A Spindle Splintered

 A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow, 128 pages.

This book, described as "Spiderversing the Sleeping Beauty story" is exactly that and so much more. Zinnia Gray has a genetic disorder caused by an industrial accident that means she won't live past 21. Today is her 21st birthday and her best (and only) friend has thrown her a surprise Sleeping Beauty themed birthday party at the top of an abandoned tower. When Zinnia pricks her finger on the antique spinning wheel spindle that her friend Charm found for her she finds herself falling into a different world, where a different Sleeping Beauty is being taken by her curse. If she can't save herself, maybe she can save this girl with a story that so echoes her own.

This is a fun fairy tale romp, but it's also a somber meditation on death and dying, and a really interesting look at how we construct the narratives of our own lives. It's honestly really hard to believe that this book is just over 100 pages, because thinking about it now it feels like so much more. I would recommend this to anyone (it's so short, it's hardly a huge investment), but especially to fans of Seanan McGuire's Indexing series or The Mechanists "Once Upon a Time (In Space)" album.