“Lizzie and Mika, me and you. Even when we're ancient crones, Rocking in our ancient chairs— Grumbling ancient pea-green groans— Combing out our ancien“Lizzie and Mika, me and you. Even when we're ancient crones, Rocking in our ancient chairs— Grumbling ancient pea-green groans— Combing out our ancient hairs— Lizzie and Minka, just we two!” ~GOBLIN MARKET
Long-time fairy tale fans may already be familiar with Diane Zahler, who writes enchanting middle-grade novels revolving around some of our favorite beloved tales. With her new offering, GOBLIN MARKET, Zahler deftly plays in the world of Christina Rosetti's poem "Goblin Market." She does so well, taking the more mature elements and fashioning them into something appropriate for a middle-grade audience while still holding the allure of the original tale.
Sisters Lizzie and Minka are better together than apart, not alike, but able to balance one another well. Minka always goes to market to sell her family's produce, leaving Lizzie safely at home, away from the overwhelming crowds. One day, she comes home with her head in the clouds, enamored with the boy Emil who gave her fruit in exchange for a lock of her hair. She's in love, and planning her future with him, but slowly falls ill. Only his fruit can revive her, and when Lizzie discovers that Emil is masquerading as a zduzse out to claim Minka as his own, she will stop at nothing to save her.
GOBLIN MARKET is about the bonds of sisterhood and the lengths we go for love. Minka has synesthesia, and it is hinted at that she make be autistic as well. Crowds overwhelm her, as do interacting with strangers and touching others. But Lizzie must overcome the things that hinder her if she wants to find out more about the mysterious Emil and find a way to save her sister. While none of the characters in the novel are overly developed, I love that Lizzie, as our main character, is fleshed out so fully by these defining characteristics. Her synesthesia is mentioned early on, and becomes a huge help in her quest later in the novel. Synesthesia is utilized in a really intriguing fashion that will absolutely intrigue young readers.
This is also a perfect fall read -- it is just the right amount of spooky! Younger readers will get the creeps a couple of times as they read, and be drawn further in to the dark side of the Goblin Market as Zahler creates an eerie atmosphere and lures them into the world of the zduzses. The creepy cover with its blood-red twins, shadowy villain, and disturbing creatures in the background heighten the mood and make this an instant Must Read this fall!...more
“I'm just a dying girl, and the last rule for dying girls, the one we never say out loud, is try not to die.” ~A SPINDLE SPLINTERED
Nothing gets me more “I'm just a dying girl, and the last rule for dying girls, the one we never say out loud, is try not to die.” ~A SPINDLE SPLINTERED
Nothing gets me more excited than a new twist on a classic tale. When I heard that Alix E. Harrow, author of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY, had inked a deal to publisher some feminist fairy tale inspired novellas with Tordotcom, I was instantly intrigued. Tordotcom always publishes amazing novellas (I especially love Seanan McGuire's award-winning Wayward Children series). When Harrow debuted with ...JANUARY at the Book Expo, I was instantly intrigued by the beautiful cover and the comp to McGuire's aforementioned Wayward Children, a series I adored. When I read it, however, I was let down because it wasn't the portal fantasy I'd been anticipating based on the comps. I still really enjoyed Harrow's writing style, however, and found many quotable lines throughout the novel. I was eager to try her works again, and by adding fairy tales into the mix, I knew this would be the series for me.
I wasn't, however, expecting how different and unique the read would be! I couldn't put this one down -- and thankfully, since it's a novella, it can easily be read in one sitting. I have read so many books inspired by fairy tales over the years that they've all started to run together. When one can introduce new concepts and surprise me, it really makes me sit up and take notice.
What is Sleeping Beauty if not the tale of a dying girl? Cursed to die at birth, she is saved when the curse is twisted into a hundred year sleep. (In some versions, at least. Other versions of the tale are much darker and incredibly traumatic.) Our main character, Zinnia Gray, is also dying. The town of Roseville's tap water became contaminated when she was young, leading to children who developed the incurable Roseville Malady. Zinnia is about to turn twenty-one, the oldest of the survivors, and not sure how much time she has left. When she attends a birthday part jokingly set up in an old tower and inspired by her childhood favorite fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, she has no clue she's about to become one of many Sleeping Beauties across time. In MCU speak, this is the fairy tale multi-verse. All the Beauties have floral-inspired names, of course, as does Zinnia herself. Some are ill and dying. Others are cursed and dying. They are all in need of help. As Zinnia feels herself falling through this portal between worlds, she is stopped when one of the Beauties, Primrose, calls out for help. Will falling into another world be Zinnia's salvation, or will it herald her doom?
I was not expecting this sort of multi-verse of Sleeping Beauties and the way different worlds could shape stories so differently. I loved exploring this, and Harrow's creativity knew no bounds. There is also something really, really cool about the "villain" who cursed Primrose in her world, and I don't want to spoil it here, but the implications of how her actions ripple through time will leave fairy tale lovers breathless with wonder and delight.
Something else I really enjoyed while reading was all of the fantastic interior artwork by Arthur Rackham. He did the artwork for the original publication of The Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, which published in 1920. It was such a wondrous treat, and really brought me back to my childhood, where I'd look forward to seeing new illustrations every so often as I read. This is something I've seen in other Tordotcom novellas and loved as well. The fact that they used such famous images and introduced a lot of new readers to them is so incredibly clever. I love it!
Overall, A SPINDLE SPLINTERED is absolutely worth the read. It subverts the fairy tales you think you know and pokes holes into them to see how they hold up when altered and modernized. Harrow adds a feminist twist to the tale that is absolutely thought-provoking. Even though the book is short, only a novella in length, it's absolutely worth the hardcover price. Tordotcom usually doesn't re-release titles in paperback later, just fyi, and I don't think the illustrations come through the same way digitally as they do tactilely when you're holding the physical book and immersed that way. I started listening to this one on my way to work as an audiobook, switched to the ebook on my lunch break, saw the illustrations, and switched to my hardcover copy when I got home that day and never looked back. This is definitely one to hold in your hands!
The next book in the line, A MIRROR MENDED, just came out a couple of weeks ago and is next up on the docket for me. I'm hoping it has every bit of the whimsy, charm, and thought-provoking content as its predecessor....more
Are you always on the hunt for a good deal? I know I am! As you know, retellings are my fave, and I'm always drawn to a book immediately if it retellsAre you always on the hunt for a good deal? I know I am! As you know, retellings are my fave, and I'm always drawn to a book immediately if it retells pretty much anything!
When I found out that Celeste Baxendell was releasing a gender-bent Beauty and the Beast retelling entitled BEASTS OF BEAUTY tomorrow, I got instant grabby hands. Then I found out there were two other books set in the world and, well, of course I wanted to read them all!
The first book, STALKS OF GOLD, is a mash-up of both Rumplestiltskin and Rapunzel, and you wouldn't think that would work, but it does. So well. And even better? You can try it out now at a steal. It's also free with Kindle Unlimited if you are a subscriber.
Mash-ups don't always do a great job or aren't always necessary to tell the tale, but I couldn't see this version working without the twists that come through both tales. Our heroine Aurelia goes through a lot of hardships to come out on the other side. She makes the mistake of opening the door to a strange man named Ruskin one evening, who knows of her father's past and a mysterious witch named Gothel. He promises to keep them safe, but the next day, Aurelia is turned over to their iron-fisted king, who has heard rumors that she can spin straw into gold, and her father is executed when she balks at the task. Even her childhood best friend (And perhaps something more?) Sandor, the bastard brother of the king, can't save her. So she instead turns to the mysterious Ruskin to spin gold and save her at the ultimate cost, believing him to be her savior and only friend, and never realizing the way he is about to ruin her life....
This is one where if you tell too many plot points, it falls into spoiler territory, but needless to say, the beats hit right and the pacing was steady and will keep readers intrigued until the very end. It was a lot of fun to see elements from both tales and the way they worked together and went beyond the tale. The novel is also told in alternating perspectives, so you get more romance when you read Sandor's POV, because he has no doubts of his feelings for Aurelia and will do anything for her. Aurelia, on the other hand, feels betrayed that she found out his secret before he could tell her, and Ruskin manipulates her feelings about him so that she no longer feels she can trust him and it takes a while for her to open up and for the two of them to re-connect. Some readers may not enjoy the pacing because Aurelia can be hot-headed, while others will love the slower burn and savor their connection....more
Bonnie (A Backwards Story)
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