Kiss of the Spindle

Starred review from February 26, 2018
Allen (Beauty and the Clockwork Beast) delivers pure reading joy in a steampunk riff on “Sleeping Beauty” that is equal parts race-against-the-clock adventure, social comedy of errors, sweet romance, and clever alternate history, with a strong moral compass befitting its fairytale heritage. Isla Cooper, a kind and empathetic physician and advocate for peaceful shape-shifters (and a hunter of criminal ones), negotiates passage on the private airship of wealthy, dashing Capt. Daniel Pickett, who smuggles shifters to the Caribbean. She has a sleeping sickness that plagues her for six hours a day; the voyage is her last hope of obtaining a cure before she falls permanently asleep. The charismatic and delightfully developed other passengers—the automaton servant who’s part Data and part Jeeves, the shape-shifting older English intellectuals sadly leaving home, the antagonistic government official with an awkward secret—come together to support Isla in the tricky work of solving her problem, while Daniel starts looking like a good candidate to deliver the fabled curative kiss. Allen turns Sleeping Beauty’s passive story upside down with Isla’s active competence and frustration with how the curse interferes with her work; fans of strong heroines will be deeply satisfied. Agents: Bob DiForio and Pam Victorio, D4EO Literary.

Justine Eyre narrates a steampunk "Sleeping Beauty" that combines fairy-tale and paranormal elements. Doctor Isla Cooper is cursed, and must find a way to undo the curse before it becomes permanent. Captain Daniel Pickett is due to depart for the Caribbean and has no room for unwanted passengers. Eyre portrays Doctor Cooper as a smart, confident woman at the top of her professional game who has suffered a major personal setback. Captain Pickett is similarly presented as professional and capable by Eyre, but with a deep emotional core. When the two finally realize their feelings for each other, Eyre captures the passion and the nerves of the moment. A few secondary characters have slightly questionable accents, but on the whole Eyre performs well. K.M.P. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine