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A review by shantastic_reads
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The book begins with an indictment: "Sleeping Beauty is pretty much the worst fairy tale, any way you slice it." It then blazes ahead into a feminist retelling that is f*cking fresh and fierce, with LGBTQ+ representation and badass characters. What a rollicking ride!
I consider Alix Harrow to be a top tier writer, as The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches are two of my all time favorite books. This novella is not as rich as her epic and immersive novels of course, but her witty prose charms as always and conjures fantastic imagery for a fun interlude you can read in one sitting.
One of the unique aspects of the book is its wild illustrations. They are sillouettes by Arthur Rackham originally printed in a 1920 edition of The Sleeping Beauty... but they are fractured and reimagined to reflect how Harrow is turning this ancient fairy tale on its head. (Or rather, beheading its misogynistic themes and reinventing it altogether.) Handling the hardcover book with its slight size but gorgeously macabre aesthetic is delightful.
A Mirror Mended, the next book in Harrow's Fractured Fables series, is due out June 14, 2022, and I'm looking forward to seeing how our heroine Zinnia disrupts the tale of Snow White.
I consider Alix Harrow to be a top tier writer, as The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches are two of my all time favorite books. This novella is not as rich as her epic and immersive novels of course, but her witty prose charms as always and conjures fantastic imagery for a fun interlude you can read in one sitting.
One of the unique aspects of the book is its wild illustrations. They are sillouettes by Arthur Rackham originally printed in a 1920 edition of The Sleeping Beauty... but they are fractured and reimagined to reflect how Harrow is turning this ancient fairy tale on its head. (Or rather, beheading its misogynistic themes and reinventing it altogether.) Handling the hardcover book with its slight size but gorgeously macabre aesthetic is delightful.
A Mirror Mended, the next book in Harrow's Fractured Fables series, is due out June 14, 2022, and I'm looking forward to seeing how our heroine Zinnia disrupts the tale of Snow White.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape