Title: The Sleeper and the SpindleAuthor: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fairy-tale Retelling
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: October 23rd 2014
Page Number: 68
Summary:
On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.
Review:
I've not really read an actual Neil Gaiman book before, but I have read Coraline the graphic novel. I enjoyed it, but it was quite boring compared to the movie. When I got this in the post I literally couldn't stop touching it. It's beautiful.
The book is a mixed retelling of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a lot of creepiness and incredible, beautiful writing. The story was thrilling and enjoyable, and I just couldn't put it down. (It's not a long book and could be read within an hour.) I felt such a connection with the story and in a way it was both confusing and similar at the same time. I could see the original stories, but also the retellings.
One of the scenes that really made me smile was when both queens kissed. It wasn't a romantic kiss, it was just a kiss. The kiss of life. It was a nice surprise because I'm gay and I definitely didn't expect to see it in a children's book.
I wouldn't say the story blew me away, but I did enjoy it. 4/5 stars!
I received this book from the publishers for an honest opinion.
No comments