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Vedder's gender-flipped Sleeping Beauty rouses Hachette
Hachette Children’s Group has acquired The Bone Spindle, a gender-flipped twist on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale by Leslie Vedder.
The book is aimed at readers aged 12 and over and is scheduled for simultaneous US and UK publication on 3rd February 2022. Rachel Boden, UK senior associate editor, and Aliyana Hirji, UK editor at Hachette Children’s Group, bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Ben Fowler at Abner Stein.
Described as a "fast-paced fantasy", the story follows a cursed treasure hunter and an axe-wielding huntswoman who must team up to rescue a prince sleeping in the Forest of Thorns.
The synopsis explains: "Filore, a treasure hunter with a knack for riddles, is busy running from her own deadly curse when she pricks her finger on a spindle. Bound to the sleeping prince Briar Rose with the spindle’s magic—and chosen as the only person who can wake him—Fi is stuck with the prince’s ghost until she can break his ancient curse and save his kingdom.
"She’s going to need a partner. A warrior huntswoman with an axe to grind (literally), Shane couldn’t care less about curses and ancient texts. But instead of riches, the two girls find trouble. Dark magic, witch hunters, nightmarish beasts—and, of course, curses—all stand in their way as Fi and Shane undertake the dangerous journey into a forgotten kingdom where the sleeping prince’s body waits."
Vedder said: "This book is my love letter to fractured fairytales and action-adventure movies like 'Indiana Jones' and 'The Mummy'. Fi and Shane are my favourite kind of reluctant partners—Shane especially is the queer, axe-wielding warrior of my dreams!—and I’m so excited to share them with everyone."
Boden added: "I could not resist Leslie’s crackling dialogue and unique twist on a classic fairytale. I can’t wait for readers to meet Fi and Shane."
Hirji commented: "Leslie has built a compelling world, with two strong, quick-witted protagonists and an action-packed plot that drew me in from the very first page."
