This book was so much fun! I loved the plot and how well thought out it was. I definitely felt transported into this world and rooted for the character the whole way through. I would definitely recommend this to friends.

4.5 Stars

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book.

In this genderbent retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Fi is looking for a way to stop her own curse when she stumbles finger-first into the curse placed upon Briar Rose and the kingdom of Andarr. With the help of her treasure-hunting partner, Shane, they must traverse the woods and break the curse to wake the prince and free the kingdom.

I loved this book! I was immediately hooked by the dual-POVs of Fi and Shane and how they interacted with each other. The book starts head-first in the mystery of why Fi is cursed and why Shane is no longer at home. They make such good partners and Shane is such a BA axe-wielding sapphic I am seriously in love with her.

I love the addition of Briar Rose. I also think that this book was really clever to handle the intrinsic issues of consent in the tale of Sleeping Beauty--i.e., a sleeping person cannot consent to a kiss--by allowing Briar's sleeping form to magically project and talk to Fi.

This book is so adventurous and high stakes! The witch hunters are wild and I love the witch Red and how she interacts with Shane. I also really love Shane and Fi's backstories and everything that we learn about them as we go. I really can't wait for the sequel!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, Sexism, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Violence

Five Reasons to Read This Book

One. If ever, as a kid, you read those famous action and adventure stories (I’m thinking Hardy Boys, Willard Price, Biggles—okay maybe this is just me), and you a) wanted girls to be at the centre of them, and later, b) wanted LGBT folks to star in those hero roles, then this book is for you. It’s Indiana Jones-slash-Lara Croft, crossed with Sleeping Beauty, and it’s about as fast-paced and action-packed, wildly adventurous, as you would expect from those comparisons.

Two. Shane is so good that she deserves her own point, to be honest. Ever wondered what would happen if you crossed a lesbian with a himbo? Well, Shane is your answer. Why be a lesbian with a himbo, when you can be a lesbian and a himbo.

Three. If you like books (or duologies/other length series) that take what you know, at some unspecified point, and twist it all up and make you wonder if you ever knew anything really, then I’m not saying you should specifically pick this book up, but I’m not not saying it. Basically, this book has a great ending, one that makes your heart beat just a little faster, and one that sets everything up for a great sequel.

Four. It was an interesting twist on the Sleeping Beauty, where it’s a prince who is bespelled to be asleep and distinctly not a princess is on a quest to rescue him. I mean, really, don’t we all love fantasy novels where the focus is on normal people (insofar as someone who does magic counts as normal to us), rather than the rich and/or powerful? This one delivers.

Five. There’s a nice balance between building a world that leaps off the page and keeping the story going, overall. As I said before, it’s fast-paced, but it still manages to worldbuild successfully alongside that. And it’s a very interesting world as well, one that leaves you with just enough questions that you think, huh, maybe these parts that look quite a bit like foreshadowing will become plot relevant later on. Which, really, is the best part of worldbuilding.

Fairytales with an Indiana Jones twist? I knew going into this book that I was going to love it, and I was not disappointed. The relationship between Fi and Shane was one of the best parts. A romantic relationship wasn’t forced on them, which opened them up to act as stubborn sisters and balance each other out. Shane was absolutely hilarious to read, she is like a viking warrior who really just wants to get in fights. Her romance broke my heart because you could see early on how drawn in she was. I’m really curious to see how her character changes in the next book. Of course Fi was who I saw myself most in. She only takes books from her treasure hunts, a lot of readers would relate. For once, the damsel needing rescuing is a dashing prince, though I wouldn’t make the mistake of calling Briar harmless. I loved that each of the characters had other things going on besides the main story quest, it added a lot of dimension to them. Even the villains had things that you could empathize with. I cannot wait for the next book, this was a 5/5.

If you like treasure hunts, breaking curses with a kiss, or have been craving a new cast of characters to fall in love with, this is the one for you.

I received a digital copy of this book free from Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

pretty decent. not my favorite but I also didn't hate it. jumped right into the world which helped a lot on pacing.

“Maybe falling in love wasn’t something you dreamed about, or something you left to destiny. Maybe it was something that happened when you were having too much fun to notice.”

This is one the best fairy tale retellings that I have read in a long time. Vedder does an amazing job at portraying tropes that I normally despise. There are multiple POVs in this book but I never got bored or frustrated whenever it switched perspectives which hardly ever happens. There is a LOT going on in this book but with the flashbacks and the repetition of certain pieces of information, I never got confused or bored. This book has so many twists and turns and it is filled with bad ass females who recognize when they need to put themselves first. Also there is solid LGBT representation in this book that doesn’t feel forced and is a main focal point of the story. I hope this book has a sequel and I hope it comes out ASAP.

4.5 stars

The Bone Spindle is the first book in a new YA fantasy series by Leslie Vedder, described as “Sleeping Beauty meets Indians Jones.”

Synopsis:

The book follows Fi and Shane, two treasure hunters who team up to find their next great loot. But the hunt goes quickly awry when Fi accidentally pricks her finger on an ancient bone spindle. With a new obligation to break the curse of Briar Rose, will Fi and Shane return with any treasure at all? Or will the witch hunters catch them first?

Likes:

- The action begins on page 1 and hooks the reader instantly.
- The LGBT+ representation is nuanced. This book contains bisexual and lesbian representation specifically.
- The supporting characters are well developed and given time to shine. Their characterizations are specific, unique, and interesting.

Dislikes:

- The story relies heavily on flashbacks; unfortunately, I found myself being pulled out of the present storyline to jump to the past.
- The two main characters, Fi and Shane, are always on the run. However, there is greater importance placed on what/who they’re running from versus what/who they’re moving towards. Their objective takes a backseat to escape scenes.
- The pacing was slightly confusing (yet still fast), which I believe is the result of picking the wrong POV for certain moments.
- While the conclusion felt rushed, it sets up a natural starting place/direction for the sequel to pick up.

Notes:

I was really hoping to fall in love with this story, but it didn’t happen. In the end, I found there was more I disliked than liked. Even though it wasn’t my cup of tea, I’m glad I read it, and I think there is certainly an audience for this book.

TLDR:

Fast-paced; bisexual and lesbian representation; break-the-curse; treasure hunt; multi-POV

Rating:

3.0/5.0

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an advanced copy of the book.

Reviewers have described this book as perfect for fans of Sleeping Beauty and Indiana Jones. I couldn't agree more with that statement. This adventurous fantasy novel is moving, gripping and a page-turner from beginning to end. I'm keenly awaiting the next book in the series.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for giving me the chance to read and review this E-ARC. This review will be posted to Goodreads, My Instagram, and Various Shops (Amazon Canada/Barnes & Noble/ Indigo Canada).

The Bone Spindle was an amazing adventure. I was hooked from start to finish while reading this novel. Where do I even begin?

The storyline was fast-paced in The Bone Spindle. It gave me fantastical characters, along with sub-plots/sub-histories that had me wanting to turn the pages. Both Shane and Fi have things they've run away from back home. The questions I had, regarding why they did that kept me hooked on the storyline. Vedder does a great job at unveiling those reasons. Those questions do not get answered too quickly or too slowly.

All the characters were loveable, and I adored Briar Rose. He was adorable! Whenever he showed up, there was a smile on my face. I loved all the scenes between him and Fi.

I thought Vedder did a great job at balancing all of the character's points of view. Each voice was distinct, and each of the character's personalities stood out. Both Shane and Fi were strong female leads.

I'm curious to see where book two will take these characters and the plot. The romance was cute in this book!! In The Bone Spindle, I was shipping both couples.

My only critique regarding the characters is that I felt Shane & Fi's first meeting could have been fleshed out more in this story.

This book reminded me of a Disney or a Studio Ghibli film. It had an adventurous (liked Tangled) and fantastical feel to it. I would love to see this story adapted for film (either live-action or animated).

It was easy to fall into this world, and understand the different elements. The world-building was excellent, and I could easily picture the story in my head.

Overall, I am super excited for book two. Vedder has created a fantastical start to a series. This book has an amazing plot, adorable characters, romance (with LGBTQ+ representation), and perfect world-building. I highly recommend adding this to your TBR pile.

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing me with an arc of the book!

I was sold on this book right when I saw that it was pitched as Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones. After reading this book I can say that this is a perfect comparison and that if you love the story of Sleeping Beauty or Indiana Jones or both, you will love this book.

Similar to Sleeping Beauty, The Bone Spindle is about a young prince who is cursed by an evil witch, but in order to save him from the curse he is put into a deep sleep and will only be woken with a kiss. We then follow Fi and Shane as they team up to venture to the castle where the prince sleeps and wake him.

There was never a dull moment in Fi and Shane’s journey throughout this book. Sometimes stories can lose me when there is some kind of long journey that spans throughout most of the book because there is not enough action happening during that journey to keep me fully engaged. That being said, this book had the perfect amount of action and twists that kept me fully invested in the story from the first to last page.

Also, I found I was very interested in getting to learn more about Fi and Shane’s pasts throughout the book. Both these characters have very interesting, detailed, and complex backstories that you get to learn quite a bit about throughout the book. I’m hoping to dive even deeper into their pasts in book two. I’m especially interested in potentially diving more into Shane's past in the next book considering there is a lot to her story that I can see playing some kind of role in book two.

Overall, I thought the plot of the story was extremely engaging and the characters were very well fleshed out. I ended up really enjoying this book and I cannot wait for book two! If you love romance, witches, witch hunters, and/or adventure I highly recommend you pick up The Bone Spindle!

I really enjoyed the plot of this book, but that is basically where it ends. Like the characters were fine, but I just wanted more from them. The pacing threw me off the most, and it made it very hard for me to get through.

The plot was exciting, and I thought this take on sleeping beauty was super unique, which kept me wanting to know more. I never really knew what would happen, yet everything was laid out nicely.

The characters were just okay, and it seemed like we were only ever getting a surface look at them. Even when the author would dive deeper into a character's past or reasoning for doing something, I couldn’t connect with them. I did like how each character was different and unique from the others. I never found myself getting people mixed up, and they did all have exciting pasts, and I felt each was essential to the storyline. While the plot was super exciting, the characters definitely left me wanting more.

The pacing is what made this book hard for me to read. And ultimately, why I am giving it three stars. The action starts right away, which is always good, and it keeps up for most of the book. The author would flip to a flashback with little to no warning, which was super jarring and, at times, would confuse me to where we were in the book. Because this book was so fast-paced, I also felt that I never had time to digest what was going on, and neither did the characters.

Wow, what a fun and wholesome adventure this book was! I took the time to finish up this book while I was pretty sick and it truly was a ray of sunshine during my very dull week!

The Bone Spindle is a gender bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a touch of Indiana Jones inspired flare that created such a super fun dynamic! This book has two romances, LGBTQ representation, quirk, sass and a TON of adventure!

I’d say the characters we’re the best parts of this book even though I enjoyed it overall! We get two main POVs, Fi and Shane and they’re just amazing to follow around! Fi is super smart, cynical and into treasure hunting for the knowledge most of all. While we follow Shane, on the run from her old life who’s into treasure hunting for all of the glory and well, the TREASURE. When these two pair together for an epic adventure, they vow it will be the only one they do together and then they will go their separate ways. They drive each other mad and can’t wait to get away from the other— but just maybe.. they start to grow on one another and will do whatever to protect the other!

We also get a POV from Briar Rose (sleeping beauty but make it male) and he is just the ultimate little cinnamon roll of a character. I just know he is going to be everyone’s favorite. He’s adorable, funny and needs saving but at times serious and has a dark undercurrent but all around, an amazing guy and I truly loved getting his little POVs here and there!

I truly believe Leslie Vedder did this retelling justice and gave us a fresh new kind of take on the original version of sleeping beauty. She truly made it her own and I 100% enjoyed it. The world building was done so well, there were a few little twist and a whole lot of representation!

The concept of a gender-bent Sleeping Beauty retelling with Indiana Jones (the treasure hunting. puzzles, and grand adventure) vibes was an instant sell. The writing and world-building was great. The adventure was a lot of fun, though there wasn’t much buildup, just instant action. This was a really interesting concept for a Fairytale retelling and an impressive YA fantasy debut.

That being said - with how much the sapphic romance was promoted, it definitely bothered me that the m/f relationship got significantly more depth and development than the f/f relationship did. Fi and Briar got a slow-burn, sweet romantic plot while Shane and Red got insta-love that feels disingenuous. The author might be planning to do more for that in the following book. I just don’t think it should’ve been broadcasted so much only to come up lacking.

I’d be interested to see how the next book comes along.

The story follows cursed treasure hunter Fi and fierce warrior Shane who team up when Shane finds a map that could lead to treasure. But when they think they've struck gold, Fi pricks her finger on a bone spindle and wakes a sleeping prince's spirit. And so instead of journeying to find the treasure, now the three need to find a way to break a curse that's been put on a magical kingdom.

This was truly a wonderful gender-flipped dark-fairytale mashup filled with adventure, friendship, and romance. It really was like reading Indiana Jones x Sleeping Beauty. The pacing of the story was great and it was such a fun read for me. The world-building was also well done. Fi and Shane's banter was so quick-witted and funny. I love that Fi is such a book-lover and history geek and that Shane was fiercely loyal. And both Shane and Fi had such great backstories that I hope we get to see tapped into more in the second book.

If you've been through an emotionally abusive relationship, though, I feel like it's important to note that one of the characters has also experienced that and it is delved into quite a bit in the story so just be sure to proceed with caution when reading.

This fantasy YA is heavily inspired by Sleeping Beauty, with a touch of Red Riding Hood, and a lot of adventure. Fi - short for Filore - is a treasure hunter with a curse on her head. Actually, it's on her hand, but it's a terrible one. Shane is an exiled female warrior who loves fighting and pretty girls. The two unlikely partners end up working together to free a kingdom when Fi pricks her finger on a bone spindle and discovers Briar Rose, the prince whose kingdom is under a sleeping curse until Love's first kiss awakens him. Briar's body is asleep, but his magic allows him to appear to Fi, leading her to his kingdom: if she can make it through the perilous thorns and other dangers that await.

The first in a new YA fantasy duology (or trilogy!), The Bone Spindle is a fantasy adventure that flips traditional fairy tales and gender roles, giving readers strong and smart female protagonists and a gentle hero with a mysterious dark side. Fi is afraid to fall in love after a terrible ex left her in a bad spot, but Briar is so awkward and sweet that she wonders what will happen when she finally gets to his kingdom to deliver his kiss. Shane comes from a warrior kingdom, but she's chosen exile. She loves the heft of her axe and the smile on a pretty girl, but her partnership with Fi means she'll put herself at risk for a friend. Fantasy readers, LGBTQ+ readers, romance readers, all will find something to love in The Bone Spindle - enjoy spotting the influences as you read.

Gender flipped Sleeping Beauty with besties who have major Indiana Jones vibes. Need I say more?

This was absolutely delightful to read and I loved all the main characters in this. The witch hunters are easy to hate, the lore is so much fun to learn and the relationships and friendships are just simple joys to read.

Go forth and read the gift that is The Bone Spindle.

Thanks so much to the pub and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 Cups of coffee. RTC.

DNF at 50%

Honestly, this book is just a mess. Don't get me wrong, the synopsis of this book is incredible, and the potential was RIGHT THERE. The execution though...not so much. The characters are interesting, but the pacing and the flashbacks are confusing. This is definitely one of those stories where the reader experiences more telling versus showing.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters and world building are amazing. This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year.

The Bone Spindle follows two young women, Fi and Shane, as they start out on a treasure hunt. However it leads them both on a dangerous quest to rescue a sleeping prince. This is a genderflipped retelling of Sleeping Beauty

This book has magic, action and adventure. It has a wonderful LGBTQ rep with Shane. The romance in this book is a great slow build. Plus it also has lots of humor to keep you laughing out loud all throughout the book. I cannot say enough good things about this book. I’m already planning a reread because I can’t wait to get lost in this world again.

The Bone Spindle is an incredible YA fantasy debut from Leslie Vedder who delivers a smoothly confident and finely polished gender-flipped fairytale retelling. While the YA market has been saturated with retellings of every fairytale under the sun, many falter in the execution with the main issue always being maintaining a balance between honouring the source material and offering a compelling original twist. In The Bone Spindle, the author combines the tale of Sleeping Beauty where the roles are gender-flipped (already a fun premise!) with heroines you could easily imagine starring in Indiana Jones, The Mummy, or Tomb Raider.

As the daughter of two historians, Fi has an abundance of book smarts and a boundless fascination with learning new facts and unravelling puzzles which she applied to a successful stint as a treasure hunter—until her ex-boyfriend betrayed her. Now branded by the Butterfly Curse, Fi isolates herself from her loved ones to search for a way to free herself from the curse, determined not to allow herself to grow close to anyone again…until Shane convinces her to sign on for one last job.

Shane is the polar opposite of the prim, bookish Fi, but she’s also in the position of striking out into the world on her own, leaving her family behind for the greater good. With her fierce determination, brash confidence and trusty battle-ax, Shane makes a living as a huntsman for hire and treasure hunter. When she finds a map with magical inscriptions, she knows that Fi is her best chance to decipher the clues left behind by an ancient Order of Witches and lead the way to a massive payday.

The growing bond between the two girls is the highlight of this book with Fi and Shane beginning as untrusting reluctant allies, but a slow-burn, ride-or-die epic friendship brews between them as they embark on a madcap adrenaline-filled adventure. It’s rare to see female friendship given this much care and nuance when normally romantic relationships are the priority in YA fiction, and every page of their snarky, banter-filled interactions is a sheer delight. I love how they make each other become better versions of themselves and the character growth along their journey is excellent as we see Fi learn to lower her guard and trust Shane with her secrets and then see Shane in turn make herself vulnerable to Fi.

While the girls’ friendship is a major element of this book, that isn’t to say that there isn’t any romance! Fi’s love interest is Briar Rose, the prince under a sleeping spell hidden away in a tower waiting for the kiss that will awaken him. While it’s commonly believed to be True Love’s Kiss, Fi balks at the mere notion of love and wants nothing to do the handsome prince that is apparently her destined match.

The most intriguing and successful part of The Bone Spindle is that it isn’t a one-to-one retelling of Sleeping Beauty; characters aren’t lifted from the original tale and dropped into these pages, instead central concepts are taken and rewoven in a fresh, unique manner that serve the plot and deepen the world-building. Rather than Aurora and Briar Rose being the same person, for instance, Aurora is the first Witch Queen and any Witches descended from the royal line are given the second name Rose. The Maleficent-equivalent is the Spindle Witch, who makes a bargain to save Briar’s life as a baby in exchange for prized secret spells from the Order of the Rose, but when her magic takes his mother’s life as the toll for curing his illness, the grief-stricken king banishes her from the kingdom. And the rest is history…

The Bone Spindle has many strengths, specifically the fantastic relationships developed between Fi and Shane as well as Fi and Briar, but the weakness that stood out was the comparatively lacking relationship between Shane and her love interest, a mysterious witch. Shane is infatuated with Red from the moment she sets eyes on her and there isn’t much depth given to her feelings aside from insta-love. Sure, one of her personality traits is a weakness for pretty girls, but the lengths she goes to for Red don’t make sense given how little foundation their romance is built on. As this is book one, hopefully the sequel fleshes out their relationship in more depth and gives more reason for the reader to invest in these girls ending up together.

A fairytale retelling that is a standout in its field, The Bone Spindle offers not one but two compelling heroines that readers are sure to fall in love with, an entertaining and fast-paced action-adventure plot with a couple sneaky twists and lush worldbuilding that effortlessly transports you into this magical kingdom filled with Witches, ancient ruins and hidden treasure.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. I'm a huge sucker for any kind of fairytale retelling, but this flipped Sleeping Beauty right on its head. I also definitely understand the Indiana Jones comparison, which made the adventures and the fact that Fi and Shane were so badass so much more prominent. You are not doing yourselves any favors if you skip this. The worldbuilding, the feminism, the romance, the characters, all blended together to form one perfect novel that I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel to.