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Tales of Bones and Roses #4
Spinning Fire: A Rumpelstiltskin Retelling
A BROKEN HEART, A FIERY MOTHER, AND TWISTED BARGAINS IN THE CITY OF SNAKES
“How do you tell your grieving wife that you’re not only alive, but you accidentally sold your firstborn to a witch?”
Despite Alexei successfully avoiding his family home and wife for years, some discussions can only take place face-to-face. He expects a heated argument and comes prepared with promises to fix everything. Instead, he finds her gone.
Ansa shouldn't worry about her long absent husband. Not when revolutionaries imprison her adoptive family, leaving her no choice but to agree to the use the explosive flames she suppressed her whole life and spin fire into mysterious gold.
With the fate of their family resting on a knife-edge, Alexei and Ansa must discover the power that names hold before it's too late. How many bargains can they make before their enemies collect? How many times can a mechanical heart beat before it runs out of steam?
Spinning Fire is a second-chance, found family, slow-burn romantasy with dual points-of-view that can be read as part of the Tales of Bones & Roses series or as a stand-alone.
“How do you tell your grieving wife that you’re not only alive, but you accidentally sold your firstborn to a witch?”
Despite Alexei successfully avoiding his family home and wife for years, some discussions can only take place face-to-face. He expects a heated argument and comes prepared with promises to fix everything. Instead, he finds her gone.
Ansa shouldn't worry about her long absent husband. Not when revolutionaries imprison her adoptive family, leaving her no choice but to agree to the use the explosive flames she suppressed her whole life and spin fire into mysterious gold.
With the fate of their family resting on a knife-edge, Alexei and Ansa must discover the power that names hold before it's too late. How many bargains can they make before their enemies collect? How many times can a mechanical heart beat before it runs out of steam?
Spinning Fire is a second-chance, found family, slow-burn romantasy with dual points-of-view that can be read as part of the Tales of Bones & Roses series or as a stand-alone.
468 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2024
6 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Liv Strom
12 books31 followersLiv Strom is a Swiss-Swedish writer of speculative fiction, often featuring strong women. Her stories have appeared in Apex, Hexagon SF Magazine, and Mystery Magazine, among others, and been included on Tor.com’s Must-Read Speculative Fiction and reviewed on Locus.
Her first novel The Last Spiritwalker is a dark contemporary fantasy road trip where no one is safe, while her Tales of Bones and Roses series retells fairytales in the city of Tal, where epic fantasy and romance meet.
When not writing, she raises her three wild children on stories.
Her first novel The Last Spiritwalker is a dark contemporary fantasy road trip where no one is safe, while her Tales of Bones and Roses series retells fairytales in the city of Tal, where epic fantasy and romance meet.
When not writing, she raises her three wild children on stories.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 25, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley, Victory Editing and Liv Strom for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
3.5 stars rounded up.
SPINNING FIRE is a story about courage and family, set in a world where magic is real and people are greedy for power. It's the third installment (fourth, if you count the UNLOCKING FIRE novella) in Liv Strom's TALES OF BONES AND ROSES series, but I have read it as a standalone. Ansa, a fire bearer, must save her home and her late husband's family from death by powering a quarry machine with fire. Meanwhile, Alexei, Ansa's not-so-late husband has made a bargain for his life and needs to return home to make it right.
As a note to future readers, I would recommend reading the novella before reading SPINNING FIRE, if not all the books in the series that come before it. It took me nearly a hundred pages to place myself in the universe, remember who each people was and what their role was, as well as have a grasp of the characters' history. It can absolutely be read as a standalone, but you need to be ready to spend nearly a third of it confused, as if it were written in medias res. It makes for a good narrative and leaves you waiting to find out the full picture, which is something I enjoy, but it's very clear that there is narrative bits you're missing out on if you haven't read the previous installments.
Strom's strongest suit, I believe, are the characters. They start off quite cliche, Ansa not fitting in because she wasn't a real noble and a fire mage where those are feared; and Alexei who stayed away for Ansa's protection, despite being in love with her. I'll admit I wasn't a fan of the way either of them were written at the beginning, but their character arcs were strong and well-developed, turning out to be very satisfying towards the end. Strom did a great job as even the less important characters had gone through their own character arcs, which was a pleasure to read. My favourite was, hands down, Alexei's younger sister Zora, and I will definitely be on the lookout for her installment in the series.
I couldn't put this book down. It was gripping, interesting, and most importantly, I didn't guess the plot twist (which I won't spoil, but it would make you want to read it more). It was a fun, light read. The romance was well done and had me rooting for it, even though at the beginning I didn't care for it much. The family love and affections, both by blood and by bonds, were the heart of this story and why I liked it so much. I'm a sucker for families.
However, I will admit that the writing itself isn't the best. There is quite a lot of repetition towards the beginning, of facts we've already heard, and some of the events happened purely based on coincidence. The big villain also didn't feel too threatening, only like a prick who managed to manipulate everyone into standing by his side. I also think this suffers from overwriting, and less would've been more. The whole novel could've been about 15-20% shorter without losing anything. This meant the pacing within scenes suffered, slowing down dialogue, as our POV characters kept thinking and noticing too much during intense moments. Pacing overall was good, but if it wasn't for Zora and how much I liked her character, these issues would've likely brought the rating down.
Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit more than I expected from the first third. It's probably not going to change your life, but it will immerse you into an interesting world and you will have a good time. I understand why people would put it down within the first third - it really takes effort to remember everything - but the effort pays off.
And as I said, I'm looking forward to Zora's installment! I'm thinking maybe Pinocchio?
(Also, there's noteworthy disability representation. One of the characters is a wheelchair user and another one heavily dyslexic, both of which are done wonderfully. It was nice to see these kinds of things mentioned in a commercial fantasy novel.)
September 29, 2024
ARC Review
Spinning Fire
✨️7/10✨️
This imaginative, twisted retelling of Rumplestiltskin is a solid read. It kept me guessing in parts, and there are some really strong characters with satisfying arcs.
The world Strom has created is rich and vibrant. She drops casual references and details that make me want to dive further in. Especially with Zora - she seems like such a fantastic character & I'm excited to see more of her in other tales.
I haven't read the novella before this, which I think is why I didn't feel as strongly towards Ansa and Alexei's love story as I expected. Don't get me wrong, I was still invested, but I could feel that I was missing some of the emotion of their backstory.
It also meant that Ansa's reaction to Alexei's tale of bargaining away her daughter seemed very muted. I am assuming that's because of plot that happened in the novella - you get the context, but not the emotions behind it.
There also came a point where the only thing keeping them apart was a frank conversation. As a reader, that situation becomes a little draining to read. But we get our HEA, so I can't complain!
There was a twist that I didn't see coming - which I love! That's when the book really took off for me. I think the story would have benefited from faster pacing to reach that point. I'd also have liked to see the villain be more villainous - he felt quite small, and easily removed - only lack of murderous intent saved him.
Overall, Spinning Fire is a great story. Anda and Alexei are well developed, but I think it would be worth reading their novella before this book to get the full context.
Thank you so much Victory Editing, NetGalley, and the author, Liv Strom for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review. All opinions are my own.
Spinning Fire
✨️7/10✨️
This imaginative, twisted retelling of Rumplestiltskin is a solid read. It kept me guessing in parts, and there are some really strong characters with satisfying arcs.
The world Strom has created is rich and vibrant. She drops casual references and details that make me want to dive further in. Especially with Zora - she seems like such a fantastic character & I'm excited to see more of her in other tales.
I haven't read the novella before this, which I think is why I didn't feel as strongly towards Ansa and Alexei's love story as I expected. Don't get me wrong, I was still invested, but I could feel that I was missing some of the emotion of their backstory.
It also meant that Ansa's reaction to Alexei's tale of bargaining away her daughter seemed very muted. I am assuming that's because of plot that happened in the novella - you get the context, but not the emotions behind it.
There also came a point where the only thing keeping them apart was a frank conversation. As a reader, that situation becomes a little draining to read. But we get our HEA, so I can't complain!
There was a twist that I didn't see coming - which I love! That's when the book really took off for me. I think the story would have benefited from faster pacing to reach that point. I'd also have liked to see the villain be more villainous - he felt quite small, and easily removed - only lack of murderous intent saved him.
Overall, Spinning Fire is a great story. Anda and Alexei are well developed, but I think it would be worth reading their novella before this book to get the full context.
Thank you so much Victory Editing, NetGalley, and the author, Liv Strom for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review. All opinions are my own.
September 20, 2024
I read this as an ARC and loved it!
I enjoyed meeting Ansa and Alexei in the novella Unlocking Fire, so I was excited to be back in their worlds. There was intrigue, humour, slow to realise love, a lot about acceptance and several other surprises! This story was full of moments that had me reacting out loud and was definitely one that kept me up late because I wanted to see how it would end. I cannot recommend this read enough if you are interested in fairytale reimaginings and fire magic.
I enjoyed meeting Ansa and Alexei in the novella Unlocking Fire, so I was excited to be back in their worlds. There was intrigue, humour, slow to realise love, a lot about acceptance and several other surprises! This story was full of moments that had me reacting out loud and was definitely one that kept me up late because I wanted to see how it would end. I cannot recommend this read enough if you are interested in fairytale reimaginings and fire magic.
September 23, 2024
Spinning Fire is Liv Strom’s latest installment in her Tales of Bones & Roses series where she takes popular fairytales and reimagines them with her own original characters. There have been three novels prior to this, and this novel can either be read as a continuation to the Tales of Bones & Roses series or can be read as a standalone.
And unfortunately, this is where my problem lies with this novel.
I regret to inform that I had to DNF this story, which I am so gutted about as I genuinely loved the previous novella featuring Ansa and Alexei and fell for both characters. I started this novel not knowing it was part of a series, but saw it could be read as a standalone, which was why I requested the e-ARC. However, the author’s note suggested to read her previous novel as well as a novella featuring the two protagonists, Ansa and Alexei, titled Unlocking Fire, for a better reading experience, and so I had read the latter to at least gain some context to understand both our FMC and MMC better, how they met and the journey and development that they go through within that novella. I genuinely enjoyed it and thought it was sufficient enough knowledge to proceed with this novel.
I was looking forward to seeing their story continue in this novel, but unfortunately the world building was just too overwhelming and confusing for me to read on as I found there were still too many gaps in knowledge that hindered my reading experience and prevented me from continuing. There are too many events that I assume happened in the previous novel that this novel does not necessarily do well at explaining in a deeper context and expects the reader to connect the pieces as they go along. Minor spoiler – one example is Alexei being able to fly, and this was not touched upon in the novella nor did it explain with further context how he is able to fly. We are just expected to accept this knowledge as a matter of course. There are many instances of this as I continued to read, which left me feeling frustrated and DNFed early on in the story.
I believe “standalone” may not be suitable to market this book as I found it very hard to follow with the confusing worldbuilding. More context clues and elaboration would have been appreciated and I highly recommend interested readers to read the whole series if they are keen on picking this one up. I am giving 2 stars as I enjoyed Alexei and Ansa and believe this story had potential, if not for the hard to follow world building.
Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
And unfortunately, this is where my problem lies with this novel.
I regret to inform that I had to DNF this story, which I am so gutted about as I genuinely loved the previous novella featuring Ansa and Alexei and fell for both characters. I started this novel not knowing it was part of a series, but saw it could be read as a standalone, which was why I requested the e-ARC. However, the author’s note suggested to read her previous novel as well as a novella featuring the two protagonists, Ansa and Alexei, titled Unlocking Fire, for a better reading experience, and so I had read the latter to at least gain some context to understand both our FMC and MMC better, how they met and the journey and development that they go through within that novella. I genuinely enjoyed it and thought it was sufficient enough knowledge to proceed with this novel.
I was looking forward to seeing their story continue in this novel, but unfortunately the world building was just too overwhelming and confusing for me to read on as I found there were still too many gaps in knowledge that hindered my reading experience and prevented me from continuing. There are too many events that I assume happened in the previous novel that this novel does not necessarily do well at explaining in a deeper context and expects the reader to connect the pieces as they go along. Minor spoiler – one example is Alexei being able to fly, and this was not touched upon in the novella nor did it explain with further context how he is able to fly. We are just expected to accept this knowledge as a matter of course. There are many instances of this as I continued to read, which left me feeling frustrated and DNFed early on in the story.
I believe “standalone” may not be suitable to market this book as I found it very hard to follow with the confusing worldbuilding. More context clues and elaboration would have been appreciated and I highly recommend interested readers to read the whole series if they are keen on picking this one up. I am giving 2 stars as I enjoyed Alexei and Ansa and believe this story had potential, if not for the hard to follow world building.
Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 19, 2024
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
EDITORIAL REVEW
19th October 2024
TITLE: Spinning Fire
AUTHOR: Liv Strom
Star Rating: 4
‘A complex retelling filled with twists, turns and suspense! Highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf
REVIEW
I must say, I very much enjoyed this dark Rumpelstiltskin retelling. The author, Liv Strom, is a very accomplished writer; in fact, I have enjoyed a number of books by her including the wonderful Stealing Glass: A Cinderella Retelling which I loved. Personally, I have always enjoyed ‘retellings’; it allows the author to develop well-known characters and plots and, basically, do whatever they wish with them, changing where and when they were set and even changing happy endings to sad – all good fun!
So, what did I enjoy the most with this book? To begin with, in this romantic fantasy, there’s a switching POV which works perfectly. It allows the reader to get to know the two MCs remarkably well; as a result, I think most readers will be rooting for them. I know I was. Secondly, the plot’s surprisingly complex; that’s not a criticism as I happen to enjoy books that don’t dumb down the reader. So, a warning for you, you’ll need to work hard to keep up with what’s going on, but it’s worth it. And, finally, I enjoyed the writing style, the author offering the reader strong pacing, well-developed characters, and plenty of ‘romantasy’ – a new word for me!
So, adults/older YA, if you enjoy retellings, have a go at this book. Even better, have a go at all Liv Strom’s novels starting with Stealing Glass. You’ll possibly need to work hard to stay on top of the complex plotting, but trust me when I tell you, it’s a wonderful ride!
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk
EDITORIAL REVEW
19th October 2024
TITLE: Spinning Fire
AUTHOR: Liv Strom
Star Rating: 4
‘A complex retelling filled with twists, turns and suspense! Highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf
REVIEW
I must say, I very much enjoyed this dark Rumpelstiltskin retelling. The author, Liv Strom, is a very accomplished writer; in fact, I have enjoyed a number of books by her including the wonderful Stealing Glass: A Cinderella Retelling which I loved. Personally, I have always enjoyed ‘retellings’; it allows the author to develop well-known characters and plots and, basically, do whatever they wish with them, changing where and when they were set and even changing happy endings to sad – all good fun!
So, what did I enjoy the most with this book? To begin with, in this romantic fantasy, there’s a switching POV which works perfectly. It allows the reader to get to know the two MCs remarkably well; as a result, I think most readers will be rooting for them. I know I was. Secondly, the plot’s surprisingly complex; that’s not a criticism as I happen to enjoy books that don’t dumb down the reader. So, a warning for you, you’ll need to work hard to keep up with what’s going on, but it’s worth it. And, finally, I enjoyed the writing style, the author offering the reader strong pacing, well-developed characters, and plenty of ‘romantasy’ – a new word for me!
So, adults/older YA, if you enjoy retellings, have a go at this book. Even better, have a go at all Liv Strom’s novels starting with Stealing Glass. You’ll possibly need to work hard to stay on top of the complex plotting, but trust me when I tell you, it’s a wonderful ride!
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk
October 25, 2024
oh this was sooo sweet <3 🥹
I don't enjoy second chance stories that much but Alexei and Ansa being my introduction to the world through their novella which makes me quite attached with them I know I would read this book (and me loving the previous duology doesn't hurt!). and I sure was not disappointed! not only the romance, the plot and actions were soo enjoyable for me as a retelling-stories fan. how the tale of Rumpelstiltskin were adapted in the story is so creative and I thoroughly enjoy their journey together on overcoming it and coming back to each other. lots of such sweet scenes and parts, I already wish I can forget and read it for the first time again 🥺
another thing I appreciate is how reasonable their "relationship issues" are!! what I hate about some romance stories are how the conflicts practically could be solved by less miss-communications between them, but here I genuinely agree with the reasonings behind what's holding each of them back fron each other. very fitting to their characters as well as what's happening with the plot.
overall, really enjoyed my time reading this as always with the other books from Liv. looking forward to the next installments!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I don't enjoy second chance stories that much but Alexei and Ansa being my introduction to the world through their novella which makes me quite attached with them I know I would read this book (and me loving the previous duology doesn't hurt!). and I sure was not disappointed! not only the romance, the plot and actions were soo enjoyable for me as a retelling-stories fan. how the tale of Rumpelstiltskin were adapted in the story is so creative and I thoroughly enjoy their journey together on overcoming it and coming back to each other. lots of such sweet scenes and parts, I already wish I can forget and read it for the first time again 🥺
another thing I appreciate is how reasonable their "relationship issues" are!! what I hate about some romance stories are how the conflicts practically could be solved by less miss-communications between them, but here I genuinely agree with the reasonings behind what's holding each of them back fron each other. very fitting to their characters as well as what's happening with the plot.
overall, really enjoyed my time reading this as always with the other books from Liv. looking forward to the next installments!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 1, 2024
Book: Spinning Fire
Author: Liv Strom
Series
This is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling.
Spinning Fire is a series in the Tales of Bones and Roses, I have read this as a standalone but there is a novella Unlocking Fire which features our two main characters Alexei and Ansa. I would recommend reading that first as I found myself confused and find there was things not explained.
It took me a bit to get into the book but once I did I couldn’t put this book down, and I certainly didn’t guess the twist.
I love the POV for Ansa and Alexei but I was hoping to have a few more POV. The main baddie in this book wasn’t so bad he was just kind of annoying. I wanted a really strong bad guy.
I am not sure if it was just me but I did get a bit confused with the world building and trying to keep it all straight.
Author: Liv Strom
Series
This is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling.
Spinning Fire is a series in the Tales of Bones and Roses, I have read this as a standalone but there is a novella Unlocking Fire which features our two main characters Alexei and Ansa. I would recommend reading that first as I found myself confused and find there was things not explained.
It took me a bit to get into the book but once I did I couldn’t put this book down, and I certainly didn’t guess the twist.
I love the POV for Ansa and Alexei but I was hoping to have a few more POV. The main baddie in this book wasn’t so bad he was just kind of annoying. I wanted a really strong bad guy.
I am not sure if it was just me but I did get a bit confused with the world building and trying to keep it all straight.
October 21, 2024
🌱
Whelp, @authorlivstrom did it again! I could never get tored of fairytale reimagining. I thoroughly enjoyed her take on Cinderella last year thru 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 and 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 which is the first on the 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 and has been on the lookout for more.
Much like the other reimagining stories on the series, this is full of magic and nostalgic moments. I feel strongly for Ansa and Alexei, each had struggles on their own thus acceptance of each other's shortcomings was a present theme across chapters.
Apart from the amazing character arcs, I also did like the casual references on the original fairytale but more so how it was seamlessly infused on the overall storyline. Never reading Rumpelstiltskin the same way again.
Whelp, @authorlivstrom did it again! I could never get tored of fairytale reimagining. I thoroughly enjoyed her take on Cinderella last year thru 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 and 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 which is the first on the 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 and has been on the lookout for more.
Much like the other reimagining stories on the series, this is full of magic and nostalgic moments. I feel strongly for Ansa and Alexei, each had struggles on their own thus acceptance of each other's shortcomings was a present theme across chapters.
Apart from the amazing character arcs, I also did like the casual references on the original fairytale but more so how it was seamlessly infused on the overall storyline. Never reading Rumpelstiltskin the same way again.
November 17, 2024
This was an interesting retelling, of Rumpelstiltskin and I think that it is a loose retelling. The characters where good. I liked Ansa I felt really bad for her and Alexei was nothing special to me. I found him to be an opportunist at the end he ending up doing the right thing. There was a lot going on in this story and at time I thought it might have been a little too busy for me. With that being said this was my first really romance fantasy. I think its way more of a fantasy then a romance. There was very little spice, but it had a good story. I was a little disappointed I thought the story would be a little more like the fairy tell, but it was an okay adaption.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 16, 2025
I read Unlocking Fire: A Bluebeard Retelling prior to reading Spinning Fire (although it can be read as a standalone), and I highly recommend other readers do so. I have a soft spot for fairy tale reimaginings, and this book did not disappoint. This reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin is woven into a compelling romantasy. Those who enjoy high fantasy, dragons, fairy tale retellings, and romantic fantasy will love this!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 2, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing.
In this new installment of Tales of Bones and Roses we find the story of Alexei and Ansa and their reunion after a time apart.
With this novel, Liv Strom continues to enrich the world she created in the previous ones. However, there have been times when I felt a bit confused and disconnected from the characters.
It's not that I didn't like it, it's as entertaining as the previous ones, but for me it didn't have the magic that Dimi and Vanya had. Even so, I'm looking forward to read Zora's entry, which seems to be the next one, and it promises to be very good!
In this new installment of Tales of Bones and Roses we find the story of Alexei and Ansa and their reunion after a time apart.
With this novel, Liv Strom continues to enrich the world she created in the previous ones. However, there have been times when I felt a bit confused and disconnected from the characters.
It's not that I didn't like it, it's as entertaining as the previous ones, but for me it didn't have the magic that Dimi and Vanya had. Even so, I'm looking forward to read Zora's entry, which seems to be the next one, and it promises to be very good!
October 22, 2024
Spinning Fire is a second-chance, found family, slow-burn romantasy with dual points-of-view that can be read as a stand-alone or part of the Tales of Bones & Roses series according to Strom. I highly recommend that you read it as part of the series. This Rumpel retelling is the story of Ansa, a fire bearer and Alexei, Ansa's not-so-late husband. I would say while the overall story is quite interesting and the plot twist unexpected, the novel as a whole could have done with some better editing and a faster pace. While this did take away from the book a bit, I am still looking forward to Strom's next retelling.
October 7, 2024
“Spinning Fire,” by Liv Strom
I ended up not liking this book as much as I liked the Stealing Glass and Claiming Glass books that Liv Strom wrote. I just didn’t vibe as much with the story and I didn’t really like that the FMC was a mother, I feel like it just got in the way of the story plot and development of the FMC. 2 out of 5 stars.
-Rumpelstiltskin Retelling
-Magic
Thank you for the free copy, Booksprout.
I ended up not liking this book as much as I liked the Stealing Glass and Claiming Glass books that Liv Strom wrote. I just didn’t vibe as much with the story and I didn’t really like that the FMC was a mother, I feel like it just got in the way of the story plot and development of the FMC. 2 out of 5 stars.
-Rumpelstiltskin Retelling
-Magic
Thank you for the free copy, Booksprout.
October 7, 2024
I would recommend reading the novella beforehand - I did not and I think that was to my disadvantage.
This story is a twisted Rumplestilskin retelling and I am a sucker for fairy tale retellings! This one has a rich and beautifully written world that simply captivates readers. The characters are great, and I honestly am interested now in the stories that come after this - the continuation of stories for some of the other characters.
This story is a twisted Rumplestilskin retelling and I am a sucker for fairy tale retellings! This one has a rich and beautifully written world that simply captivates readers. The characters are great, and I honestly am interested now in the stories that come after this - the continuation of stories for some of the other characters.
November 7, 2024
This uses the Rumpelstiltskin element perfectly to create a new story, I thought it worked as a fourth entry to the Tales of Bones and Roses series. The characters were wonderfully done and enjoyed how they worked in this found family story. Liv Strom has a strong writing style and can't wait for more in this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 23, 2024
I ARC read Spinning Fire and really enjoyed it! So far, this is my favorite in the series. I think the book can well be read as a stand-alone though. Having read the previous books mostly makes some of the minor side-characters more impactful.
If you're looking for an exciting 2nd world romantasy, you'll enjoy this. Highly recommended.
Minor spoiler: Cool magic creatures!
If you're looking for an exciting 2nd world romantasy, you'll enjoy this. Highly recommended.
Minor spoiler: Cool magic creatures!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2024
loved it !! love this series !! the re-telling , the re-inventing, the fairy tales gone sideways... so good !! love Alexei and Ansa... this is their story ... family drama... and secrets... fast paced action packed... fixing the bargain... fixing the love... fixing the family... so good !!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 18, 2024
Fun story with well done characters you can really see grow as the book goes on. It can be read as a standalone, but is much better if read in the series. It takes a classic fairytale and puts a new and different twist on it and keeps you wondering what will happen next until the end.
October 18, 2024
Good story line liked the FMC, took a bit to get into the MMC. Good nice stand alone or series read.
October 20, 2024
I loved the continuation of this story. I liked the characters and the contrast. Great book. I received an ARC for my review.
May 5, 2025
If I could punch a fictional man, I would.
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