I loved the first book in The Bone Spindle series by Leslie Vedder, so The Severed Thread was one of my most anticipated books of 2023! I preordered this signed copy and got these beautiful prints as part of the preorder incentives. If you haven't heard of this series, it's a gender-bent Sleeping Beauty retelling full of treasure hunting and curses. I absolutely love the characters in these books, especially Shane the axe-wielding ex-princess. I don't want to spoil the first book for anyone, so I'm going to be pretty vague in this review.

The Severed Thread was just as full of adventure as the first book! We get a little more back story for a couple of the characters, which was nice. My only complaint about this book is that Fi and Shane aren't together for a large part of the story, and their burgeoning friendship and partnership is one of my favorite parts of this series. That being said, I still really enjoyed this installment in The Bone Spindle series! THAT ENDING. It was extremely dramatic and left me desperate for the next book. If you've read it, you know what I'm talking about. I can't wait to see how Leslie will stomp on my heart in book three. 😂

Book Review

Title: The Severed Thread by Leslie Vedder (The Bone Spindle Book 2)

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After the reveals at the end of the first book I was surprised to find the sequel starts with Red’s perspective and I am hoping it is going to give us some backstory on her since we didn’t get any really in the first book. We learn that Red seems to be bound to the Spindle Witch and despite her feelings for Shane she knows she has to track down Briar and deal with Fi as the alternative is extremely unpleasant. Fi, Briar, Shane and the Paper Witch have been tracking to the old witch city to find a safe passage to avoid the Witch Hunters and the Spindle Witch and they are almost at their destination when Red catches up with them. Surprisingly Shane takes on Red even though she doesn’t want to hurt her and in order to allow Briar, Fi and the Paper Witch to escape she plunges them down an old mine shaft and I am excited to see what happens next.

As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we don’t get much in the way of action but we do get plenty of character development which I appreciate as it is often overlooked in young adult novels. In the tunnels we have this love, hate relationship with Red and Shane as they have to work together to find their way out without causing any more injury and we get some of their thoughts during this time and some context on how Red began bound to the Spindle Witch. They do end up running into the Witch Hunters who want Red more than Shane and Shane gives it her all to keep Red safe which causes her to question her position more but she is poisoned by one of the Witch Hunters and Shane knows the only way to save her is to find the others. Back with Fi, Briar and the Paper Witch, they escaped without much injury but Briar did use the Spindle Witch’s power again which the Paper Witch has warned him against since it brings him closer to her with every use and they wait for Shane. The growing attraction on both sides between Fi and Briar was cute to watch and I can’t wait to see how it develops further but when Shane comes back with a poisoned Red I think this is going to drive a wedge between the partners since she has tried to kill them more than once and betrayed them.

As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, we see Fi and Briar side with Shane against the Paper Witch since they all agree that leaving Red to die isn’t the right thing. That being said, the only cure for the poison running through her is in Everlynd, the last refuge of the Witches and it is heavily protected. As the group move towards Everlynd, Red’s condition is getting worse to the point where she can’t continue anymore so Shane behind with her while the others head to Everlynd to get the antidote and hopefully get back to them before its too late as if Red dies it will deal a heavy blow to Shane. However, this part of the journey is the most difficult since a lot of magical protections are around Everlynd and they will have to find specific marker to give them direction to the city. Between the three of them they make it quite far but the directions on one of the markers has been lost to time and Fi makes an educated guess at the right direction and happens to be right and before long they have entered the last surviving part of Andar and the home that Briar Rose remembers.

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Fi and Briar are both in awe of Everlynd but they don’t receive the warmest welcome especially Fi since someone recognises the curse on her hand and it’s only when Briar explains she is his personal guest that they allow her in. Here, Fi begins to notice how big the difference in their station is but she doesn’t seem to consider that Briar isn’t the ruler of Andar that’s his brother, Sage who is currently still under the sleeping spell and the best chance they have of rescuing everyone and defeating the Spindle Witch is the code left to them by the Rose Witch. In her exploration of the library, Fi finds out that the Lord of the Butterflies whose curse she bears knew the Spindle Witch when she was relatively young meaning her curse might have some connection to the Spindle Witch and she seems to understand that the Spindle Witch was powerful enough to topple Andar a century ago which means she needs something from there that she can’t risk destroying and she’s planning to use Briar to get it.

As we cross into the second half of the novel, I was hoping to have at least seen one appearance from the Spindle Witch but we haven’t yet except in one of Red’s flashbacks so I am hoping that comes soon. The group eventually figure out through Fi’s ability to read most magical languages that the Spindle Witch has siphoning magic as she steals the magic and life from others and she wants the siphoning spells that Aurora, the first Rose Queen unraveled and Briar as the only member of his bloodline awake and the one she bound herself to is needed to get this. The group splits here as Briar and Fi are going to dream walk in Briar’s unconscious to find the book that his sister left him the code for since Fi is sure that will hold the answers they need. Meanwhile, Red and Shane are going to investigate the Lord of the Butterflies connection to the Spindle Witch since he obviously favoured her over Aurora and was obsessed with her magic. While Red and Shane are scouting Fi asks for any information they can find but doesn’t count on them getting captured by Witch Hunters which Red seems to fear more than the Spindle Witch. In Briar’s subconscious, Fi is protecting him while he goes searching for the information they need but when he uses magic to protect Fi he summons the Spindle Witch to him and she almost wins but he uses the dark power to beat her off for now but I have a feeling it is doing something else to Briar but I can’t wait to see how Vedder is going to conclude this book.

As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Fi and Briar return from his subconscious to find Everlynd in flames after a Witch Hunter attack and Fi learns they have been asleep for two days meaning her curse played a part in it. This is when Fi finally reveals her curse to Briar and he is sad that she didn’t share it with him before as he could have been helping her while she was helping him but Fi runs away before he can say anything. He realises that others have been playing him into a position he isn’t sure he wants to be in and he has decided to confront the Spindle Witch head on since he now knows he is stronger than her taking Perrin with him. They find Fi and set off after the Witch Hunters to find Shane and Red and they arrive just in time. While the others were travelling the Witch Hunters were going to turn Red over to the High Lord and kill Shane but Shane puts up the fight of her life here and manages to hold on just long enough for her friends to arrive and save her. It also forced Red to confront and seemingly accept her feelings for Shane while I have been waiting for since her betrayal at the end of the last book. I have no idea how the final confrontation is going to go down in the last 80 or so pages but I can’t wait to find out.

As we cross into the final section of the novel, we do get to see a final showdown take place but not the one I was expecting. I was under the impression that this was a duology but now I think it is a trilogy since the way the book ending means there has to be a sequel since there are so many unanswered questions and if that is truly the end then it was a very bleak and dark ending. I don’t want to talk too much about the final 100 pages of the novel since there are many reveals and questions posed to the reader that will spoil the enjoyment for others but I greatly enjoyed it. I don’t read young adult fiction so much anymore as I don’t connect with the characters as much but I flew through both of these books in a few days and I can’t wait for the final instalment if there is one. Highly recommended!

🪓 I typically don't go for treasure hunting books as they rarely pull me in. But I heard amazing things about The Bone Spindle, and will read any book that highlights queer relationships in main characters! 🏳️‍🌈 So I had to start this series!

🪓 I am SO glad I jumped into Leslie's fairytale retelling here. Both books are enchanting and gripping. Packed full of action, adventure, and hair raising drama. I think I loved The Severed Thread a smidge more because there was a comfortability between our treasure hunters and their banter is my favorite.

🪓 I absolutely adore Shane and Red as individuals and their sweet romance has left me swooning. 🥰

🪓 Book two has a lot of turns that will come up on you fast and surprise you! It will definitely leave you wanting the 3rd book asap!

Ratings:
The Bone Spindle 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Severed Thread
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

Yall the cliffhanger cliffhangerrrrrr!!!! This is book 2 of the three so check out the first book before you read this one! I recommend this if you are looking for a good easy fantasy book that don't have so many complex fantasy terms you see in new adult. This book really got the typical classical fairytale and adding more adventure and plot and character development and I LOVED IT!

Thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours and Penguin Teen for an eARC and finished hardcover in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.

I loved this sequel!! I wish I didn't have to wait so long for book three. I'm ready for it right now. Also Shane needs to rest after the MULTIPLE beatings she went through in this book. Seriously, girl needs many ice packs.

If you know me, you know I love fairytale retellings. The severed thread was no exception! I really loved this sequel. It’s completely full of adventure, a little bit a mystery and a whole lot of violence 🤣. Shane doesn’t catch a break in this one and I need her to spend at least a week in an infirmary on bed rest/healing 😂.

I really loved getting to know our characters even more. Shane & Fi’s partnership is definitely one of my favorite parts of the series. I love how much these two care for each other. We also see the romantic relationships deepen between the characters. I love these pairings so much. Red really grew on me in this one and I need the finale IMMEDIATELY!

Rep: white cis female MC with PTSD and anxiety, white lesbian cis female MC, sapphic female side character, vegetarian male side character, achillean BIPOC cis male side character, queer-normative world.

CWs: Blood, fire, gaslighting, injury/injury detail, mental illness (PTSD/anxiety), prejudice against witches, toxic relationship (past one), violence, kidnapping. Moderate: past mentions of emotional abuse, past child abuse, past familial estrangement (side character), confinement, cave collapse, sexism, misogyny.

The Severed Thread is a worthy sequel and features a very intense stories with unexpected twists and turns along the way. The characters are written in a way they become like your best friends and you truly feel like you are on this exciting adventure with them.

Great follow up to The Bone Spindle! The Severed Thread is an action packed blend of Indiana-Jones style adventure and classic fairy tale tropes, but it's grounded by central relationships I love. This has one of my favorite female friendships between treasure hunters Fi and Shane. Their dynamic and love for each other is really beautiful. And then we get two romances as well! I'm especially invested in the romantic tension between Shane and her mystery girl Red. As a whole, the book is a bit of angst, but plenty of fun and danger. I look forward to seeing what happens in book 3! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I loved this book so much. After reading and really liking the first book in the series, I was so excited to read this book and it turned out to be everything I wanted it to be.

I loved all of the new storylines that were introduced into this one and I found myself being so invested in them. There was the start of a really sweet enemies to lovers romance between Shane and Red and I was so invested in it. I found it just so adorable and absolutely lovely to read. I loved all of the stories and intrigues in this book, but I must admit that I had a really big soft spot for this part of the book.

Also, I adored the worldbuilding in this book and it was just so well done and fun to read. The world in this book just felt so magical.

I had the best of time reading this book and I loved the entire concept of it. I found it so lovely to read and it hit all of my soft spots when it comes to books.

I really enjoyed this queer YA fantasy sequel from author Leslie Vedder!

The Severed Thread continues were we left off in book one, and keeps the action going!
I loved how Red and Shane's relationship developed in this book, and we got to know a bit more about the paper witch.

Fi and Shane having such a strong partnership is so fun to watch! They really care for one another.

I felt like Briar could have done more in this book, he was kind of useless, haha, and I wanted him to grow a bit more. Also, Fi would definitely have a concussion by now with all the horrible injuries she keeps getting.

But overall this was a fun, exciting, queer YA fantasy, and the cliffhanger at the end makes me hungry for book 3!

The Severed Thread is a fantastic sequel to The Bone Spindle. I found myself devouring every page and looking forward to my next reading opportunity.

We return to Fi and Shane as they attempt to take Prince Briar to Everlynd, the one surviving kingdom from his time, home to witches and hopefully people who can help restore the rest of Andar.

On top of this, the Spindle Witch is after Briar and has sent Red to retrieve him. Shane’s feeling for Red make their opposition complicated, and I loved how this was explored in the book. Watching Shane try to save Red, and seeing Red’s emotions slowly take over her, was beautiful. Their dynamic is sweet and captivating. I hope to see this continue in the next book.

Fi and Briar’s relationship is similar in its complications. I spent a lot of the book wishing that Fi would just tell Briar about her curse so that they might help each other and finally admit their feelings for one another. When all the secrets finally come out though, it’s not without tension. This added a layer of drama to the tale, and I enjoyed how it gave Vedder the opportunity to subvert expectations.

The plot itself was fun although it felt a little dragged out. I don’t think much got achieved in this book, although we do get to see a lot of the world, meet new characters, and have some secrets revealed. In some ways, it’s a bit of filler because the stakes pick up again in book three, but I’m also not complaining about that. The Severed Thread is a fun, relatively quick read which provides a lot more detail for the series. I’m looking forward to the next book to see how Vedder increases the tension and drama, and of course to make sure all my favourites are okay.

Fi, Shane, Briar and Red are on a mission and you follow them throughout their journeys. Each character is going through something and sometimes they get lost along the way but they have each other to try and make things right.

I loved the journeys the characters went on even if I was scared for them. Loved seeing more of the kingdom and areas surrounding it.

I also loved the magic and magical elements.
We get to meet more characters and see how they interact with each other.

I loved the moments between Red and Shane as they navigated away from their enemies. The banter was fun.

I need the third book !! There is no way that we are ending on a cliffhanger

Huge thank you to @penguinteenca for the e-arc

While this book is the sequel, this series is pretty awesome. It’s a fairytale retelling, which I love. Sometimes, it’s really difficult to do a retelling justice, but this does just that. The story flowed well and had me wanting to turn the page so I could know what happened next.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was.. a lot. I feel like so much happened in this book it was crazy. I’m not gonna lie, I thought this was a duology but I’m excited to get another book of these characters and this story. I’m very intrigued where this will go from here. It was a very fun time

I am OBSESSED with this YA Fantasy series!

↓ Read this if you liked these! ↓
1. Leslie Vedder’s The Bone Spindle (book #1)
2. Reclaim the Stars edited by Zoraida Córdova
3. Erin A. Craig’s Small Favors

✨ Publication Date: February 7, 2023

Treasure-hunting duo Fi and Shane continue their mission of defeating the Spindle Witch and awakening the sleeping kingdom of Andar. In this gender-flipped Sleeping Beauty retelling, alliances are tested, buried secrets rise to the surface, and some nightmares threaten to become a reality. Be sure to DEVOUR book 1, The Bone Spindle, before diving into this brilliant second installment!

As a reader who tends to treat most firsts in a series as standalones, let’s appreciate the fact that I have been (im)patiently waiting for this sequel since last February! It was so satisfying to sink back into this magical kingdom of curses and guarded treasures. The storyline immediately picks up where The Bone Spindle left off, and dangerous foes are lurking around every corner. This series is perfect for those who love epic adventures, Fairytale retellings, and themes of found friendship and family.

Beyond the gripping storyline and numerous intricately-woven fairytale elements, my favorite features within this book (and the series, in general) includes the LGBT+ representation–particularly the enemies-to-lovers romance plot between Shane and Red– and the great group dynamic among the growing cast of main characters. It is filled with sharp dialogue exchanges and an impressive variety of personalities.

My favorite character in the series has not changed, and no other character can compete in my opinion. I adore the axe-wielding huntsman Shane with all of my heart. She has such a pure heart and an unyielding determination to do what is right. More so, she is ridiculously loyal to those she cares about. If I were ever in trouble or need of a friend, I would be looking for the Shane in my life. There is one scene in particular between her and her partner, Fi, that I wouldn’t have wanted written in any other way. Not only is she a bad ass, but she is a great friend to boot.

Hey, Leslie Vedder, when can we be expecting the next installment??

Thank you Leslie Vedder, Penguin Teen, and Colored Pages Blog Tours (insta: @coloredpagesblogtours) for my gifted copy of The Severed Thread in exchange for this honest review!

The Severed Thread was an amazing read with lots of unexpected turns and twists. I can only recommend this series to every fantasy lover. The characters grow on you and I can't wait for the next book to come out because I need more of this series!

🧵THE SEVERED THREAD by Leslie Vedder is the follow up to The Bone Spindle.

🧵 If you like fairytale retellings check out this series. This YA book has excellent world building with characters you cheer for. It’s a great combination of action and adventures. A fun read!

I love the writing, the story, the characters, and the magic. This book is just as good as the first and I adored reading it. The only part I found lacking was some of the world-building, but I had just finished reading a very world-building-heavy adult fantasy, and so that could be part of it. Overall, the book was amazing.

This sequel was spot on and just as imaginative as the first.

Fi, the bookish girl, and Shane, the strong girl with a personality, tag team again. This time the prince is awake and there’s more dark forces to reckon with. The Spindle Witch and the butterfly curse is set free. So on to their storybook heroics they go.

I love retelling’s and some are hit or miss, but I love the reimagined, bender twist the author writes. There’s more lost ruins to explore, more violence, and of course found friends. Also the characters are developed that the story and banter come together.

I can’t wait to read the third book and get lost in the adventurous world Leslie Vedder writes!

This was such an incredibly good follow-up to the Bone Spindle. I loved it!

I love love love these characters and this world. They're all so multi-faceted and intriguing. I can't wait for the next book. I especially love how unpredictable I find it. I've read so many YA fantasy novels over the years and this one never quite reveals what I expect it to with each turn of the page. As is the way of second books in trilogies, the entire story feels like a relentless headlong rush, and at the same time a carefully balanced push-and-pull of wins and losses. Not a stalemate, exactly, but never with a clear winner either.

My absolute favorite part, hands down, is when they form a small band of adventurers and treasure-hunters. First it was Fi and Shane, then they picked up Red and Briar, and now they've reeled in Perrin as well. And there is such warmth and camaraderie between them -- and they all seem a lot happier out in the elements, fighting for their lives and searching for treasure and hatching plans. I never trusted the golden city of Everlynd, and I find I like the story much better once they leave it behind.

I'm not sure what I think of the Paper Witch either. He has his own secrets, and he holds them closer than the others do. He's more enigmatic and I'm never sure what he'll do. The others' motivations are easier to read.

I love how we get a glimpse into the founding of Andar, with the history of Aurora and the Butterfly Witch and the Spindle Witch! I hope we get to discover a lot more about this later because I find it fascinating.

The ending came out of nowhere and wasn't anything like what I predicted and at the same time I can't imagine it going any other way. It, like the rest of the storytelling, feels right and perfectly placed and thought-out.

I care about these characters so much: Fi and Shane and Briar and Red. Perrin, too, though I don't know him that well yet. I'm not sure I trust him yet - his motivations have been too unclear to me, but I like him quite a lot. I like all of them and I feel almost like a part of their group. Which is probably why the plot was able to take me so off-guard - I'm in the thick of it with the rest of them.

This (and the Bone Spindle) are definitely going on my favorite books of the year list.

*Thanks to Colored Pages Blog Tours, Penguin Teen, and NetGalley for providing an early copy for review.

I don't know where to start so here goes nothing...

Top 5 reasons to read this ~

1. I love this sequel, it is wow and one that wouldn't disappoint! Mystery, adventure, action and also kick-ass female characters, this book has it all!

2. This has addition of characters I liked and would definitely root for and also giving us more POV from others that makes the story telling more insightful. The pairings done are great. All of them are exceptional plus queer rep too.

3. The magic and world author has built up is unique and I love it. The writing is stunning.

4. The detailing is brilliant, smooth and incredible that will leave you in awe as you read and give you a vivid imagination.

5. This had me hooked, captivated, on edge. The author clearly knows how to write a sequel that will leave readers wanting for more and make a great addition to the first book.

I really need to finale soon! Cinzel you are too good!

Highly recommended!