A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, #1)

by Alix E. Harrow

USA Today bestselling author Alix E. Harrow's A Spindle Splintered brings her patented charm to a new version of a classic story. Featuring Arthur Rackham's original illustrations for The Sleeping Beauty, fractured and reimagined.

"A vivid, subversive and feminist reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, where implacable destiny is no match for courage, sisterhood, stubbornness and a good working knowledge of fairy tales." -Katherine Arden

It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past twenty-one.

Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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A Spindle Splintered is the latest novella to come from the mind of Alix E. Harrow, the author that brought us The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It's also the first part in the Fractured Fables series.

Zinnia Gray has always felt a special connection with the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Zinnia has known from a young age that she would never make it past twenty-one. Her illness felt reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty, and her young mind latched onto that connection.

Now, Zinnie faces her twenty-first birthday, and she intends to make it special. Granted, there is no way that she could have planned for what actually happened. For now, Zinnia finds herself in another world – facing the Sleeping Beauty herself.

"Sleeping Beauty is pretty much the worst fairy tale, any way you slice it."

Yes! I love everything about A Spindle Splintered. The plot, the characters, the sass, and the open discussion about the story of Sleeping Beauty. We can all agree that the original story is pretty messed up, right?

A Spindle Splintered takes all the different variations of Sleeping Beauty and mashes them into one story. It's an incredibly creative take on the matter, one that gave so much ownership to the leading lady. Ownership that they desperately needed, if we're being honest here.

I know; I'm probably being a little bit biased here. From the moment I saw 'Fractured Fables,' I knew I would love this series to death. So far, I have not been disappointed. I love that Harrow started with Sleeping Beauty. For those that are curious, it looks like she's going to work on Snow White (A Mirror Mended)– and once again, I am all sorts of here for that.

If you like it when authors take your favorite fairy tales and mix them up into something new and different, then you're going to enjoy A Spindle Splintered. If you feel that these stories are better left alone, maybe consider picking up something else to read?

Thanks to Tor.com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 November, 2021: Finished reading
  • 22 November, 2021: Reviewed