I was really into the concept of this book: two treasure hunters stumble into a fairy tale when one discovers they're the one destined to wake the sleeping Briar Rose and save the lost kingdom of Andar from its curse. The idea of throwing Indiana Jones and Sleeping Beauty together is a fantastic one, but I'm not sure the book lived up to my expectations. I wanted more worldbulding, the glimpses we get are very good, and I struggled to like the characters. The way the flashbacks were jarringly thrown into the narrative (and the huge amount of them) was an off-putting way of introducing information that couldve been included in a more natural way. Overall, a decent start and just enough of a hook to make me interested in the sequel, if there is one.

Initial Thoughts
When I read fairytale meets Indiana Jones, I knew this was a must read. I also was really excited to hear that it was a debut. I love finding new authors!

Some Things I Liked
Indiana Jones vibes. I love the puzzles, clues, and treasure hunting themes throughout this book.
OUAT vibes. I loved the fairytale world in this story. It’s so much more than just a Sleeping Beauty retelling and I loved the potential for more.
The romances. I really liked both of the primary romance plots. I can’t wait to see how both evolve in the next book.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
Copious references to spiders. I HATED that.

Series Value
I’ll definitely keep reading this series. I really liked the world and think there’s a lot more the author can expand upon and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

Final Thoughts
This was a really fun read. I really liked the world and can’t wait to keep reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

fabulous debut!

Reverse gender Briar Rose mixed with Beast?

Treasure hunter Fi (think the mind of Robert Langdon), with Hunter Shane (who’s a lesbian) and supposed to be War Leader of her clan.

Representation people! Huzzah!

Can’t wait for more of this series

Synopsis

The kingdom of Andar sleeps along with its prince, Briar Rose, for Briar Rose was inflicted by the Spindle Witch’s sleeping curse until his true love awakens him with a kiss.

Fi, a treasure hunter, pricks her finger on a bone spindle while searching for treasure with her bolshy new partner Shane, a battle-ax-wielding outcast in search of riches. The bone spindle binds Fi and Briar and the partners soon find the journey ahead is not without peril.

Fi and Shane now go up against curses, witch hunters, real bad exes, and true love as they set off on the quest to break the curse.

Review

Right off the bat I liked The Bone Spindle and found it to be an accessible read. It takes its lore from a number of classic fairytales while weaving in a treasure-hunting element. There’s a real smattering of recognisable characters in this fairytale Indiana Jones story as a result.

Fi is the lone wolf treasure hunter afflicted with the butterfly curse, which means those she loves will suffer bad luck should she stay with them for longer than three days.

Red, the thief, is absolutely a dangerous witch and a take on Red Riding Hood.

Briar Rose is the prince cursed to sleep forever by the book’s unseen antagonist, the Spindle Witch, until the spell is broken by love’s kiss, which just so happens to be Fi.

The list goes on but none of these characters felt more loveable to me than Shane, the huntsman, an ax-wielding barbarian lesbian who is as hilarious as she is utterly fierce. I fell in love with Shane instantly and found myself grinning at her blunt approach to almost every situation in the story. If a problem can’t be solved by hitting it with your battle-ax, then Shane really isn’t your gal.

What I also loved about this book was the snappy dialogue between the characters. Everyone on the roster gets a chance to shine. Take Briar and Fi’s early back and forth as an example:

“Do you believe in love at first sight?”

… “I find it highly improbable, given that you first saw me flailing and drowning.”

Not just a fairytale Indiana Jones?

Vedder isn’t afraid to tackle harder-hitting topics either. The price of fate sees a number of characters making near-impossible choices. Shane’s walking away from the woman she loves, who is in love with her brother and marrying her only out of duty, for her twin brother to take his place as their father’s heir. Fi’s ex-partner Armand’s inflicting the butterfly curse upon her to entrap her in a controlling relationship. Briar’s 100-year wait for his true love to break the sleeping curse inflicted upon him while his kingdom has become an overgrown and forgotten legend.

There’s countless heart wrenching twists, turns, kisses, pledges of love and betrayals that just feels so satisfying. I hope we have a chance to go ruin-delving with Shane and Fi again very soon because I really wasn’t ready for this book to end.

I really appreciate that this book give a new spin to an old story. It's great to see fantasy authors transposing a modern perspective on a classic story, like this gender-bending version of Sleeping Beauty. The prologue gave me a similar feeling to old fairy tales too, setting up the new parameters of this story, but with a similar flavor to older styles of writing.
Some of the character development felt a little rushed, as the plot had a lot of ground to cover quickly, but I would have loved getting to know the characters more subtly, through their actions and experiences, rather than so many flash-backs.

This was a really great debut book. I loved the characters and the snark really kept things interesting. The world building was great. There was a ton of adventure and I really loved that part! The characters in this book are really want made it great though. There were a couple things that could have used some work like the pacing and transitions but overall I think it was a really great start to the series.

This was a better fairy tale spin-off than many, with the twist that the girl rescues the prince. Some readers may not like the LGBT content even though it is not graphic. The two female main characters were spunky and had distinct personalities. No swooning or moping about what the love when there's adventuring work to be done. It wasn't my favorite book ever, but it was worth finishing and I would be interested in the sequel.

This book was everything I thought it was going to be and more. Although I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN this wasn't a standalone.... lol

I love everything about this book. I love the fast past setting, I love all the characters. Fi is my favorite of course. I have a special place in my heart for the book worms. I love the dynamic between Fi and Shane. There is fantastic banter, wit, charm, adventure, romance, twists and turns.

I should have seen the ending coming. Once it hit, it was kind of obvious all the foreshadowing I had missed.

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: reimagined fairy tales.
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Described as sleeping beauty meets Indiana Jones, except the roles are reversed. Briar is a prince who was put to sleep to protect him from the spindle witch. Fi is a treasure hunter who gets caught up in the adventure to find the sleeping Prince and save the kingdom.
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This book was fun with lots of adventure! I really liked the character of Shane, who is the heir to a war king, but leaves to make her own way in the world.
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CW: violence, fighting, curses.

I finished The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder last night and I have to say I adored it!! This tale is a gender-bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty in which two female treasure hunters must awaken a cursed prince to save a kingdom.

The Bone Spindle was an adventure from start to finish, full of witches, capable female heroes, and nonstop action. Even though the plot moved along pretty quickly and was full of action, the main characters still felt really well-developed and the relationships between characters were complex.

Shane is definitely my new book girlfriend. I loved her strength, determination, and protective nature. Her backstory was also really fascinating. Her love interest, the vixen thief Red, was fun, but I do hope we get to know her more in the next book because she was the least fleshed out MC.

I loved that in a Sleeping Beauty retelling we actually got true development in the relationship between Briar Rose and Fi. Although Briar is under a sleeping curse, he is still able to communicate with Fi, which allowed them to actually get to know each other. I really liked them both and their cynic/sunshine dynamic.

Fi's backstory does involve an abusive past relationship that is seen on page. Her ex is a real manipulative asshole, so trigger warnings for gaslighting and emotional abuse.

Overall, I just thought this book was so fun. Vedder does an amazing job of bringing scenes to life and describing settings well. It delivered on all the main things I'm looking for in YA fantasy: adventure, complex characters, fun character dynamics, and good writing. If a gender-bent Sleeping Beauty with both a m/f and f/f romance sounds fun to you, treat yourself to The Bone Spindle when it comes out on January 11th!

*Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

This was a really fun gender-swapped retelling of Sleeping Beauty! The beginning felt a tad slow for me, but once the adventure got going it kept my attention through all the twists and turns. Fi and Shane were interesting characters; I would have liked to see a little more character development in Shane, but I really liked and identified with Fi. It was awesome reading about two strong female protagonists going on daring adventures together! I will admit, I was surprised to learn that the romance wasn’t actually between the two of them! The cover deceived me, although I probably should have read the synopsis a bit more thoroughly 😂. But we got two romances instead of one! I also adored Briar Rose’s character, and his relationship with Fi was really sweet. One twist at the end caught me completely off guard, and I loved all the secrets and surprises in this book! I can’t wait to see Fi and Shane’s adventure continued!

I gave this book 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and Razorbill, for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review.

Fi is a treasure hunter, with a knack for ruins, riddles and a real bookworm and she doesn't believe in true love, struggling with past bad experiences and betrayals. Shane, on the other end, is a stubborn warrior, who likes her ax, pretty girls and solve things her own way. Briar Rose is a prince under a sleeping curse, who is been waiting a hundred years for the kiss that will wake him and save his kingdom from the curse. Fi believes cursed princes are only part of ancient history, until she pricks her finger on a bone spindle, finding herself connected to the spirit of Briar Rose and becoming his only way to wake up. Fi and Shane start a long and perilous journey to find and save Briar Rose and undo the curse on his kingdom. But everything and more stand in their way, from dark magic, creepy forests, Witch Hunters, abusive exes and their own past traumas and personal struggles. But what will happen if Fi falls really in love with Briar Rose?

The bone spindle is definitely one of my favourite reads in 2022. Set in a rich and lush world, inspired by fairytales, where magic exists and sleeping princes aren't only ancient history or tales, The bone spindle is a Indiana Jones/Sleeping Beauty gender swapped story, a brilliant young adult fantasy, filled with adventure, teasing and banter, ruins, magic, perils, love, found family and friendships.
The story is told at first by two POVs, Fi's and Shane's and then by a third too, Briar's, following these characters in their journey, physical, personal and physichological, between ruins, abusive exes, magic, excaping Witch hunters, finding treasures, battling their own curses and problems to an ancient and perilous kingdom, where Briar awaits Fi and Shane.

Through their POVs the reader is able to know these brilliant and complex characters. Fi is a pragmatic, very clever and stubborn treasure hunter, in love with books and riddles, but weighed down by traumas, bad memories and struggling with her own feelings. "Forced" to help Briar, she will have to believe in fate and in love, trusting others and opening herself up.
Shane is basically Fi's opposite. She prefers battling her way through force, she's snarky, passionate and Fi's perfect companion, her brawn and passion to Fi's brain and calm and I love how, when they find themselves in different kind of situations, each of them is able to use their own strength to solve them, completing each other.
Briar Rose is the perfect last piece of the trio. While Fi is calm and introvert, Shane impulsive and swears a lot, Briar believes in love and fate, he's a bit insecure, hiding it and his fears through flirting and jokes.

The worldbuilding is imaginative and lush. Inspired by fairytales, with witches and magic, dark and white, witch hunters and magic ruins, Fi, Shane and Briar Rose as spirit move between desert, creepy forests, ruins, finding pretty but dangerous girls, escaping witch hunters, in a journey both physical and psichological, since they grow up a lot, finding their own strength, trusting one other, letting others in.

One of the things I love the most in this book is the growing relationships between characters. Fi and Shane find themselves in a partnership to find a long-lost ruin, but when Fi connects with Briar Rose, Shane decides to go with her in this perilous and exciting journey. Their partnership slowly morphs into a friendship and the girls open up to each other, revealing secrets, traumas, problems and trusting, helping and loving each other.
The relationship between Fi and Briar Rose is intense, hilarious and truly beautiful. Stuck with the spirit of a teasing and flirting Briar Rose, Fi will have to battle her own insecurities and doubts about love and destiny, while slowly appreciating and then falling for Briar Rose. I love Briar and Fi's bond, they slowly start to trust one other, then relying on, helping and loving each other.

I appreciated how each character was well rounded, with their own problems, doubts and choices. Fi and Shane, in their own way, run away to protect and save their family, trying to solve their issues, Fi, and finding a new life, Shane. It was also very refreshing reading a gender swapped story, where the sleeping prince is a boy and a dreamy one, who believes in fate and true love and a woman Indiana Jones. I loved the queer and complicated love story, full of teasing and flirting and I can't wait to know more about Red's character.

This story is beautiful and captivating. The setting is lush and imaginative, the characters are brimming with life, with their own intricacies, ups and downs, problems and resourcefulnesses, their bond is fantastic and I can't wait to know what will happen next!

came for the axe wielding adventure princess, stayed for the treasure hunting scenes. i was mildly disappointed in this book but i am not a teen! also finished in in two days so it was pretty compelling

Such a beautifully written book filled with adventure and all the queer fantasy vibes I needed!!

The worldbuilding and magic system in this book are vast and expansive and quite well-written! I still feel that there’s a lot we didn’t get to regarding the witches and their magic and I hope we see more of that in the next book. The world building was slightly overwhelming at certain points but it did set up everything very nicely and there wasn’t one scene where I wasn’t able to visualise everything in front of me. I’m happy to report that The Bone Spindle has a queer normative world. It isn’t explicitly stated of course but there are certain scenes (ones I can’t speak of cause spoilers) that explore that nobody discriminates queerness in this world, which is honestly so refreshing for me to read about.

And this might be very specific but I love snarky, poles apart duo teams! I had such a fun time reading about Fiona and Shane’s clashing personalities! They act like sisters, always bickering and refusing to compliment each other even when they both admire certain qualities in the other.

The best part of Bone Spindle is that homosexuality et al. isn't a talking point, big deal, or controversy. This story is set in a queer normative world. Imagine that.
The magical system is interesting and the world building is well-done.
I enjoyed the characters, especially Shane, who I felt showed a lot of growth over the course of the story.
I'm excited to read any other books in this series.

I loved this genderbent retelling of Sleeping Beauty! Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones YA was absolutely a unique premise.
Short Summary: The story is centered around bookish treasure Hunter Fi who, whilst exploring some old ruins pricks her finger on a bone spindle and ends up stuck with the spirit of Briar Rose, the legendary Prince of Andar, who has been under a sleeping curse for the past 100 years. Now Fi and her axe wielding, business partner Shane must now break the curse and save Briar’s kingdom.
Fi and Shane were interesting and dynamic, and combined with the lore, the book was absolutely captivating. The worldbuilding and magic was really well thought-out. I really loved learning more about Briar Rose's Kingdom, and the reason why he was cursed. I can't wait for the novel's sequel!

Treasure hunters and Sleeping Beauty vibes with gender-bending? Call me a sucker for falling in love so hard this early in the year for a book. I enjoyed the trio, Fi and Briar's budding romance included; however, you have to understand I am already a sucker for Shane's character.

Sad day but I had to DNF this one. I had high hopes for it especially after the prologue which sounded really interesting and magical but once we get into the main plot and the characters... I don't know the writing just dropped off and lost my interest. It felt hard to read for me. I wouldn't rule out coming back to it at a later point or listening to an audiobook, but this is a no for me.

This book was such a great read! I really enjoyed it and flew through it in one afternoon. The characters were unique and relatable which is something I really enjoy in a book. The author did an amazing job and I can't wait to read more.

This book was INCREDIBLE!! I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings, but a sapphic, feminist fairytale retelling... even better than what i was expecting.

4.5 stars