Spindle Fire (Spindle Fire, #1)

by Lexa Hillyer

Half sisters Isabelle and Aurora are polar opposites: Isabelle is the king's headstrong illegitimate daughter, whose sight was tithed by faeries; Aurora, beautiful and sheltered, was tithed her sense of touch and her voice on the same day. Despite their differences, the sisters have always been extremely close.

And then everything changes with a single drop of Aurora's blood--and a sleep so deep it cannot be broken. As the faerie queen and her army of Vultures prepare to march, Isabelle must race to find a prince who can awaken her sister with the kiss of true love and seal their two kingdoms in an alliance against the queen.

Isabelle crosses land and sea; unearthly, thorny vines rise up the palace walls: and whispers of revolt travel in the ashes on the wind. The kingdom falls to ruin under layers of snow. Meanwhile, Aurora wakes up in a strange and enchanted world, where a mysterious hunter may be the secret to her escape . . . or the reason for her to stay.

Spindle Fire is a lush fantasy set in the dwindling, deliciously corrupt world of the fae and featuring two truly unforgettable heroines.

• ISBN10: 0606410511
• ISBN13: 9780606410519
• Publish Date: 13 February 2018 (first published 11 April 2017)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 September 2021
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Bound for Schools & Libraries ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kait ✨]

I’m not sure about this book — its concept as well as its whimsical fairy-tale-esque voice were right up my alley, but the execution fell flat for me. I think my main problems were that the two main characters, Isabelle and Aurora, felt only vaguely sketched out to me, and the world building left a lot to be desired. It’s disappointing because Hillyer was really on to something with two main characters who aren’t fully able-bodied as well as a plot that primarily celebrated female friendship while exploring the complicated relationships between sisters through their rivalries and intense love. I think Hillyer can stand to grow a lot as a writer, but I would be interested in checking out the follow-up to this when it comes out.

[tweetybugshouse]

I really love retelling cause they usually take the original and put a delightful spin on it so when i got a copy of spindle fire as an arc from Misprint Arc Adoption i was really excited i not had to many retelling that i hated. This one one was the exception i felt like the story dragged a bit and more of dark retelling of Sleeping beauty with the uniqueness of the two girls. One is blind the other has no sense of touch and that is a result of being tithed to the fae. I felt pretty confused most of the times as i read through the story. It seemed liked we got the basics Aurora falls asleep after of course pricking her finger and then the rest of her kingdom starts to fall asleep. Meanwhile we have the other character who has run away cause they want to send her off to a nunnery. I felt myself to be bored as i read through the story and though this is a book one i really felt the whole story could of been told in one book i probably won't continue the series. I really wanted to love this story but it left me bored, uninterested and severely lacking in action. I have yet to read a sleeping beauty retelling that i like maybe cause their not a whole of the original story to work with.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

If you know me at all, then you know I love retellings. Sleeping Beauty is one fairy tale that, sadly, doesn't seem to get much attention. (Maybe because Aurora is usually asleep through the whole thing?) So when I saw Spindle Fire several months back and the premise sounded original, I knew I had to have it!

Spindle Fire is a totally unique take on the Sleeping Beauty tale. Yes, Aurora does fall into a deep sleep, but that isn't the end for her. Instead of the story being taken over by Prince Charming, Aurora wakes up in a dream world where her adventure continues. Aurora is also not the perfect, musical princess you know. In this retelling she has no voice and no sense of touch - both things given as tithes to the faeries. Aurora also has a sister, Isbe (Isabelle), who is blind for the same reason. Spindle Fire is told in alternating views between these two characters.

Both Aurora and Isbe were fantastic, strong characters! Although I've always been a little annoyed by the character Aurora (in the Disney movie and in the couple retellings I've found over the years), I loved her here. Despite finding herself in an unfamiliar and dangerous world, she manages to overcome, sometimes throwing herself straight into danger for the good of herself and others. Isbe is the first example of a blind character I've read who seemed realistic! Often, blind characters are written to have magical abilities to make up for their blindness, but Isbe was stronger because of it. And yes, I loved Prince William! The romance wasn't the main focus of Spindle Fire, but it was utterly swoon-worthy.

I also really enjoyed the world building in Spindle Fire. Like the characters and the plot, the world was (you guessed it) unique. There is no Maleficent. Instead, there's Malfleur, the faerie queen who cursed Aurora and is building an army. Her sister Belcoeur, who is assumed dead, has created a dream world and resides there. Both the real and dream worlds are beautifully described and obviously well thought out. The atmosphere is equal parts magical and unsettling.

The one complaint I have seen over and over about Spindle Fire is the writing style, and I have to admit it took me awhile to get into it. This book is written in third person present tense and it was definitely jarring at first. Once I got used to the style, though, I was able to enjoy it. My only other problem with Spindle Fire was that the story did seem to just mosey along quite a bit. There wasn't much urgency to a lot of the story.

Spindle Fire was not a perfect book, but it was an incredibly unique take on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale and it does a lot of things right. Anytime a story I think I know inside and out is able to surprise me, I call it a success! It wasn't an especially fast book, but Spindle Fire did keep me guessing and even threw a twist out of nowhere near the end that totally shook me! If you enjoy retellings, I definitely recommend picking this up and giving the strange writing style a chance. The unique story and characters are totally worth it!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight 2.5*

Oh, where to begin with this one? Well. It's a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but it doesn't feel like a straight-up retelling which I really liked. I liked when things are more loosely based as opposed to a carbon copy, and this was definitely its own story. It focuses on two sisters, Isabelle (Isbe) and Aurora. I really loved Isbe, she was my favorite character I think. Basically, in the beginning of the story, things in the kingdom all go to hell, and Isbe runs away and Aurora ends up... well, I don't even know where. But she isn't in the world she knew.

Their sisterly bond is awesome, they're both desperate to get back to each other. Isbe risks her life over and over again just to try to save Aurora. Though, be warned, there is a potential love... I don't even know, there's a lot of people involved. Like, it's not a 5-person situation, but it's maybe two triangles? But I don't know if that's how it'll play out, but if that stuff bugs you... heads up. It didn't bother me, but what did bother me was that their were so many "misunderstandings" within the potential relationships. Which is one of my least favorite tropes, and it happened a lot, honestly. But, there was also some enjoyable banter involved, so that was a plus.

There were faeries. I didn't fully understand their world, but I think those questions will likely be answered in the next book. What we did learn of their world was mainly info-dumpy, but at least I started to know some stuff. Parts of the book were slow, and I did struggle with it at times. But I also was invested enough to want to know what would become of Isbe and Aurora, so I kept going.

Will I Read the Next Book: Eh, probably. This one ends with unanswered questions, and I like to have answers.

Bottom Line: While this is a unique story, I felt a little lost at times, and a little bored at others. But, I did like the characters enough to want to know their fates.