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Have you ever wondered what happens to the other people in the fairy tale?
Things look grim for Talia and her mother. By royal proclamation, the constables and those annoying "good" fairies have taken away their livelihood by confiscating their spinning wheel. Something to do with a curse on the princess, they said.
Not every young lady has a fairy godmother rushing to her rescue.
Without the promise of an income from spinning, Talia's prospects for marriage disappear, and she and her mother face destitution. Past caring about breaking an arbitrary and cruel law, rebellious Talia determines to build a new spinning wheel, the only one in the nation—which plays right into the evil fairy's diabolical plan. Talia discovers that finding a happy ending requires sacrifice. But is it a sacrifice she's willing to make?
The Sevenfold Spell is a novella that straddles genres, primarily fairy-tale fantasy and romance. Surprisingly, it pretty much succeeds.
Talia is a likable protagonist, and the Sleeping Beauty fairy-tale that weaves through the story holds together. I thought that for a novella, there was a lot of stuff going on after the climax; basically, the story's trying to pump up the Happily Ever After-ness of the ending. I can't really fault it for that, but it seemed odd to me when I was reading it: "Isn't this story over yet?"
The writing starts off weak, but no more so than many (most?) romances. It does improve a short way into the story.
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Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Everyone enjoys a true Happily Ever After tale, but what happens to the people living in the kingdom who are also effected by the hero/heroine's curse? The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt, the first in her Accidental Enchantments series, centers around Talia, a spinner whose spinning when is taken away after a curse is laid upon the princess destined to become Sleeping Beauty.
Talia's story is heartbreakingly sad. She is a very plain girl with few marriage prospects. She spins to make a living along with her mother and has been saving all of her earnings for her dowry. When the family's spinning wheel is taken and destroyed, Talia must dip into her dowry in order for them to survive. Sadly, this means that even the one man willing to marry her, Willard, is no longer able to do so. His father sends him to a monastery. Talia's life soon takes a dark turn. She's forced down the unsavory path of pleasing men in order to make money and stay alive. At times, her tale takes a graphic turn, which took me by surprise. I like the reason Nevitt took this path, however. In an upcoming interview with the author, she stated, "One of the ideas I had from the start is that Sleeping Beauty would actually be Sleeping Ugly. Therefore, I made Talia to be Aurora's opposite. Where Aurora is beautiful, privileged, dreamy and pure, Talia is unattractive, poor, pragmatic-and sensual."
As the novella picks up in speed and takes on the familiar tale of Sleeping Beauty, Nevitt's creativeness really begins to shine through. I love the concept of the Sevenfold Spell, which Nevitt was inspired to write after reading Perrault's rendition. In her world, seven fairies work together to create this spell, which can only be complete when each individual blessing has been bestowed. Something goes horribly wrong when blessing the baby princess, and the final part of the spell is skipped when the fairy in charge of casting it must instead counter the curse. This results in an unexpected deformity that haunts the princess. I adored seeing the addition of this flaw and the way Nevitt worked her way through the fallout.
The heart of The Sevenfold Spell is still a fairy tale. The path to get to a happily ever after is long, gritty, and full of unexpected turns, but still worth the journey to get there. I was entranced by the novella's unique perspective and seeing the way the curse destroyed the livelihood of normal everyday people. This is truly a version of Sleeping Beauty that will stick with me, and I'm excited to read more of Nevitt's Accidental Enchantments series, which will all be centered around such perspectives, albeit with new fairy tale renderings. For a sneak peek of upcoming books in the series, watch out for an upcoming interview with the author!
AAR
Posted December 13, 2010
THE SEVENFOLD SPELL by Tia Newitt is a paranormal fairy tale set in days of old. It is well written with depth,details, and is fast paced. It has magic, spells, romance,fairies, princesses, princes,fairy godmother,curses, sacrifice, rewards and true love. Hat happens when sleeping beauty turns out to be a sleeping ugly instead? Would you sacrifice your life for another, someone you loved when she was just a child and put under an evil spell for a hundred years? This is just what the heroine would have done for the child she loved,but instead of sleeping a hundred years she only slept for a few days. She was rewarded for her sacrifice. Her true love was sent to an Abbey years before.She will finally find happiness. If you enjoy fairy tales, true love and a happy ever after you will enjoy this story with a little twist to the real story of Sleeping Beauty. This book was received for review from Net Galley and details can be found at Carina Press and My Book Addiction and More.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Talia and their mother have always made their living by spinning, but with the new laws of the land, they lose their sole source of income. For Talia, it also meant the loss of her potential husband and children. Finally, facing absolute poverty, Talia and her mother determine to build a new, illicit spinning wheel, using any means necessary. Through ups and downs, sacrifice and heartache, Talia has never forgotten her first love and dreams of being with him once again.
Being a fellow veteran, I have been wanting to read this debut fiction novella from Tia Nevitt. It is a retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty in a completely non-classic way, which was refreshing! Instead of focusing on the prince and princess, and the fairy godmothers, it explores the lives of the "little people" whose lives are greatly affected by the royals. Life isn't easy for the average peasant. Having their entire livelihood taken from them in a desperate attempt to thwart a curse changes the future for them. I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation of a fairy tale and I can't wait for the next installments!
An okay book
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 22, 2010
I loved The Sevenfold Spell. It's Sleeping Beauty still in its tiny hamlet from once-upon-a-time-long-ago. Yet this version is told in the POV of Talia, the village harlot and owner of the spinning wheel which pricked the Princess. Talia is pragmatic, witty, sexy, and kind. She starts this world in the opposite circumstances of the princess. Talia is homely and poor -- thanks to the King's degree which ruined her and her mother's thread-making business. What I love most is that Talia is an experienced woman, not the innocent/ignorant girl princess on the verge of womanhood. Talia sees beauty in ugliness, and the reader will readily see the ravishing beauty in Talia's unattractive shell. Her life is entwined with the real Princess Aurora and Prince Charming. The curse that afflicts Princess Aurora, afflicts Talia as well. Sleeping Beauty's core story cycle is reflected in Seven Fold Spell: recognition of love, disaster, psychological sleep...but, no, I won't give away the ending. Suffice to say, it is very happy and includes a wonderful surprise. The Sevenfold Spell is short, light, funny as hell, and packed with fun sex (although is it not explicit; this is not an erotic book.) If you are feeling down, it is a perfect read. A Lindor chocolate truffle of prose.
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Posted June 30, 2011
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Overview
Have you ever wondered what happens to the other people in the fairy tale?
Things look grim for Talia and her mother. By royal proclamation, the constables and those annoying "good" fairies have taken away their livelihood by confiscating their spinning wheel. Something to do with a curse on the princess, they said.
Not every young lady has a fairy godmother rushing to her rescue.
Without the promise of an income from spinning, Talia's prospects for marriage disappear, and she and her mother face destitution. Past caring about breaking an arbitrary and cruel law, rebellious Talia ...