** spoiler alert ** Content warning: offscreen sexual assault (and discussion of the impact on characters' lives), abortion mention, drug use mention

An original take on fairy tales, their characters, and their structures. I was slightly disappointed that the protagonist didn't end up with a princess herself, but there's plenty of time for that in the future! Usually I don't like open endings on novellas but it worked quite well here.

Thank you to NetGalley for a preview audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Zinnia Gray is about to celebrate her last birthday. Though young by modern standards, Zinnia has lived with a rare condition for years and no one with the same illness has lived past twenty-one. She loves all things Sleeping Beauty and when her best friend Charm throws her a themed birthday party, Zinnia ends up falling through worlds and eventually finds another Sleeping Beauty like herself trying to escape her fate. Can they help each other, or will their fates determine their ultimate destinies?

I love fairytale retellings, so I was especially excited to listen to this audiobook. Though I really like the concept of this story, it was too short. The characters were intriguing and I particularly liked the idea of multiple Sleeping Beauties coming together, but the world-building and magic were not developed enough. The ending was also very rushed. Overall, I just felt like there was something missing.

Amy Landon was a good narrator, but maybe because the story didn’t wow me, neither did the narration. What I loved most was her ability to portray different characters and accents. Honestly, I could listen to her read dialogue all day!

If you enjoy fairytale retellings, especially ones that are quite meta, I would say give this one a try.

Content warnings: profanity and terminal illness

(I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I don’t typically read fantasy, but I’m such a sucker for fairytale retellings—especially if it’s a modern one.

I’ve read the author’s debut novel and wasn’t the biggest fan of it. So I was a tad apprehensive going into this. However, I very much enjoyed it. It was incredibly entertaining and the perfect book to read in one sitting.

I thought Zinnia was a great character as well and I look forward to reading more of her character arc in the next book.

My only issue was even though this was a pretty short novel, I wished the world building was more developed. But I know the upcoming books are going to explore the world a lot more, so I’ll let it slide this time around.

The narrator's voice fits the story well. This would be an excellent choice if you like modern fantasy!

A quick listen, it was a great quick dip into a new world. As someone with a disability, I enjoy any opportunity to listen to disabled rep and the MCs humor about her situation did not disappoint. Seeing how her friends, acquaintances etc treated her was interesting.

I really enjoyed this fairytale remix. It was creative and Zinnia and Primrose made for compelling characters. However, for a fairly short novella, I was surprised by the slow pacing at the beginning and didn't find myself hooked until after the halfway mark. Overall, I'm intrigued to read more in the series.

To say fairy tales are only full of fun, magic, and songs would be a misrepresentation. From the Grimm Brothers, regional folklore, and Disney, there is a sinister side in most tales; whether it be narcissism or murder, child abuse or kidnapping, evil spells and witches, or some dreadful songs, there is a darker side. I have grown up enjoying fairy tales and being Peter like the boy who never grew up, I’m aptly named. Although I love the more fractured modern versions, A Splintered Spindle playing on the Sleeping Beauty called out to me Once Upon a Dream.

Zinnia (Zin) Gray is a young woman fated to be living her last year because she has a rare terminal illness, and no one has ever lived past twenty-one. Zin’s close friend, Charm, has organised a Sleeping Beauty themed twenty-first birthday party complete with a tower, decorations and spinning wheel. Playing out the theme, Zin touches the tip of the spindle, and when she draws blood, she is transported to another universe where she meets Primrose – the perfect image of a fairy tale princess.

I appreciate that Alix Harrow carries multiple messages in her stories, and fantasy is always a perfect genre to use as the vehicle. She delivers a strong take on the power of women to take charge and not accept the stereotypical behaviour of a damsel in distress or asleep in this case. Both Zin and Primrose challenge the typical inevitability and seek answers to the curses that have befallen them. This context also expands to a multi-verse that introduces many instances of the Sleeping Beauty scenario. Zin, Primose and Charm embark on an adventure to find answers and not go quietly to a predestined fate. Their journey of busting the fairy tale is enthralling, captivating with clever surprises. and embraced with calculating humour.

I experienced this story as an audiobook wonderfully narrated by Amy Landon. She effortlessly switches between accents that underpin the characters and the scenes in the story. I would recommend this book, and it’s the start of a “Fractured Fables” series which will appeal to those fascinated with modern retelling and repositioning of renowned fairy tales. I want to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.

What an AMAZING book! This was my first Alix E. Harrow book, but it definitely won't be my last! I really felt for Zinnia and Primrose and all of the other characters. The audiobook narrator was also AMAZING! I highly recommend this for anyone who loves fairy tales and/or Seanan McGuire's WAYWARD CHILDREN series! I cannot wait to read book two!

I adore Alix E. Harrow and eagerly await new stories from her brilliant mind. That being said, I have to admit, I have never been a big fan of Sleeping Beauty. I did not enjoy the original fairy tale and I was bored by the Disney version of the tale.

After reading this book though, Harrow has made me a fan of Sleeping Beauty, which is no small task. I LOVED this story! The characters are rich, complex, complicated, and just excellent female characters all around. Harrow reinvented this tale to make Sleeping Beauty her own hero, which was great.

Whether you enjoy reimagined fairy tales or not, if you like adventures with strong female characters, then you should read this one.

Excellent book!

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow is the first book in the new Fractured Fables which is a fairytale retelling series. This first book of the series is a new twist on Sleeping Beauty. Following the first book the series will move onto other fairy tales but with the same main character making them a series that will best be read in order although this first could be enjoyed as a standalone.

Zinnia Gray is quickly approaching her twenty first birthday and for most that would be a wondrous occasion but for Zinnia it may be her last birthday. Zinnia was diagnosed with a rare condition when she was young due to an industrial accident which lead to a grim prognosis, Zinnia’s days were numbered with no one making it past twenty two.

Zinnia’s best friend, Charm, wants to make Zinnia’s last birthday special and knows of Zinnia’s obsession with Sleeping Beauty. When Zinnia arrives for her last party she finds Charm has hunted down an old spinning wheel and urges Zinnia to prick her finger. Zinnia finds shortly after that she has been transported to another world where another young girl was about to prick her own finger.

No matter how old I get I have always held onto an obsession with fairytale retellings so when I saw A Spindle Splintered I knew I wanted to read it. Getting a copy of this new audiobook I was really excited and as soon as I pressed play I fell into Zinnia’s world and became engaged. I loved Zinnia’s sarcastic nature and her view of the tale right away and couldn’t wait to see how it would unfold. This retelling definitely had it’s own twist which I always love to find and after finishing this first book I’ll definitely be interested to see what the author does with the second book in the series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Elegant yet ebullient prose and a refreshingly original take, not just on this specific iconic fairy tale, but on fairy tales and the idea of a cultural canon in general. Amy Landon's reading for the audiobook is fine, but nothing to write home about; she's a bit slow and ponderous, but perfectly easy to follow, with some nice differentiation of character voices. Overall, I absolutely adored this novella - unsurprisingly, Tor has once again knocked it out of the park, novella-wise - and I'm excited to read more in the series in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Super cute Hallmark read. And it was so fun reading about my home in Alaska! I miss it and this have me all the Christmas feels and Alaska love. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

I really enjoyed the audiobook for A Spindle Splintered. I love a fairy tale re-telling and even though Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite, it was refreshing to read one about Sleeping Beauty. Zinnia pricks her finger on her twenty-first birthday and is transported to another world: Sleeping Beauty's. Zinnia battles trying to save Sleeping Beauty while trying to manage her own health issues and get help from her best friend back home before her phone dies. Yes, it's a modern re-telling, and while I did very much enjoy the story it is entirely too woke-feminist for me. Otherwise it would have easily been a five-star read. It is technically a novella but it didn't feel like one to me.

Genre: New Adult/Adult Fantasy/Retelling
Rating: 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Tor Books, Alix E. Harrow, and Amy Landon for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of A Spindle Splintered in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator, Amy Landon, does a great job of portraying Zinnia, the main character, who suffers from a fatal disease in which no one has ever lived to be 22. Zinnia is sassy, real, and true to her beliefs. She has known for a long time that she would die young, so she has been very sure of who she is and what she wants--and will get--out of life. Until a party turns her universe upside-down.

The novella begins with a fun speal regarding people's favorite princess tales, but no one really likes Sleeping Beauty...except dying girls. Since Zinnia's last birthday will be her 21st, considering what is known about her illness, her best friend wants to throw the most stellar Sleeping Beauty party ever, complete with an actual spinning wheel! When Zinnia pricks her finger, she finds herself in a completely different world spinning around its own form of the Sleeping Beauty tale.

In this world with its own sleeping beuty, Zinnia finds herself advocating for Primrose to follow her own path, and not what her parents wish of her. She wants to be with another girl instead of a prince? Then she should follow her heart!

This novella has a strong essence of feminism, some quips on Pfizer (as a company), and was only about a three hour listen. A lot happened in said three hours, including nice character development with the narrator, Zinnia. Even her best friend, Charm, who is barely seen in the story, has some great development as well. This is a nice quick read for an older audience looking for something fast-paced, old and modern at the same time, and relatable to contemporary issues today. A great gem of a story told in few words.

I am so, so glad that I requested this audiobook! I normally avoid novellas because of their short length. The reader in me always tends to crave more and feel dissatisfied with their short length, but this story may have convinced me to give novellas a second chance!

A Spindle Splintered is an adorable fairy tale retelling about a modern girl with a terminal illness who finds herself transported into the story of "Sleeping Beauty." To be clear, she doesn't take the place of the princess in the story. Instead, she befriends her and embarks on a journey to change both of their fates.

I fell in love with the cast of characters in this story! The author created a cast of strong female leads and secondary characters. This is absolutely a feminist retelling (and reclaiming?) of a classic fairy tale.

There are times in the story where futuristic tech or theories are mentioned (alternate realities, etc.) that may seem far-fetched, but I didn't mind how the author used these to explain the events in the story. I liked how I was left wondering about the futures of certain characters in the end. After all, this story is a novella, so not every loose string is tied neatly.

Overall, I will definitely be recommending this book to patrons. The message is especially valuable to teen girls and non-binary teens. I would hand this book to any patron who likes adventure, fairy tale retellings, or strong female leads.

Wow talk about a trip to the dark side! This is certainly not your grandma‘s Sleeping Beauty. It’s not Perrault, it’s not Grimm, and it’s certainly not Disney. This is a thoroughly modern twist that addresses the deeply disturbing, yet largely unknown story told in the earliest versions.

Although I review for NetGalley as an educator, I have such conflicting thoughts about this book, I feel compelled to include comments from many different lenses, so please indulge me if this is a bit long.

First, from the lens of a Middle School teacher: I definitely try to teach the concept of perspective, and try to guide my students to make connections to what they read. I try to expose them to lots of different ideas and we frequently read the same story from various perspectives - look through different characters’ eyes, different cultures takes on the same ideas, etc.. A favorite assessment is students rewriting plots or endings or pretending to be a character in the story. We read lots of “fractured fairy tales” from many different cultures. That said, as promising as this seemed, I can not use this book in my classroom. I love the strong female protagonist idea, and applaud the inclusion of diverse sexual identities, but my students are too young and naive (I currently teach at an international school in China) for me to introduce rape, and if I’m being honest, I think a gay Sleeping Beauty would be too far a reach for most of them. Even the doomed heroine, and a teen facing her mortality face-on would be a lot for them. Even in my high school classes here and in the US, I think there are too many “triggers” and too much that I’d feel I’d need to unpack with them to use this even as a suggestion for independent reading. The book is written for a teen audience, but it’s a hard “no” for me in my classes.

However …
As a woman: I love the strong female protagonists! I love the sisterly friendship and unwavering mutual acceptance as the best friends struggle to be reunited and support each other through some very heavy situations and challenges. [I have to mention one thing really bothering me: if Zelladine was trying to protect the princess from the fate she, herself, suffered, I don’t understand why she’d doom her to sleep. Maybe I missed something but Zelladine was raped while sleeping and awakened by her baby’s suckling. What prevents the princess from the same fate if she is asleep? So … in my book, it’s not really empowerment when one woman takes the power of consent away for the sake of protecting another woman… especially when that “protecting” renders the second woman defenseless. Again, maybe I missed something, so I’m willing to overlook this and can still recommend this book as a sisterhood/female powered reading choice for my adult friends.

As a former child obsessed with fairy tales: I LOVE seeing modern and fractured and alternate versions of all kinds of stories l, but especially fairy tales and fables. Knowing there is no “definitive” version and that the stories I loved (and still love!) are ever evolving is exciting and fascinating to me. And this novel, with its alternate universe twist definitely follows its own path. It’s super creative and for that I’d recommend it to anyone interested in folk stores, cultural literature, sci-fi and fantasy, or …. fairy tales.

As a lover of creative new approaches to writing: I applaud the author for seamlessly blending so many different genres of literature into one well written book. The characters were interesting and engaging and if not relatable to me personally, certainly relatable as bits and pieces of those I know and love.

As a lover of audiobooks: I highly recommend this as a fast moving, well narrated and performed story. The voice actor’s pace, tone, and inflections differentiate the characters and bring them all to life enough to enjoy but not so much as to be distracting, overly dramatic, or come off as readers’ theater.

This book was fantastic! It had me laughing out loud at the main character’s reactions and turns of phrase. I cannot wait to read the next one. Alix E. Harrow just keeps getting better and better with each book!

Thank you to Alix E. Harrow, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for a free audio copy of <I>A Spindle Splintered</I> for an honest review.

It remains a truth uncrackable, I will find and fall in love with everything that Alix has written. This is a delightful story about sleeping beauties, finding your power, and rewriting your own narrative. This book is breathtaking in its scope, made me laugh in unexpected places, and (like every novel of hers before this one) found at least one spot where I was suddenly blinking away tears.

I want to galavant across the multiverse with the amazing girls of this story, finding ways to free the princesses (and the Evil Fairies & Queens) of our longest-held mythos bits. This story has something for everyone in it, and a whole lot of girl power, breaking free of your chains, and learning how to fan the flames of hope into a blaze nothing is allowed to knock out. I can't wait to own a copy of this.

Everyone talks about how great this author is so I thought I would enjoy this title. I ended up giving up on it. I would classify this title as new adult or maybe YA. It felt YA and that’s why I think I didn’t like it. I tend to dislike YA when things feel young because it seems less genuine. It made me want to reread Cinder.

Such a fun novella. I thought this was a pure retelling of Sleeping Beauty, which it is in a way, but the real world setting with a real world character being plunged into the fairytale world was great. I loved the spin of the story and how the idea of fairytales was tied into real world. I will definitely continue with this series!

I'm always down for a retelling. Give me a Sleeping Beauty mashup with a little multiverse sprinkled in and I'm totally ready to go! A Spindle Splintered was much shorter than I was expecting (I need to pay better attention to page numbers), but it still managed to pack a solid punch in its 119 pages. I loved the modern and feminist twist and was really pleasantly surprised with how much I loved it.

We are following our main character, Zinnia Gray, as she turns 21. It wouldn't be a big deal but her body is basically a ticking timebomb since she has a disease that is supposed to cut her life short. She has always felt a kinship with all of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tales and so her best friend plans a Sleeping Beauty-themed party for her birthday. Instead of falling into a deep sleep though, she is thrust into another world, where she meets Primrose and knows right away she has to help her.

This book was so clever and well-told. I enjoyed every minute and still can't believe how impactful this was given the number of pages. I definitely recommend this book and can't wait until the next Fractured Fable.