Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer

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.

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

2 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 16 March, 2017: Finished reading
  • 16 March, 2017: Reviewed