From the Publisher
Inventing a distinctively gritty netherworld that weaves reality with shimmering magic and smoky-mirrored illusions, Hillyer’s writing is freshly vivid....An innovative take on magic and the price of transformation, this will tempt readers to reach for Book 2—and expect some answers.” — Kirkus Reviews
“This story is characterized by lovely, introspective prose; readers looking for action may be best served elsewhere, but those who appreciate a beautifully written journey into the hearts of two sisters will find much to relish here.” — Booklist
“With its engaging heroines and delicious prose, Spindle Fire pulled me into a richly detailed world full of intrigue and magic. Lexa Hillyer has created a refreshing take on a classic tale, one that traps you in its spell and doesn’t let go.” — Amy Ewing, New York Times bestselling author of the Lone City trilogy
“Absorbing. Poetic. In Spindle Fire, Lexa Hillyer draws the walls between dreams and reality with shimmering grace…and phrases of such beauty I had to read many of them twice.” — Jodi Lynn Anderson, author of Tiger Lily
“The writing is lovely, the sisters indomitable, and as the truths behind the faerie legends were revealed, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.” — Kendare Blake, author of New York Times bestselling novel Three Dark Crowns
“Aurora and Isbe are no delicate flowers, and Hillyer’s depiction of Isbe’s blindness is especially resonant. There is romance, but it’s the devotion between these sisters that makes this story sing and that will leave readers eager to continue their story.” — Publishers Weekly
“The author, an award-winning poet, has created a lush, lyrical backdrop for the memorable characters in this sinister fairytale retelling that will have teen fantasy fans waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of Aurora and Isabelle’s story.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
Jodi Lynn Anderson
Absorbing. Poetic. In Spindle Fire, Lexa Hillyer draws the walls between dreams and reality with shimmering grace…and phrases of such beauty I had to read many of them twice.
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
The author, an award-winning poet, has created a lush, lyrical backdrop for the memorable characters in this sinister fairytale retelling that will have teen fantasy fans waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of Aurora and Isabelle’s story.
Kendare Blake
The writing is lovely, the sisters indomitable, and as the truths behind the faerie legends were revealed, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
Booklist
This story is characterized by lovely, introspective prose; readers looking for action may be best served elsewhere, but those who appreciate a beautifully written journey into the hearts of two sisters will find much to relish here.
Amy Ewing
With its engaging heroines and delicious prose, Spindle Fire pulled me into a richly detailed world full of intrigue and magic. Lexa Hillyer has created a refreshing take on a classic tale, one that traps you in its spell and doesn’t let go.
Booklist
This story is characterized by lovely, introspective prose; readers looking for action may be best served elsewhere, but those who appreciate a beautifully written journey into the hearts of two sisters will find much to relish here.
Kirkus Reviews
2017-01-17
An innovative take on "Sleeping Beauty," this first novel in a two-book arc weaves the tale of polar-opposite half sisters facing a dark threat from a mysteriously diabolical faerie queen. Although headstrong Isabelle, the king's illegitimate daughter, is blind and beautiful princess Aurora cannot speak and has no sense of touch, the two white girls share a close, complicated relationship. After Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle, Isabelle must travel widely, seeking a prince to wake her sister and to ally two kingdoms against Malfleur and her ominous army. Recognizable fairy-tale references blend with radical departures (christening faeries cruelly "tithe" senses such as sight and speech in exchange for gifts of beauty and grace). This present-tense narrative unfolds through alternating points of view (including Isabelle's, Aurora's, Malfleur's, and that of Malfleur's mysterious twin, Belcoeur), depicting complex characters and thorny sibling relationships within an equally complex plot. Inventing a distinctively gritty netherworld that weaves reality with shimmering magic and smoky-mirrored illusions, Hillyer's writing is freshly vivid. Unfortunately, plotting in the second part of the book spins out of control, entangling readers in a web of too many unresolved questions (who is Isabelle's mother, what does Malfleur really want, which romantic partnerships will be fulfilled?), and the book ends abruptly, without closure. An innovative take on magic and the price of transformation, this will tempt readers to reach for Book 2—and expect some answers. (Fantasy. 14 & up)
