The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder is a gender bending retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a sapphic Red Riding Hood twist and it’s a definite must-read for any fantasy lover.
Filore is a bookish treasure hunter who is good with riddles, curses and lore. Shane is great with an axe and is trained in combat. Together they make the perfect treasure hunting duo.
The book starts with Shane offering Fi a piece of the latest treasure she wants to chase. It’s in an old ruin that is bound to have magic and traps which need navigating and she can use Fi’s help.
Fi, interested in finding any old books that can help her with her current predicament, agrees to go with.
In the ruins they find more than they bargained for when Fi pricks her finger on a spindle and becomes destined to save the sleeping prince, Briar Rose. A prince who was put under a curse 100 years before in an attempt to stop The Spindle Witch from being able to turn him evil.
The activation of this curse also attracts the attention of a ruthless cult called the Witch Hunters who see the blast of light and start to hunt down the magic users responsible.
Shane, meanwhile, meets a dark haired beauty who goes by the name of Red and the spark of attraction between them is enough to set even a damp forest on fire. Red warns Shane to stay away but the two keep running into one another and Shane takes it as fate. Red, though, seems ready to dart into the night at any sign that Shane is becoming too attached.
While Shane and Fi are working their way towards saving Briar Rose we discover that there are dark forces at play. Forces that are powerful, old and waiting for them.
Can they save the prince or will the Witch Hunters stop them before they do? Who is Red and why does she warn Shane to stay away from her? And what will happen if they can wake Briar, how do they save him from a witch so powerful that no one has been able to stop her yet?
Through the book we delve into both Fi and Shane’s backstories and explore a budding romance between Fi and Briar as well as one between Shane and Red. While this book is predominantly the story of Fi and Briar it does a great job of setting up for book two which will be the story of Shane and Red.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Vedder manages to capture Shane and Fi as two unique young women with surprising depth, distinct personalities and she makes them both absolutely worth following through the story.
The writing is clean, well paced and perfectly executed. There is just enough detail to make the world rich and enticing. I LOVED the puzzles, locations and cool treasure hunting adventure exploits.
Heads Up
The heterosexual romance was the main thrust of the book and it was so sweet and innocent.
The lesbian storyline was a mid sized part of this book but the oodles of chemistry between Red and Shane made up for that and I may have spent way too much time rereading those sections while “looking for quotes for this review.”
The Conclusion
If you enjoy well written adventure including danger and magic with oodles of sweet romance and wonderful characters then this is the perfect read for you.
This book is one of those rare reads that you feel lucky to have experienced and wish you could do it again.
I am waiting with great anticipation for the next book in the series and cannot wait to see Shane’s story play out more. I will follow Shane and Red to the ends of the earth to get their story. (I am basically the lesbian on the boat who crossed the ocean for her romance, but with their romance.)
Bring on the next one in the series please.
Excerpt from The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder
Fi didn’t know who she was looking for. She slid the scrap of parchment into the cup of the palm, frowning at the messy scrawl.
Meet me at the Silver Baron at sundown. I have an offer you can’t refuse. No Signature. The note has been slipped under her door at the Iron Lantern Inn, where she’s been staying the last two days. Her first instinct–probably her best instinct–had been to pack up and leave town. But every time she reached for her travel bags, she found herself lifting the note instead, studying the puzzle it presented. Who knew she was back in Darfell? And what did they mean, an offer she couldn’t refuse?
Fi drummed her fingers against the counter, staring at the black fingerless glove on her left hand. The crumpled map was scratched with harsh X’s, drawn in her own frustrated hand, as search after search failed to turn up what she was looking for. Following a mysterious note to a place like the Silver Baron was an act of desperation. She pulled off her hat and set it on the bar. Her skin was tan, her cheeks dusted with freckles from hours in the sun. She ran her hand through her dark brown hair, which was just long enough to trap in a small ponytail at the nape of her neck. She wasn’t keeping a low profile because she was a fugitive, nor was she up to anything shady enough to take place in the back rooms of the Silver Baron. She was just avoiding her ex.
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Series
The Bone Spindle Series
The Bone Spindle
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9780593325827
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
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