A Spindle Splintered (by Alix E. Harrow)
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Horrow is a great novella for fans of a fairytale reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. Zinnia Gray has a rare illness that doctors don’t know much about, except that others with the same illness have not lived past age 21. For Zinnia’s 21st birthday, her best friend, Charm, plans a special celebration for Zinnia with a complete sleeping beauty experience. The birthday party takes place in a tower with a spinning wheel. Zinnia pricks her finger on the spinning wheel and she finds herself in another world with a young woman hopeful to change the course of her destiny.
Alix takes a historic fairytale and turns it into a modern telling of the story. Zinnia pulls at my heart strings; to be such a young woman fighting a rare illness that has her, and her parents, feeling like death is constantly at her back door is agonizing. Her best friend, Charm, is an amazing friend determined to save Zinnia’s life by solving the mystery of her illness. The conclusion of the story was terrific. A satisfying, yet unexpected ending, with a beautiful revelation. I love seeing characters grow.
The hardcover edition of this book is a work of art. There are beautiful black and white images throughout the pages. I captured a couple of examples in the below photos.
I became a fan of Alix E. Harrow with her debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I had the pleasure of attending two of Alix’s author events for The Ten Thousand Doors of January, which are linked below.
In conversation with Erin Morganstern
You can check out my review for Alix’s short story below.
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