Curse and Spindle by Chelsey Ann Tompkins review

 

Curse and Spindle by Chelsey Ann Tompkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
🌶️🌶️ (2 spice)

I randomly stumbled upon this book, and after reading the description, I was intrigued. I don’t think I’ve ever read a Sleeping Beauty retelling before, so I figured why not?

First off, this book is short (under 200 pages), so I was worried it wouldn’t give me much. Joke’s on me, though, because for such a small book, the author managed to pack in a lot. While it has the Sleeping Beauty framework, much of the story felt new and different in a really good way. It gave me the vibes without being a copy-paste retelling.

The plot wasn’t over the top and felt fairly simple, but it worked so well for the book’s size. I loved the characters and was pleasantly surprised by how much depth the author added. The character interactions were great, and I enjoyed watching the build-up between them.

For such a short story, the pacing was handled well. It didn’t feel rushed, and although I do think the book could have been longer with even more content, I wasn’t disappointed. It gave me a little bit of everything romance, intrigue, fun without making me feel like I was racing through it.

As for the spice… It was technically open-door, but it felt a little watered down compared to other open-door scenes I’ve read. It was fine, but it didn’t quite hit for me.

💕 Things I Loved:
The fresh twist on a classic fairytale
Seraphine’s personal growth
Korven. Enough said.
How full the story felt despite its length
A perfect quick read
The ending

🙃 What Didn’t Work for Me:
The spice just wasn’t spicy enough for my taste

Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely! It was a really nice, easy read.

Would I reread it?
Yes. It’s short, fun, and would be a great reread during a slump.

How I’d sum it up:
A quick, lightly spicy Sleeping Beauty retelling that leaves you smiling.

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