I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!!

Ive posted a full review on Goodreads and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Slayton put an interesting twist on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. I immediately grabbed for this book for no other reason than it's a fairy tale re-telling. Set in the late 1800's, we meet Briar who's working to help support her family at a mill. 

Much of the original story plays a role in this re-telling with little tidbits here and there to connect the two, but when it came down to it, I found myself skimming sections to see if the story picked up at any point. Slayton has a good writing style in all aspects except pacing. I found it easy to digest the historical setting mixed with the fantastical elements of fairies and magic, but the plot moved far too slow to keep me engaged. Often, I set the book aside.

Part of this, I think, came from the fact that there simply wasn't enough fantasy for me. Much of the story surrounds the daily lives of Briar and the community around her. This would have been fine if a fantastical element hadn't been introduced into the world, I think, since it came later on. By that point, the stage had been set for a historical novel and combining the two proved to be more jolting than anything.

But this is an unusual take on Sleeping Beauty, which I appreciated. I wouldn't say the characters were super interesting or anything, falling into certain tropes, but I liked them well enough. Briar, especially, proved to be a strong heroine who was thoughtful and caring, given a lot in life that wasn't especially happy but handling it all in stride. 

The world had a lot of character on its own. I loved the crafting of the town and how Slayton provided such beautiful details to give you the sense that you were there. Unfortunately, those same details bogged the plot down and kept the pace slow. 

This was an interesting re-telling and had some good elements to it but ultimately was an average read, though I'd recommend it to readers who are looking for a different take on Sleeping Beauty!

The Cover: The cover for Spindle was very beautiful! A big beautiful flower, I am guessing a primrose? But I don't really know. Amazing cover, although I did not decide I had to read this book based on the cover at all!
The Plot: I love a good fairy tale retelling, so I knew I had to read this as soon as I read:
'Set during the Industrial Revolution, Sleeping Beauty's happily ever after isn't the end of the story...'
But let me make clear, this is no retelling. And while our sleeping beauty is not Aurora Rose, but Briar Rose, I fell in love with her, too. Sleeping Beauty was and always has been my favorite of the fairy tales, especially since Disney put some very beautiful imagery into their movie. But Spindle is an amazing story that takes us to a whole new era. There is now beautiful princess in sight, no castle and apparently no Prince Charming. Briar is a spinning girl in the time of cotton mills and when women we're fighting for the vote.
Aside from the very well written fairy tale portion, there was a part to the story that could have been real. I enjoyed learning about the cotton mills, the spinner girls and their fight for rights. So much so that when I was finished reading, I went online to find information about bobbins, spindles and frames, and learned a whole lot more.
Spindle was a beautifully written story that kept me guess the whole way through.
The Characters: Of course, our protagonist, Briar was my favorite right from the start. But Henry Prince soon became dear to me too. They were just so wonderful together and even though Briar was so googly-eyed gaga over Wheeler, I couldn't help but think the Henry would love her more.
While all the character were awesome, of course this story wouldn't move very well without the supporting characters. I have to say I absolutely loved our villain! I really can't say much, because I don't want to give too much away. The reasons why I love the villain are part of the plot and I want you, dear reader, to experience what I felt.
Was It Worth Reading?: Before I answer, let me tell you that sometimes you read a book and you are hesitant to review it. And that is not because it was bad, no, not at all. It's because it was so good, that you are afraid you won't do it justice. Spindle is one of those books for me. It was just so good, that it actually took me a few days to write this. I loved that it was a sequel, if you will. I loved that it had it's own historical story to it. I definitely recommend Spindle to readers of and give it 5 out of 5 crossbows.

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for giving this book to review.

Spindle is a historical fantasy novel set in the 1890’s, which is about the continuation of the sleeping beauty story. It is fast paced and I read late into the night to find out what was happening next. I felt that the story bogged down in the middle with the suffragettes and Briar wavering about using the spindle.

Briar is protective of her family and feels the weight of responsibility on her shoulders for all of the book. Henry is my favourite character but I wish he was in this book more than he was, he is flirty, dependable, helpful and kind.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to fans of unusual fairytale retellings.

Spindle is not a retelling it's Sleeping Beauty. At first I had a hard time getting into it. Because I was looking and comparing it to the traditional story. In the end it was different ans well worth the read.

*** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a true and honest review.***

I wanted to love this book, I really did. And I tried to give it a fair chance. To be completely honest, I didn't finish it. I forced myself through the first half of the book but the story moved at such a slow pace that I constantly found myself uninterested in it. The characters were beautifully brought to life but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough for me. I wish I could have continued but I find no reason to force myself through a story that I'm just not feeling when I could be reading something else.

I'm sure a lot of people with love this book, and rightfully so. It paints and absolutely beautiful setting and characters but it just wasn't for me. :(

Orphaned Briar Rose works in a spinning mill, working hard to keep her younger siblings from the same fate.
Briar only has until her seventeenth birthday to secure her future otherwise her siblings could be taken away, so when Briar's wages are reduced she will do anything to save her family, even accept a supposedly magical wooden spindle from a peddler that should increase her work output.
Then some of Briar's workmates start falling ill - is the spindle connected?
Will Briar become ill too?
Is the spindle really magical?

Spindle was an interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. I liked that it was set in the past and that suffrage was mentioned.
Briar was a good, relatable protagonist and I felt sorry for her - her parents were dead and she was having to work hard to look after her siblings.
Henry was a likeable character and I thought he was sweet around Briar.
The plot was mostly good but I lost interest a few times.

Overall this was a unique read but I lost interest at points.

Spindle has absolutely beautiful cover art. Spindle book cover

free copyI am a person who makes judgement about a book based on it’s cover. It’s just like a first impression, you only get one chance to make a good impression. After that initial encounter, you need good substance. Spindle by Shonna Slayton had good substance.

Spindle takes place in 1894, a time when women were finally allowed to work and yet were still not equal in the workplace. That could still be said today, but I’ll stick to the topic of this book. 😉 Young girls and even small children are working in a cotton mill for 6 10-hour days at low wages. They pay rent to live nearby in a boarding house and hope to have even a small amount of money left over for themselves after they send money home to their families. Briarly Rose Jenny, our main character, lives close enough to her home in Sunrise Valley that she’s able to make a long walk home on Saturdays to spend one day with her younger siblings for a day each week. Orphaned and relying on Briar for their support, the three children are cared for by “nanny” while she’s away at the mill. This is the setting for about 40% of the book. Shonna Slayton takes us through the life of a young woman in this time period. We don’t actually see how the famously cursed spindle enters into her life for quite some time.

Briar is desperate to keep her siblings together and only has until her seventeenth birthday to secure enough money for their support, otherwise nanny will leave town and find homes for the kids. After losing her boyfriend and therefore her prospect for a husband and stable future, Briar must find a way to earn more money. She has no options and is downright desperate when the spindle appears before her. The spindle is said to work better than any other and will surely increase her production and wages. She doesn’t realize it’s the cursed spindle which put Aurora to sleep until it’s much too late. Can she avoid the needle that holds such power and appeal to be touched?

An entertaining new spin of a classic tale!

Spinning FrameI enjoyed reading this spin-off of a fairy tale based in a realistic historical setting. An added bonus, Shonna Slayton spares a few pages before her acknowledgements to share her research for this story and the references to true American history. I think the only thing that could of improved this story for me would have been a thorough understanding of a spinning frame. It wasn’t until after I finished that I googled spinning frames. Here’s a visual for you. Now go read!

'Spindle' is a wonderful young adult fairy tale - a twist on the story of Sleeping Beauty. The author does a great job of keeping original parts of the tale in sync with the novel. I liked that it had a lot of the same aspects of the fairy tale, it made it feel familiar and easy to slip into Briar's world. Briar is a fantastic main character for the book. She's raising her three younger siblings on her own after the death of her parents. She works long hours at the mill as a spinner and does other sewing on the side for extra money to help provide for the kids. She's a loving and very devoted sister - it's pretty much her main concern in life. Briar's also practical, down to earth, smart, and hardworking. I found it easy to connect with her early on in the story, and I loved watching her conquer all of the obstacles she comes across.

The story is told from Briar's point of view, so we really get to know her character on a deeply personal level. Her thoughts, dreams, hopes, fears, and everything else are exposed for us to see. The first person point of view is my favorite writing style, and I'm very glad the author chose to use it for the story. I personally think it makes a big difference on how the story effects a reader - and the first person style seems to be the best option, in my opinion. One other part of Briar's character and background is her Irish heritage. I'm part Irish myself, and I liked reading about the different stories Briar had heard from her parents or others from the 'old country.' Some other readers probably won't think twice about this part of the book, but I liked it so much I wanted to at least mention it. All of the other aspects of the story are well done, from the setting and other characters to the plot itself. It felt a bit slow at the beginning, but once things started happening - it picked up speed and had me hooked. I definitely recommend this book to fans of fantasy and fairy tales - it's one you'll want to pick up!