Spindle - Shonna Slayton

Arc Provided by Entangled Teen Through Netgalley Release Date: October 4 th This was certainly different from every single retelling that I've ever read... and for that I'm grateful. I can certainly appreciate a different take on a story inspired by a fairy tale. And this one sure is original. Time frame: end of the nineteen century. Briar Rose is a mill girl along many others. She is a sixteen year old, in charge of her younger siblings. Her reality couldn't be more distant of one of a fairy tale. Well written, this story took me back to the period of suffragettes, a time fraught with changes and possibilities. I liked imagining what it must have been like living back then. Not in a "oh, I wish I could time travel", because I am a woman and let's face it, we're still fighting for our rights... -_- I liked how the author was able to interwove some magical aspects of a fairy tale in a setting such as the one of the industrial revolution. I liked "seeing" the girls reactions to bicycles for instance. How differently the girls reacted to changes. The ones that were eager for it versus the others that kept wishing things wouldn't change. It was all great until things started being a little repetitive. But the thing that left me somewhat disappointed was the way health and magic got a little tangled... I understand why it happened, but I thought it was a little messy. Besides that, I can't help wishing that Briar wouldn't have felt so "goody two shoes". That her younger brothers hadn't been portrayed as such angels, so that maternal instincts could arise on her friends, and things like those. As for Henry I would have liked to have seen more of him. It definitely felt as if the romance was extremely downplayed, and although I don't like it when a romance takes centre stage, a middle ground could have been found. As for the ending, it felt extremely rushed, there my 3.5 rating. All in all, this was a positive experience and I'll be sure to give the author's other stories a try. Author's Official Site Bookdepository.com