Spindle Fire

March 27, 2017
In Hillyer’s (Proof of Forever) inventive take on Sleeping Beauty, 16-year-old Princess Aurora of Deluce cannot speak or feel, and her older half-sister, Isbe, is blind—these senses were “tithed” by fairies when they were babies. Aurora is to be married to Prince Phillip of Aubin, forging an alliance between their kingdoms, but when Philip and his brother Edward are murdered, it’s suspected to be the work of the faerie queen Malfleur, who is planning war. Aurora will now be wed to a third prince, William, and Isbe is to be sent to a convent. When Isbe runs away, Aurora goes after her, happening upon a cottage where she pricks her finger on a spindle and is transported to a dreamland called Sommeil, while a sleeping sickness sweeps her own kingdom. Now Isbe must save Aurora. 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. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Inkwell Management.

February 1, 2017
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)

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March 1, 2017

Gr 7 Up-Sisters Aurora and Isabelle have always been close, even though Isabelle is reviled as the king's stubborn illegitimate daughter and beautiful Aurora is poised to marry the prince and become a dutiful queen. They even have their own secret language; they must, for faeries took Isbe's sight and Aurora's voice when both were small. After a moment of anger between them causes Isbe to run away, Aurora pursues her, only to be caught in the magic web of a faerie queen thought long dead. Tensions rise as Isbe desperately works to save her sister while beginning to see the larger magical forces at work, and the women start to understand the powerful ways they can shape their own futures. While there isn't much new ground covered here, fantasy fans and fractured fairy tale lovers will easily fall into Isbe and Aurora's world. Fast-paced and full of mystery, danger, and romance, this title will appeal to voracious and reluctant readers alike. Aurora and Isbe grow from sheltered palace dwellers to strong women becoming aware of their own ignorance and the ways they have been manipulated. A cliff-hanger ending leaves the futures of several characters unknown, and readers will surely want to find out the fates of the two heroines, their love interests, and the corrupt fae who rule the land. VERDICT A strong addition to the fantasy/fairy-tale/romance genre, and a great pick for those who can't get enough of it.-Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, St. Paul Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 The tale is familiar: a newborn princess is cursed by a faerie to die by spindle prick, and another faerie changes the curse to sleep. But several striking differences set this interpretation apart. First, Aurora, the cursed princess, has an older, illegitimate half sister, Isabelle. Second, each sister had something tithed to the faeries. For Aurora, it was her voice and sense of touch; for Isabelle, it was her sight. Delicate Aurora dreams of romance, while blind, headstrong Isabelle longs for adventure. Still, the sisters are close, and when the inevitable cursed sleep comes, it shatters their worlds. Isabelle is determined to find a way to save her sister and the kingdom that sleeps with her, while Aurora finds herself in a strange dream world, slowly confronting the truth about the aftermath of a war between two faerie sisters. 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
Princess Aurora's beauty and grace come at great cost. To pay for those gifts, her parents tithed Aurora's voice and her sister Isabel's sight in recompense to the faeries. In this dark revisioning of "Sleeping Beauty" set in a declining world, Hillyer intertwines the adventures of two human princesses and two ancient faerie sisters. An ambitious tale full of loose ends that suggest a sequel.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)