At a celebration honoring young princess Zahrah, called Little Rose, a demon curses both her and her kingdom, vowing to possess the princess when she turns 18. Until then, any “making” that Little Rose does—anything creative— will better prepare her mind for the demon’s possession. Meanwhile, makers in the kingdom, like the spinners and weavers, will grow sicker and sicker as they work. A piskey was able to counter the demon’s damage with its own magical gift: if Little Rose spins, she will prick her finger on the spindle and fall asleep, so the demon cannot control her. The son of a weaver dying from the curse, Yashaa blames Zahrah for the tragedy of the kingdom, but when their paths intersect he realizes that not only is the princess blameless, she is a fighter striving to protect her people and resist the demon’s curse. Accompanied by three of Yashaa’s friends, Yashaa and Zahrah are determined to undo the curse before Zahrah turns 18. Greedy rulers and political machinations add tension to Yashaa and Zahrah’s quest and budding romance in this companion novel to A Thousand Nights. Set within the same universe but many years later, this Sleeping Beauty tale stands marvelously on its own. (Age 13 and older)

"The Storyteller Queen lives, and her name is E. K. Johnston." -- Rachel Hartman, New York Times best-selling author of Seraphina

The follow-up to A Thousand Nights, Spindle is the feminist retelling of Sleeping Beauty where the princess saves herself and owns the narrative.

The prison is crumbling. Through years of careful manipulation, a demon has regained her power. She has made one kingdom strong and brought the other to its knees, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When a princess is born, the demon is ready with the final blow: a curse that will cost the princess her very soul, or force her to destroy her own people to save her life.

The threads of magic are tightly spun, binding princess and exiled spinners into a desperate plot to break the curse before the demon can become a queen of men. But the web of power is dangerously tangled -- and they may not see the true pattern until it is unspooled.