I'm really not a fantasy person, but as a lesbian who loves fairy tales, I thought I'd give this a try. I'm so glad I did - it's one of the most engrossing books I've read in a while.

The tension between two conflicting realities, and protagonist Maggie's resultant confusion from having to exist between them, is done well, as is the issue of how the fairy tale characters disguise themselves in the human world: a cat sith as a stray cat, a leprechaun as a little person, a trickster fox as a TV producer. There is some sense of magic and wonder, but still grounded in Maggie's real, genuine feelings and beliefs. The Night Circus by way of Ally McBeal, in a way, though the closest comparison might be the Will Ferrell movie Stranger Than Fiction. (I was also frequently reminded, setting-wise, of the video game Tales of Berseria.)

Willows' handling of grief is also commendable, both realistic and kind, as are her treatments of found families and of romantic jealousy. She actually interrogates internalized misogyny, if only implicitly, as Maggie comes to befriend a potential romantic rival, even as she continues to feel jealous of her. And that romantic rival, a succubus, is not only one of the most fun characters in the book, but allows for my personal favorite exchange, between Maggie and her love interest, Kody: "A sex demon? You had sex with a sex demon?" "Wouldn't you, given the chance?"

If I were to make any criticisms, they would be the lack of diversity and the pacing. This is far from the only fantasy novel with a stunning lack of racial diversity, but it's especially noticeable given the frequent references to the wide world of fairy tales, contrasted with nearly every character appearing in the book being Irish. (Those who aren't are still European.)

And throughout the book, the pacing is uneven, but it's not a problem - it actually fits Maggie's frame of mind and the distortion of time she feels as she shifts from her slow and steady life as an office worker to the breakneck pace of saving the world. In the last 10% or so, however, things start happening really fast, and important plot points that should have had big build-ups happen with little to no warning. (For example, the final battle is over in the blink of an eye. It took Harry Potter longer to disarm Voldemort.)

In spite of those criticisms, I really feel that 4 stars would be too low for the first book I've read in a long time that had me grabbing my e-reader to finish it at every opportunity. While this is the first book I've read from this author or this publisher, I doubt it will be the last. I eagerly recommend it to my fellow queer fairy tale fans... especially those who, like me, secretly hope someday we'll be told we're actually fairy tale characters and be given hot lesbian sidekicks to help us on our way.

This is such a unique take on a classic fairy tale fantasy. It did my favourite thing a book can do: it made me genuinely care about the characters, the dialogue felt real (but certainly more entertaining than my own). I really dug the lesbian romance, and the "Wanted Ads" were kidney-clutching hilarious.

Spinning Tales is a very unusual take on the fairy tale, and a book that was overall enjoyable to read. It starts off in true fantasy fashion, where the apparently mundane human gets caught up in a web of intrigue and mystery. As the story develops, the reader gets taken to a new interpretation - and an interesting and well-thought interpretation - of a fantasy staple - how our Mundane World and the magical, mysterious Otherworld are intertwined and co-dependant.
Unfortunately I think the book lost some focus in the second half. Without spoilers, I can say that all the planning and action was rushed, the romantic build-up started nice and slow but suddenly developed, and the book's resolution appeared too quickly. Perhaps this book suffered from a common complaint I have - fantasy and science fiction works best with short stories or deep world building, perhaps over a series. The "standard length" romance novel format just doesn't seem to work for me.
So, overall an enjoyable four star read, I liked it and will recommend it, but didn't completely love it.

I really wanted to like this book, as I love stories about fairy tale characters bending their own stories. While the premise of this book is very original, I found the writing almost unbearably slow and focused on detail to the point that the story took forever to go anywhere. Really, all that happened could have been condensed into a short story, not a book this long, and I ended up skimming towards the end. The ideas, as I say, are very clever, and I always appreciate an F/F romance in a magical setting, but the entire book is very anti-climactic, as evryone sits around talking about things rather than doing anything. The romance, too, didn't quite click for me, as it seemed to mostly consist of Maggie repeatedly thinking that Kody was hot and mysterious, and then suddenly they were together despite the fact that Kody knew Maggie as a child? Still, I liked the sex positivity (not one character is shamed for having as much or as little sex as they like), and the themes of found family, but unfortunately, the pacing was just too slow for me.

Well that was some out of the box story telling right there… Wow!

Maggie McShay is bored with life, her job and her lack of dating. She sees an ad in the newspaper for a cottage keeper but what she doesn’t know is the cottage is a portal into a Fairytale world… literally. When Maggie meets her protector, Kody Wilks she’s not sure if she’s more shocked how unbelievably butch and sexy Kody is or by the string of women in her bed. As they tackle the fairytale realm and Maggie's new-found gifts, they begin to fall for each other but how can it work when Maggie is from another world and Kody is brooding over the past… Maybe fairy-tales can come true?

I absolutely loved this book. I was engrossed from the prologue and it just kept getting better. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I would connect with this book at all but I had nothing to worry about as the magic whisked me away into this magical land and I couldn’t get enough.

All the characters, main and secondary were fantastic and well fleshed out. But for me there was only Kody Wilks. She was everything… Butch but in a James Dean way, sweet and sensitive in some ways but above all she was ferociously brave and genuingly caring of her friends, especially Maggie.

I don’t know how Maggie kept her hands to herself for so long because she was Maggie's perfect match in every way. The chemistry and connection between them both was undeniable and honestly it seeped from the page. The sex scenes were off the chart and it was a relief when these two finally let the fireworks take over because it was amazing, loving but ultimately incredibly sexy!


Also, the “Wanted Ads” that Maggie enjoys reading in the newspaper were nothing short of hilarious and they added a levity to the books in moments where I didn’t think there was any.

This is not my normal go to for Lesbian fiction but I am so glad I picked it up. I hope Spinning Tales becomes a series or has a follow-up because I want more magic and adventure with Maggie and Kody

Unequivocally 5 Stars.

A magical book the writing was good. This is the best F/F story that I have read. The story had substance and a plot that was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters wonderful. The characters were developed and thought out. Maggie and Cody are the MC’s of this book. There was humor, villains, magic, a magical cottage, friends, changes, fairy tales and more in this book. I loved the mix of fairy tale and modern worlds; this story was unique and was something different which I really liked. There were some events that were a bit anti-climactic, but I still enjoyed this book and I can recommend it as a good read. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Brey Willows and I always know I am going to get an amazing read when I start one of her books but this time I was caught between loving the concept and really not enjoying the storyline.

This book is another great show of this authors vast imagination and the characters are well thought out and interesting but the story itself is tiring and a bit anti-climactic.

The author spends the first half of the book setting the stage for an epic adventure and the second half of the book is spent with the characters making plans that don't seem that well thought out (much like the storyline) and it finally ends with the reader thinking ' Is that it, really?'

On a whole I think this story had great potential but missed the mark.

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Sadly, I have very mixed feelings about this book. With a kickass beginning, Willows starts a story that kept me hooked. As time went on the story got slower and slower until it moved almost at a snail's pace. Which would have been fine if the romance had been played out a little better, but sadly it was mainly "damn she is hot" 24/7. The ending left a lot to be desired. Everything wrapped up too easily and quickly for my liking. I honestly thought it was going to take another hundred pages at the pace it was going and instead it wrapped up in like twenty. I would really only recommend this story to people who really love lesbian fairy tale retellings and not to anyone else.

DNF @ 38%

I really wanted to like this book and I do think it has potential as a fairy tale reimagining (which is a favorite thing for me), but I just feel like nothing is happening, even though I know things are. I’m not feeling as much tension as I’d expect when on the run and trying to figure out what’s going on with the fairy tale world. I can see the beginning of something developing between Maggie and Kody, but I don’t feel invested enough to dedicate the time to see the romance. If you enjoy lesbian fairy tale world reimaginings, kinda in the same vein as Chris Colfer’s The Land of Stories series, this may be something you’ll enjoy.

I enjoyed reading this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat & I couldn’t put it down! I loved the storybook/fairytale aspect of it & spinning tales. That the real villain isn’t who you would think it would be. That it didn’t deal with just “western” fairytales but fairytales from all over; Nordic, Russian, etc.
I would definitely recommend this to friends who also enjoy this genre of books.

For a paranormal book that deals with the meta aspects of the world that it takes place in, the book does very well. It is a romance, but more on the "pining after people with a dark past" type, where the romantic payoff is nice, but long over due. I also enjoyed Maggie's fish out of water story arch especially since she didn't lose her wits (like knew when she needed help and asked for it).

Maggie is an accountant at a New York City firm and knows that she's bored and stuck. With no romantic prospects, a flat lining career, and a new weird cat, Maggie looks answers a strange classified s ad that changes her life. Turns out that she is the last of a race of a group of fairy tale cops called "tale spinners". Her and her super hot guardian, a Shepard called Kody, are responsible for maintaining the balance of the stories being told. That's it, for the most part. I love the idea. It's reminiscent of one of my favorite author's take on a Fairy Tale cop force in [book:Indexing|17907054], by Seanan McGuire. Willows almost pulls it off with the same amount of aplomb, but I thought the plot was a little slow, so it made the impending doom feel less urgent.

I loved the characters, and thought the chosen family theme was sweet and at times cute. Seamus and Brenda are excellent sidekicks and are almost as fleshed out as Kody and Maggie. The only thing that kind of pulled me out a little bit, was that Maggie was always extremely doubtful of her looks. I kept thinking that she has no reason to because she is a Sidhe, a group of fae that are well known for their looks.

If you're looking for a solid paranormal/ slightly romantic fantasy this is for you. There's some great and detailed world building, even with the slow plotting. I wish I could have felt that the urgency within the writing for how big the stakes were, but I loved all the references of mostly Celtic myths. Maggie is a great lead and has some fun costars.

This was a fun little urban fantasy story with a side of lesbian romance. I liked all the characters and the romance was present and built naturally without necessarily overwhelming the rest of the story. The world that the author created was interesting and the way she combined all the fairy tales and mythologies into one world and had people 'living in their stories' reminding me a bit of Seanan McGuire's Indexing series, although they definitely have different focuses and executions.

My main problem with this book was the pacing. I felt like it definitely took awhile to get going in the beginning and then there seemed to be a lot of time spent focusing on the spaces between the action. I feel like Maggie learned how to do everything WAY too quickly, and the big 'boss battles' at the end felt a bit anti-climactic and definitely too easy. I think that it maybe would have been better to focus more on the low level villains in the 'real' world in this book and then put the battle with the mastermind at the end of a second book or something like that. It just felt a bit disjointed at times, but still definitely an enjoyable read and it's always nice to see an urban fantasy series with a F/F main pairing.

Such an exciting imagination from Brey Willows. This author gives new meaning to escaping reality for a good book. I think it would be fun to jump into her head and run around with all her unique ideas. She certainly knows how to spin a tale and tell an intriguing story. The characters are fascinating, the writing is excellent and the story is captivating. Highly recommend.

What's not to like here? This is a glorious romp of a magical fantasy adventure to the land of fairy stories with the last Tale Spinner and her shepherd and romantic interest. It's a fun, sexy story of sweet relationships amongst a diverse set of magical creatures. If you're looking for a lesbian romance with a magical storyline then this is a great book.

3.5 Stars. This was a hard book for me to rate. I’m a big fan of Willows. She is an excellent spec-fic author and she writes the kind of books I want to read. When I heard about this book, a fantasy featuring fairy tales come to life, I could not have been more excited. The premise was great and Willows imagination is fantastic, but I felt the execution was a little bit off.

The main premise is about a woman who realizes fairy tales are real and it is her job to keep the stories and people/creatures in-line. I was a great premise and I found myself hooked into it immediately. For fans of the ABC series Once Upon a Time, this book will probably appeal to you. But the story itself is unique and not like any other lesfic book I have read.

While the book started off great, I found that the pace seemed to really drop in places. A book I should have been devouring, I found a little hard to read at times. This book is a nice long length (which I appreciate for fantasy books) but it still felt like too much for one book. It felt to me Willows started a few threads, like with secondary characters, which just never went anywhere. Maybe she will turn this into a series and parts that were dropped will make sense…but for right now it feels like she tried to pack just a bit too much in.

I also must admit I was a little disappointed in the romance. It wasn’t bad but it felt like it went from a few flirty moments, than jumped to relationship territory. It felt like it was missing the middle where a lot of chemistry could have been formed. I did enjoy both characters and liked them as a potential couple but something was missing.

As I mentioned before Willow’s has an amazing imagination so I do feel bad that this book didn’t click with me more. I was blown away multiple times at little details she wrote of jokes or sayings that were about specific fairy tale creatures. It was just so cleaver and imaginative. But then there would be big important moments like facing down some of the bad guys/girls and I felt that things just wrapped up too easily. It was so strange to go from being really impressed to almost a little disappointed.

Even with this book having some issues I would still recommend it. We need books like this and authors like this that really use their imagination to take use to another world. I do wish I liked this more than I did, but I would read a sequel if there is one.

I liked the concept of this tale. It was intriguing and I instantly wanted to know more. But at the end, it ended up falling flat for me personally. I think if you just LOVE fairy tales then this could be the one or you!

I want to preface this review saying that this type of story is not my normal preference. I liked the cover, title, and blurb enough to try something out of my reading comfort zone.

This book is about fairy tales, storybook characters, and magic. It is unique, however, in that it blends in the modern world as well. Think 'Men in Black.' But exchange space and aliens for fairy tales and characters.

Maggie is a young adult that is not particularly inspired with her life and job. She answers an ad in the paper offering unusual employment. And because she needs a change, she accepts. This starts a journey of self discovery, choosing family, and finding love. All the while, trying to save everyone from the villains who have gone rogue and infiltrated Manhattan.

There were times when this was cute, amusing, and endearing. We are introduced to several supporting characters with unique personalities that added color to the story. Also a litany of one-off characters along the way that brought the world to life. I think the author truly shined with world and character building.

But listen. This book was extremely hard to get through. It was written well enough. The story and the characters were interesting. I don't know if I can put my finger on why I had to take so many breaks and come back to it over and over again. I just have to chalk it up to that it isn't my usual genre. There are plenty of other reviewers who adored this book.

Perhaps it was the sum of little things for me. Kody was supposed to be this hot and promiscuous butch. But she often uses ridiculous fairy tale expressions that just come across as dorky and caused some character confusion for me. I felt the romance was on the light side and chemistry was lacking a bit. We were introduced to one of Maggie's friends but then there is literally no reason for her as she doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the book. Same with her older sister. There was just more emphasis on things that weren't necessary.

Truly, though. Take this review below face value. It just wasn't my thing.

<I>I received an ARC through Netgalley from Bold Strokes Books for an honest review</i>

What an interesting and unique read. While growing up, I loved to read and I still do. Though my taste in reads has changed, I was enthralled with fairy tales. This was an unexpected story that had me moving from engaged to not so much engaged but I stuck with it. Maggie McShay, what a likable and endearing character who wanted to be part of something that mattered. Kody Wilk, recovering from a series of unfortunate events. Maggie and Kody along with Blech the cat and Brenda the flirt make for one of the most interesting group of characters I have had the pleasure to read. The story was fun and whimsical and took me back to a childhood of books which made me remember and smile.

Spinning Tales by Brey Willows is a spectacularly written tale about how the real world and the fairy tale world collide. It all happens when the villains of the fairy tale world revolt, take over their realms, and then enter the real world with plans to take over New York City. But in their way is Maggie McShay, a young woman with a boring life who lives in the city with her less than loving cat. Only she isn’t really a boring young woman and her cat is not just a cat. As Maggie discovers who she really is, and realizes her cat is really a shape shifting creature from the fairy tale world, she and Blech/Shamus the cat, together with Shepherd Kody Wilk and Brenda the romance-driven dwarf must figure out how to save both worlds from the villains’ plans.
I must say that I am awed at the brilliance and the complexity of this story. The plot is well developed and even though it flows through multiple worlds, the reader is easily able to follow and understand the story. The characters, both human and mythical are so well drawn, they seem real enough that you would not be surprised to meet them at your door. The pace of the story was appropriate for this genre. In fact, the biggest problem I had was to put the book down and return to real life before I finished it. This book has it all: fantasy, friendship, love,, heroes, villains, mythical beings, steamy romance, and a riveting story.
I’m giving this book my highest recommendation. It is also going into my favorites folder, and I hope it will be in yours as well.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Rainbow Reflections:
https://rainbowreflections.home.blog/

5/5

Maggie McShay has her routine; work, home and take-out food, and her grumpy cat, one she didn't even pick, it just appeared one day. She knows she is not like everyone else, just a gut feeling, but nonetheless she is ready for a change in her life. That is when she reads an add looking for a cottage keeper, in New York. When she takes the job she discovers the truth about herself and the world that surrounds her and one she did not know could possibly exist. Would she follow her calling and her protector or would she chose to stay in the comforts of her old boring life.

This book is everything I did not think it was going to be. Books regarding fairytales and magic can be very bad but this book is the complete opposite. The book captures your attention and fils your imagination from the start.

It is truly amazing the worlds Brey Willows creates and we are so lucky she shares them with us. To be honest this book is so good and entertaining that the romance part was the last thing on my mind.

Amazing book!! possibly Brey's best! (So far!)

This ARC copy was given to me via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.