Book Review: Carabosse and the Spindle Spell

Carabosse and the Spindle Spell by Sylvia Mercedes

Fairytale Retelling. 162 Pages. 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Shy but magically talented, Princess Carabosse only wants to help her people as they face the looming threat of the Warlock King and his daughter, Aurora. Aurora was gifted from infancy with fairy blessings that make her the most lethal magic-user the world has seen in centuries . . . and she wants Cara’s kingdom.

The only hope for fighting off this deadly threat is the loyalty of the twelve Dragon Lords. They have sworn allegiance to the Briar Crown. But when the crown falls into Aurora’s clutches, who will the dragons serve?

Armed only with a humble spindle and a gift for spinning magic, Cara alone stands against the Warlock and his daughter. Will she find unexpected help from the twelfth Dragon Lord, handsome shape-shifter Torald? Or will the vows he swore to the Briar Crown force him to turn against Cara and serve the beautiful Aurora?

Carabosse and the Spindle Spell is one of twelve short novels in A Villain’s Ever After, a collection of standalone stories featuring villainous twists on some of your favorite classic fairytales. Read the series in any order for magical adventures . . . and fall in love with villains as you’ve never seen them before. Who said villains can’t have happily-ever-afters?

My Review:

I made it to the final book! Whoot whoot!

I’ve never read anything from Mercedes before, and after Marshall’s previous contribution to the series, I wasn’t sure if I’d end up liking this one or not. But I did! I think it did pretty well and may be my second favorite in the series (or tied for second).

Sleeping Beauty has always been my childhood favorite fairy tale, so I’m never sure if someone’s going to treat it well or totally miss the mark. But Mercedes effectively drew me into her unique world and really turned the story on it’s head. I loved how she used the traditional elements of Aurora’s beauty and grace as weapons to villainize her and even how she made Carabosse to become Aurora’s opponent in the first place. It was neat to see the invitation flipped on it’s head and the allegiance of the dragons and the nod to the raven. I also really liked what she did with the spindle and the magic. I wanted to see more ways the magic could work and what was so different from how Carabosse and her mother practiced from Aurora and her father (and presumably others since the dragon mentioned it). Super clever way to tie in those elements.

The dragons themselves were neat, but definitely something I would have liked to explore more. It felt like there was so much more there to know and learn. The magic and tradition and fealty sworn to the two crowns intrigued me. I’d love to see more of that history, too. Her world was fun, and though it felt much larger than what we had time to get into, what she gave us was enough to satisfy the story. She struck a good balance. The pacing too, was better than most novellas I’ve read. There were a few small places that felt a little off and the ending felt just a little rushed, but otherwise, I was really pleased with the way she shaped the story with the limited word count.

Carabosse was an interesting character. And her family dynamics felt a little odd in some places. It made me wonder if there was history there that is found in another book or if it’s just something we didn’t have time to dig into and develop. But I liked how protective she was and how she sought to heal her people and save her kingdom. And I liked the dragon lord too. His struggle to prevent such grief and war was admirable.

Oh! And not only were the story points good, world interesting, and the characters worth following, but the ENDING! It made me realllly want to see how that story turned out! Though it also sufficiently could be left to the imagination, I’m so curious to see with Mercedes iteration of these characters how that would unfold.

Clean romance, no swearing, and some mild fantasy violence (reference to war and a pretty PG battle scene). I’d probably recommend this for early to mid teens.

A Villain’s Ever After Book 1 is The Beast and the Enchantress (3 Stars)

Book 2 is The Sultan and the Storyteller (4 Stars)

Book 3 is Bluebeard and the Outlaw (5 Stars)

Book 4 is The Stepsister and the Slipper (4 Stars)

Book 5 is The Goblin and the Dancer (4 Stars)

Book 6 is Hansel and the Gingerbread Queen (5 Stars)

Book 7 is The Dark King and the Eternal Dance (4 Stars)

Book 8 is Gothel and the Maiden Prince (4 Stars)

Book 9 is The Sorcerer and the Swan Princess (3 Stars)

Book 10 is The Baker and the Wolf (4 Stars)

Book 11 is The Prince and the Sea Witch (5 Stars)

Book 12 is Carabosse and the Spindle Spell (5 Stars)