A twist on the Sleeping Beauty with a bit of an Indiana Jones vibe.
Fi is a nerdy treasure hunter who winds up with a rare curse. She pricks her finger on a bone spindle and is saddled with the haunt of a long asleep prince.
Shane is at the right place at the wrong time and gets roped into being Fi's muscle for her mission to save herself and Briar Rose.
Briar Rose is a prince in distress.. who has been asleep for a 100 years and has been awaiting a kiss to awaken. He haunts dreams and the ephemeral realm.

What I love most: the adventure, the paper witch, the twists on fairy tales like red riding hood.

I think teens will find a lot to love in this queer Sleeping Beauty retelling. It will also appeal to those who in general enjoy new twists on classic fairytales, such as Cinderella is Dead. Fans of that book will enjoy this as well.

I tried to give this one a go, but realized about 10% in it wasn’t going to be my cup of tea! Not saying it’s a bad book in anyway it just wasn’t what I was looking for at the time

Sleeping beauty is my favorite Disney movie, so seeing a twist on the story is always going to catch my interest. I really enjoyed the twists on the classic fairy tale and the story telling.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

The Bone Spindle was absolutely incredible. By far one of the best fairy tale retellings I've ever come across. I fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the timeless yet modern take on the story. It was also nice to see the genders swapped, as the "damsel in distress" trope is outdated. An absolute treasure to read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Razorbill for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

The best part about this book is the world! It's so familiar because it has parts of our favorite fairy tales, but then it's so unique at the same time. I loved seeing the aspects of the originals, but then we got so much more from the world and these characters, and I enjoyed every second of discovering it!

It's definitely action-packed, and I couldn't get enough of the story for sure! I loved the romance in this book even though it has an aspect of insta-love. There seems to be genuine connection as well, and unraveling their backstories added so much depth to their connection and the reader's connection to them as well. I can't wait to see where the sapphic romance goes in the next book! (they were definitely such spunky and fun characters)

The plot twist was a bit obvious, but I did enjoy the reveal and how each of the characters is dealing with the fallout. I can't wait to see where this story goes, and I would definitely recommend it to my fantasy lovers out there!

🪓 I typically don't go for treasure hunting books as they rarely pull me in. But I heard amazing things about The Bone Spindle, and will read any book that highlights queer relationships in main characters! 🏳️‍🌈 So I had to start this series!

🪓 I am SO glad I jumped into Leslie's fairytale retelling here. Both books are enchanting and gripping. Packed full of action, adventure, and hair raising drama. I think I loved The Severed Thread a smidge more because there was a comfortability between our treasure hunters and their banter is my favorite.

🪓 I absolutely adore Shane and Red as individuals and their sweet romance has left me swooning. 🥰

🪓 Book two has a lot of turns that will come up on you fast and surprise you! It will definitely leave you wanting the 3rd book asap!

Ratings:
The Bone Spindle 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Severed Thread
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with this story, but this was so fun. I love a good retelling, which this is, and I loved the representation. The romance was nice, and this was a great adventure!

— 4.5 stars

"The Bone Spindle" is a fabulous action packed novel reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty and Indiana Jones. This definitely has lovely fairy tale aspects despite not being a complete retelling. We follow the multi POVs of Fi, Shane, and Briar. Fi, a bookish treasure hunter, and Shane, a mercenary for hire partner up for one mission which ends up lasting much longer than they expected. Together they tackle the challenge of waking Briar, the sleeping Prince.

Honestly if you haven't checked out this book yet, you're definitely missing out! I received this copy as well as the sequel for my book tour and I'm so excited to continue onto the sequel. I absolutely adore fun books like these due to the action and adventure they bring. This is longer than I expected but i still blew through it fairly quickly. The fast pace helped me with that! The world building was very well done as well. I found it interesting and not too complex to the point of me not getting it. The magic and curses were such an enjoyable aspect to read about.

Fi and Shane especially were amazing characters and their friendship was one of my favorite parts of the book. Their backstories were interesting and seeing the development prevalent in current day was great. Both girls have their own romances which I'm not attached too but didn't absolutely hate. They weren't so much insta love but just very fast paced couples. This was probably my only complaint.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this to anyone in the mood for a fun, fast paced, action packed book with queer rep!

As someone who does not like retellings often, I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this one. This story is a very loose retelling of sleeping beauty with a gender bend.

First off the retelling aspects, I found the story was a perfect balance of a retelling, but still being its own original story. When the story follows too close to the original content, I often get bored, because it becomes too predictable.

Second, the characters I loved all the characters, and I really liked that. We got three perspectives out of this. I find recently I’ve been loving the multiple POV stories because you get to read the story and progress through the plot through different character lenses and it’s a different experience every time.

The romance, slow, burn, enjoyable, and I love that we got to get a real deep dive into two separate romances. Both the main characters Shane, and Fi have their own respective romance potlines and I loved both of them for different reasons. Yes, it’s slow burn but I always loved every moment of it.

I found the ending to be slightly predictable and a little quick. I also found the world and the history to be a little lacking. I’m not quite sure on the culture of the witches in this story. And would like a little more clarification. Hopefully to get a little more of that in book 2. I’m very curious on what is going to happen in the second book.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen Canada for sending me and eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this so much! I had previously started listening to the audio a year ago when it first came out but got distracted by other books (whoops) and never went back to it. An impending blog tour for book two gave me the kick I needed to pick it back up again and I really love where the story goes, especially by the end. It's my favorite sort of seemingly-straightforward-oh-wait-you-know-nothing plot where everything gets turned on its head and everyone has secrets. And I do so love a cleverly genderbent fairy tale.

I love Fi and Shane so much. Fi "oh I am cursed and will now go through the world alone and self-sacrificing and pretend I don't hate it while I stay away from everyone I love for their own good" and Shane "my brother and best friend is meant for my future role as king and loves the girl I am betrothed to so I'll hare off adventuring and leave them to it for their own good" are very much opposites. Fi is a bit prissy for a treasure hunter but her clever brains help her solve problems no one else has. Shane is brawny rather than brainy and tends to approach problems with a "smash through them" mentality, but she's loyal and determined and befriends Fi through sheer determination.

They make a really great team as they wander around treasure-hunting and adventuring and falling for their respective love interests who pop in and out every so often. One is a cursed prince and one is a witch and clearly hiding something, and both have great romantic moments, even though both relationships start as insta-love. They don't stay there though, so I don't mind it so much. There is a lot of slowly blossoming trust and friendship and love between the couples, though both still have a long way to go.

Briar Rose is a beautiful prince trapped in a curse. So he pops in and out and can only help sometimes (though that help is crucial) But he also has secrets and is not all he seems.

And Fi and Shane are a bit too prone to rushing headlong into things without thinking. Even though Fi can usually get them out of the worst trouble with her cleverness, if she thought *first* they'd avoid the trouble in the first place.

I love the way the sleeping beauty and beauty and the beast elements are woven into the story and how they're changed. I love that the cursed prince is a prince, and the adventurers are women, and one of the love stories is a sapphic one.

And I love how the story changes as they move through it, and how the ending sets them back at the beginning and also opens up a lot of new troubling information. I can't wait to see where it all goes in book two.

The audiobook is performed beautifully and I love the voices chosen for the characters and the way the narrator brings them and the story to life. I definitely recommend listening to it.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Teen, and Colored Pages Blog Tours for providing an early copy for review.

DNF @ 20 %
I wanted to like this book and I still wish I had. I found the characters to be really grated and difficult to read. They just felt like personality stereotypes with not much interesting about them. The concept of the plot seemed like it could be good but, as a character focused reader, I couldn't push through for it.

An interesting and super fun twist on the classic tale of sleeping beauty. The characters are compelling and are the heart of the story. A very fun adventure with twists and surprises, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

I always love to read a good re-telling and was happy that 'The Bone Spindle' is one of them. Leslie Vedder's debut novel is action-packed with intriguing characters. My main criticism would be the pacing of of some of the story beats. But other than that, it's definitely worth the read.

3.5/5

A Fairy Tale Retelling: Curses, Witches, and a Sleeping Prince

↓ Similar Reading Experiences ↓

1. Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince (on my TBR!)
2. Kelly Link’s Pretty Monsters
3. Linnea Hartsuyker’s The Half-Drowned King

Fi is a treasure hunter known for her knowledge of witch history and languages. Shane is a hotheaded ax-wielding huntsman for hire with an insatiable desire for a big payout. What might be described as fate brings them together when Shane gains possession of a map leading to a witch ruin that requires Fi’s brains to help her reach the riches undoubtedly hidden within. The two agree to become partners for this one job. Little do either of these adventurers know that Fi will prick her finger on a bone spindle, awakening a hundred-year-old curse that she must break with Shane at her side. In this absolutely captivating heroes’ adventure, an unsuspecting friendship grows as they encounter dark magic, an ex’s curse, fanatical witch hunters, and problematic romances.

As someone who hasn’t read a YA or fantasy book in quite some time, I was admittedly nervous going into Leslie Vedder’s debut novel, The Bone Spindle. With that said, I pre-ordered this title after finding it on a list for 2022’s most anticipated releases because I wanted to move outside my reading comfort zone this year! YA, fantasy, romance…that’s the big three I tend not to read, so this book would certainly be a new experience.

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about because I had the best time following Fi and Shane’s journey to the fallen kingdom of Andar. While these two treasure hunters are different in more ways than they are similar, their dynamic was brilliant! Each character matched the other with snark and sarcasm, but also with growing trust and emotional support. One of the narrative’s big themes is loneliness, and I found their friendship and interdependence lovely and realistic. Along with the friendship, the characters each find themselves entangled in two different romances. While Fi is connected to the ghostly-yet-not-dead figure of Briar Rose after pricking her finger on the bone spindle, Shane is drawn to a lone traveler named Red whose mysterious identity screams danger. I enjoy both romances, particularly because they are very different from each other. I especially loved Shane’s romance not only because I loved how she is a complete bad ass in general but because Shane’s attraction to women is fully accepted by all of society. In my experience, fantasy books based in Kingdom-of-Old settings too often depict LGBT+ characters as taboo or exclude them from the narrative altogether. In Shane’s case, however, she is not only named the rightful heir to the throne as the first born child to a War King – even as a woman – but her arranged marriage automatically anticipates her to have a future queen at her side. I am sure that Vedder as a queer ace writer made a conscious effort in this aspect of the story, and I think everyone will agree it is exactly the inclusive environment that Shane deserves.

Vedder weaves many familiar elements into this Fairy Tale retelling while definitely including her own spin on things. She also modernizes some of the characters’ language; i.e., one’s “ex.” And I think that makes this book all the more fun! I also appreciated the many flashbacks to past memories, allowing us to see much of Fi and Shane’s conflicts and baggage that they collected individually before going on this adventure together.

This book ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, as the Spindle Witch is still a mysterious figure yet to be defeated, and there are many other loose ends to be dealt with by Fi and Shane. That only means that I have my own destiny to fulfill…that destiny being to read the sequel as soon as it comes out!!

This one was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the concept.

Overall it was okay.

I recommend it to fans of YA fantasy.

This is such a gripping read with witty banter and some good lessons to be learned about self worth and personal growth. The only thing that kept me from enjoying the story more is just how much of it was flashbacks, when about half of the flashbacks added basically nothing.

An action packed fairytale perfect for readers who love reimagining’s, dark and twisted tales and stories full of adventure.

A fun, action packed adventure! It gives off Indiana Vibes and I'm truly here for that! I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to picking up the sequel at some point.