Spindle Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Spindle

Author: Shonna Slayton 

Publication Date: October 4, 2016 

Publisher: Entangled Teen 

Description:

In a world where fairies lurk and curses linger, love can bleed like the prick of a finger… 

Briar Rose knows her life will never be a fairy tale. She’s raising her siblings on her own, her wages at the spinning mill have been cut, and the boy she thought she had a future with has eyes for someone else. Most days it feels like her best friend, Henry Prince, is the only one in her corner…though with his endless flirty jokes, how can she ever take him seriously? 

When a mysterious peddler offers her a “magic” spindle that could make her more money, sneaking it into the mill seems worth the risk. But then one by one, her fellow spinner girls come down with the mysterious sleeping sickness…and Briar’s not immune. 

If Briar wants to save the girls—and herself—she’ll have to start believing in fairy tales…and in the power of a prince’s kiss.

Spindle is a wonderful young adult fairy tale - a twist on the story of Sleeping Beauty. The author does a great job of keeping original parts of the tale in sync with the novel. I liked that it had a lot of the same aspects of the fairy tale, it made it feel familiar and easy to slip into Briar's world. Briar is a fantastic main character for the book. She's raising her three younger siblings on her own after the death of her parents. She works long hours at the mill as a spinner and does other sewing on the side for extra money to help provide for the kids. She's a loving and very devoted sister - it's pretty much her main concern in life. Briar's also practical, down to earth, smart, and hardworking. I found it easy to connect with her early on in the story, and I loved watching her conquer all of the obstacles she comes across. 

The story is told from Briar's point of view, so we really get to know her character on a deeply personal level. Her thoughts, dreams, hopes, fears, and everything else are exposed for us to see. The first person point of view is my favorite writing style, and I'm very glad the author chose to use it for the story. I personally think it makes a big difference on how the story effects a reader - and the first person style seems to be the best option, in my opinion. One other part of Briar's character and background is her Irish heritage. I'm part Irish myself, and I liked reading about the different stories Briar had heard from her parents or others from the 'old country.' Some other readers probably won't think twice about this part of the book, but I liked it so much I wanted to at least mention it. All of the other aspects of the story are well done, from the setting and other characters to the plot itself. It felt a bit slow at the beginning, but once things started happening - it picked up speed and had me hooked. I definitely recommend this book to fans of fantasy and fairy tales - it's one you'll want to pick up!

SHONNA SLAYTON writes historical fairy tales for Entangled TEEN. Cinderella's Dress and Cinderella's Shoes, set in the 1940s are out now. Spindle, a Sleeping Beauty inspired tale set in the late 1800s, will be out October 2016. 

She finds inspiration in reading vintage diaries written by teens, who despite using different slang, sound a lot like teenagers today. When not writing, Shonna enjoys amaretto lattes and spending time with her husband and children in Arizona. 

The best way to keep in touch is by signing up for her monthly newsletter. She sends out behind-the-scenes info you can't read anywhere else. Sign up is on the sidebar of her website Shonna Slayton. 

Author Links:

Website: http://shonnaslayton.com/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShonnaSlayton  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShonnaSlaytonAuthor  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ShonnaSlayton  

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/shonnaslayton  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shonna.slayton/  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7326743.Shonna_Slayton  

Newsletter: http://shonnaslayton.com/new-release-mailing-list/ 

Buy Links:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Spindle-Shonna-Slayton/dp/1633754936  

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spindle-shonna-slayton/1123132933   

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/spindle/id1088816911  

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/spindle-4  

Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spindle-Shonna-Slayton-ebook/dp/B01CCWVURA/  

Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Spindle-Shonna-Slayton-ebook/dp/B01CCWVURA/  

Entangled Publishing: http://entangledpublishing.com/spindle/ 

(1) Winner will receive signed copies of Cinderella’s Dress & Cinderella’s Shoes (US + CAN)

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