My book reviews for The Bone Spindle trilogy by Leslie Vedder, including The Bone Spindle, The Severed Thread and The Cursed Rose. Please be aware that the reviews for the later books contain spoilers.

Two girl treasure hunters. One sleeping prince. A hundred-year-old curse and one very angry witch. Fantasy with m/f and f/f romance for fans of CINDERELLA IS DEAD. A pacey, fractured twist on a classic fairy tale!

Filore, a treasure hunter with a knack for riddles, is busy running from her own deadly curse, when she pricks her finger on a spindle. Bound to the sleeping prince Briar Rose with the spindle's magic - and chosen as the only person who can wake him - Fi is stuck with the prince's ghost until she can break his ancient curse and save his kingdom.

She's going to need a partner. A warrior huntswoman with an axe to grind (literally), Shane couldn't care less about curses and ancient texts. But instead of riches, the two girls find trouble.

Dark magic, witch hunters, nightmarish beasts - and of course, curses - all stand in their way as Fi and Shane undertake the dangerous journey into a forgotten kingdom where the sleeping prince's body waits.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

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I kept hearing so many good things about The Bone Spindle; however, I was wary of another Sleeping Beauty retelling, especially one with a lesbian relationship. I previously read Malice by Heather Walter, which had the same premise. In the end, the idea of an Indiana Jones-esque fairytale fantasy novel won me over, and I’m so glad it did because I fell head over heels for The Bone Spindle right from the start. Spoiler alert: it’s nothing like Malice, and that’s not a good or a bad thing! Both books bring something completely new to the Sleeping Beauty mythos from entirely different perspectives.

The Bone Spindle is an action-packed fantasy adventure that, for the most part, didn’t feel like a fairytale remake to me. It could quite easily be an original fantasy novel if I didn’t know anything about Sleeping Beauty, and I loved this take on retelling a fairytale. For those who are all about the fairytales, don’t worry, there is plenty of fairytale goodness in The Bone Spindle, too. However, Vedder hasn’t made the Sleeping Beauty mythos integral to the protagonist’s lives. The protagonists aren’t Aurora or anyone related directly to the fairytale; they’re treasure hunters!

Fi is a bookwormy historian who would much rather spend time hunting down ancient treasures in old ruins than having anything to do with fairy tale princes. But when an accidental prick of her finger binds her to Briar Rose, a prince who’s been asleep for a hundred years, Fi finds herself in a world of magic and Witch Hunters. Her life is already complicated enough, and I loved that the tag line on the cover is so deeply sarcastic. Kiss the prince, break the curse. If only it were that simple.

But who wants simple? Simple is dull! And Vedder definitely does not do dull. Fi is accompanied by Shane, a fellow treasure hunter who has been Fi’s partner and her competition at times. The result is a lot of snark, a begrudging acceptance of aid on Fi’s part and a partnership that grows into a stronger friendship. Like Fi, Shane has her own secrets, and her backstory is fascinating. Throw in a random mystery witch that Shane keeps running into, and there are so many juicy things happening in The Bone Spindle.

The gender flip of the whole fairytale genre, especially of this particular fairytale, which relies heavily on the whole damsel in distress trope, is brilliantly done. I couldn’t help but think “this is a more ideal world” when it comes to gender and sexuality, while reading this novel. Even in families where succession is an issue, sexuality is not an issue. While I grimaced at the idea of a lesbian woman from a royal family having to sleep with a man to secure an heir rather than adopting a child (hence the “more” ideal, rather than ideal world), at least two women could marry and rule. It was refreshing not to read a fairytale retelling that rehashed the same bigotry over and over.

Briar is an intriguing character who doesn’t seem to know exactly who to be, or who he is. That’s to be expected when you’ve been in a magical sleep for a hundred years and everyone you know is dead. Like Fi and Shane, there’s much more to his story than just being the cursed prince and on top of everything, he’s grieving a loss he never realised he would have to experience. What he expected to happen when he awoke, I’m not sure, but his kingdom in ruins and the life he knew to be everyone’s ancient history was probably not it.

This is such a strong book from a debut author, and I can’t recommend it enough if you love fantasy novels, especially if you’re a fan of fairytales or Indiana Jones. The treasure hunting aspect makes The Bone Spindle truly unique in the genre of fairytale retellings. Vedder manages to keep everything balanced, and I didn’t feel that there were too many moving parts. Instead, it just felt like an extremely interesting story and universe that I devoured. I can’t wait to see where the story leads in the next book!

Which threads of fate will hold—and which will break?

Clever, bookish Fi and her brash, ax-wielding partner Shane are back in this action-packed sequel to the bestselling The Bone Spindle, the gender-flipped Sleeping Beauty retelling, perfect for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and The Cruel Prince. Now in paperback!

Fi has awakened the sleeping prince, but the battle for Andar is far from over. The Spindle Witch, the Witch Hunters, and Fi’s own Butterfly Curse all stand between them and happily ever after.

Shane has her partner’s back. But she’s in for the fight of her life against Red, the right hand of the Spindle Witch who she’s also, foolishly, hellbent on saving.

Briar Rose would do anything to restore his kingdom. But there’s a darkness creeping inside him—a sinister bond to the Spindle Witch he can’t escape.

All hopes of restoring Andar rest on deciphering a mysterious book code, finding the hidden city of the last Witches, and uncovering a secret lost for centuries—one that just might hold the key to the Spindle Witch’s defeat. If they can all survive that long…

Set in a world of twisted fairytales, The Severed Thread combines lost ruins, ride-or-die friendships, and heart-pounding romance.

This book was provided for free by TBR and Beyond Book Tours and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

Today is my spot on the blog tour for The Severed Thread by Leslie Vedder, the sequel to The Bone Spindle. This tour is hosted by the wonderful TBR and Beyond Tours, and you can view the full schedule for the tour with a list of everyone taking part in the blog tour here!

The Bone Spindle blew me away with Vedder’s creative magic system based on fairytales and characters that made me want to scream, cheer and shake them whenever they did something that I knew they’d regret later. Very early on in the first book, I was hooked, so I went into The Severed Thread with a heart full of anticipation and silent prayers that that drama wouldn’t be too heartbreaking.

In the first book, Fi and Shane became partners to get to a treasure, and that was all it was supposed to be: a gig to get treasure. They didn’t expect to be thrown into a life-changing adventure when Fi cut her finger on a spindle and ended up waking a figure from legend, the Prince Briar Rose, from a magical sleep. Now they’re on the run from The Spindle Witch with a plan to get Briar to a hidden city where the last witches in Andar sought refuge.

That is, if they can survive that long. The Spindle Witch has sent her minion Red, the sexy witch that Shane can’t help but feel something for, and then there are the witch hunters that have grown in power over the years. Then there’s Fi’s curse, The Butterfly Curse, which her former associate tricked her into gaining. As much as she wants to relax and see whether there’s anything between her and the centuries-old Prince she woke up with a kiss, the curse is constantly on her mind.

Once again, Vedder has created a high-stakes fantasy novel mixed with fairytales in a way that turns the genre on its head. There are no damsels in distress here, no tiaras or ballgowns. I love the art for the covers of this series and how the characters not only look grim and determined, but also have smudges of dirt and healing wounds on them, because that is the essence of this series. Other than a handful of moments when they get to breathe and briefly clean up, our heroes are then thrown into chaos and whatever nice clothes they’re wearing are completely ruined. I appreciated the fact that in The Severed Thread, Vedder made the point of including a description of one of the characters’ coats being mended and patched up, rather than overlooking the fact that their clothes magically survive everything they put them through.

The Severed Thread was a fabulous read with just the right amount of adventure and romance, and what I appreciated was that the relationships moved at a pace that made sense. The relationships in this book are complicated, with all involved having been hurt, abused or manipulated in some way in their past. Vedder carefully navigates their thoughts and feelings, balancing them without going too far to the negative or the positive. There is a point in The Severed Thread when Briar has cause to doubt Fi, and in other books, that would have been the point where there would have been a huge drama scene, a huge falling out. Instead, it was very well written, and it was a relief to see that Vedder chose to go with realism rather than drama.

It’s hard for me to put into words just how good this book is, so I’m just going to leave it there!

The fate of a cursed kingdom rests on ancient secrets, broken promises, and fierce friendships in this gasp-worthy final book, now in paperback, 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.

This book was provided for free by Edelweiss and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

In The Cursed Rose, the final book of The Bone Spindle trilogy, Leslie Vedder brings us a book with high stakes, strong emotions and the most dangerous treasure hunt yet. At the end of The Severed Thread, Briar Rose falls victim to his curse, and to save him, Fi goes with him and the Spindle Witch, leaving her friends behind. Fi’s own curse had brought destruction to the great witch city of Everlynd, and at the start of the third novel, the forces of Everlynd are still recovering. Everything seems dire as Fi desperately tries to delay the Spindle Witch, pretending that she is still working on the Rose Witch’s code when she has already deciphered some of it.

Meanwhile, Shane and her companions are frantic with worry, having not heard anything from Fi. A vision from the Seer Witch at least gives them something to work on. They set out on the hunt for a mirror containing another fragment of the Lord of Butterflies to find out how to complete the butterfly pin to create a weapon to defeat the Spindle Witch.

As Fi works her end trapped in an ancient tower that appears to have a connection to The Spindle Witch, Shane and the others work on the pin. In the end, all roads lead to one ruin for both of them, and the partners reunite for the toughest adventure yet: the Tomb of the Queen Aurora. Realising that they need to work together to survive the tomb, Fi and Shane agree to a truce for the length of the tomb. But what will happen at the end of it?

I have loved every book of this trilogy, and The Cursed Rose was no exception. Vedder has delivered a perfect conclusion to a trilogy about friendship, love and destiny. Right to the end, I had fun picking up on all the fairytale Easter Eggs that she’s dotted throughout. Once again, the reader is treated to a splendid adventure with daring treasure-hunting scenes. Vedder has left the best to last, and the Tomb of Queen Aurora is not just dangerous with edge-of-your-seat action scenes; it also showcases her brilliant skill for combining magic and treasure-hunting.

I don’t know how Vedder did it, but she managed to outdo the exceptional world-building of the previous books in The Cursed Rose. There was one particular reveal that had me gasping and cursing in shock. Of all the things I expected to happen in this book, that was not it. The excellent world-building is matched by the strong characters, character development and powerful fight scenes. There are a couple of particular showdowns that are painful yet enthralling to watch.

I am sad to see Fi, Shane, Briar, Red, Cinzel, and Perrin go, and I would love Vedder to return to their world again in the future. For now, I am very happy with the way The Bone Spindle ended and can’t wait to see what else Leslie Vedder’s imagination will bring to life.

Thanks for reading my book review for The Bone Spindle trilogy by Leslie Vedder. 

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my reviews if you’re looking for some more book recommendations 🙂 You can also now sign up for my newsletter to get an email each month with a list of my new reviews!

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