The bone spindle

Review by Booklist Review

In Vedder's energetic, gender-flipped "Sleeping Beauty," it's the prince, Briar Rose, who is cursed to sleep until awakened by a kiss. The trouble is, the one who can break the curse is Fi, an adventurous treasure hunter who couldn't care less about romance or the prince. Fi is exploring an ancient site when she pricks her finger on a bone spindle, an accident that conjures the spirit of Briar Rose, who annoyingly won't go away. To find a way to resolve this situation, Fi teams up with Shane, an edgy, girl-crazy (female) warrior who is full of bite. Packed with fully fleshed-out characters and lots of adventure, this book is a fun read that will easily draw fairy-tale lovers. Vedder's first novel nicely balances its exciting plot with touching matters of the heart. Recommend this to fans of Malinda Lo's Ash (2009), E. K. Johnston's Spindle (2016), Julie C. Dao's The Mirror: Broken Wish (2020), and even A. R. Capetta and Cori McCarthy's King Arthur series, beginning with Once & Future (2019).

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Debut author Vedder's action-packed, gender-flipped "Sleeping Beauty" reenvisioning, a series opener, pits two female outlaws against a witch's ominous curse. A century before this title's start, the King of Andar banished the ancient Spindle Witch for saving sickly prince Briar Rose at the cost of his mother's life--and her revenge cursed Briar into deathless sleep, destroying Andar. When 17-year-old treasure hunter Lady Filore Nenroa pricks her finger on the bone spindle that cursed him, she's bonded via dreams to his rare, precious light magic. Fi and queer, axe-wielding, boot-wearing huntswoman Shane must traverse the Forest of Thorns to wake Briar with true love's kiss despite the bigoted Witch Hunters dogging them, the curse Fi's controlling ex-lover inflicted on her, and Shane's crush on mysterious Red. But the Spindle Witch has dark plans for Briar--and true love might not thwart them. Video game-style fantasy tropes and energetic plotting provide an alternative to Forgotten Realms and David Eddings for new readers of epic fantasy. Ages 12--up. Agent: Carrie Hannigan and Ellen Goff, HG Literary. (Jan.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up--A hundred years ago, the maleficent Spindle Witch caused the fall of Andar, leaving bespelled Prince Briar Rose asleep in a thorn-wrapped castle. Near the border, two exiles--female "huntsman for hire" Shane, escaping an unwelcome inheritance, and treasure hunter Fi, concealing a curse--partner for a treasure hunt. Then Fi touches a bone spindle, connecting her to Briar and allowing his dream-self to visit her in the real world. How annoying that he is golden-haired, kind, powerful, and awkward, and that she, apparently, must wake him with a kiss! First, avoiding witch hunters and getting into Andar is problematic; second, the Spindle Witch is still out there; and third, with her curse, Fi cannot afford love. Shane, meanwhile, is smitten with an enigmatic female witch-thief, Red, who keeps turning up everywhere. And so their adventures begin. Vedder weaves compelling character back tories into a complex plot, rich with detail and magic, and balances heart-pounding action with romance, travel, and thorough worldbuilding. Readers will appreciate that Briar's dream-self visits fix the fairy tale improbability of falling in love with someone asleep, and that Shane's attractions are unremarkable in this world. Neither romance goes beyond passionate kisses. While the ending is not quite a cliffhanger, the adventures are clearly not over--the Spindle Witch still awaits. Fi and Red are described as "tan" with dark brown hair, while Shane has "fair" skin and "ash-brown" hair. VERDICT This gender-flipped retelling effortlessly melds romance, adventure, and fantasy. Highly recommended.--Rebecca Moore

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Two treasure hunters aim to save a sleeping prince in this gender-swapped "Sleeping Beauty." Historian Filore Nenroa and lady "huntsman" Shane Ragnall are teen treasure hunters, each doomed by curse or circumstance to wander far from their homes. While exploring magical ruins, Fi pricks her finger on a spindle and discovers that she is destined to wake Briar Rose, the beautiful sleeping prince who seems to have stepped straight out of shōjo manga. Meanwhile, Shane meets Red, a mysterious and enthralling young woman who keeps popping up at just the right moments. Looming over their journey is the Spindle Witch, who cursed Briar Rose and his fallen kingdom. Vedder comes across as very self-aware of the clichés she is subverting. The unsatisfying ending is clearly a setup for sequels; nevertheless, the overall impression is charming, with lively adventure, likable characters, and a creative take on magic and witches. The romances between Fi and Briar and Shane and Red are passionate and fluttery but stay realistic by--pointedly--rejecting destiny. Fi and Shane face exciting, video game--like fights and puzzles during their quests, always doing their best to avoid killing people. In this fairy-tale world, being gay is satisfyingly unremarkable. Two of the protagonists read as White; the other two ambiguously have tan skin and dark hair, and background characters have a range of skin tones. An enchanting read for fans of fairy-tale romance and girls with battle axes. (Fantasy. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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When they stepped through the opening, it felt as if they had entered an entirely different house. From here, they could look out over the lake, a view of the valley framed by carved archways of streaked yellow stone that led onto a crumbling balcony. The railing--constructed of a row of winding bronze roses--was badly tarnished, and Fi could see at least one patch where the wooden floorboards had fallen out altogether, leaving her peering down at the deep water below. She made a mental note to be careful where she stepped. Fi could only imagine how beautiful this place must have been, even just a hundred years ago, before the last Witches had fled. It was the kind of building that probably could have stood another thousand years if anyone had been around to tend to it. In the evening light, the floating specks of dust from the broken spell burned like flecks of gold, illuminating wall-to-wall bookshelves filled with all the things someone had hidden here: old vials of colored glass; fine porcelain teacups hand-painted with blushing roses; and spools of expensive fabrics dyed burgundy and cobalt, the trademark colors of the silk makers in southern Andar. Fi hadn't seen craftsmanship like this since the antique shops of Pisarre. Darfell was rich in ore, wood, and wine, but most of its exports were raw materials. Artifacts like this had to be from Andar. The shelves bowed under the weight of ancient books with thick cloth bookmarks spilling over the yellowed pages. "This is more like it!" Fi glanced over at Shane, who had gone straight for the treasure. A weathered chest on the far side of the room spilled over with gold chains and ropes of jewels. A silver crown set with pink diamonds already sat askew on the girl's head. Fi sighed. In that way, Shane was like every other treasure hunter she'd ever known. Fi had just stepped around a hole in the creaking floorboards, making for the books, when something else caught her eye. A narrow alcove had been cut into the wall near the balcony, and inside sat a long, low table draped in black cloth. Something shone in the table's center, something that gleamed like shards of white marble. No, Fi realized as she moved toward it-- it was bone. She drifted closer and stared down at the shattered pieces of a bone drop spindle, smooth and pure white as if they had just been polished. She couldn't tear her eyes away. A few rust-red drops clung to the whorl, and Fi suddenly wondered whether this was the spindle from the story, the one that had been hidden in Briar Rose's garden. Her hand seemed to move on its own. Almost against her will, she found herself reaching for the broken piece of the shaft. She hissed as something bit into her finger, making her jerk back. Only now did she notice the snapped-off end of the spindle hidden under the other pieces, sharpened to a point. Suddenly it was hard to think. Black slanted into the edge of her vision, and all the blood in her body seemed to be rushing the wrong way, leaving her faint. Fi stumbled backward onto the sagging balcony. Her legs trembled as if the floor had begun to shake. A drop of blood welled up on the tip of her finger. Fi stared at it, captivated, the words from the ruin's door echoing in her mind. A drop of blood, a drop of hope . . . "Fi, watch out!" Shane's shout brought Fi back to herself in a rush. She hadn't imagined it--the weathered boards under her feet were shaking and groaning. The balcony was collapsing under her weight. A great crack split the air as the support joists snapped out of the divots in the stone wall. Fi jumped away, but she was too late. She felt a great heave in her stomach as the whole balcony collapsed, taking a large chunk of the room with it. She threw her rope helplessly toward the carved archways. The metal ring bounced off the stone--and then she was falling, the breath crushed out of her. Shane threw herself down at the edge of the ripped-apart floor, her hand outstretched over the gap. The distance between them might as well have been a mile. All Fi could hear was the echo of Shane shouting her name as she plunged toward the lake. At least I didn't take any of the precious books down with me. It was her last thought before she hit the water. Excerpted from The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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