Alix E. Harrow serves a fun feminist fairytale mixed with childhood nostalgia and sapphic infatuation in the first book of the Fractured Fables series.
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Released: October 2021
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 128
Audiobook Length: 3 hours (approx.)
Awards/Acclaim
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy (2021)
Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novella (2022)
Review
A Spindle Splintered is a modern take on Sleeping Beauty. It's a morbid, punk feminist novella with profanity and lesbian intrigue.
It's a quick read; the adult version of a bedtime story.
Plot
An industrial accident left Zinnia Gray with a rare terminal genetic condition (Generalized Roseville Malady). No one with the condition has reached their 22nd birthday.
The book starts on Zinnia's 21st birthday. She is a character who has tried to live her life on her own terms. She graduated high school early and majored in folklore at university.
On Zinnia's last birthday her best friend, Charm, throws her a Sleeping Beauty extravaganza, held in a tower, with rose petals scattered across the floor and a spinning wheel for ambiance.
Zinnia is a self-proclaimed expert on the many literary versions of Sleeping Beauty. This knowledge will serve her well when she is transported into the fairytale multiverse by a prick on the finger from that decorative spinning wheel.
This is a tale about Zinnia's attempt to change her own narrative and help a cursed princess do the same.
Additional Comments
A Spindle Splintered is the first in the Fractured Fables series by Alix E. Harrow. The second book A Mirror Mended was published in June 2022. It will be added to my reading list for an evening I'm looking for a fun read and a little childhood nostalgia.
About the Author
Alix E. Harrow was born in 1989. She has a master's in history.
“I went to Berea College for undergrad, which is a liberal arts school for people from low-income backgrounds, and it gives you a full ride. I went there and I got my history degree, which I think is a degree you would only get if you weren’t taking out student loans for it. I’m very grateful for that. I graduated at the beginning of the recession, which is a great moment to graduate with a liberal arts degree – I totally recommend it. I did migrant farm work for a couple of years before I went back and got a master’s in history, because if it didn’t work the first time, why not do more history? Just keep digging – it’s fine" - Alix E. Harrow for LocusMag
I appreciate a snarky queen.
After completing her master's degree she worked as an adjunct professor and began writing short stories. In addition to her numerous short stories, she's published two novels (The Ten Thousand Doors of January and
The Once and Future Witches).
Content Warnings
Discussion of sexual assault
Verdict
Score: 8/10
It was a fast-paced adventure and quirky new take on an old favorite.
Yes, get it. Pick it up at your library, local bookstore, or favorite online retailer.
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