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A review by torismazarine
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I found this book to be an incredible story about female friendship, feminism, and bravery.
Our main character (whom I didn't quite catch her name, but Google tells me is Zinnia) is a young woman, who since childhood has been diagnosed and struggled with an illness caused by an industrial accident. No one that had it has lived past 21; so her best friend, Charm, wants to make her 21st birthday special, sleeping beauty themed.
But when she pricks her finger with a spindle as a joke she finds herself travelling between realities, and ends up not in her own, but rather in another, with a tower and a young woman so beautiful it should be impossible, who tells her she was cursed by an evil fairy to prick her finger with a spindle and fall asleep for a hundred years. Sounds familiar yet?
So we follow them as they try to understand what is happening, how to deal with it, break their respective... curses, and then get back to life as normally as possible. But dear reader, we know it won't be so simple, the fairytale has already been thrown off it's tracks.
For such a short story I was surprised with the amount of world building it managed to fit in without making it confusing (especially since I would consider it, yes, fantasy, but also a bit sci-fi); I thought the main characters were well built, their motivations and growth steady, I did think the secondary characters were a bit stereotypical, but I don't care much because it's a short fairytale retelling. I absolutely loved the relationship within, specially the friendship between Zinnia and Charm, I think it's beautiful.
About the (audiobook) narrator, at the very start (say, the first half chapter), I wasn't convinced and honestly a bit confused, but I think this was entirely my fault, because I was listening to the audiobook while focusing my hands on packing up. But that quickly went away and I really enjoyed the narration as well, so, if you're a bit confused at the start too, just give it one or two chapters.
This is an amazing story, short, and funny, but also a bit dark (as fairytales often are), that serves as good entertainment and also, a remainder that life is short, that it often isn't fair, but there's things worth keep on going for (like this series, I'm really excited to continue it).
Our main character (whom I didn't quite catch her name, but Google tells me is Zinnia) is a young woman, who since childhood has been diagnosed and struggled with an illness caused by an industrial accident. No one that had it has lived past 21; so her best friend, Charm, wants to make her 21st birthday special, sleeping beauty themed.
But when she pricks her finger with a spindle as a joke she finds herself travelling between realities, and ends up not in her own, but rather in another, with a tower and a young woman so beautiful it should be impossible, who tells her she was cursed by an evil fairy to prick her finger with a spindle and fall asleep for a hundred years. Sounds familiar yet?
So we follow them as they try to understand what is happening, how to deal with it, break their respective... curses, and then get back to life as normally as possible. But dear reader, we know it won't be so simple, the fairytale has already been thrown off it's tracks.
For such a short story I was surprised with the amount of world building it managed to fit in without making it confusing (especially since I would consider it, yes, fantasy, but also a bit sci-fi); I thought the main characters were well built, their motivations and growth steady, I did think the secondary characters were a bit stereotypical, but I don't care much because it's a short fairytale retelling. I absolutely loved the relationship within, specially the friendship between Zinnia and Charm, I think it's beautiful.
About the (audiobook) narrator, at the very start (say, the first half chapter), I wasn't convinced and honestly a bit confused, but I think this was entirely my fault, because I was listening to the audiobook while focusing my hands on packing up. But that quickly went away and I really enjoyed the narration as well, so, if you're a bit confused at the start too, just give it one or two chapters.
This is an amazing story, short, and funny, but also a bit dark (as fairytales often are), that serves as good entertainment and also, a remainder that life is short, that it often isn't fair, but there's things worth keep on going for (like this series, I'm really excited to continue it).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexism, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail