Spindle by Shonna Slayton Pages: 400
on October 4, 2016
Genres: Young Adult, retelling, Fantasy & Magic, Romance
Source: eARC from Publisher
In a world where fairies lurk and curses linger, love can bleed like the prick of a finger.
Briar Rose knows her life will never be a fairy tale. She’s raising her siblings on her own, her wages at the spinning mill have been cut, and the boy she thought she had a future with has eyes for someone else. Most days it feels like her best friend, Henry Prince, is the only one in her corner…though with his endless flirty jokes, how can she ever take him seriously?
When a mysterious peddler offers her a “magic” spindle that could make her more money, sneaking it into the mill seems worth the risk. But then one by one, her fellow spinner girls come down with the mysterious sleeping sickness—and Briar’s not immune.
If Briar wants to save the girls—and herself—she’ll have to start believing in fairy tales…and in the power of a prince’s kiss.
Spindle by Shonna Slyaton is a young adult fairy tale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I knew I had to read Spindle because I love retellings, because Sleeping Beauty is one disney classic that I never watched too much and because the cover is bea-u-ti-ful! I mean, seriously it is so pretty! I loved Spindle. I thought it was well executed, had a great flair for the classic story, but Shonna Slayton still made it her own.
Spindle is the story of Briar Rose, a young girl trying to work for a better life for her siblings. I really loved Rose. I thought her work ethic was admirable and I loved her dedication to her brothers and sister. But no story is complete without a prince. In this case, her best friend Henry Prince. Which I thought was a cute twist. His family is hiding a big secret, which totally intriged me. I had my guesses from the beginning but I would be lying if I said I easily had this one completely figured out. Shonna Slyaton does some really cool things with the twists and secrets in Spindle.
The only thing that annoyed me about Briar Rose was her continued fascination with Wheeler. I thought he was a jerk, but she couldn’t seem to get him out of her head. But other than that, and a few slow points in the story, I really really enjoyed this tale. I thought it was a lot of fun. I think fans of retellings will love Spindle. I do wish there was a little more romance. It builds throughout the story but it is loaded heavier on the back end of the book.
The industrial revolution time period is the perfect setting for Spindle. In fact, I think that was my favorite story telling decision. It set the mood of desperation perfectly. Spindle is a retelling take you don’t want to miss. I can’t wait for more from Shonna Slayton.
Ready for a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. @BookBriefs thinks you should read Spindle by @ShonnaSlayton @EntangledTeen Click To Tweet
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About Shonna Slayton
SHONNA SLAYTON writes historical fairy tales for Entangled TEEN. Cinderella’s Dress and Cinderella’s Shoes, set in the 1940s are out now. Spindle, a Sleeping Beauty inspired tale set in the late 1800s, will be out October 2016.
She finds inspiration in reading vintage diaries written by teens, who despite using different slang, sound a lot like teenagers today. When not writing, Shonna enjoys amaretto lattes and spending time with her husband and children in Arizona.
The best way to keep in touch is by signing up for her monthly newsletter. She sends out behind-the-scenes info you can’t read anywhere else. Sign up is on the sidebar of her website Shonna Slayton.
Julie @ Happily Ever Chapter
I love fairytale retellings! I always add them to my list as soon as I see them. lol!
Stone Age Begins
Unlimited Crystals and Stone
Megan C
I’d love to see a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses!! I’ve read one and it was really good but I’d really like to see more.
Shonna Slayton
Hi, Michelle! Thanks so much for being part of the blog tour. (Secretly thrilled that I was able to surprise you, even a little!)
Kara
Fairytale retellings are some of my favorite types of books, and I love all different time periods.. especially Victorian/Edwardian. Thanks for the giveaway!
Bruinbr
Love fairy tale retellings! My favorite fairy tale is actually Sleeping Beauty so Spindle sounds perfect! 🙂
Morgan
I love fairy tale retellings so I added this one to my to-read list. Thanks for the review 🙂