Fantasy

The Bone Spindle

The Bone Spindle

  • Downloads：8644
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-23 08:51:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Leslie Vedder
  • ISBN：0593325826
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones in this thrilling fairytale retelling for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and All the Stars and Teeth。

Fi is a bookish treasure hunter with a knack for ruins and riddles， who definitely doesn't believe in true love。

Shane is a tough-as-dirt girl warrior from the north who likes cracking skulls， pretty girls， and doing things her own way。

Briar Rose is a prince under a sleeping curse， who's been waiting a hundred years for the kiss that will wake him。

Cursed princes are nothing but ancient history to Fi--until she pricks her finger on a bone spindle while exploring a long-lost ruin。 Now she's stuck with the spirit of Briar Rose until she and Shane can break the century-old curse on his kingdom。

Dark magic， Witch Hunters， and bad exes all stand in her way--not to mention a mysterious witch who might wind up stealing Shane's heart， along with whatever else she's after。 But nothing scares Fi more than the possibility of falling in love with Briar Rose。

Set in a lush world inspired by beloved fairytales， The Bone Spindle is a fast-paced young adult fantasy full of adventure， romance， found family， and snark。

Download

Reviews

Autumn Byrd ，

Everything about this book screams volumes to my soul！ Plus， that cover！ *chef's kiss*Blog|Instagram|YouTube|Ko-fi Everything about this book screams volumes to my soul！ Plus， that cover！ *chef's kiss*Blog|Instagram|YouTube|Ko-fi 。。。more

Steph ，

This was a light fun adventure with two fierce female MCs。 A gender bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a dash of Little Red Riding Hood a touch of Indiana Jones and a whole lotta snark！ I loved the partner friendship between Fi and Shane - I found the two of them to be much more interesting than either of the love stories， but that might be in part bc they were both insta-love which just isn’t my fav。 There are two relationships， on M/F and one F/F but neither felt fully developed to me。 I w This was a light fun adventure with two fierce female MCs。 A gender bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a dash of Little Red Riding Hood a touch of Indiana Jones and a whole lotta snark！ I loved the partner friendship between Fi and Shane - I found the two of them to be much more interesting than either of the love stories， but that might be in part bc they were both insta-love which just isn’t my fav。 There are two relationships， on M/F and one F/F but neither felt fully developed to me。 I wasn’t invested in either pairing and definitely found Shane’s blink and you’ll miss it now I’m in love to be offputting。 It is a fast pace plot with a lot of action and the banter was fun as Shane and Fi got to know more about each other。 I would say this feels toward the younger side of the YA range and would be appropriate for early teens （mild violence， nothing gory or graphic， and chaste kissing only）。 I will be interested to see where book 2 in the series goes I walked away with many unanswered questions that I’m hoping to get more info on in the next book。 。。。more

Whitney ，

**Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers/Razorbill for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 This in no way changed my opinion of the book**Wow， was this is a great start to a series！ The Bone Spindle is Leslie Vedder's debut novel and the class of '22 is starting off on a great foot with this one。 The story mostly revolves around Fi （full name Filore） and Shane， two treasure hunters who agree to work together for "one job" that becomes much longer when Fi accidentally pricks her **Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers/Razorbill for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 This in no way changed my opinion of the book**Wow， was this is a great start to a series！ The Bone Spindle is Leslie Vedder's debut novel and the class of '22 is starting off on a great foot with this one。 The story mostly revolves around Fi （full name Filore） and Shane， two treasure hunters who agree to work together for "one job" that becomes much longer when Fi accidentally pricks her finger on the bone spindle and sets into motion events that will break the spell on a magical world called Andar and it's sleeping （and cursed） crown prince， Briar。 I say "mostly" because Briar gets a few POV chapters in there， but the lion's share go to our two female protagonists。 Fi is from a noble family， is very resourceful and smart， and is a hiding a secret that has to do with her last hunting partner。 Shane is from a royal family， but after a series of events finds herself disowned and making a living as a huntswoman for hire。 I loved her bold and rash attitude， along with her stubbornness， and how that paired well with Fi's logic and rationality。 They balance each other well and develop a genuine friendship as the book continues， which was really nice to see。 I'm glad to see more women who are able to handle themselves and fewer books that feel they need to pit the female characters against each other。 The love interests were also interesting。 Briar is a cursed prince （and a genderswapped Sleeping Beauty）， as well as being a powerful light witch。 He's chivalrous but has a dark side。 He's funny and thoughtful， as well as being very idealistic。 Shane's love interest is a girl we know simply as "Red" is also a witch of some sort and a traveller， as well as charismatic。 I have thoughts on where I think the story is going with her， but I don't want to spoil anything for y'all。 I'm hoping we see more of her in book 2。 I like that Vedder was able to include all kinds of relationships in a Fantasy series。 It's nice to see YA Fantasy is leading the genre into being more inclusive。The pacing was good for the most part。 I think there were aspects where it slowed down a bit， but they're usually at a point where you need a little breather or you need an explanation。 These slower sections don't last very long and we get back to the main adventure pretty quickly。 I feel like this book was the "set up" book for an even bigger adventure series， which makes me very happy。 It's giving me ACOTAR vibes in that I enjoyed book 1， but the subsequent books were even better。 All in all， this was an excellent start to a series that I can't wait to read more of。 If you like fairy tale retellings， I'd recommend this。 The book description mentioned fans of The Cruel Prince， and while I think the stories diverge pretty far from each other， I can see where fans of TCP would enjoy this: strong female characters in a great Fantasy setting。 I already mentioned that I think ACOTAR fans would like it。 I would probably add fans of the "Adventure" story （e。g。 Watership Down， The Hobbit）。 I cannot wait to see where Vedder takes us next on this journey！ 4。5/5 stars （rounded up for Goodreads） 。。。more

Vaish -bookishbelle1008 ，

Thank you to Hachette Australia and the author for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。Having read so many Beauty and the Beast retellings， I was deeply intrigued about picking up an LGBTQ role reversal Sleeping Beauty retelling。 This book was gripping， action packed and fast paced。 It isn’t your typical perfect fairytale with much darker and haunting elements that packs a punch。 I loved the relationship between Fi and Shane; despite coming from starkly different backg Thank you to Hachette Australia and the author for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。Having read so many Beauty and the Beast retellings， I was deeply intrigued about picking up an LGBTQ role reversal Sleeping Beauty retelling。 This book was gripping， action packed and fast paced。 It isn’t your typical perfect fairytale with much darker and haunting elements that packs a punch。 I loved the relationship between Fi and Shane; despite coming from starkly different backgrounds， they share a bond that warms the heart。 The one thing that I found challenging was the amount of flashbacks that were brought into the story。 I don’t mind a few here and there but there seemed to be too many that broke the flow of the story for me。 This is the perfect book for those who love fairytale retellings that are creative and dark in the best way possible！ 。。。more

Jennifer Prior ，

⁣Book Review⁣Book: The Bone Spindle⁣Author: Leslie Vedder⁣Publication Date: January 11， 2022⁣Genre: YA Fantasy⁣⁣Synopsis:⁣The Bone Spindle is a gender bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty。 The story follows Fi and Shane。 Fi is a historian/treasure hunter and Shane is a treasure hunter。 Both females decide to partner up on a treasure hunt， and in the process of this， Fi ends up pricking her finger on the bone spindle， thus connecting her to Briar Rose， the sleeping prince， making her the one that wi ⁣Book Review⁣Book: The Bone Spindle⁣Author: Leslie Vedder⁣Publication Date: January 11， 2022⁣Genre: YA Fantasy⁣⁣Synopsis:⁣The Bone Spindle is a gender bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty。 The story follows Fi and Shane。 Fi is a historian/treasure hunter and Shane is a treasure hunter。 Both females decide to partner up on a treasure hunt， and in the process of this， Fi ends up pricking her finger on the bone spindle， thus connecting her to Briar Rose， the sleeping prince， making her the one that will have to kiss the prince to help save his kingdom。⁣⁣Review:⁣This was such a fun book full of adventure and magic。 I loved how the story moved from present and past so that the readers could really understand the background of Fi and Shane。 Both back stories are heartbreaking in different ways， but really help to understand the characters actions and choices through out the book。 I loved how different Fi and Shane are but worked so well together。 This book also had some romance， including m/f and f/f。 I loved how Fi and Briar Rose were able to form a relationship via magic while he was under the curse。 I wish we would have gotten more backstory on Red， Shane’s romantic interest， but I have a feeling we will be seeing her again in the next book。⁣⁣Overall， if you are looking a for a book with story with strong female characters， action/adventure， magic， wonderful character development， and elements of romance， this is definitely the book for you。 ⁣⁣I received an ARC of this book from⁣ Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review ⁣#bookreview #thebonespindle #yafantasy #leslievedder #fairytale #retelling #genderbent #lgbtqbooks ⁣⁣⁣⁣ 。。。more

Leonie ，

3。5 stars。 RTC。[I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。]

DeAnne ，

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。When I picked this book up I was definitely looking for something that would keep me engaged and make me smile， and this one fit the bill！ I loved the fact that it was a retelling with a few twists， such as being queer， including a treasure hunter and real depth while still maintaining that fun adventure/fairy tale vibe。 I loved that in this world treated different sexual orientations as normal， it's always such a nice thing to *I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。When I picked this book up I was definitely looking for something that would keep me engaged and make me smile， and this one fit the bill！ I loved the fact that it was a retelling with a few twists， such as being queer， including a treasure hunter and real depth while still maintaining that fun adventure/fairy tale vibe。 I loved that in this world treated different sexual orientations as normal， it's always such a nice thing to see， especially in genres other than contemporary。 I also appreciated that the story wasn't all fun and adventure， it dealt with a lot of other issues such as trauma from past relationships （including some pretty toxic behavior that caused that trauma）。Also， I really enjoyed the writing and world building in this book。 I felt like it was a great set up for the world and will serve as a great foundation for the series。 I can't wait to see what the next book has in store！ 。。。more

Optimisticbooknerd ，

4，5 starsI loved this one！ It was so fun and not a dull part。 I was a bit skeptical of the concept at first 'Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones' I immediately was like "Oh my god， what！？" But this was so good and so much fun。I need a physical copy immediately。 This is the book I would ask my non-reader family/friends to read it is such a beautiful book that you can tell the author put so much time and effort into and it was amazing and I can't wait to follow these amazing characters in the sequ 4，5 starsI loved this one！ It was so fun and not a dull part。 I was a bit skeptical of the concept at first 'Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones' I immediately was like "Oh my god， what！？" But this was so good and so much fun。I need a physical copy immediately。 This is the book I would ask my non-reader family/friends to read it is such a beautiful book that you can tell the author put so much time and effort into and it was amazing and I can't wait to follow these amazing characters in the sequel！ 。。。more

Modern Miss Granger ，

I was so looking forward to this book！ However， it fell a little bit flat for me。 There were a few things I liked。 The friendships and found family aspects were great。 The world building and adventure were really extensive and well done。 The romances were not for me。 I didn’t feel connected to either and I wasn’t a fan of them。 I don’t know if it was the tropes or something else， but I just didn’t enjoy them。 I also felt like this was contemporary and then fantasy。 It felt like it didn’t match u I was so looking forward to this book！ However， it fell a little bit flat for me。 There were a few things I liked。 The friendships and found family aspects were great。 The world building and adventure were really extensive and well done。 The romances were not for me。 I didn’t feel connected to either and I wasn’t a fan of them。 I don’t know if it was the tropes or something else， but I just didn’t enjoy them。 I also felt like this was contemporary and then fantasy。 It felt like it didn’t match up at some points and it jerked me out of the story a lot。 Overall， a unique read but it wasn’t for me。 。。。more

kindleandkettle ，

The Bone Spindle is my new favourite fairytale retelling。Think Sleeping Beauty， but with a role reversal and a dash of Indiana Jones thrown in。 The Bone Spindle follows the characters of Fi， Shane and Briar。 Fi is a treasure hunter that doesn't believe in true love， Shane is a tough as nails female warrior but has a weakness for pretty girls and Briar is a prince under a sleeping curse， waiting for true loves kiss。This book was extremely fast paced and I loved the world development。 It is refres The Bone Spindle is my new favourite fairytale retelling。Think Sleeping Beauty， but with a role reversal and a dash of Indiana Jones thrown in。 The Bone Spindle follows the characters of Fi， Shane and Briar。 Fi is a treasure hunter that doesn't believe in true love， Shane is a tough as nails female warrior but has a weakness for pretty girls and Briar is a prince under a sleeping curse， waiting for true loves kiss。This book was extremely fast paced and I loved the world development。 It is refreshing to read a fairytale retelling with a role reversal and I was completely invested in the adventure。 Throughout the story， we had periods that fleshed out the backstory of Fi， Shane and Briar。 Shane's backstory was very engaging but I liked reading the events that led to these characters coming together。 It was a nice transition from the main storyline back to these past reflections。 The relationship between Fi and Shane is exceptional。 They are two very different girls but work so well together。 The banter and camaraderie was one of the highlights of the book for me。 As for the world building， it felt like a darker fairytale which I absolutely love！ Everything was dangerous or ruined and not your typical safe fairytale。 The world posed many dangers to the characters。 Not only were there ghastly creatures （spiders。。。yuck） but there were also witch hunters and just horrible people to contend with。 This left many opportunities for some action-packed scenes which helped immerse me further into the story。Thank you so much to Hachette Australia for providing me with a copy of The Bone Spindle in exchange for a review。 。。。more

Amanda Shepard （Between-the-Shelves） ，

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for an advanced copy of this to review！ I'm always a fan of retellings， so I was excited to dive into this one！ It's being pitched as Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones， which is absolutely the best way to describe this book。If you're looking for a grand adventure in your book， this one will definitely fit the bill。 Vedder has crafted an exciting story set in a fairytale-esque world。 I loved the way the world worked。 And the world building felt natu Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for an advanced copy of this to review！ I'm always a fan of retellings， so I was excited to dive into this one！ It's being pitched as Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones， which is absolutely the best way to describe this book。If you're looking for a grand adventure in your book， this one will definitely fit the bill。 Vedder has crafted an exciting story set in a fairytale-esque world。 I loved the way the world worked。 And the world building felt natural。 As the reader， you're pulled into the world of unique magic and curses and ruins。 The twists on the original tale also add to the overall world of the book。The characters are also well done！ Fi and Shane have great chemistry from the get go。 They work well together， even if their personalities may clash。 And their relationship grows naturally throughout the book。 Honestly， their relationship is probably my favorite part。 It's definitely worth reading the book just for them！However， as the first book in the series， it felt a little long to me。 Parts of the plot in the middle dragged a bit。 But！ With the way the book ends， I'd definitely be interested in reading the next installment。3。5/5 stars 。。。more

emery ，

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book was fantastic！ I was pulled in from the very first chapter。 The characters were all very likeable and I was rooting for them from the start。 I particularly liked Shane。 She was fierce but sensitive at the same time which I really enjoyed。 The story was very captivating and kept me interested the whole time。 I’m really looking forward to seeing where the stories goes from here。

Megan Houde ，

Well this was a fantastic magical gender-bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty。 Instead on Briar Rose being a princess， it’s a prince and he is cursed just like the story。 The witches do the same magical curse but it’s more detailed with what magic they posses than what we’re used to。 So centuries have passed and the land is more imaginable with different magical settings。 Our main characters Fi and Shane are treasure hunters and they have a map with a hidden item within the rose forest。 But there a Well this was a fantastic magical gender-bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty。 Instead on Briar Rose being a princess， it’s a prince and he is cursed just like the story。 The witches do the same magical curse but it’s more detailed with what magic they posses than what we’re used to。 So centuries have passed and the land is more imaginable with different magical settings。 Our main characters Fi and Shane are treasure hunters and they have a map with a hidden item within the rose forest。 But there are others who want to stop all magical items from being found， witch hunters。 Their a society who think all magic are a blithe and should be destroyed。 So the two set out on a mission to find what the hidden item is that shouldn’t be found。。 I think you get the just！ Instantly the book opens up and we are thrust into an adventure between two funny main characters。 My only down side is they keep talking about how much a bookish bore Fi can be and I feel bookworms are powerful in their own ways。 The mission I can see being compared to Indian Jones， because you have trip wires and obstacles， but another part of me felt the Goonies。 I also loved the world building and how this whole fairytale is reimagined in a new way。 If you love retelling’s that are imaginative and different I say this book is perfect for you！！！ 。。。more

el ，

Okay， so。。。 this is a gender-swapped Sleeping Beauty retelling meets Indiana Jones。 We have 2 main characters: Fi and Shane。 Both are treasure hunters and agreed to a partnership。 While they did their job， one of them accidentally "cursed" and destined to wake a sleeping prince。 And so their journey began。 OF COURSE it won't be easy， of course they would face obstacles。 Here's my points about this book:- too many unnecessary details。 So if you're into detailed setting， then this book is for you- Okay， so。。。 this is a gender-swapped Sleeping Beauty retelling meets Indiana Jones。 We have 2 main characters: Fi and Shane。 Both are treasure hunters and agreed to a partnership。 While they did their job， one of them accidentally "cursed" and destined to wake a sleeping prince。 And so their journey began。 OF COURSE it won't be easy， of course they would face obstacles。 Here's my points about this book:- too many unnecessary details。 So if you're into detailed setting， then this book is for you- action packed but slow paced。 The story constantly switching back and forth between past and present so I didn't get the tension of the main plot- too many back stories- descriptions > dialogs。 Not my preference， I always love character interactions- Prince Briar is cute， tho。 Flirty but not too cringe。 Other characters are unique and interesting as well This book is pretty good considering it's a debut， but objectively and experience-wise I'll give it 3/5⭐But anyway， I'll read the sequel when it's out！ Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Penguin Random House for providing this ARC！ 。。。more

Jennie （IG: SeahorseStories） ，

I adored this book！！ This tale is a gender-bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty in which two female treasure hunters must awaken a cursed prince to save a kingdom。The Bone Spindle was an adventure from start to finish， full of witches， capable female heroes， and nonstop action。 Even though the plot moved along pretty quickly and was full of action， the main characters still felt really well-developed and the relationships between characters were complex。 Shane is definitely my new book girlfriend。 I adored this book！！ This tale is a gender-bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty in which two female treasure hunters must awaken a cursed prince to save a kingdom。The Bone Spindle was an adventure from start to finish， full of witches， capable female heroes， and nonstop action。 Even though the plot moved along pretty quickly and was full of action， the main characters still felt really well-developed and the relationships between characters were complex。 Shane is definitely my new book girlfriend。 I loved her strength， determination， and protective nature。 Her backstory was also really fascinating。 Her love interest， the vixen thief Red， was fun， but I do hope we get to know her more in the next book because she was the least fleshed out MC。I loved that in a Sleeping Beauty retelling we actually got true development in the relationship between Briar Rose and Fi。 Although Briar is under a sleeping curse， he is still able to communicate with Fi， which allowed them to actually get to know each other。 I really liked them both and their cynic/sunshine dynamic。Fi's backstory does involve an abusive past relationship that is seen on page。 Her ex is a real manipulative asshole， so trigger warnings for gaslighting and emotional abuse。Overall， I just thought this book was so fun。 Vedder does an amazing job of bringing scenes to life and describing settings well。 It delivered on all the main things I'm looking for in YA fantasy: adventure， complex characters， fun character dynamics， and good writing。 If a gender-bent Sleeping Beauty with both a m/f and f/f romance sounds fun to you， treat yourself to The Bone Spindle when it comes out！⭐⭐⭐⭐💫/5 。。。more

hanna ，

very enjoyable magical adventure with cute romance。 this was a lovely retelling of sleeping beauty， and i am very heavily anticipating the sequel。

Starr ❇✌❇ ，

I received an ARC from Edelweiss TW:TW: toxic ex， spiders4。3Fi is a treasure hunter- someone who looks for magical artifacts in ruins， and has always been good at her job。 But after the split with her last partner， and ex-boyfriend， things have changed。 Still， a simple enough job with the huntsman-for-hire， Shane， shouldn’t bring too much trouble。 That is， until she pricks herself on something that connects her to the mythical prince Briar， who had been sleeping for a century to keep him from I received an ARC from Edelweiss TW:TW: toxic ex， spiders4。3Fi is a treasure hunter- someone who looks for magical artifacts in ruins， and has always been good at her job。 But after the split with her last partner， and ex-boyfriend， things have changed。 Still， a simple enough job with the huntsman-for-hire， Shane， shouldn’t bring too much trouble。 That is， until she pricks herself on something that connects her to the mythical prince Briar， who had been sleeping for a century to keep him from his curse。 Fi didn’t ask for a destiny， but Briar insists she’s the only one who can help wake him， and save his kingdom。 Shane didn’t ask to get thrown into a dangerous， magical journey， but leaving Fi to deal with it on her own doesn’t seem like the right thing to do- not when Shane knows how hard it is to take control of your fate。This is an Indiana Jones-ish fairytale inspired romp。 There’s curses， there’s fairytales， there’s a princess who ran away from home- it has everything you could want from solid escapism， plus adventure to boot。The fairytale vibes in this book are done well。 It’s clear Briar is Sleeping Beauty， though enough is changed that is stays unique， but there’s also Red Riding Hood。 The references and nods to these stories are easily picked out， but subtle enough that you don’t feel like the references are holding the story together。The pacing in this book is fast enough to keep you flying through the pages。 There’s always something happening， and the scenes are vibrant enough to keep attention， but you also never linger anywhere long enough for it to start feeling boring。The characters are nice， though not all that well layered。 Fi is someone you can definitely get behind， as she’s someone who has been wronged and is trying to do her best not from a place of martyrdom but because of her own humanity。 Plus， she’s a nerd in a very sweet way。 Shane is a more forceful character， and a really funny one。 They work so well together， I loved their growing friendship and I want nothing more than to see more of them hanging out。I didn’t really expect to enjoy the romance， because an immortal prince living in Fi’s head sounded iffy at best， but Briar is such a fun， cute character that it was hard to not like him， and the scenes between them， their easy chemistry， and the casual， innocent flirtations from his side of things was done just right to set the stage for a cute romance without making it weird。 I felt a little less this way about Red， but the chemistry between her and Shane was also done very well。I wish Red had felt better integrated into the story， personally。 She was often not in the plot， and when she did pop up it was always just long enough that I kind of forgot she was in the story at all。 I think she could be more important in te next book， but in this one she often felt like a throwaway。My other issue was in the way the backstory was given- bouncing between sudden， usually jarring， shifts in time took me out of the story and I think they could have been done in much smoother ways。Overall， this is a fun fairytale like story with likable characters and magic adventure。 I’m looking forward to seeing what the next book holds。 。。。more

Whitney ，

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and the publisher for a copy of this ARC to read/review！ This fast-paced young adult novel is adventurous and fun with stubborn， interesting heroines and a neat premise。 I really enjoyed the "Uncharted"-esque vibe as two very-different-people are forced to work together in order to break a curse and evade some witch hunters。 There is a lot going on in this novel！ Too much， honestly。 I think this is one of the cases where this book is aimed at the "younger" audience Thank you so much to Edelweiss and the publisher for a copy of this ARC to read/review！ This fast-paced young adult novel is adventurous and fun with stubborn， interesting heroines and a neat premise。 I really enjoyed the "Uncharted"-esque vibe as two very-different-people are forced to work together in order to break a curse and evade some witch hunters。 There is a lot going on in this novel！ Too much， honestly。 I think this is one of the cases where this book is aimed at the "younger" audience in YA， which is 100% fine， because the writing itself was fairly basic， and the thrust of the plot easy to like。 I particularly enjoyed watching the friendship between the two treasure hunters develop; I thought the weakest aspects of this book were definitely the romances。 Developing two separate romances over the course of a book PLUS action sequences， worldbuilding， backstory and antagonists made everything seem just a little bit。。。 thin。 It also meant that vital information like "why exactly is Fi being so weird about attachment？" not be answered until about 35% through the book， which made it hard to initially root for her as a protagonist until you learn exactly what her curse is （ie， why is she being so awful to people？）。 All that said。。。 this is very cute， very fun， and I enjoyed my time with it。 It's fun， fast-paced， and a truly unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty。 More genderswapped stories， please！ 。。。more

Hayley ，

I really enjoyed this！ Such an interesting story， I loved the concept of the gender-flipped Sleeping Beauty （with added queerness just for funsies）I absolutely loved Fi and Shane， and their friendship and banter。 They really made this book for me。 Briar Rose was a delight， and Red was the dark character to round out the bunch （I hope she gets a redemption arc in book 2） Really enjoyed this and hoping for a not too long wait for book 2。 Thank you to Razorbill and Edelweiss for the eARC， and Hodde I really enjoyed this！ Such an interesting story， I loved the concept of the gender-flipped Sleeping Beauty （with added queerness just for funsies）I absolutely loved Fi and Shane， and their friendship and banter。 They really made this book for me。 Briar Rose was a delight， and Red was the dark character to round out the bunch （I hope she gets a redemption arc in book 2） Really enjoyed this and hoping for a not too long wait for book 2。 Thank you to Razorbill and Edelweiss for the eARC， and Hodder Children’s Books for the physical ARC。 。。。more

Amy Dunlap ，

I really debate on whether I think this book deserves 3 stars or 2。 I did enjoy this book。 It was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading slump。 Often， I feel like book blurbs are a bit misleading to what the book actually turns out to be。 This book is refreshingly straightforward in that it is exactly as it says on the tin。 It truly is the Sleeping Beauty fairytale and an Indiana Jones movie’s baby born as a young adult novel。 I appreciated the gender-bent take， as it’s not one usuall I really debate on whether I think this book deserves 3 stars or 2。 I did enjoy this book。 It was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading slump。 Often， I feel like book blurbs are a bit misleading to what the book actually turns out to be。 This book is refreshingly straightforward in that it is exactly as it says on the tin。 It truly is the Sleeping Beauty fairytale and an Indiana Jones movie’s baby born as a young adult novel。 I appreciated the gender-bent take， as it’s not one usually encountered in Sleeping Beauty retellings。 It was a fun， fast paced adventure that I feel would be a good palate cleanser between other books。 The writing is simplistic， which makes me think this book would be great for middle schoolers or younger teens who are reading at a YA level。 I would recommend this to a reader who had loved The Sister’s Grimm books and was looking for something in the YA world that wasn’t as involved as Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles。 Unfortunately， the simplistic writing， fast pacing， and light-heartedness let me down a bit， particularly in the romances。 Both romances felt tropey and forced。 It felt like the author intended for these characters to have a romance for the plot， so they did， which took away a little bit of my enjoyment for the book。 I feel like the romances could have been finessed a bit more， particularly Shane's， which would have taken the book a notch。 All in all， this book was a fun， fast fantasy read that I don't regret reading， and would read the sequel when it inevitably gets published。 。。。more

Maya Prasad ，

Recently finished the ARC of this lovely genderbent fairytale retelling， THE BONE SPINDLE by Leslie Vedder。 It's so fun and witty; Fi and Shane had me laughing all the way through。 I will admit I was shipping them， but it goes elsewhere。 If you love books with treasure hunting， curses， creepy enchanted woods， and most importantly banter， definitely check this out！ It releases January 11， and you can preorder now！ Recently finished the ARC of this lovely genderbent fairytale retelling， THE BONE SPINDLE by Leslie Vedder。 It's so fun and witty; Fi and Shane had me laughing all the way through。 I will admit I was shipping them， but it goes elsewhere。 If you love books with treasure hunting， curses， creepy enchanted woods， and most importantly banter， definitely check this out！ It releases January 11， and you can preorder now！ 。。。more

Roaringwave ，

This sounds so good。

Jade ，

Sleeping beauty meets Indiana Jones！5/5 ⭐️ This gender-swap retelling fantasy， adventure story is great twisting story！！ Definitely helped with my new obsession with adventure fantast stories！！ On the top of my list for favorite books read in 2021！This story follows two teenage treasure hunters brought on a quest to save a cursed prince！Fi; a seventeen-year-old treasure hunter who grew up in the ruins of the fallen kingdom with her historian parents。 While traveling alone she received a note to Sleeping beauty meets Indiana Jones！5/5 ⭐️ This gender-swap retelling fantasy， adventure story is great twisting story！！ Definitely helped with my new obsession with adventure fantast stories！！ On the top of my list for favorite books read in 2021！This story follows two teenage treasure hunters brought on a quest to save a cursed prince！Fi; a seventeen-year-old treasure hunter who grew up in the ruins of the fallen kingdom with her historian parents。 While traveling alone she received a note to meet up with a mystery person who had something Fi couldn’t resist。 Fi waited until Shane appeared， Shane showed her a map of a ruin which ended with both agreeing to partner up for just this one job。 Which was big for Fi due to her last and only partnership ending badly。 Shane: a lesbian ax-wielding mercenary， who fled her home and her title of the heir of the War King。 After things went down at home in a way， she believed no one would be happy she decided to sneak out， hide out on a ship sailing out and said goodbye to the only life she knew in hopes of her family’s happiness。 When she arrived on land， she decided to be a huntsman for hire。 Shane also loved exploring ruins and finding treasure。 Which lead her to her partnership with Fi。 After a few obstacles they made it into a secret room in the tall manor they agreed to explore together， in said room there sat a bone spindle that Fi was drawn to。 Without realizing she pricked her finger on it ending with her connecting with the cursed prince。Prince Briar Rose was bound to one of the Great Witches， but the worst of them。 The Spindle Witch， she practiced darker magic and she manipulated the flow of life。 When Briar was born， he was sick and on the edge of death， so the Spindle Witch came to his mother， the queen， in her time of need with a bargain。 The witch saved Briar but with his mother’s life was taken for his。 The king was furious and didn’t follow through with the deal his now late wife made with the witch。 Leading to the witch wanting to seek revenge by using he prince when he’s older and she had more control of him。 When one day he pricked his finger finally becoming more connected to her， the Dream Witch put him to sleep so the Spindle Witch couldn’t use him。 Destined for one day when the right person came along， they will break the curse。Fi turned out to be the person he’s been waiting a century for。 This story is all about Fi and Shane’s adventure to awaken the prince and try to reawaken the fallen kingdom。 The Spindle Witch is still out there， though。 Will they make it？ Will they fall into the hands of the witch？ Can two teenage treasure hunters with the help of the spirit of the prince outsmart the witch？ 。。。more

Mere ，

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 Sleeping Beauty x Indiana Jones is an apt description of this book。 Going into it I was excited， because I love both the sleeping beauty fairytale and Indiana Jones is one of my favorite movie series。 This is going to be a book that isn’t going to be talked about much and fly under the radar like The Curse of the Specter Queen。 。 This I think is mostly because it is a very niche book。 Nothing wrong with that， b Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 Sleeping Beauty x Indiana Jones is an apt description of this book。 Going into it I was excited， because I love both the sleeping beauty fairytale and Indiana Jones is one of my favorite movie series。 This is going to be a book that isn’t going to be talked about much and fly under the radar like The Curse of the Specter Queen。 。 This I think is mostly because it is a very niche book。 Nothing wrong with that， but they just have to find the right people to read it。 Was I the right person for this book？ Well， maybe。 Personally， I think the audience of this book will be better suited to the younger side of YA， more like 12-15 than the older age group。 While there are some scenes depicting romance， the writing style and the overarching events of the book lean younger to me。 It’s a very typical slow build of events that lead to the main plot point in the book， with small side quests along the way。 This book was full of adventure and excitement。 It was an adventure to read the book and get clues along the way。 I think that is what is appealing about the book， the mystery and the adventure。 I can’t say that I was on the edge of my seat throughout this book， I really wasn’t。 Even the plot itself wasn’t for me in the end。 It felt a bit basic and contrived， but I think what made the book work overall were some aspects of the characters。 We have three main POV characters， Shane， Fi and Briar Rose。 Shane and Fi are both girls on an adventure， Shane， ax-wielding， and adventure and woman loving。 Then Fi， who loves books and adventure。 Finally， Briar Rose， the cursed Witch prince。 For the most part I liked Briar’s POV the best。 I liked his complicated feelings about himself， his future and his past。 I very much enjoyed the banter between Fi and Shane throughout the book and their ragging on each other。 As they slowly become friends we see the change in that relationship as well。 Shane and her love interest Red are funny as well。 Red is a mysterious girl who may or may not be from the long-ago country。 This was a queer adventure （do you like the pun？？！） that was a good read。 I do feel that there is some instalove （if that isn’t your thing！）， and it does read young。 The pacing of the book was also just okay。 Overall， I just didn’t love the book， but I think it is going to appeal to A LOT of people。 Especially those who are younger because it has magic， adventure and queerness that will be relatable to the younger YA spectrum。 It was an easy read for me。 It was solidly a 3 star book， but I am unsure if I will be picking up the sequel， as I didn’t feel as invested in it as I would have liked to been。 。。。more

Eleanor With Cats ，

Indiana Jones explores the ruins of the witch castles in the fallen kingdom of Sleeping Beauty， who's a boy， and the whole novel is an odd fellows friendship journey between a book-loving female Indy stand-in and an easily-bored lesbian with a literal axe to grind。 （Shane is AWESOME！） Also: femme fatales， skeletal birds， asshole ex-boyfriends， and more。 Yes， there is a sequel。 （For one thing， there is a cliffhanger。 For another， there's a question that none of the characters have asked yet。） I W Indiana Jones explores the ruins of the witch castles in the fallen kingdom of Sleeping Beauty， who's a boy， and the whole novel is an odd fellows friendship journey between a book-loving female Indy stand-in and an easily-bored lesbian with a literal axe to grind。 （Shane is AWESOME！） Also: femme fatales， skeletal birds， asshole ex-boyfriends， and more。 Yes， there is a sequel。 （For one thing， there is a cliffhanger。 For another， there's a question that none of the characters have asked yet。） I WANT THE SEQUEL。 Please publish soon？ 。。。more

Abby Rubin ，

Fi grew up learning the story of Briar Rose， but believed it was just a fairy tale。 Shane is a treasure hunter looking for her next score。 When they decide to partner up for one job， they discover that there is more truth to the fairy tales than they realized and magic may be closer than they knew。 In this gender-bent Sleeping Beauty retelling， Fi finds herself destined to be the hero while she questions love， destiny， and all the walls she built to protect herself。 Shane and Fi are perfect part Fi grew up learning the story of Briar Rose， but believed it was just a fairy tale。 Shane is a treasure hunter looking for her next score。 When they decide to partner up for one job， they discover that there is more truth to the fairy tales than they realized and magic may be closer than they knew。 In this gender-bent Sleeping Beauty retelling， Fi finds herself destined to be the hero while she questions love， destiny， and all the walls she built to protect herself。 Shane and Fi are perfect partners as their methods couldn't be more different。 This debut is great for fans of fantasy， adventure， and strong female characters。 The next book in the series can't come out fast enough！ 。。。more

Kelly ，

Wow， this sounds really， really cool！！ I think I'm going to love reading this。 :） Badass women going on adventures and saving the day？？ Yes， please！ Wow， this sounds really， really cool！！ I think I'm going to love reading this。 :） Badass women going on adventures and saving the day？？ Yes， please！ 。。。more

Shelbey Senkewitz ，

This was such a fun read; I just couldn’t put it down！ While I wanted to learn more about the fantastical world where the story takes place—and who wouldn’t？ The classic Sleeping Beauty fairies are reimagined as powerful witches who leave behind booby-trapped ruins filled with treasure and magical artifacts—I found myself more interested in the fantastic friendship that builds between our two female protagonists， Fi and Shane。 Their interactions and backstories really became my favorite part of This was such a fun read; I just couldn’t put it down！ While I wanted to learn more about the fantastical world where the story takes place—and who wouldn’t？ The classic Sleeping Beauty fairies are reimagined as powerful witches who leave behind booby-trapped ruins filled with treasure and magical artifacts—I found myself more interested in the fantastic friendship that builds between our two female protagonists， Fi and Shane。 Their interactions and backstories really became my favorite part of the entire adventure。 Fi is a treasure hunter and witch-history expert， while Shane is an axe-wielding warrior with a mysterious past。 Between the two of them， ancient ruins， witch hunters， and curses don’t stand a chance。 Can’t wait for the next installment in their adventure！ 。。。more

Janna ，

did i fall for another fairytale re-telling？ yes - yes， i did。I received a free copy from PRHInternational in exchange for an honest opinion。 I’m a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings， so of course， I was super excited to read this new take on Sleeping Beauty featuring a prince （Briar Rose） under a sleeping curse and two adventurous girls （Fi and Shane） trying to break it。 I was enchanted the moment I first opened this book。 The first few pages feature a prologue that tells us a lot about the hist did i fall for another fairytale re-telling？ yes - yes， i did。I received a free copy from PRHInternational in exchange for an honest opinion。 I’m a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings， so of course， I was super excited to read this new take on Sleeping Beauty featuring a prince （Briar Rose） under a sleeping curse and two adventurous girls （Fi and Shane） trying to break it。 I was enchanted the moment I first opened this book。 The first few pages feature a prologue that tells us a lot about the history of the magical world of this book， the connections to Sleeping Beauty， and basically most of the important world-building is done there as well。 It worked just perfectly for me。 It’s written beautifully， yet also understandably。Fi and Shane’s friendship is what I loved most about this novel。 Honestly， I wouldn’t have needed the romance subplots， their journey from being kind of annoyed-with-each-other acquaintances to truly becoming partners was everything to me。 They’re both amazing， strong characters that have a lot of depth and backstory。 I enjoyed learning more about their past and present with each chapter。I couldn’t get 100% behind the two romance plotlines though。 There's sapphic representation – which inherently is great。 Unfortunately though， I feel like the sapphic relationship wasn’t as fleshed out as the potential relationship between Fi and Briar Rose。 It was very much based on insta love and I wish we would have gotten a couple of more scenes between Shane and Red to fully understand their dynamics。 Fi and Briar Rose on the other hand， got a lot of chapters building their connection。Nonetheless， overall， I truly enjoyed reading “The Bone Spindle”。 I loved the twists of the old fairy tale， the magic system， the quest Fi and Shane went on and of course， all the bonding between them。 I’m sure that in its sequel， we’ll get to know more about Shane and Red to fully understand their dynamics。 bookish links: instagram / tiktok / blog / twitter 。。。more

Gretal ，

Unfortunately， I was just meh about this book。 It had good vibes， and I liked the idea of it。 But when it came to the execution I just didn't really care。Another thing is， this uses some tropes that you see in other treasure hunter media， and those tropes don't actually work as well in a YA book because of how young they are。 It's hard to have a sordid past or a tense romantic history with someone when you're like 16。 It just means that there wasn't actually that much time since those events and Unfortunately， I was just meh about this book。 It had good vibes， and I liked the idea of it。 But when it came to the execution I just didn't really care。Another thing is， this uses some tropes that you see in other treasure hunter media， and those tropes don't actually work as well in a YA book because of how young they are。 It's hard to have a sordid past or a tense romantic history with someone when you're like 16。 It just means that there wasn't actually that much time since those events and it doesn't hit as well as I personally would like it too。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Bone Spindle

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Bone Spindle&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Bone Spindle&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0