Title: Spindle Fire
Author: Lexa Hillyer
Series: Spindle Fire #1
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Source: Glasstown Entertainment
Color me excited when I was asked if I wanted to review Spindle Fire. If you are follower of my blog you already know how much I love a fairy tale retelling. I only tell you all every single time I read one how much I love them. If you are new here...well...be warned... I really like fairy tale retellings!
Spindle Fire is actually a retelling of Sleeping Beauty! This story has seeds of the story that we know, but there are some considerable differences (yay!).
In this version Aurora cannot talk and she cannot feel pain. Those traits have been tithed (traded) away from her thanks to her parents for other fairy gifts that they deemed more important for a princess to have. And she has an older half sister named Isabelle. Isabelle cannot see. Her eyesight has also been tithed away by her parents.
The two have an amazing relationship despite them being so different. Aurora is light and beautiful where Isabelle is dark. Aurora finds solace in stories and Isabelle loves adventure. Two sides of the same coin almost, but their love for each other transcends all.
This is actually where the regular Sleeping Beauty story comes into play. Isabelle was going to be sent away to live in a convent once Aurora was married to a prince (originally supposed to be Prince Phillip) so Isabelle ran away with her friend Gil. Aurora then chased after her sister... and one thing led to another and she pricked her finger on the ever famous spinning wheel that puts her to sleep.
Then things happen to both of them and the story unfolds.
The writing of Spindle Fire feels as though you are reading a fairy tale which only adds to its flavor. It is almost musical in the way that it reads. It instantly pulled me into the world and drowned me. I loved it. I had absolutely no problem imagining this story and the characters within.
I also loved that the story only had little seeds of the original fairy tale and then takes it on to its own new story. There is enough there that you can tell where it has come from, but it is different enough that you don't feel like you are reading the same old story.
I also enjoyed the characters. I actually cannot tell you which sister I liked the most. They each have their own traits that made them their own. They had things I liked and things I didn't, but that only made them more real in my mind. I mean, who likes everything about anyone? And I definitely felt that, especially Aurora, had some character growth and I can only hope to see even more of that in the next book. I do think some of the side characters and their relationships with our main characters fell a little short though and felt some what forced at times. However, the main characters definitely shined.
In short, I really enjoyed this retelling and thought it was done very well!
My Rating
4 Stars
This review is based on a digital copy provided by Glasstown Entertainment in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.
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