The Bone Spindle

When they stepped through the opening, it felt as if they had entered an entirely different house. From here, they could look out over the lake, a view of the valley framed by carved archways of streaked yellow stone that led onto a crumbling balcony. The railing constructed of a row of winding bronze roses was badly tarnished, and Fi could see at least one patch where the wooden floorboards had fallen out altogether, leaving her peering down at the deep water below. She made a mental note to be careful where she stepped.

Fi could only imagine how beautiful this place must have been, even just a hundred years ago, before the last Witches had fled. It was the kind of building that probably could have stood another thousand years if anyone had been around to tend to it.

In the evening light, the floating specks of dust from the broken spell burned like flecks of gold, illuminating wall-to-wall bookshelves filled with all the things someone had hidden here: old vials of colored glass; fine porcelain teacups hand-painted with blushing roses; and spools of expensive fabrics dyed burgundy and cobalt, the trademark colors of the silk makers in southern Andar. Fi hadn t seen craftsmanship like this since the antique shops of Pisarre. Darfell was rich in ore, wood, and wine, but most of its exports were raw materials. Artifacts like this had to be from Andar. The shelves bowed under the weight of ancient books with thick cloth bookmarks spilling over the yellowed pages.

This is more like it!

Fi glanced over at Shane, who had gone straight for the treasure. A weathered chest on the far side of the room spilled over with gold chains and ropes of jewels. A silver crown set with pink diamonds already sat askew on the girl s head. Fi sighed. In that way, Shane was like every other treasure hunter she d ever known.

Fi had just stepped around a hole in the creaking floorboards, making for the books, when something else caught her eye. A narrow alcove had been

Leslie Vedder is a YA author who loves girl heroes and adventurers. She grew up on fantasy books, anime, fanfiction, and the Lord of the Rings movies, and met her true love in high school choir. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in creative writing, and currently lives in Colorado with her wife and two spoiled house cats.

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* "Vedder weaves compelling character back stories into a complex plot, rich with detail and magic, and balances heart-pounding action with romance, travel, and thorough worldbuilding. This gender-flipped retelling effortlessly melds romance, adventure, and fantasy. Highly recommended. SLJ, (starred review)
 
A fast-paced and adventurous retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Tor.com

Packed with fully fleshed-out characters and lots of adventure, this book is a fun read that will easily draw fairy tale lovers. Vedder s first novel nicely balances its exciting plot with touching matters of the heart. Booklist

An enchanting read for fans of fairy-tale romance and girls with battle axes. Kirkus Reviews

[An] action-packed, gender-flipped Sleeping Beauty reenvisioning .Video game-style fantasy tropes and energetic plotting provide an alternative to Forgotten Realms and David Eddings for new readers of epic fantasy. Publishers Weekly