Y'all, I had so much fun reading this! Our main character, Zinnia, has a disease that guarantees she won't live until her 22nd birthday. As such, she's obsessed with Sleeping Beauty who suffers from a similar curse. On her 21st birthday, at a sleeping beauty themed party, she pricks her finger and finds herself "spiderversed" into another sleeping beauty story.

First, if you don't know the name Arthur Rackham off your head, google that before you start reading. But yeah, if you like fairy tales or fantasy or snarky narrators, this is delightful! It's also a novella so it's short. I've been wanting to read an Alix Harrow book for a minute and it's very telling that I finished this book and immediately checked her other works out. So yeah, I liked it a lot! I think she's doing more of these spiderversed tales and I'm certainly down for it. 4 stars - will booktalk and recommend to fantasy loving teens and adults!

What if Sleeping Beauty’s 100 years of slumber wasn’t a curse at all?
What if this fairy tale collided in some multiverse with the fate of a modern day woman, doomed to die young?

Alix E. Harrow enchants readers with this contemporary retelling of a classic fairy tale by way of portal fantasy and adds feminism, sisterhood, and pop culture for truly impressive world-building in a novella.

I really want to gush over this book but I’d much rather you read and experience the surprises and badassery for yourself! (Then come find me and we’ll gush over it together, of course)

Thanks to Tordotcom and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. A Spindle Splintered is scheduled for release on October 5, 2021.

I was already a huge fan of Amy Landon and the author. To be honest that is why I requested the book as I am sick of fairytale retells.

This was AMAZING. It was snarky, unexpected, out of left field and just flat out brilliant.

If you've read any of Alix E. Harrow's other books - the equally fabulous Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches - then you already know she's an author that's uniquely talented at spinning a story that deftly manages to cross both worlds and times. It's possible that she's outdone herself with her thoroughly satisfying novella A Spindle Splintered, a story that puts a much-needed feminist spin on the tale of Sleeping Beauty.

The book, which moves through multiple realities and "versions" of the famous folktale, reimagines Sleeping Beauty as a story of empowerment and collaboration, giving the women at its center the agency the original so often robs its heroine of. The result is a delightful fairytale version of Into the Spiderverse, stuffed with nods to various forms of the original story alongside its entertainingly modern twists.

Zinnia Gray has spent her whole life knowing she is dying. She was born with a mutation caused by an industrial accident, and no one with her condition has lived past 22. It’s made Zinnia morbidly obsessed with the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, seeking refuge from various stories of a doomed girl who can never outrun her curse. But on her 21st birthday, Zinnia accidentally transports herself into one of those fairy tales, interrupting a sleeping beauty before she can prick her finger. Determined that this story will have a happy ending, Zinnia convinces the princess to confront the witch and break the curse once and for all. But she’ll have to act quickly: without her meds, Zinnia’s racing against a clock before her own curse comes to claim her.

A SPINDLE SPLINTERED is a fun little adventure that was just missing that something extra to make it truly pack a punch. I’m genuinely struggling to decide if this is a case of “it’s not you, it’s me,” as the emotional beats are there for those who can connect with them. This is as much a feminist breakdown of fairy tale tropes as it is a story of a young woman’s story of trying to come to terms with a love she’s found suffocating. Her whole life has been defined by her medical condition, to the point that it’s soured her relationship with her parents, who she feels are preventing her from living. As Zinnia helps Princess Primrose fight her own curse and societal expectations, she’s also working through her own feelings about her impending death and the life she’s tried to live. It has the potential to be poignant, though I found the novella length left me breezing through the plot without the emotional hooks connecting. That said, I did tear up at the end, so on some level, it did get to me.

Readers of Harrow’s other works should note that that this is a departure from her more formal and elegant prose that defined such books as THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY. This is a thoroughly modern tale, with text messages and slang and pop culture references completely grounded in the here and now. That doesn’t go away once Zinnia jumps to fairy tale land, as she discovers her cell phone still works perfectly fine, allowing her to hash through things with her best friend Charm.

A SPINDLE SPLINTERED is an easily devoured novella – I read it in a single sitting – that will likely enchant the right audience. It’s the first in what the author hopes will be a series, with a sequel novella already announced. If lovingly modern lampooning of fairy tale tropes is your cup of tea, this new FRACTURED FABLES series will be right up your alley.

I must shamefacedly admit that A Spindle Splintered is the first book by Alix Harrow that I've read, but I can at least say that it certainly won't be the last. This tiny powerhouse of a book made me a believer, and it started with a fairy tale that Harrow herself points out is "no one's favorite."

Sleeping Beauty is Zinnia's favorite, though. Zin might be a bit of a sucker for lost causes though, being a self-assessed lost cause herself. She has GRM, a (fictional) genetic disorder with a grim prognosis: even with all the medical treatments she can manage, she won't live much past her 21st birthday. There's no spindle here (a lot of pills and syringes, but no spindle), but Zin still identifies with the Sleeping Beauty in all her fairy tale permutations. She likes the idea of a nonfatal sleep and the promise of a reawakening.

Her best friend is willing to go along with her obsession, but Charm (short for Charmaine, lest it all be too entirely fantastical) wants to keep Zin in this world as long as possible. She's studying biochemistry and also doing her damnedest to make sure Zin wants to stick around, which is why she throws her a 21st birthday bash. In a tower (abandoned prison panopticon, but tomayto tomahto) With roses. And an honest-to-god antique spindle.

It's the best and worst present for the best and worst birthday ever, a celebration of "you made it this far!" to paper over "you won't make it much further!" And even with this dubiously appealing premise, it goes wrong. It goes wrong to the tune of other worlds and other Beauties, a whole multiverse of girls who are doomed to sleep but who might just want to fight their fates.

A Spindle Splintered spends some time gently poking fun at '90s fantasy, but it itself is a fantasy John Green, complete with a snarky dying girl as narrator. The spate of mid-2010s imitators did wear that trope threadbare, but fortunately Harrow has a scattering of good insights into chronic illness, and even better, dying is not the only focus of the narrative. Choices are.

Both Zin and Primrose, her fairytale counterpart, are low on choices. Primrose is the traditional Beauty, her kingdom a hand-wavy jumble of medieval and Victorian scenery that Zin can't help but criticize for its anachronisms. Not that it matters. The kingdom still functions, Primrose is still cursed, and it's all going to come to a very pointed (heyyy) end. And even if she somehow resists the spindle’s pull, she’s then doomed to marry a soggy gym sock of a man.

There are unexpectedly heartbreaking moments when the fairy tale falls away and real people emerge from the wreckage. Moments of pure humanity, when people dealt poor cards still gather them up and go, "well, this is what I've got to work with." There's power in that, and Harrow certainly uses it to dramatic effect for the climax, but there's also tragedy in the way that stories can entice and then trap us. Sometimes we bow not only under the weight of how our story is "supposed to" go, but also under the weight of love--and expectation--that others place on us. Harrow does a great job of exploring the ways that smothering, overprotective love make you equally (if resentfully) overprotective in return, refusing to get attached as if attachment had a transitive property, and you could thereby help other people not be so attached to you. Zin's experiences help her find new perspectives and she has a thoroughly satisfying arc--really, one of the better character-driver arcs I've read this whole year. It's completely organic, and driven as much by her flaws as her better qualities.

In forcing Zin (and Primrose) to confront the most typical, amalgamated version of the story, Harrow is also able to find all its pressure points, the spaces where symbols and meaning intersect. These points had very specific implications in their original context, but symbols are mutable. A hero, a damsel, a fairy, a curse--all of these are subject to change. Which also means they're subject to choice.

Harrow also messes with any number of other features: she makes it modern, makes it gay (and gives us a clever misdirect—I'm looking at you (Prince) Charm(ing)), makes gender and circumstances highly variable, makes timelines fuzzy and locations even less important. Story is all that matters, and because story is a matter of structured choice, it makes for a highly intricate read, one that Harrow is able to tie up in some extremely satisfying ways.

It's a quick read, too, no more than a solid afternoon or a nice weekend. Harrow packs a lot in, but Zin's crabby, snarky voice never lets it get too theoretical or abstract. She's got stuff to do. You should absolutely go find out how she gets it done.

A wonderfully feminist retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale featuring smart, savvy, well rounded characters. Zinnia Gray is turning 21, a milestone she wasn't sure she would reach due to a chronic illness. Her best friend Charm throws her a Sleeping Beauty themed party - a fairy tale Zinnia has been obsessed with since childhood. When Zinnia pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel at midnight, she is tossed into a portal with doors to a variety of Sleeping Beauty stories. She lands in one of the more traditional tales where she is determined to save Beauty before figuring out a way home. Zinnia is smart, quit witted, brave and likeable. The fact that her cell phone works in an alternate dimension, allowing her to infrequently text with Charm, adds clever layer to the story.

Was this the best retelling I’ve read? No, But it was an excellent quick short story retelling. This is the kind of story you read when the week has been hard and you just want something light but not too light to read. The short length fulfills your fairytale need and leaves you a bit up lighted and ready to face the world again. Fall is the prefect time for fairytales so this story for the bill for me!

Sleeping Beauty is no longer the meek accepting mouse some writers wrote her to be. She has a voice, a choice, and will change everything.
Sleeping Beauty was cursed to prick her finger tell her prince came and dropped a kiss on her lips. Ha ! This sleeping beauty tale doesn’t follow the old rules. She’s breaking the rules, and doesn’t need a man to come along and rescue her. She may not even want to kiss a prince !
Sad, fun, sad, more fun, with a great ending. It’s such a short read I really can’t say much without spoiling it.
I enjoyed this open version of the Sleeping Beauty Tale

I truly do love fairytales reimagined. Especially when it's done right. This was no exception by Alix. I was almost dismayed when I started and the book seemed so short, but it totally packed it all in. It was funny, sappy, feminine powered and just a little sad. I can't wait to see what the next fractured fairytale will be.

A Spindle Splintered is a fairy tale lover’s dream story. Zin is dying of a genetic disorder and not expected to live much beyond her 21st birthday . Her friend, Charm, throws her a Sleeping Beauty themed party including an antique spinning wheel upon which to prick her finger. The fun starts there as Zin finds herself with a real Sleeping Beauty in an alternate reality. As Zin fights to keep Primrose awake and herself alive, she comes to find that curses are often blessings in disguise. Such a fun read!!!!

An absolutely delightful novella, sassy but not without sentiment. I simultaneously love fairy tale retellings but always enter them with a lot of skepticism. Harrow's treatment of Sleeping Beauty is fresh and unique.

In keeping with her signature style Harrow once again delivers. This is a very different book. While fairy tales have been retold over the ages, Harrow's spin is unlike anything I've ever read before. That is the main reason I give this book 4 stars.
Harrow gives the reader a chronically ill main character that transports into a version of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. As she has been unable to find a way to rescue herself from her medical condition, Zinnia throws herself into formulating a plan to save fairy tale characters that have been subjected to undesirable circumstances. Typically unsettled young adult relationships contribute to the decisions that Zinnia and her friends make in order to force female rights on the fairy tale world. The length was perfect for my taste as I'm not sure I would have stayed engaged for any longer. Originality abounds and as such the book will certainly appeal to a broad audience.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

As a huge fan of Alix E. Harrow's previous novel The Once and Future Witches, I was excited to see where a twist on classic fairy tales would go. It's a surprisingly different style that works perfectly for the story being told.

I believe the story has been summed up as a fairy tale version of Into the Spiderverse which I wasn't sure how to take, but it's actually a brilliant summation.

The characters all feel real and are written to suit the ages they are. This can frequently be a problem where you'll have characters that read as older or younger than they are. Harrow avoids this problem so well, and it leads to an easy read.

My only letdown was my own expectation of the climax. It's far more subtle than I hoped for, but winds up being much more powerful for it. Once I sat with what had happened, I realized just how well done it was.

It didn't hit the heights of Once and Future Witches, but it's a very solid story that tells an equally powerful tale.

Quite enjoyed this fairytale retelling with a unique twist. Harrow successfully “Spider-verse’d a fairytale.” She is an author with no lack of imagination or follow-through.

Clever, fun and doesn’t sacrifice depth despite being short. A fresh and memorable take on Sleeping Beauty.

As a newly-minted Harrow superfan, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Apologist, and sick girl, I was sadly disappointed by this short novel. Harrow is clearly going for a punchier, more straightforward style than the lyrical and folkish tones of her other books here, and it just didn’t quite land for me. Although the book is labeled as a feminist and subversive retelling, the feminist notes are kind of stale (arranged marriages are bad, actually) compared to the nuanced and intersectional criticism of the suffragette movement in The Once and Future Witches. Some things especially didn’t land for me, like criticizing the Disney version of the tale while writing out the fat and old women who have most of the dialogue in the film to focus more on the hot young protagonist (justice for Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather!). However, I did find the Disneyland/world references funny and I loved the borderline romantic friendship between Zinnia and Charm. Although I was personally disappointed by the book and probably wouldn’t recommend it to other fans of The Once and Future Witches and The Ten Thousand Doors of January, I could see it being really popular among YA readers and Marvel fans.

Fairy tales meet the multiverse? Sign me up.

I've always loved fairy tales — it doesn't matter if they're the darker, older versions or the sanitised Disney stories — despite their flaws. Alix E. Harrow's upcoming novella, A Spindle Splintered, is simultaniously a celebration and critique of fairy tales, all while dragging old stories into the modern world. It's clever and snarky and fun, subverting fairytale tropes and our expectations and shows how two women seize control of their destinies.

Real talk: Sleeping Beauty is the most boring fairy tale. She's passive (I mean, she's literally asleep for almost the entire story so it's not entirely her fault) and she has no agency. Unlike other women who are active in their stories, Sleeping Beauty is really just a pretty prize for the prince to win and not much more. Harrow acknowledges this at the very beginning of the novella, and then manages to inject so much life into the tired (ha ha) story.

I loved the characters in this book and the way they're their own special subversion of Sleeping Beauty's classic character. Zinnia is a sparky, sarcastic, modern woman with a serious illness that she has always known will kill her. She uses humour to hide the deep sadness she faces due to her illness. Primrose fits the mould of the classic Sleeping Beauty princess — she's beautiful and perfect and seems to be the perfect fairy tale princess. These two seem so different, but I loved the way they grew into their friendship and subverted each other's (and our own) expectations through their adventures.

A Spindle Splintered is a different kind of retelling — one that makes us think critically about fairy tales, how we consume them, ultimately how we can break the mould of our own stories. I cannot recommend this more highly to fans of fairy tales, portal fantasy, or feminist stories. I certainly hope this is the start of a series exploring more fairy tales!

Content warnings: mention of rape (off page), terminal illness, misogyny

I enjoyed this modern take on Sleeping Beauty. I wouldn’t mind a sequel. I think this would appeal to teens who like subversive fairy tales.

I wanted to love this book, I did not love this book. I think it fell apart a bit because it's an adult book, with really young characters so I had a lot of trouble connecting, To be blunt, I think it would have been stronger if it was a novel - 100 pages set some things up really well, but it read as a first few chapters of a book rather than a novella. The writing was smart and funny, and I did really like how the author brought the actual depth of fairy tales into the story.

I fell hard for Harrow's writing in the The Thousand Doors of January, and the Once and future Witches, and this one just.... left me wanting. For an author known for brilliant character development I felt a little... bored? There's such solid stuff out there on princesses refusing to be boundaried, but again, maybe that's a length thing? Still generally going to grab whatever Harrow puts out next!

I got a free ARC for an honest review.

This was my first Harrow, and I loved it. Super cute story but also awesome characters and great prose.