Book Review: A Spindle Splintered

Fantasy novella by Alix E. Harrow, published 2021

A Witty & Feminist Retelling of Sleeping Beauty

Alix Harrow has become my very favorite fantasy author over the last few years, so when I finally got A Spindle Splintered from the library, I was pretty excited- and not at all disappointed. As usual, Harrow's acerbic wit, clever conversational writing style and overall ability to weave fairy tales into modernity, packs a punch.

Main character Zinnia is dying. She has a disease that literally no one has ever survived beyond age 21, and she is counting down the days to her demise when her best friend throws her a surprise 21st birthday party. A modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty (SB), Zinnia pricks her finger on a spinning wheel and ends up traipsing through the multiverse to ultimately end up in a version of the traditional SB storyline- chock full of witches, curses, misogynistic princes and poison daggers. Except things are not what they seem, and together Zinnia and the SB princess eschew their expected gender roles to escape from their predetermined futures. And in doing so, they meet up with other stuck princesses and create a sort of badass girl-gang.

Harrow also makes sure to point out the ridiculousness that is the standard fairy tale trope: “Sleeping Beauty is the worst fairy tale, pretty much any way you slice it. It’s aimless and amoral and chauvinist as shit. It’s the fairy tale that feminist scholars cite when they want to talk about women’s passivity in historical narratives.".

4 out of 5 Stars

All in all, this quick-read novella takes the reader headlong into an adventure while simultaneously bringing up poignant issues and utilizing the tone that I have come to adore from Harrow. Many pages also have great artwork that lend to the fantastical feel.