#leslie vedder

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

JOMP BPC - December 6th - Biggest Pet Peeve

when a series you thought was a duology turns out to be a trilogy 🙈 but I'm still excited to read The Bone Spindle series when book 3 comes out in February

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: The Cursed Rose by Leslie Vedder

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Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Synopsis:

The fate of a cursed kingdom rests on ancient secrets, broken promises, and fierce friendships in this gasp-worthy final book of the bestselling twisted fairytale Bone Spindle series. **Perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson, Holly Black, and Marissa Meyer** Not all curses should be broken. Not all fairytales end happily ever after. Fi is a prisoner. Briar, a monster. Shane's a warrior. And Red is a traitor. What was once a formidable group of four fighting to reawaken the kingdom is now ruptured, torn apart by the wicked Spindle Witch. Confined to a tower with the monstrous Briar Rose, Fi is caught in the Spindle Witch’s ever-tightening web. With the Spindle Witch on the verge of finding the Siphoning Spells and crushing Andar—with Fi’s help, no less—Fi’s only hope lies in decoding the ancient riddle of the Rose Witches before she loses Briar forever. Shane is desperate to save Andar—and her partner. She’s on the hunt for a weapon left by the mysterious Lord of the Butterflies, which holds the key to the Spindle Witch’s demise. Her love for Red has only fortified. But Red’s betrayal puts her in danger from a new enemy—the Spindle Witch’s executioner, the Wraith, a witch as powerful as he is cruel. The future of Andar lies in the secrets of its past. Fi and Shane must take on the greatest lost ruin of them all—the Tomb of Queen Aurora. Filled with vicious bone monsters, new alliances, and surprises at every turn, prepare to be swept away by this taut, clever, and heart-filled series conclusion.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was a fantastic end to the trilogy and one of my favorite books of 2024 so far. I was surprised at how quickly everything from the previous books came back to me once I started reading, even though I was sure I didn't remember much. There are no obvious "this is what already happened" sections either. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days.

I love how Leslie Vedder took what is on the surface a Sleeping Beauty retelling and completely transformed it, giving it a hefty dose of Indiana Jones and so much more depth than the original tale. The characters are also fantastic, complex and compelling and difficult. I was absolutely hooked from the first moments of the first book to the final moments of the last. I love how, even when things seemed to be wrapping up, there were so many surprises and unexpected moments. I never knew what to expect.

The writing is fabulous and sucked me in immediately. The magic is both beautiful and ominous. The setting is incredibly vivid as well, and there are so many scenes that would make amazing paintings.

I am sad to come to the end of Fi and Shane and Briar and Red's tale. I would love to see a spinoff series of their adventures after the events in Andar. Especially if Perrin and the Paper Witch were to make cameo appearances. I will be keeping an eye out for Leslie Vedder's next book - she's jumped onto my shortlist of autobuy authors at this point.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Razorbill for providing an early copy for review.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Bone Spindle | Author: Leslie Vedder | Publisher: Razorbill (2022)

[pink-pages]

The Bone Spindle

Warning: Spoiler Alert

You know the whole “kicking your feet, giggling” thing? That was me reading this book. I absolutely ADORE fairytale retellings and I haven’t read many fairytale retellings of Sleeping Beauty (only one, Winter from the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer) and I certainly haven’t read a gender bent one!!! I also haven’t read one with a sapphic romance anywhere in it (which is a bonus point for this one).

The biggest problem I had with Sleeping Beauty as a fairytale was that there was no consent for the kiss. The whole “astral projecting prince” thing was a really good work around. I also noticed some small details from both the Disney Sleeping Beauty movie and other fairytales and even other Disney versions of those fairytales. In Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Aurora and Prince Philip danced while Philip was wearing a red cape and hat; in The Bone Spindle, Fi dances with Briar while he’s wearing a red highwayman costume. Rapunzel is all about a girl trapped in a tower; the story from Andar that Fi tells about the moon involves a girl locked in a tower. In Disney’s Rapunzel, Eugene flips out because the people drawing his wanted posters can’t get his nose right; in The Bone Spindle, Shane is upset that the wanted posters drew her wrong. Little Red Ridinghood is about a girl wearing red who is tricked by a wolf; in The Bone Spindle, Red’s signature color is red (a bit obvious) and she can control wolf-like creatures.

When it comes to the writing itself, I love how complicated all the character’s backstories were. I also love how Vedder was able to show the backstories instead of telling them through the various flashbacks woven (puninted) throughout the book. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to pair different pieces of memory up with different events happening in the current time and then segue into them; much less manage to make it so all the flashbacks fit into the length of the book. I do have a hard time believing that Fi and Shane are only 17 and 18 respectively. I mean, Fi’s lived enough life to have made it to the top of the treasure hunting circuit and then been retired for a year and Shane’s been running around swinging that battle axe long enough to have a life before running away, one as a mercenary, and one after the Paper Witch.

Along with the pacing and placement of the flashbacks, I also loved the pacing of the book itself. I get kind of bored reading books that spend too much time on long dry descriptions or events that are inconsequential to the plot. A paragraph or two is a good description length, no one wants to read two pages of a turtle crossing the road (I’m looking at you, Grapes of Wrath). In The Bone Spindle, there was always something happening, even when there wasn’t. There was no filler, every scene had a purpose and was interesting in some way, full of witty banter or riveting action sequences. The only thing I don’t like about the pacing is that sometimes time skips between scenes are a bit disorienting. I’d definitely take that over filler scenes any day, though.

Another thing I love about The Bone Spindle is it’s dialogue, both internal and external. When it comes to external dialogue, I love the interactions between characters. I love the bickering between Fi and Shane and the odd flirtation going on between Briar and Fi. When it comes to internal dialogues, I love how in their POV chapters, the characters all have their own ways of thinking of things and describing them. Briar’s POV chapters are kind of wistful and nostalgic, Fi’s are full of practicality and power of head over heart, and Shane’s are very blunt and forward.

The romances also feel very true to character. Personally, I like Briar and Fi’s romance. I like romances that are based on a foundation of friendship and trust. Ones that aren’t instalove and take time to develop. That’s the kind of romance I want in my life. Red and Shane’s romance is much more whirlwind. It’s dangerous. It’s intense. It’s based on mystery and excitement. I personally don’t like it because I don’t like romances that don’t have a solid foundation. It’s perfect for Shane, though, and helps characterize her perfectly.

I’m going to get a little English Lit major on you here (even though I’m not an English Lit major). I really like the way every detail of The Bone Spindle contribute to the theme of time and the idea that you can’t change the past, all you can do is move on and live in the present/future. Do you dwell on the fall of Andar by continuing to hunt witches or do you use the ruins to gain things for the future like knowledge or goods? Do you keep living in the shadow of your past romance with Armand or do you take a chance on the future with Briar? Do you sulk about all the bad things you’ve done in the past or do you take that job offered by the Paper Witch and let him help you turn your life around? Do you choose the Spindle Witch who rescued you in the past or Shane who genuinely cares about you and wants to protect you in the future?

Characters

Fi: Fi is so autistic coded. I say this as an autistic person. She thinks about feelings logically. She has a hard time understanding social cues. She has a hard time making friends. She has special interests (magic and history). I can honestly relate to Fi a little bit. I understand what it’s like trying to make friends in a neurotypical world, having to think about your feelings to determine them, and I understand having a secret that you feel like you can’t tell anyone that’s slowly eating you up inside. That being said, she is not my favorite character. To be clear, I like Fi. She’s just not my favorite.

Shane: Shane might be my favorite character, right next to Briar on that. I absolutely love butch lesbian characters. I also love how open she is, at least compared to Fi and Red (and most YA characters, to be honest). Her chapters are also pretty fun to read because of her character. I think it was really the ball that won me over on her. Acting like a mannerless gremlin out of spite and calling Briar a pile of haunted clothes were pretty great. I was a bit annoyed at her for falling for Red so quickly, though. But Shane is definitely an agent of chaos and I love agents of chaos.

Briar: I really like Briar. I like his flirting with Fi. I like how protective he is of her. I like how he refuses to be anything like Armand. I especially like how non-toxic of a love interest he is. Briar is something of a romantic. I like that cause I’m like that, too only I’m not just something of a romantic, I’m a hopeless romantic. He also gives little brother vibes. His little breakdown at the end about not wanting to be alone honestly broke my heart. I was actually happy when things went sideways cause it meant he still got to be with Fi.

Red: I actually read a little spoiler before I read the book that mentioned that Red was one of the antagonists (that’s a lot of reds/reads), so I knew she was going to turn on them and was working for the Spindle Witch. Oops. That made me dislike her automatically, but if my opinion hadn’t been colored by that spoiler, I imagine she might have been one of my favorite characters. I tend to like female characters who kick ass while also being feminine and pretty. I can’t make too many judgements on her now, though, because the book doesn’t tell us much about her. I’m looking forward to learning more in the next two books, though.

[pridepages]

Maybe falling in love wasn't something you dreamed about, or something you left to destiny. Maybe it was something that happened when you were having too much fun to notice.

Leslie Vedder, The Bone Spindle

[xenaisnumber1]

This is definitely Shane from The Bone Spindle.

Lumberjacked Workouts!

[amar-bell]

“Engrave it onto your heart for me. Some stories should never be forgotten.”

-The Cursed Rose (Leslie Vedder)

[meeghanreads]

Top 5 fairy tale retellings

Hello friends!! Welcome to Top 5 Tuesday!! This week’s topic is top 5 fairy tale retellings!! Now, I know this topic is not for everyone. In fact, it’s pretty much designed purely for me. But, as host, that’s my prerogative every so often. And, I’m not sorry. Sorry. But, for not being sorry. Not for the topic. I’ll stop now. Apparently, somewhere in the world 26 February is National Fairy Tale…

[purplebunnyreads]

🥀The Bone Spindle🥀 by Leslie Vedder

I really wanted to read this book like a year ago when I first discovered it, and I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read it then. It was very fast paced all the way through, though I sort of lost interest around halfway, probably because I kept pausing to read other books, which is a bad habit that I do not recommend. I definitely liked the beginning of the book, and I enjoyed the flashbacks even more than I did the actual story, which surprises me. I would read a whole book about Fi's adventures in treasure hunting, and a whole book about Briar's childhood.

As for the characters, some of their relationships felt a bit underdeveloped to me, but this is the first book in a trilogy so it makes sense. But nothing bad can be said about Briar Rose. He honestly carried the entire book, which says a lot since he wasn't in it nearly as much as any other character. He reminds me a lot of Keefe Sencen from Keeper of the Lost Cities. I hear that he has a lot more page time in the second book, so needless to say I am excited.

I also for some reason really liked the paper witch. I hope he's a more prominent character in the rest of the trilogy.

Overall, this story definitely has potential, and I'm excited to see where it goes from here!

[inlovewithquotes]

You think love is some beautiful dream, but love can make people do terrible things.

-The Bone Spindle

[stardustandrockets]

What are some of your favorite retellings? Bonus points if they're queer.

February's trad pub pick from @rainbowcratebookbox was My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron—a queer Jekyll & Hyde retelling.

Some of my favorite retellings are The Once Upon a Con series by Ashley Poston, Heart of Iron/Soul of Stars by Ashley Poston, You're a Mean one, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky, and The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder.

Synopsis:

London, 1885. Gabriel Utterson, a 17-year-old law clerk, has returned to London for the first time since his life— and that of his dearest friend, Henry Jekyll—was derailed by a scandal that led to his and Henry's expulsion from the London Medical School. Whispers about the true nature of Gabriel and Henry's relationship have followed the boys for two years, and now Gabriel has a chance to start again.

But Gabriel doesn't want to move on, not without Henry. His friend has become distant and cold since the disastrous events of the prior spring, and now his letters have stopped altogether. Desperate to discover what's become of him, Gabriel takes to watching the Jekyll house.

In doing so, Gabriel meets Hyde, a a strangely familiar young man with white hair and a magnetic charisma. He claims to be friends with Henry, and Gabriel can't help but begin to grow jealous at their apparent closeness, especially as Henry continues to act like Gabriel means nothing to him.

But the secret behind Henry's apathy is only the first part of a deeper mystery that has begun to coalesce. Monsters of all kinds prowl within the London fog—and not all of them are out for blood...

[aceinabook]

The Severed Thread by Leslie Vedder

Character 4| Setting 4.5| Writing 3.5| Plot 4| Enjoyment 4.5

Rating: 4.1

When I read these types of romance Fantasy stories, I always feel like the friendships go to the back seats of the couples, but Vedder didn't do that! Listen, I love Fi and Briar, and Shane and Red, but I also love just how strong and important Fi and Shane are to eachother. Their partners, their friends, and they feel like Sisters.

I love a story that uses the corruption of your own power trope and I loved how Vedder deployed that in this story.

I think Fi and Briar are kind of dumb in the communication department. Briar more so…. He does a lot of things that frustrate me and he's kind of a hypocrite. I love one idiot.

I had thought one twist was going to happen, but another happened so that rarely happens to me so pros to this author for doing an excellent twist! I'm so excited to continue to the third book!

[empyrean11]

Recent reads:

The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder

This was utterly delightful. A twisty, heisty adventure. I loved everything about it. Briar's naïve innocence, Fi's cleverness and stubborn practicality, Shane solving all her problems with her giant axe. A cast of side characters and back stories and all the worldbuilding you need.

I have already added book 2 to my holds list... so, yeah.

[Shane] wouldn't be surprised if being haunted by an undead prince was like having a bad rash. It just made you twitchy and irritable.

I just ... ahhh!! loved it so much!! Imagine me doing a kermit flail. It's so good!!

[good-books-to-read]

Going to add some more

Heartless by Marisa Meyer

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Once & future by Cori McCarthy and Amy rose Captetta

Wolf for a spell by Karah Sutton

Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder

Malice by Heather Walters

Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Of beast and beauty by Stacey Jay

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

I have more but they are more mythological and history inspired than fairytales

Fairy Tale Retelling Book Recommendations

A favorite genre of mine. Here are the books I recommend in this category or that people have recommended to me. If you have any recommendations of ones I've missed, let me know! Always looking for more book recs.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

The Wrath and Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Stolen Enchantress by Amber Argyle

Curse of the Wolf King by Tessonja Odette

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C Dao

[acourtofpaperandink]

Book Review: The Severed Thread By: Leslie Vedder

Post by: BookGirl The Bone Spindle (book 1) The Severed Thread (book 2) By: Leslie Vedder Cover: Umm… It’s okay. It has the characters on the cover and I’m not a fan of that. However, the art is okay. Other than the characters the cover is rather plain. It does match the first book, so there’s that.  Story: ★★★ I like this story. This is the second book in a Sleeping Beauty retelling where…

[jessryno]

Book Review: The Severed Thread By: Leslie Vedder

Post by: BookGirl The Bone Spindle (book 1) The Severed Thread (book 2) By: Leslie Vedder Cover: Umm… It’s okay. It has the characters on the cover and I’m not a fan of that. However, the art is okay. Other than the characters the cover is rather plain. It does match the first book, so there’s that.  Story: ★★★ I like this story. This is the second book in a Sleeping Beauty retelling where…