The Cursed Rose, by Leslie Vedder, wraps up the story of Fi, Briar, Shane, and Red as they work to take down the Spindle Witch in this epic conclusion of the Bone Spindle trilogy. While Fi works to find the answers to an ancient riddle and keep Briar safe, Shane and Red work to uncover the secret weapon that could take care of the Spindle Witch once and for all. Puzzles, riddles, secret caverns, and hidden tombs are just the beginning of the adventures readers will experience while reading The Cursed Rose.
Readers can expect a seamless wrap-up of this magical trilogy as Vedder bundles up each storyline perfectly with no crumbs left behind. They can also expect page-turning action and heartwarming moments of romance and friendship. This may be a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but don’t be fooled by that alone. This series contains bits and pieces from other fairy tales and even flips the Sleeping Beauty story on its head. This is a gender-reversal retelling and includes some LGBTQ+ representation in two of the main characters, which is something I don’t see often. It is a refreshing spin on a story we all know and love.
While I don’t typically reach for fairy tale retellings, when I read the synopsis for Book 1, I knew I had to read this one. Now, here we are at the final installment in the Bone Spindle trilogy, and I don’t want it to end! Vedder does an amazing job of not only wrapping up the story but also keeping the reader enticed up to the very last page. I love the use of multiple points of view to tell the story from all sides. In this one, we get to follow Fi on the inside, Shane from the outside, and Red as she tries to find her place in it all. While I did miss Briar being involved in this one, it makes sense for Fi’s overall arc and makes the ending extra tense.
My favorite character is still Fi, as she walks the line between risk and reward. I loved seeing her grow in her bravery and wits in this final installment of the trilogy as she tries to solve the riddle and survive the Spindle Witch. We also get to see her struggle in her fight for Briar and his soul while having to focus on the tasks at hand. Overall, I think she is an admirable main character, and I was happy to see how her story was wrapped up.
Harry Potter fans will love the Bone Spindle series because of the overall themes of fantasy, action, adventure, and found family. They will also enjoy the use of a trio in The Cursed Rose, as Fi, Shane, and Red fight to save the world. I also believe that fans of Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas, and Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo, would enjoy this trilogy for the same reasons. Readers should expect fun-loving characters that they can all see themselves in and a magical adventure that is sure to leave them smiling from ear to ear.
If you want to catch up on the series before diving into The Cursed Rose, you can read our review of the first book in the series, The Bone Spindle, and the second installment, The Severed Thread.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House, for review.
