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clairespaulding 's review for:
Spindle's End
by Robin McKinley
This is a fairytale retelling done right. The sumptuous world building brims with magic and imagination, and the author has a masterful command of the symbols and meanings of fairytales. She weaves together classic imagery and themes with exciting new twists, rejecting the most obvious choices in favor of deeply satisfying subversions of the reader's expectations. Every character feels solid and human and complex, and the relationships between the characters are given the space to develop and grow beautifully.
I only have one small quibble with this book, really, and that's the aggressive heteronormativity of the ending. I'm sorry, but Rosie and Peony are connected by a love so strong that it can sustain a magic powerful enough to deceive Pernicia--Rosie and Peony say "I love you" to each other--and then Rosie literally kisses Peony on the lips to wake her from a spell--and I'm supposed to read that as just a really, really, really close friendship? What?? Straight people, man. I'm not always sure how their minds work. Also, there's a strong creep factor in Rosie marrying a man who knew her when he was an adult and she was a baby, and I can't get past that, as much as I love the characters and the way their personalities mesh. I'm sorry, but that will always be a sticking point for me.
Yeah. But anyway, aside from that baffling aspect of the ending, I fell in love with this book. If you're looking for a beautiful fairytale to get lost in, one that will leave you with a feeling of deep satisfaction and near-perfect contentment, this is what you need to read next.
I only have one small quibble with this book, really, and that's
Yeah. But anyway, aside from that baffling aspect of the ending, I fell in love with this book. If you're looking for a beautiful fairytale to get lost in, one that will leave you with a feeling of deep satisfaction and near-perfect contentment, this is what you need to read next.