A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

I honestly didn't love this book. I love Alix E. Harrow, the Ten Thousand Doors of January is one of my favorite books of all time. But this one just didn't flow for me. I didn't like the main character at all, and I wasn't a fan of how Alix tried to blend our world with the fairy tale this story is based on.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very unusual look at fairy tales. The relationship between the heroine and her best friend was extremely heartwarming and the whole multiverse design of the story was quite fascinating.

I loved the feminist tones of this otherwise lame (sorry not sorry) fairytale. Some of the characters made me laugh. That being said, I don't think I enjoyed it enough to recommend to my friends in general. I would, however, recommend it if someone were to ask me for a recommendation for a fairytale retelling.

This is a very fast paced, unique sleeping beauty retelling! It's not like anything ive seen from harrow it's very modern feel in the language. It took me a minute to get into because it's just not what I expected from here but I loved the queer rep that was woven into the classic tale

A fun sapphic spin on a classic tale! A quick read with an emotional punch. I definitely look forward to the other's other fairytale inspired short stories.

Although I liked Once and Future Witches well enough, I'd been avoiding this novel because wow that one was mammoth to get through in terms of content.

Then I opened this one this morning, only to realise I'd been hiding from a novella that is completely different in term and content. Although the main character is dying (this is not a spoiler, it's literally on the first page), her first person PoV is so present and lively that I was chapters into it before I even paused.

This book has a YA quality, but I also felt it was a bit like Indexing or Kill Me Softly, in that fairy tales are here in the real world.

Only... then I realised that it was less that fairy tales are in the real world, but that our main character Zinnia is very invested in the story of Sleeping Beauty. So much so that she did a major in folk lore and fairy tale.

A big part of the reason for this backstory is exactly because she is dying. That's a big part of the plot for this character. Only then, on her 21st birthday, she touches a spindle in the birthday party that her best friend Charm set up for her, and she gets transported into another world where she gets to meet a real life Sleeping Beauty.

Oh, and there are far more than one of them. This is only one of many universes were fairytales are real in some way or other.

This is an incredibly promising first story in a series, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the author does coming up, now that the ground work has been laid. Especially since it looks as though we are going to get the same main character in future books!

I didn't know this was as short as it was before starting it, but don't let that dissuade you from picking it up because it packs a punch for such a short story. I think this was a brilliant story that explored chronic illness and poor prognosis beautifully. I loved the twist on the "witch" who cast the "curse", i didn't know where the story was going to go at any point and i loved the various twists it took. I also think that the author did a great job portraying friendship, especially in such a short amount of pages, so i found that really impressive.

I enjoyed my read! I just wish it was a bit longer so I could connect more to the characters, but I might reread it again and see if I connect more. I loved the writing style and look forward to reading her other books

I find I really enjoy Alix E Harrow's prose, so this was pleasant to read, even if this wasn't the clearest tale she's written. I'm not sure if she didn't have enough pages or time to develop, but there was a lot of ambiguity on the multiverse business that doesn't make things very clear for the reader. I'd still be interested in another installment in the Fractured Fables series.

And I'll recommend taking a look at the physical copy if you have the option - the illustrations are disturbing and beautiful and can add to the reading experience.

A Spindle Splintered is a book written for us - the Ella Enchanted generation. This novella is the first in Alix E. Harrow’s new series of fractured fables, and safe to say that I’m obsessed. This book is only 120 pages and when I say I FLEW through it, I mean it. I absolutely loved this modern feminist update of Sleeping Beauty. There were parts that had me screaming YAAASS and parts that broke my heart, but all of it gave me a burst of nostalgia that I didn’t know I needed.

This book also had super cool illustrations on almost every page! After I finished reading the book I went back through to look at all of the illustrations in greater depth, and they add so much to the story. They also made it feel more atmospheric and creepy and allowed me to immerse myself in the world of the book.

I absolutely loved Harlow's Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches, and hoped I'd love A Spindle Splintered just as much. It did not disappoint! Harrow's ability to immerse readers entirely was just as powerful in this shorter work as it is in her full-length novels, and her take on a classic fairytale was both true to the original and rich with unexpected twists and powerful female characters. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I'm always here for a Sleeping Beauty story, and this novella took the classic tale in such an interesting and unique direction.

Even though Sleeping Beauty is my least favorite fairy tale has been since I was a kid for good reason I did enjoy this retelling. Though I tend to not like even the retellings but I did like this one.

This was a fun novella. I love a re-telling of a fairy tale, especially when the author has refreshed the story for modern readers. This did not disappoint! I'm excited to check out the next book in the series.

I avoid novellas and short stories because I hate to fall in love with a story and not have more. Glad I ignored my norm once I saw it was a fairytale retelling by Harrow because it was well worth it!

Content warnings: terminal illness and rape (mentioned)

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.

Alix E. Harrow's A Spindle Splintered is essentially Sleeping Beauty meets Into the Spider-Verse. Zinnia is a modern day "sleeping beauty" who slips into an alternate fantasy dimension and meets another "sleeping beauty" who she is determined to help. A Spindle Splintered addresses the misogyny of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale and is truly a story about women finding their agency and working together to break out of the narratives they've been forced into. Along the way we're briefly introduced to quite a few different women within the multiverse who are living out different versions of the Sleeping Beauty story. This is a novella, and my biggest complaint is that I wanted to get to know more of these Sleeping Beauties! If this became a series of novellas about these different Sleeping Beauties, I wouldn't be mad about it. If you enjoy fairytale retellings, A Spindle Splintered is a must read!

Alix E. Harrow is one of the most amazing authors that I have ever read. Her books totally transport me into the story. Her prose is stunning and it completely bewitches me. This book was really cute while exploring serious themes like feminism and the queer experience. I can't wait to read future books in this multiverse series that involves beloved fairytales that cute use a badass feminist twist.

Take a bit of gritty fantasy, mix in multiverse theory, Sleeping Beauty tropes, a folklore degree, friendship, fairy tale curses, and you have the essence of this tale. Zinnia Gray has been dying for a long time when she celebrated her 21st birthday by pricking her finger on a spindle and ended up in a fairy tale with a cursed princess. Between the two of them, they managed to figure out the curse and, using knowledge gained from a folklore degree, managed to find a way out of that curse. Afterwards, Zinnia has grown tired of being a trope and decided to live. An interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty tale.

A Spindle Splintered is a novella retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It follows Zinnia Gray, who has a rare condition that is expected to end her life at twenty one. The story starts on Zinnia's twenty-first birthday. Charm, Zinnia's best friend, throws her a Sleeping Beauty themed party because of Zinnia's love for the tale. Charm has the party in a tower, and even brings a spinning wheel, which Zinnia pricks her finger on. The prick of the spinning wheel sends Zinnia to another world, where another Sleeping Beauty is playing out her version of the fable.

This is probably the most meta retelling I've ever read because it plays with idea of multiple universes. Alix E. Harrow is a fantastic writer. You can tell how much work Harrow put into forming a story that reflects Sleeping Beauty's various iterations. I was excited to learn Harrow will be continuing this series!

While I enjoyed this story, there were some aspects I didn't love including the contemporary aspects and pop culture references, which just come down to personal preference. I loved the fantastical elements and the LGBTQ representation.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves retellings, especially those who love Sleeping Beauty!