A Spindle Splintered Book Review
Spoiler Warning: some of what is discussed may be seen as spoilers, read with caution.
““You are accustomed to thinking of fairy tales as make-believe.” Dr. Bastille looked straight at me as she said it, her face somehow both searing and compassionate. “But they have only ever been mirrors.””
““Romantic girls like Beauty and the Beast; vanilla girls like Cinderella; goth girls like Snow White. Only dying girls like Sleeping Beauty.””
I haven’t read a lot of class fairytale retellings. It’s not something I usually gravitate to, although not for any particular reason. Out of all the princess fairytales, I’m the least familiar with Sleepy Beauty. I was more of a Snow White kid growing up, watching the movie over and over. To be honest, I only knew snippets of Sleeping Beauty before reading this book and admittedly, I didn’t even know how or why she was asleep.
I heard some rumblings of A Spindle Splintered on Booktube in the last few months and it sounded intriguing. This novella is the first in the new series, Fractured Fables, by Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches. Novella fairytale retellings are something I can easily get behind, especially if they are as good as A Spindle Splintered turned out to be.
Zinnia Gray is a dying girl. Diagnosed at a young age with a very rare disease caused by an industrial accident in her hometown of Roseville. She is one of many children who were affected and, just like the rest of them, she won’t live to see past twenty two years. Being obsessed with the ever popular fairytale Sleeping Beauty, her best friend Charm throws her an epic twenty-first birthday party equipped with warm beer, a tower, and a creepy spinning wheel. When Zinnia pricks her finger on the wheel, she is catapulted into a world completely unlike her own, meeting a real life princess named Primrose who’s fate is almost a mirror image of her own. It’s up to them to save themselves in this fairytale.
This story is told through the perspective of our main character Zinnia Gray. She is a fiesty twenty-one year old who’s feminist attitude and quippy zingers will have you pumping your fist in the air. Her and her best friend Charm are chock full of pop cultural references that I found endearing and fun to read. Throughout this novella, we come to learn more about the disease Zinnia has been living with her whole life and the “rules” she’s developed for herself like always moving fast and never falling in love.
““The heaviest burdens are those you bear alone.””
I really enjoyed Harrow’s juxtaposition of a Gen Z woman making her way through Primrose’s medieval world. She really executed this wonderfully, from the king and queen’s castle, to the fairy’s lair. Harrow includes everything you would expect to see in a classic fairytale. Not only does this book put you in the lives of these modern day characters dealing with gliding through multiverses, Harrow also gives more insight into the different versions of the popular Sleepy Beauty tale throughout this book. I had no idea that the most original version of this tale was so disturbing, but I’m really not surprised.
Zinnia’s best friend Charm was one of my favorite characters in this short novella. Her fierce loyalty and hero complex made her lovable and made me feel lucky to have a friend just like her in my own life.
A Spindle Splintered moves quickly and Harrow packs a lot of story in just 128 pages. There wasn’t a dull moment for me while reading this book and the pacing felt perfect. I was able to read this book in just one day and, if you have the time, I think it could easily be read in one sitting.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the elegant, yet creepy, illustrations sprinkled throughout this book. The illustrations are fun and whimsical, but if you look closely, they are also quite haunting.
““Unless we change them. Unless we grab our narratives by the ear and drag them kicking and screaming toward better endings. Maybe the universe doesn’t naturally bend toward justice either; maybe it’s only the weight of hands and hearts pulling it true, inch by stubborn inch.””
This book made me think a lot about what it means to save yourself. At a young age, girls are fed the lie that a Prince Charming will come to save us and that he will make our lives better, make our lives worth living. That we just need to wait for it. This is bullshit. We are strong and capable on our own and we are worthy of saving ourselves. We don’t need to wait for someone else to do it for us.
I would highly recommend this book if you:
Enjoy fairytale retellings
Like Sleeping Beauty
Like books with lots of pop cultural references
Need quirky feminist characters in your life
I would not recommend this book if:
You aren’t into fairytale retellings
Aren’t a fan of feminism in books
Don’t like books that read a bit YA
Star rating: 4 stars
