A Spindle Splintered

 ASpindle Splintered

by Alix Harrow

Tordotcom, 2021. 119 pages. Science Fiction.

It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past twenty-one. Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.

If you like fractured fairytales, this LGBTQIA+ friendly, snarky reframing of Sleeping Beauty is for you. The writing and wit are razor sharp. There are lots of nods to pop culture. I laughed out loud several times. The story line is character driven and does more than just follow the basic fairy tale outline. The world building and magic system are well thought out and compelling. This is a fun jaunt through a well-known fairy tale that shows that there is always more to the story.    

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AG