She teaches us that princesses-so often relegated to passive roles-have power of their own. Robin McKinley Spindle's End Mass Market Paperback Jby Robin McKinley (Author) 758 ratings Part of: Folktales Series (3 books) See all formats and editions Kindle 6.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook 0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover 25.44 49 Used from 1.49 6 New from 25.44 9 Collectible from 13. Katriona, a young fairy, kidnaps the princess in order to save her she and her aunt raise the child in their small village. In McKinley’s smart final act, however, it’s the power of selfless friendship and true generosity that saves the day, not a generic handsome stranger. The evil fairy Pernicia has set a curse on Princess Briar-Rose: she is fated to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into an endless, poisoned sleep. As Rosie’s fateful 21st birthday approaches, the magic of the curse reaches a boiling point. Rosie, her princess, is cursed at birth-but a friendly fairy smuggles her away to a small village to grow up in relative safety, oblivious to her royal identity and happy to get her hands dirty as an animal healer.

McKinley’s story is familiar and her setting recalls the archetypical rural idyll of a Disney fairy tale, but the twists are unexpected and the characters well-defined and quirky. That’s the premise at the beginning of Spindle’s End, her creative retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, too: It’s set in a pastoral universe buzzing with fantastical elements, from talking animals to water with a mind of its own. Robin McKinley’s fantasy worlds are so rich you can feel the magic in the air.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley