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reader_fictions 's review for:
Spindle's End
by Robin McKinley
3.5 stars
After feeling whelmed and underwhelmed by Beauty and Rose Daughter, I wasn’t really that excited to read Spindle’s End. Still, Meg had sent it as a present and she knows what’s up, so I took a brief McKinley break and dived in with an open mind. Spindle’s End is so much better, guys.
Unlike the Beauty and the Beast retellings, Spindle’s End is quite funny and also makes a lot of changes to the basic tale. McKinley’s writing in this book is simply lovely, lush and clever. I particularly enjoyed Katriona’s commentary on some of the traditional fairy tale elements, such as the wishes the fairy godmothers gave to the baby princess. She wonders practical things like why they wouldn’t give the princess an inability to be cursed instead of fat curls.
Rosie differs from the passive Sleeping Beauty of legend. She’s bombastic, strange, and stubborn, more comfortable around animals than humans. She doesn’t know she’s a princess, and she’d never ever want to be one. McKinley makes some truly epic changes to the end of the tale, and her version of Sleeping Beauty is truly original: View Spoiler ».
I feel a good bit of affection for these characters, but I didn’t ever get to an emotional place in Spindle’s End. Rosie and Katriona are the only characters who make it to fully fleshed out, and the romances are rushed. I want to strongly ship Rosie and her guy, but my mind could not turn off and ignore the age difference (or his ponytail).
If you’re into awesome fairy tale retellings (and how could you not be), you definitely need to read Spindle’s End if you already haven’t. Just prepare for it to be a super slow (but very good) read.
After feeling whelmed and underwhelmed by Beauty and Rose Daughter, I wasn’t really that excited to read Spindle’s End. Still, Meg had sent it as a present and she knows what’s up, so I took a brief McKinley break and dived in with an open mind. Spindle’s End is so much better, guys.
Unlike the Beauty and the Beast retellings, Spindle’s End is quite funny and also makes a lot of changes to the basic tale. McKinley’s writing in this book is simply lovely, lush and clever. I particularly enjoyed Katriona’s commentary on some of the traditional fairy tale elements, such as the wishes the fairy godmothers gave to the baby princess. She wonders practical things like why they wouldn’t give the princess an inability to be cursed instead of fat curls.
Rosie differs from the passive Sleeping Beauty of legend. She’s bombastic, strange, and stubborn, more comfortable around animals than humans. She doesn’t know she’s a princess, and she’d never ever want to be one. McKinley makes some truly epic changes to the end of the tale, and her version of Sleeping Beauty is truly original: View Spoiler ».
I feel a good bit of affection for these characters, but I didn’t ever get to an emotional place in Spindle’s End. Rosie and Katriona are the only characters who make it to fully fleshed out, and the romances are rushed. I want to strongly ship Rosie and her guy, but my mind could not turn off and ignore the age difference (or his ponytail).
If you’re into awesome fairy tale retellings (and how could you not be), you definitely need to read Spindle’s End if you already haven’t. Just prepare for it to be a super slow (but very good) read.