01/17/2022
Zinnia Gray isn’t the damsel in distress anymore in Harrow’s fast-paced and snarky sequel to A Spindle Splintered. Zinnia has spent the five years between volumes jumping through different “Sleeping Beauty” tales to free the eponymous princesses from their destinies. But at the end of her most recent rescue, Zinnia’s pulled through the narrative multiverse and into a different tale: “Snow White.” Zinnia knows how the story should go, but the evil queen has other ideas. She wants out, and she thinks Zinnia can help her. While Zinnia’s trapped with the evil queen in a dark and dangerous world, a startling consequence of her story-hopping comes to light, making it more important than ever that she find a way back home. The barrage of pop culture references is just as relentless here as in book one, which may overwhelm some readers, but all will be pleased to see Zinnia grow into herself, and the unapologetic focus on queer relationships delights. Series fans and lovers of fractured fairy tales will find plenty to hold their attention. (Jun.)
A Locus Award Finalist!
An Amazon Editor's Pick!
A Goodreads Most Anticipated Summer Read!
A SIBA 2023 Southern Book Prize Finalist!
A Paste Magazine Best New Fantasy of 2022!
“A lively, engaging fairy-tale retelling perfect for devouring in a single sitting.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Series fans and lovers of fractured fairy tales will find plenty to hold their attention.” —Publishers Weekly
“Readers who love stories that twist narratives into knots will fall for Harrow’s fractured fairy tale” —Library Journal
“Zinnia is a wonderfully unique figure in the long tradition of bibliofantasy: a reluctant heroine whose superpower doesn’t derive from spindles or mirrors, but from skillfully deconstructing the very stories she’s in.” —Locus
Praise for A Spindle Splintered
An NPR Best Book of 2021
A Locus Best Book and Editor Favorite of 2021
Shortlisted for the 2022 Hugo Award
A Locus Award Finalist
Shortlisted for the 2022 British Fantasy Award
“A vivid, subversive and feminist reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, where implacable destiny is no match for courage, sisterhood, stubbornness and a good working knowledge of fairy tales.” —Katherine Arden, bestselling author of the Winternight trilogy
“An exceptional heroine, smart writing, and a winning plot.” —Nancy Pearl
“It's funny, sharp, queer, and deeply loves its source material...This novella pushes against the hopelessness of inevitability; it dares us to believe in sympathetic magic; it tells us we're connected through story. It might dent your heart a little, but it's good fun.” —NPR
“Like Into the Spider-Verse for Disney princesses, A Spindle Splintered is a delightful mash-up featuring Alix E. Harrow’s trademark beautiful prose and whip-smart characters.” —Mike Chen, author of Here and Now and Then
“A wonderfully imaginative, and Queer as hell, tale for those who wish to be the authors of their own stories.” —Kalynn Bayron, author of Cinderella is Dead
“This is a self-aware, empowered riff on Sleeping Beauty that manages to be thrilling, funny, smart, and sweet.” —Sarah Pinsker, Nebula Award-winning author of A Song for a New Day
“Alix Harrow takes traditional fairy tales, turns them inside out, then upside down, and uses them to kick ass. Brava!” —Ellen Klages, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Green Glass Sea and Passing Strange
“Harrow creates a lush and magical world with well-developed characters who are easy to love and root for.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Themes of female friendship, female strength, and female independence leave good feels behind, not to mention some laugh-out-loud bits...This fairy tale–superhero movie mashup is pure entertainment.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Best-selling author Harrow revives and rejuvenates the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale with a feminist twist in her latest... Harrow uses her excellent skill as a storyteller to give agency back to the passive princess.” —Booklist
“Accompanied by Arthur Rackham's original illustrations, this quick read is a must for fairy-tale readers.” —Buzzfeed, Best Books of October List
04/01/2022
Sleeping Beauty is dragged through the multiverse to the lair of Snow White's evil queen in this genderqueer fairy tale mashup that continues the (mis)adventures of Zinnia Gray (last seen in A Spindle Splintered), as she continues rescuing other Sleeping Beauties from death and fates worse. Searching for another to rescue while avoiding her own inevitable fate yet again finds Zinnia falling through the mirror into a tale not her own. She thinks she's there to rescue Snow White but discovers that it's the evil queen stepmother looking for power, agency, and a way out of her own inevitable destiny. The fine line between villainy and heroism blurs to nothingness as Zinnia learns that even a villain can be a hero and that love can conquer both tyranny and fate if you are willing to write your own story. VERDICT Readers who love stories that twists narratives into knots will fall for Harrow's fractured fairy tale where evil discovers the benefits that come of doing good.—Marlene Harris
2022-04-27
A woman who specializes in helping fairy-tale princesses is kidnapped by a villain who wants her own happy ending.
Zinnia Gray has a very special skill: She can travel through portals to different versions of “Sleeping Beauty.” A former Sleeping Beauty herself, Zinnia uses this ability to help other princesses reach their own happily-ever-afters. But one day she looks into a mirror and sees not her own reflection, but an evil queen on the other side. The queen reaches out of the mirror and pulls Zinnia through. Suddenly, Zinnia isn’t in the Sleeping Beauty–verse anymore; she’s in the world of “Snow White,” and the infamous evil queen wants her help escaping the grisly end promised to all fairy-tale villains. This short novel, the sequel to Harrow’s A Spindle Splintered (2021), makes efficient use of its limited word count, wasting no time before immersing the reader in Zinnia’s many fairy-tale worlds. Zinnia and the evil queen have wonderful chemistry, and Harrow guides both characters through compelling arcs as they consider what it means to be the protagonist of your own story. Zinnia’s snappy, pop-culture– heavy dialogue can sometimes come across a bit smarmy, but it suits the genre well.
A lively, engaging fairy-tale retelling perfect for devouring in a single sitting.
09/01/2022
In her second "Fractured Fables" installment (after A Spindle Splintered), Harrow drops her protagonist, Zinnia Gray, into someone else's fairy tale. Zinnia has been traveling through space and time, helping other Sleeping Beauties progress in their stories, but she's getting a little tired of it all. When she looks into a mirror and sees another woman looking back at her, Zinnia is dropped into the world of Snow White and finds herself helping the Evil Queen (Eva) avoid her traditional end. The two women form a strong bond as they navigate the challenges of being trapped by their roles in the narrative, dealing with a Snow White who's up to some extremely unsavory business, and trying to find their places in the fairy tale multiverse. Amy Landon narrates, doing a terrific job with characterizing the wide variety of characters. VERDICT Fans of fairy tale retellings who are familiar with the premises established in the first book will most enjoy this quick, fun listen. An essential purchase for collections where the previous installment circulates well.—Stephanie Klose
Amy Landon narrates a fantasy novella that twists elements of both “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White.” Zinnia Gray, late of Ohio, is tired of rescuing princesses and ushering in their happily-ever-afters. Landon portrays Zinnia as approachable, though snarky and acerbic; despite being jaded due to a terminal medical condition and disillusioned with her fairy-tale fate, she comes across as likable. Eva, formerly the Evil Queen, slowly transforms in Landon’s performance from a cold and haughty caricature to a fully developed person with feelings and opinions of her own. While the secondary characters are occasionally somewhat difficult to distinguish, that is often the case in fairy tales and does not detract from the enjoyable narration. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Amy Landon narrates a fantasy novella that twists elements of both “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White.” Zinnia Gray, late of Ohio, is tired of rescuing princesses and ushering in their happily-ever-afters. Landon portrays Zinnia as approachable, though snarky and acerbic; despite being jaded due to a terminal medical condition and disillusioned with her fairy-tale fate, she comes across as likable. Eva, formerly the Evil Queen, slowly transforms in Landon’s performance from a cold and haughty caricature to a fully developed person with feelings and opinions of her own. While the secondary characters are occasionally somewhat difficult to distinguish, that is often the case in fairy tales and does not detract from the enjoyable narration. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
