A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, 1)

Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop


A Spindle Splintered follows Zinnia as she pricks her finger and finds herself in another world with a sleeping beauty eager to escape her fate.

Storytelling
I love Alix E. Harrow. There, I said it. Her storytelling is impressive, and A Spindle Splintered highlights how powerful she is with words.

A Spindle Splintered is not the longest read. Running at only 128 pages, Harrow works thoughtfully to build up this feminist narrative of a girl living under a curse of her own, one that will end her life on her 21st birthday. A day where she will fall asleep and never wake up.

Hence her obsession with the Sleeping Beauty fairytale.

The pacing, the momentum, it never falters as Zinnia tries to find a way to break the spell of Sleeping Beauty. Harrow takes the fairytale apart, subverting the sexism that defined the original texts and modernizing the tale with an empowered protagonist who is eager to escape her dire fate and help those stuck escape their own.

But more than that, in a few pages, Harrow shows readers the many fairytales that can follow Sleeping Beauty. Mike Chen hit the nail when he said, “Like Into the Spider-Verse for Disney princess…”. It was incredible to be given snippets of various versions of this tale, the multiple ways the story can break its mold and become something else entirely while still holding onto its substance.

Final Thoughts
A Spindle Splintered is mind-blowing. Harrow gives readers a short and sweet narrative that subverts all expectations. It moves gracefully, highlighting the sexism in old fairy tales, taking the “moral” and creating something new.

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Not a bad book, pretty fun, but just too Girl Boss Disney for me

I picked this up for bookclub. I really enjoyed the varied stories of Sleeping Beauty. They came together beautifully in this book to tell a modern story.

I look forward to reading the sequel. I hope it is just as good as the first book.

A Spindle Splintered delivers a quick and engaging story that plays with familiar tropes while asking what it means to escape them. It is a fairy tale retelling that knows its roots and then reshapes them with a modern and self-aware twist. Zinnia Gray is about to turn twenty-one. Which would be a milestone worth celebrating if it were not expected to be her last. A rare illness has defined her life, so her best friend Charm plans a Sleeping Beauty-themed birthday to give her a final, perfect memory. Zinnia does not want to die, but has accepted her fate. When Zinnia pricks her finger, the story takes a turn into something far stranger. She falls into another world and meets a different version of Sleeping Beauty, who also wants out of her fate. The story moves at a fast pace and keeps the focus on its central idea rather than lingering too long in any one place. The shorter length works well here. It creates a tight narrative that highlights the concept without dragging. The characters are enjoyable and distinct, but they are not explored in great detail. Some moments pass quickly due to the pacing. Emotional beats arrive and resolve without much space to linger. Readers who prefer deeper character development may want more time with the cast and the world. Zinnia’s voice carries the story. Her relationship with her best friend Charm adds emotional grounding. Their friendship feels supportive and genuine, which gives the story weight when it needs it. Once she is in the fairytale, Zinnia's modern perspective blends humor with a sharp awareness of fairy tale logic. This creates strong contrast between her modern mindset and the rules of the world she enters. The reimagining of Sleeping Beauty stands out because it does more than retell the story. It challenges it. The narrative looks at fate, agency, and the expectations placed on characters who are written to suffer for the sake of a story. These ideas are present without overwhelming the tone, which stays light and engaging. Amy Landon’s narration supports the tone well. She captures Zinnia’s voice and keeps the delivery engaging throughout the short runtime. The ending leaves room for more, which raises the possibility of a continuation. It feels like an opening rather than a conclusion, which may appeal to readers who enjoy interconnected stories. The storytelling leans toward a young adult audience. Though it remains accessible for adult readers who enjoy fairy tale retellings with a modern lens. It is a quick listen, delivering a clever premise, and a satisfying character arc.

With a few exceptions, most of our group did not like this title. There were some critical flaws which made it difficult to truly enjoy. That said, we enjoyed the illustrations (even though their ordering/ placement was not really germane to the text), thought it was appropriately short, and ended up having a lively discussion (most of which was only loosely related to the book, but still...)