She teaches us that princesses-so often relegated to passive roles-have power of their own. 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.

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. Robin McKinley Spindle's End Paperback Illustrated, by Robin McKinley (Author) 605 ratings Part of: Folktales Series (3 books) See all formats and editions Kindle 14.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook 0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover 102.41 Other new and used from 12.67 Paperback 30.62 Other new and used from 12.

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. Spindles End McKinley, Robin 3.82 avg rating 23,288 ratings by Goodreads Softcover ISBN 10: 0552548227 ISBN 13: 9780552548229 Publisher: Gardners Books, 2003 View all copies of this ISBN edition: Synopsis About this title The princess has been missing since she was a baby.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley