Sleeping Beauty's Spindle

3.5

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Author(s)

Shonna Slayton

Publisher Name

Amaretto Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

November 18, 2020

ISBN13

978-1947736108

ISBN10 or ASIN

Hidden for generations, Sleeping Beauty's cursed spindle resurfaces... In 1894 Vermont, Briar Rose is determined to keep her orphaned siblings together. She's set her sights on marrying an ambitious young man to take them out of the cotton mills and back to the Old Country. Trouble is, he no longer cares for her. Childhood chum Henry Prince would like to step in, but sweet as he is, can't offer her what her family needs. When a peddler gives Briar a spindle made from fairy wood said to have magical properties, she has a chance to keep her family together. Desperate to increase her production at the mill, she sneaks the spindle onto her spinning frame. But Briar has no idea of the power she has unleashed. One by one, the mill girls succumb to a sleeping sickness. To save everyone, Briar must find the strength to break the curse and defeat the evil fairy for good. For in a world where fairies lurk and curses linger, love can bleed like the prick of a finger... Sleeping Beauty's Spindle is for fans of fairy tale retellings, sweet romance, and women's history.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Imaginative fairytale meets history!

February 01, 2021

Overall rating

3.5

Writing Style

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Plot

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Briar Rose hasn't had any easy life. After losing her parents, she's struggling to keep her siblings together as a family. She's forced to work in the cotton mills as a spinner so she can provide for her family and even has plans to marry a man. But nothing in her life is ever easy.

This is a historical retelling, meaning its told in the perspective of the real world with some fantasy elements drizzled inside of it. The depiction of Vermont and especially during the late 1800s, was phenomenal, cementing the reader into the time period. Womens rights, deplorable working conditions in mills, and the location was on point. It was clear the author did her homework!

The fantastical element was a little lacking in my opinion, as well as the romance. For something being both fantasy and romance, I expected more presence from both. For most of the book the love interest is actually absent and not thrown in until the very end.

It's a slow, immersive read, that I highly enjoyed and if you're looking for a different take on a well known fairytale, this one is definitely for you.

Good Points

Rich in historical aspects!