This was a DNF for me. I just could not get into it whatsoever. It fell so short that I couldn’t even tell you what the heck is going on.

-Stone.

There are a ton of typos-- mostly the first few letters missing from words which make this almost unreadable. With the map and beginning materials also strange-looking I'm assuming this is a formatting/ARC error.
I'll try to read the final version when it comes out.

It's 12 century Wales, grim, gritty and dangerous at times... The main character Elen is around 17 at the start of this story, so it has been about 3 years since her home was raided and her family killed. As the story goes on, there are scenes that flashback on what happened on that day, the lie she told and the reason why she is still alive and now comforting the enemy, Owain.

During a dramatic turn of events, and an unlikely friendship, Elen grows from feckless and idle to courageous and hopeful. I honestly think if this turn did not happen, Elen probably would have stayed feckless and maybe even somewhat content to stay with Owain, not a favorable choice, but one that does keeps her alive.

Even though some of the Welsh words went over my head, I enjoyed Elen's journey of survival, courage and hope.

Thank you so much Netgalley for this free E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Spindle and Dagger
I love old UK so I was excited for this book, but it fell a bit flat for me. I liked the plot, but thought the plot could have been executed better with more details and I liked the wide variety of characters but the main female character annoyed me at times with her contradictions. The ending was predictable. I also got an e-arc from Net Galley and it was full of typos which made reading it not as pleasant.

An excellent historical fiction, well researched and engrossing.
I loved the strong MC and the realistic descriptions of the historical background.
It's a story that can be brutal at time but also fascinating.
A good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Wales in 1109 was a dangerous place for a woman, especially a woman with a secret.

This is the story of Elen, a girl whose family was slaughtered at the hands of one Owain ap Cadwgan and his band of warriors. Elen intends to survive. She finds herself assaulted, but in a position to use her power to spin a lie and convince Owain that he has been blessed and cannot die while under her protection. Clothed, fed, and living a lie, Elen finds herself well cared for, until Owain kidnaps the wife and children of a Norman warlord. Elen's lies seem to be on the brink of spinning out of control as war rages with the Normans.

This is a meticulously researched and written novel that evokes the brutality of the world in the twelfth century. Interesting action scenes pared with beautiful prose make this an enjoyable read for anyone who loves history and appreciates the gritty-ness of the time period. Coats describes in brutal detail the challenges, battles, and sexual assaults that likely took place at the time. This is not a book that is a watered-down accounting of Norman warlords in the twelfth century, this is the all-out, all-encompassing, and incredibly brutal novel that is, most likely, very close to the reality.

The book has solid character development through the second half of the book, though I do agree with other reviewers that the overall pacing in the first half of the book is slow. I do think that the writing makes up for this slow exposition through the exploration of the relationship between Elen and Nest, the kidnapped wife of Gerald of Windsor.

Though this is a young adult novel, I would caution anyone under the age of 16 to read it due to its graphic violence. It wouldn't be a good historical fiction novel without violence, but this can get extreme at times. My only other criticism is that the passage of time seems to be choppy and the scene structure can get in the way of the narrative, but this is a small complaint.

I really enjoyed this book and I would encourage historical fiction lovers to pick up a copy! The book releases March 10th, 2020!

Thank you to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book, it was a privilege to read it and I thoroughly enjoyed it! This is a freely given review.

My rating is solely based on formatting. I know there can be some small issues in ebooks some time. This book went far beyond that. There were no chapters which could be how the book was written. Words were missing letter, there were two one I kept seeing, th and fi were missing in front of a lot of words. So instead of there, it was ere. Which was so confusing even after I caught to it. Plus there would be break in the middle of sentences.

It sounds like a great story and I was getting into it. But all the mistakes took away from getting lost in the book. And were giving me a headache trying to decipher what was really being say. It was just too much for me to get pass. I know it's a pre release and there are mistakes sometimes but the books should be readable still.
Without these issues the book might be really great.

I think the premise of this book is very interesting and complex, and that was the main thing I enjoyed about it. I also thought it the deep conflict that existed within the character was super engaging and drew me in. However, I really just struggled with the writing, and since it was kind of hard for me to read, it made it harder to enjoy. But if the style works for you, then great!

A unique and thought-provoking read told by a young woman trying to survive in Wales in 1109. Elen’s home and family were destroyed by a warband. For three years, she’s managed to survive by claiming the leader of the warband, Oswain, is blessed by St. Elen and won’t be harmed while Elen is near. Oswain kidnaps and rapes the wife of a rival and takes her children. Elen has to decide if she’s willing to risk more than surviving. (Elen has been sexually assaulted as well, but the details aren’t graphic.)

The prose is written with Welsh spellings/ pronunciation and is sometimes difficult to understand; however, it gives an authentic flavor to the tale. Elen is also a sympathetic heroine who struggles in a world where she is a “kept” woman with little to no choices. The author doesn’t romanticize the time period, but insteadu shows the depth of the human spirit in overcoming circumstances and forming strong female friendships.

Spindle and Dagger is a solid alternative history book for those looking for a YA novel that falls on the younger side on the YA spectrum

The female lead is definitely a strong character and the history is well research and grounded. The narrative and dialogue is done well and make the story fun, albeit it can be off in pacing at times.

However, the YA space is in need of YA books that fall on this side of the YA category. It is refreshing to find one that fills this gap.

I was super excited to receive this free advanced digital copy of Spindle and Dagger. It has words or phrases written in Welsh. There is a glossary at the front to help explain it also. I'm not giving up, but there are soooo many typos. Between the missing letters and the dialect, it's hard to stay in the story. I want to continue it, but this may be a scenario where I will wait for the finished copy.
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Wales, 1109: When Elen's home was raided by a warband three years ago her younger sister died in the ensuing fires. Her older sister was cut down just short of killing the warband's leader, Owain ap Cadwgan. Despite the violence and her own sexual assault, Elen survived, healing Owain ap Cadwgan's wounds and weaving a tale of protection.

She tells all who will listen that Owain ap Cadwgan cannot be killed--not by blade, blow, or poison--so long as Saint Elen protects him, so long as he keeps her namesake by his side.

None of what she tells them is true.

Balanced on a knife's edge and haunted by echoes of the raid that killed her family, Elen knows one false step, one accident could leave Owain dead and render her own life forfeit.

When Owain abducts Nest, the wife of a Norman lord, and her children, war soon follows. As her lies begin to unravel, Elen dares to imagine a different life but first she will have to determine where her loyalties lie in Spindle and Dagger (2020) by J. Anderson Coats.

Elen's first person narration is frank and immediately engrossing, drawing readers into the precarious world she has created for herself. With violence and danger everywhere, Elen is forced to be as calculating and as ruthless as the warband that is both her greatest protection and her greatest danger.

High action and battles contrast sharply with the choices Elen is forced to make to ensure her own survival. Coats' evocative prose and themes of agency and feminism add nuance and depth to this otherwise fast-paced story.

Spindle and Dagger is brutal, bloody, and carefully researched historical fiction. Recommended for readers looking for fierce heroines and history with all the gory details.

Possible Pairings: Damsel by Elana K. Arnold, The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green, Sweet Black Waves by Kristina Perez, Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West, The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*

The first thing I noticed about this story was the excessive amount of typos. There were at least 5 typos per Kindle page, although most had more. The beginning of scene/chapters had entire words, or possibly full sentences missing. It forced me to puzzle out what I was reading, slowed me down, frustrated me to no end, and consistently took me out of the story.

Ordinarily I would have stopped reading this book very quickly, but the premise sounded interesting and I actually wanted to know what happened, so I slogged on through trying to make sense of the half words on each and every page.

First and foremost, this book was set in a violent and brutal time, and it was fraught with danger for women. While the book does include rape and trauma, I felt that this was handled sensitively, especially in light of this being a YA book. While the book never actually used the word "rape," it was gently alluded to, which I felt was a positive in a sea of books packed full of shock value.

The focus on relationships between the women associated with the warband was interesting. Books like these are what holds my attention when reading historical fiction. I could read about historical events all day, but never learn about what life in a warband was actually like for the men involved and the women on the outskirts. I did learn that women like Elen, who are held by a high-ranking leader but not wed, relied on wits and awareness to get through, especially when the ladies in society wanted nothing to do with her. My heart went out to her in her loneliness at being shunned by women who could have been friends. I guess it made it easy to understand why she'd extend kindness and friendship to Nest.

The pace was fairly slow for much of the story, until it picked up closer to the end. The writing seemed quite simple, which I wouldn't attribute to the YA genre, since there are many YA books that are complex and intriguing. For a woman who survived the trauma Elen went through, she's still quite naive in important ways, especially someone who earned grudging respect from the men of the warband in the 3 years she was with them. There was also a lot of telling, not showing. I loved the idea of the book, although it could have been fleshed out more. The characters could have been fascinating instead of merely interesting, had they too, been more well-developed. I even struggled to find any identification with Elen.

I had high hopes for this book, and the fact that the very first word was a typo was like hearing a wrong note played at the very start of a concert. While the story held my attention in the day it took me to read it, this book had the potential to be one of those books I couldn't put down. As it was, I just wanted to finish reading so that I could move on to a book that transported me within its pages and didn't have so many errors. Hopefully this will be edited thoroughly before it is released.

I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5

The copy I received was littered with typos which often brought me out of the story and made it hard to follow at points, however, I still found the protagonist very plain. This book had a lot of potentials I found the idea around the main character possibly being a saint and being mistaken for her miracles was interesting, but she MC was quite boring. She didn't really do much other than follow the warlord around and I wanted to learn more about the mythology.

Spindle and Dagger is a good read.
It is set in 12th century wales.
It follows Elen a girl who has learned to survive. I would recommend it to anyone who comes in my store looking for a thrilling medieval novel.

“I will make my own chaos. I will bring down this whole miserable castle works around Clare’s wretched Norman ears, and I will leave Owain and his lads to come out of it however they can.”


Spindle and Dagger is a thrilling historical novel that follows a young woman who has learned to survive through whatever means necessary. The story begins with Elen in Wales, 1109, three years after a warband raided her home and killed her family. To survive the raid, she saved the warband leader’s life and crafted an elaborate lie, a playact she is forced to live daily. Thus, she finds herself living with the very people who destroyed her life and stole her happiness. When she saved Owain ap Cadwagn’s life and made him believe that he held the protection of Saint Elen—her namesake—as long as he kept her close, he took her at her word. But no one can survive for long on a lie, and Elen’s lie begins unraveling. She may be Owain’s bedmate and protector, but she is not his wife, nor is she welcomed by his family and friends. She lives a poor existence as an outcast, the object of lewd jokes and ridicule. Yet, she has survived, with plenty of food, clothes to wear, and a bed to sleep in. It’s better than being dead, right? When tensions between Wales and England escalate, and circumstances take a disastrous turn, Elen must decide if she will abandon the lie and live life on her own terms, or remain at the mercy of Owain for the rest of her tortured existence.

I really enjoyed this dark tale, despite a few flaws early on. It deals with some deep themes such as sexual assult and death. Elen suffered greatly when the warband raided her home. She watched them kill her sister and destroy everything. She suffered through rape, as was common during those times. These scenes are not shown, but relayed as flashbacks throughout the story, leaving the reader to pity Elen. They are not graphic, which I appreciated. In the end, Elen did what she could in the heat of the moment: she offered to save Owain’s life, the man responsible for everything, in hopes that she might be allowed to live. Some might argue that it was a cowardly move on her part(she was only fourteen at the time).

From the beginning, it is clear that Elen is somewhat of a coward. Yet, as the story progresses, she begins to show strength. That strength grows. We see a rewarding character arc as she transforms herself, as she learns to take her life into her own hands. She learns to have courage in spite of fear—a valuable lesson.

J. Anderson Coats portrayed the Welsh warband life in a way that gave me a glimpse into old times. Her writing and prose was a pleasure to read, and perfect for young adult audiences. Some reviews I came across argued that the book moved slow in places. I did not find that to be the case. I felt that every piece was relevant to Elen’s growth as a character. The plot was masterfully woven with true events, taking advantage of various missing pieces from history. I felt as if this story really did happen during the 1100s, based on the information available to us today. Overall, I believe Coats did a great job staying true to events.

My only critique was that I felt the beginning of the book (the first couple of chapters) fell short. Because the story begins three years after the catastrophic event that shaped Elen’s future, we are left to piece together what happened. This made things confusing at first and could potentially turn some readers away. I believe that having utilized a short prologue, one that wasn’t too graphic, could have better set the stage. Moreover, I felt that the beginning doesn’t do enough to hook a reader. There was a lot of “telling” in the first few chapters. One event in particular, when we witness the death of Llywelyn penteulu, left me quite dissatisfied. The little “battle” skirmish on the road is relayed in what felt like a emotionless manner. Given that it was so early on in the book, and I was still trying to find my bearings, I think the author could have added some bits to make the event feel more “real.” An arrow whizzing past Elen’s ear, or someone falling dead at her feet, or someone coming at her only to be struck down. Something that involved her more in the scene. I would have liked to have seen some emotions from Elen while this was happening. Because of this, the scene felt lazily done. Fortunately, this wasn’t to put down the book, and after getting past this part, I found myself entirely engrossed. I have subtracted 1 star for these flaws.

The latter half of the book entirely engrossed me. Once I saw Elen begin to plot, to take matters into her own hands, I found myself eagerly hoping she would make the correct decision. There were a few fumbles on her part, as is normal when it comes to personal growth. Her ultimate decision at the end was very fulfilling. I loved the way the story ended; it put a smile on my face and left me feeling good.

My favorite relationship between the characters was Elen and Nest. I felt that the growth between them was realistic. I felt bad for Nest from the beginning, and I admired the way Elen stepped up to help Nest, despite the things she’d gone through in her past. The way their friendship developed left me fulfilled. Rhys was my other favorite character. I enjoyed the small bit of storyline he enveloped, and watching his personal growth from the beginning to end.

If you enjoy historical fiction set in an English setting, with bits of true history woven into the plot, I highly recommend this book. I initially picked it up because of the stunning cover, which caught my eye immediately. I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction. This story did not disappoint! It will be available March 10th, so hurry and preorder your copy!

Thank you Netgally, and Candlewick Press for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I was thrilled to read the story and happy that I did.

Spindle and Dagger is a sweeping Welsh tale that pulls you into Elen's tale, as she fights to find a better place in her harsh reality. The research that J. Anderson Coats did to write this comes to life in her rich writing style. This book is great for fans of, Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young..

I could not get past the first few chapters of this title. The typos were too many and felt jarring. I will pick this up when the final copy is published.

3.5 Stars

Spindle and Dagger is a dark tale. It’s set in a violent time of history where death, destruction and rape (never described in detail) were more common than not — think Outlander but set 600 years prior. If any of these elements are triggers for you, then you should not read this book.

Even though it’s told in first person, Spindle and Dagger almost feels like a nonfiction work. Although historians believe Owain probably did abduct Nest, Elen’s story is fictional. Perhaps this is why it took me about half the novel to really become immersed. Pacing in the first half is slow, and there were times when I did consider putting the book down. As Elen’s character develops away from Owain’s shadow, she takes on new life, and it’s that spark that finally drew me in.

Spindle and Dagger is an interesting look at medieval culture. Due to its dark themes, I would suggest it for older readers — high school and older.

Link goes live 2/25/2020

A quiet story one girl become woman finding a place for herself admist unglorious medieval realities.

When raiders slaughtered Elen’s family, she traded desperate promises for a chance to live. Owain ap Cadwgan would never fall to the sword, so long as he kept the blessing of Saint Elen by protecting her the girl who bore her name. So says Elen, and to her relief, Owain believes. But as the years pass, Elen begins to wonder if it would have been better to have never made the bargain at all.

The writing reads easy, although this slow, character-driven historical-fiction is not for everyone. In many ways, I was reminded of Tess of the Road, although lacking such a strong character voice.

Elen’s journey doesn’t jump out as heroic. She doesn’t become a fighter, or plot vengeance, or indulge in petty sabotage against her overlords. Her entire struggle is coping with traumatic memories and coming to a place of being able to hope for living a normal, peaceful life.

To the author, I say thank you, thank you for the welsh pronunciation guide. I’m sure I still got it all wrong, but I liked being able to try.

I think I remember seeing some debate as to whether this is really a YA book. Yes, it is. Nothing explicit, and the instances of abuse are alluded to in such a way that it would pass over your head if you didn’t know what to look for.