I am a complete sucker for fairy tales. (What is a romance novel but a tale of a disguised princess and her happily ever after?) Previously I would have said that there are two sides to every fairy tale, the Princess and the Witch. What I forget, of course, are all the people who line the lanes to cheer the happy couple on. Not every face in the crowd is a joyful one. Tanith Lee used to do some lovely off center fairy tales. So did Robin McKinley. Being able to take a familiar story and breathe new life into it without undermining the original is a rare talent. Tia Nevitt appears to have it in abundance.
The Sevenfold Spell opens shortly after the birth of Princess Aurora, the soon to be sleeping beauty. In their grief, the King and Queen have ordered all spinning wheels destroyed. But spinners still need to feed their families. People still require thread. The village economy is in a shambles because of the actions of those leading it. (Timely, no?) Talia is a girl of no great beauty who has a comfortable life planned. Through her own labor she has learned to spin, saved a dowry, and befriended an equally common man. But it is Aurora who must be protected, not Talia.
The spinners don't happily turn over their wheels. There is no subsidized job retraining program for the newly unemployed. With no beauty, no livelihood and no income, Talia finds life a lot less comfortable. Like many a woman before her, Talia has defined her own worth through the cruel comments of others. So if Talia cannot have what she wants, she will want what she can get. If no one will protect her, she will protect herself. Purity and perfection are for princesses, pragmatism and persistence are traits that serve peasants well. This is a fun novella with some unexpected depth. Definitely worth the money and further proof that Carina Press was a great idea.
Thanks for the review. Loved the line about the "subsidized job retraining program!"
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, I liked a number of your lines as well. I will absolutely check out your next project.
ReplyDeleteOh, I do like the sound of this. And I too love subsidized job retraining program *grin*
ReplyDeleteOh, and I so love Robin McKinley's book. Out of interest (and I have no idea why this book sprung into my head), have you read Elizabeth Marie Pope's The Sherwood Ring?
I haven't - am I going to like it?
ReplyDeleteThere was a book I've been trying to remember since I wrote this - a red jacket hardcover from a sci fi author, male I think, with a curse where the prince was half missing - had a strong female lead. Thought of it halfway through Sevenfold and it's been making me crazy.
I'm not too sure about your reading tastes. Here's a link about it:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sherwood_Ring
Oh, and I hate it when you think of a scene from a book but then can't think of the title come hell or high water! Good luck the title comes to you - it doesn't ring any bells ATM, but I'll put my thinking cap on :)