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maryellen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
haylzno's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Multidimensional sleeping beauty but make it queer!
Overall I enjoyed this book. It was really short and I think that was probably for the best. I'm a sucker for found families/best friend relationships and I very much loved the connection between the MC and her best friend.
Can't wait to read the next one!
Overall I enjoyed this book. It was really short and I think that was probably for the best. I'm a sucker for found families/best friend relationships and I very much loved the connection between the MC and her best friend.
Can't wait to read the next one!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Terminal illness
Minor: Homophobia
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Sexual assault
brokenbodybitch's review against another edition
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
carireadsbooksandtarot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
4.0
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
I enjoyed a really pleasant afternoon reading A Spindle Splintered. Harrow tells a new kind of Sleeping Beauty story in which our heroine suffers from a rare disease which causes early death at the age of 21. Obsessed with Sleeping Beauty stories, Zinnia’s friend Charm arranges a themed birthday party featuring an antique spinning wheel. When Zinnia pricks her finger on the spindle, she is transported to a castle in another world, where another princess is doomed to sleep for 100 years and needs her help.
What follows is an adventure that explores disability, friendship, feminism, and love in the multiverse. The book features delightful silhouette illustrations from old fairy tales and moves along at just the right pace for its short length. The Ten Thousand Doors of January was one of my favorite books that I read in 2020 and with A Spindle Splintered, I remain a devoted fan of Harrow. I look forward to the next installment in her fairy tale retellings, A Mirror Mended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content
clhtdr's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Medical content
dariusmortee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Fun, enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual assault
tay_af's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.5
I put this novella off for a while for some reason, even though I loved the Once and Future Witches. This was possibly because I’m not typically enamoured with fairytale retellings and really didn’t enjoy the last retelling I read. But boy was I wrong.
Harrow’s Hugo-nominated novella reimagines Aurora as a young woman, Zinnia, with a degree in Folklore and a Sleeping Beauty obsession suffering from a degenerative illness, expected to die around her 21st birthday. On that birthday, however, her best friend jokingly presents her with a spinning wheel, and things get…strange. Harrow describes this as “Spider-Verse[ing] a fairy tale,” which I found to be thoroughly accurate. A SPINDLE SPLINTERED is clever, ultra-contemporary, tongue-in-cheek, and on one memorable occasion, throwing-my-head-back laugh-out-loud witty. It values female friendship, WLW desire, and connection not only between people who know one another, but those whose stories run parallel.
The mechanics of magic in this world are purposefully vague, which may bother some readers—for instance, it is never explained why Zinnia’s cell phone works in alternate universes. I wasn’t personally bothered too much by that, as the brevity of the story logically didn’t allow for too much magical minutia. It’s predictably fast paced, and readers (like myself) who love to slow down on character backstory and interactions may have difficulty with that.
The characters who do take center stage, however, are engaging and vibrant. I found myself very fond of Zinnia, Charm, and Primrose by the end. I’m greatly looking forward to the sequel later this year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
emdop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual assault and Misogyny
shesaidlividly's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Blood