This book is a hard one to review for me. It was very realistic, the writing was excellent, it did not shy away from difficult or dangerous circumstances and did not sugar coat reality. However, I felt something lacking, as I did with the author's previous novel. Maybe the depth of the characters, or some things missing from their story arcs? Its hard to pinpoint, but I did feel let down, because I thought so much more could be accomplished.  That being said, I do think the author has great potential.

**Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

This had so much potential. I picked this book due to the summary, but as I was reading it I found some errors such as missing words in a couple of sentences. Which made it hard for me to finish. I was, however, pleasantly surprised that it read more like a historical fiction than a fairytale.

I was curious about this one and have seen and heard of it a few times. I love a good retelling and really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review. 

I went into this thinking it would lean slightly on the fairytale end but it's pretty solidly historical fiction. I liked this enough to read it all in one day. The characters were fine. Seeing as how they are ripped from history, most felt true to the source. I, however, know pretty much nothing of medieval Welsh history. There is a decent amount of action, given that we mainly follow Owain and his teulu (war band). They pillage and raid their way through Wales, mainly trying to keep the Normans out. Elen gets picked up along the way because after they burn her house and murder her family, she convinces them she speaks to Saint Elen. She does this to save her own skin, so props for the quick thinking. However there is not much more to her character outside of this. I think we are meant to sympathize with her for being trapped with a power hungry Welsh heir, but everything she does shows she wants to be there on some level. She repeatedly tries to insert herself in his family, even though they truly hate her for whispering in Owain's ear. Then when Owain makes a huge political blunder and kidnaps a royal wife and her children, Elen immediately tries to worm her way into their family. Unfortunately all of this really takes place as inner dialogue, so it is a whole lot of tell and not show. Elen just rubbed me the wrong way after awhile, especially when she starts feeling like people owe her since she hasn't actually done much of anything. She is also incredibly naive given how she lives. Outside of that most of the other characters don't really matter much. Owain is your typical war band leader, and the rest just stay in the background. There isn't much actual plot to me outside of Elen trying to save herself. I think I would have enjoyed this more if the focus had been on Owain and his father and the political insanity of trying to maintain borders and keep the English and French out.

this had what i was look for in a fairy tale like novel, I loved the story itself and getting to know the characters. It was a great read and I wanted more.

3 stars.
Elen lives in 1109 Wales, a land caught in the middle of a power struggle between warbands, lords and Kings. After her family is killed in a raid, Elen comes up with a plan to save her life, but it comes with a heavy price. As her captor's ego grows, mistakes are made and Elen but choose between the life and lies she has known or the possibility a new friend with new promises could mean.
The plot of this book is amazingly refreshing, it isn't centered on a silly love affair that romanticizes the elements of war, but a tale of how dark and bleak lives could have been because of their brutish way of life. Back then men of power took whatever they wanted by force, and usually whoever had the biggest stick won. It was both heartbreaking and inspiring to go along with Elen, who was treated as a trophy and property, was able to forge her own path and seek out her own happiness. 
This book did take me a long time to read because of the writing style. The words are spelled much like they would be pronounced in Wales during the 1100s, which meant that often times entire phrases and words would be missing, so you would have to do a little thinking about what words or sentences would be. It required a bit of brain power from me, something I don't often have at the end of the day when I am looking to unwind with some reading. I had to be in a certain mood and in a certain mind frame to enjoy this book.
I did enjoy the fresh breath this historical fiction provided. It is a beautiful story about the struggle of a woman who is surrounded by violence, but manages to find something worth fighting for. Just keep in mind that the writing is unique and my not be to everyone's taste.

Rating: 2.5 stars
Trigger Warnings for this book: rape/sexual assault, kidnapping

I don't know why, but I could've sworn this was more of a fantasy book. It's not at all. It's 100% historical fiction, which is probably the genre I read the least because it simply doesn't interest me. Please keep that in mind as you read my thoughts on this book.

So, brief summary. The year is 1109. Elen's family was murdered 3 years ago by Owain's warband. In order to avoid the same fate, she convinces him that if he keeps her with him he will be protected by a saint of the same name, Saint Elen. She must keep the act up or be killed, and when Owain kidnaps an enemy's wife and children for revenge the life Elen so deftly built is ready to come crashing down.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book for a few reasons (besides it being historical fiction). First, the writing sometimes confused me. It jumped around and I had to try hard sometimes to follow what was going on. I couldn't always tell what was happening and often was unsure of what the author was trying to convey in Elen's mind. There was quite a bit of repetition, which I liked at some parts but at others I was like "UGH this again?" The story is also very slow. I tend to enjoy slow books because the characters tend to shine through. Elen was very... wishy-washy. I do understand though because of all the trauma she went through. But overall, the story was pretty boring. It picked up closer to the end where literally anything that could go wrong did, but it wasn't enough to make up for the 200+ pages preceding it. Also, I wish there was more background given as to Wales during that time. I didn't understand the politics. At one point, there's supposedly a bunch of warbands patrolling and I never understood why? Whose warbands were they? All I could think, and as Patrick Star wisely said, "Who are you people??"

The ending was good, and I'm glad I finished it. I do feel like there's a few things left unanswered, but I'm okay with it. All I can say is I'm glad it's over, and I will be donating this book to Little Free Library near me.

I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.
I really liked it!

I found Spindle and Dagger to be a very interesting young adult historical fiction book. I haven’t read much in this genre and was pleasantly surprised by this book. I heard that the book is based off of the legend of “Helen of Wales”, which I am not very familiar with. I enjoyed the author’s writing and the main characters kept me interested throughout the story. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.0

Interesting characters. Intriguing plot. Dynamic prose. My attention was held the entire time. I enjoyed my time reading this one. I’d suggest this story to everyone who likes a more contemporary stuff.

Spindle and Dagger is an… interesting read. There’s a lot of stuff I didn’t enjoy, and few things I did - but overall I didn’t totally dislike the story. I was surprised to discover that this novel was deeply rooted in history and to find that actual people who had lived were in the story. That being said I didn’t enjoy the the inferred sexual assault that happens off page and certainly didn’t expect come across it. The story is set in ancient Wales with and centers around the character Elen - I was so excited to see our hero was a heroine! Where Spindle and Dagger misses the mark is it becomes a lot of searching for and following the villain, which feels like it drags on for far too long within the book. It’s clear this book is well researched and the events that do happen, no matter how horrific, are handled well within the reactions.

I’m sorry to say I didn’t enjoy this book. The plot sounded just my style but the writing did not hold my attention. I also found several sentences missing words. This always jars me and takes away from the story.

More like 2.5 stars! The overall story was interesting but the writing tripped me up at times. I also found myself a bit bored at times too which kinda sucked. Pretty cover, sucky book.

*I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 stars.

This book was rooted in history and a number of the characters were actual people, which made it even more interesting to read. But I am so grateful to not have lived in Wales during the 12th Century. I'm fairly certain that some of my ancestors did, though. I appreciated the brief Welsh pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book, but I constantly struggled with y and w. (And since it was an ebook, I couldn't just flip back and forth easily.)

Elen (17), though she was one of the few fictional characters, was a compelling character in a precarious situation. Everything she did was to ensure her survival, and it kind of broke my heart. At times it seemed like there might have been something almost real between her and Owain (19), and when I first started the book, I admit I hoped for it. But I quickly changed my opinion--I wanted to snatch her away and slaughter Owain ap Cadwgan (and his warband) myself. As the book progressed, I preferred to throw in a junk punch or a castration first. I honestly can't think of a good thing to say about him that wasn't a result of something Elen did. He protected her because she made him believe it was necessary. Based on the historical information at the end of the book, I doubt my assessment of Owain was incorrect. Like Elen, Nest (implied in her 20s) was resourceful and clever--and she was a real person. I pitied her and Elen for . . . well, simply for living when they did. Yet somehow, despite all that happened and was done to them, they were able to maintain their humanity and hold on to hope.

Note: Some swearing. Sexual assault and rape, none of which happens on the page.

Three years ago, Elen had a plan. She and her elder sister would marry good men, have homes close enough that they could visit every day, and just have a happy life. But everything changed when the warband attacked. Now, Elen’s family is dead and she’s weaved a story of how a Saint Elen is looking out for Owain, warband leader and eldest son of a Welsh king. But when Owain starts to get overconfident in her protection and kidnaps a Norman lord’s wife and children, Elen’s control starts to unravel. I still don’t know how I feel about this book. It’s a fascinating concept, a young woman taken into a warband and how she works to manipulate them for her own protection. But this novel did not read like a YA historical fiction novel and the advance copy had so many errors that I almost had to stop reading it. I liked that it showed Elen’s insecurities and how she learned quickly that her body kept her valuable to Owain as well as her “connection to the saint”. There were allusions to rape and brutal murders but no descriptive scenes. I don’t know, this just didn’t stand up to what I expected.

I enjoyed this title so much! I thought the plot was so intriguing, and the characterization very strong! The description used by the author was so evocative I felt transported, and I kept turning until the very last page. I think the cover is very cute - I'll be sure to purchase this for my store!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This book was okay. I gave it 3 stars. My copy of this book wasn't very good and it was hard to read. It isn't the authors fault. I had to spend a lot of time trying to figure out was going on. Otherwise the book was a quick read even with the copy that I received.
This book is based on events that happen in Wales. In the year 1000. I don't know a lot about this time period.
The main male character is not a nice person. He wanted to do what he wanted and wouldn't listen to anyone if it went against what he wanted.
The female main character was young and said anything to protect herself, which included a lot of lying.
What I liked most about this book was the historical note at the end because it gave you information about the time period which made the story more understandable.

I loved it. The characters were unique and something I had not really experienced before. It was a truly fun and exciting read that left me waiting to learn more about it.

I really wanted to like this one. The blurb had me hooked and I was eager to get into my first historical fiction of the year. But like most every other review I've seen for this book, its near impossible to read because of the insane amount of typos!!! I've tried and stopped and tried again multiple times to just grit and bare it but its almost as if I'm spending more time trying to decipher what is meant to be written rather than retaining any information as to what I'm reading. Its next to impossible to get anywhere without stopping five times per page and its causing me to feel a reading slump just because I can't get into it! 

I think that this is one of those books where I will eventually just have to bite the bullet and purchase a finished copy so I can read it as it was meant to be read. For now though I will give this 3 stars because it deserves some of the love it should get for the story it could be if i could just get past the typos!!!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, I will give this a shot another time with a finished copy.