A Spindle Splintered

Bookseller recommendation

“Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday is the last she'll ever have. No one who has the same rare illness as Zinnia has lived past the age of 21. Spurred by her love of fairy tales, especially the one of Sleeping Beauty, and wanting to make her birthday the best it can be, Zinnia's best friend Charm sets up a spindle in a dark tower for her to celebrate. But when Zinnia jokingly pricks her finger on the spindle, she travels through worlds and pages and wakes up in an entirely different story. Alix Harrow weaves a tale where dying princesses take back their agency and defy a predestined fate, a tale where multiple "sleeping beauties" are not sleeping at all, but vividly awake enough to rewrite their own story and save themselves. I loved every minute of this fiercely feminist and reimagined fairy-tale.”

— Kelly • Mysterious Galaxy Books

Bookseller recommendation

“What if every version of every fairy tale existed, side by side, like parallel universes? What if you could travel between them? And... what if every heroine in every world were as different as the magic objects and villains and settings in each version? What if, for example, one Sleeping Beauty would much rather be awakened by a girl from our world who won't let domineering monarchs, inevitable curses, or guys with swords stand in her way? Bonus points for a very different Maleficent, clever pop culture references, and a fresh angle on what counts as a version of a fairy tale.”

— Nialle • The Haunted Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Get ready to push back your bedtime! You won’t want to get a wink of sleep until you’ve finished A Spindle Splintered. Alex E. Harrow breathes life into the sleepiest of fairytales in this sapphic retelling of sleeping beauty.”

— Caroline • Phoenix Books