Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed on 9/24/2017 + 2527 more book reviews

I have had this to read for awhile. I always love fairy tale retellings and this was a very well done retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. The story moves a bit slow at points, but it is beautifully written and full of excellent imagery. I ended up enjoying it. The story pulls you forward with a tense foreboding as things end up poised on the brink of disaster.

This story follows two sisters who end up taking over a cloth mill after their father's death. The mill seems to be cursed, as one tragedy after another befalls it. The older sister Charlotte finds herself struggling to keep the mill open so that the town built around it can continue to thrive. Just as she is at her wit's end, a strange man appears and offers what seems to be too easy of a way out of her problems.

I loved learning about cloth milling and enjoyed the small town that Charlotte lives in. This is one of those stories where the heroine has the best intentions but ends up getting herself in worse and worse situations as she struggles to do right for those around her.

I enjoyed how this story was blended in with the classic tale of Rumpelstiltskin. It is well done and subtle.

The writing style is beautiful and flows wonderfully. There is a lot of description in here and the scenes really come alive. At times this makes the story move slowly. However this slower pace fits well with the pace of small town life and with the gradually build to disaster that overhangs this story.

Overall this is a very well done retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and I would recommend to those who enjoy fairy tale retellings. Although the story is a bit slow at times, it is beautifully written. I also enjoyed learning some about how cloth milling used to be done.

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