bones of the story we are all familiar with and twists and tweaks them in creative and wonderful ways. And I love that she rescues her female heroines from their ultra-feminine damsel in distress trappings and gives them strength, intelligence, courage, and wit. Her stories have just enough of everything--just enough action to be exciting, but it doesn't dominate the plot. Just enough romance to be lovely, but it doesn't gag you. Just enough magic to be enchanting, but it doesn't confuse you. An intelligent and captivating re-telling.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. I’ll admit that a retelling of my favorite fairy tale was already at a disadvantage. This was a story I’ve memorized from the time that I was a little girl, and the fact remains that I don’t think something should be fixed when it isn’t broken. It was interesting to read another take on the story, but the amount of detail made the novel drag on and on until I had to pick up another book and read it for a break.
A retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I really liked the main characters, and the author twists the end nicely.
adventurous
medium-paced
I couldn't put it down, omg. It was an interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and I loved the ending. So perfect.
A great twist on the Sleeping Beauty story gets drowned under too much background info on the world of fairies. Though that is more of a taste preference for me rather than an error - I prefer my fantasy more to the point, where those who enjoy more leisurely but well-written ramblings like Tolkein may like the wealth of environment McKinley provides.