Tia Nevitt’s The Sevenfold Spell is a wondrous tale that focuses on a spinner whose life changes when the king orders all spinning wheels destroyed. He’s trying to circumvent the curse cast upon his daughter, the Princess Aurora, who is destined to be Sleeping Beauty.
Plain faced Talia expects to marry the homely, but kind Willard Farmer until her income from spinning disappears. Will’s father refuses to allow them to wed with Talia’s dowry gone. He orders Will to join the monastery and Will has no choice but to obey. Talia, however, is a girl who is willing to take the course of her life into her own hands.
This novella provides an interesting look at the characters surrounding a clasic fairytale. It spans several decades of Talia’s life and doesn’t take a direct route to happily ever after, but when it does arrive, the impact is joyous. Talia is very much an ordinary girl and her life isn’t easy. She doesn’t always make the choices the reader might want for her, but this makes her very real. When I finished this story, my chest was still a little tight from the down moments and my cheeks were sore from the ear to ear grin I wore through the final chapter.
What I loved about Talia:
She is a bold girl, willing to go after what she wants. Her flaws and her simple desire for marriage and children make it easy to cheer for her.
What I loved about Will:
Will is so sweetly ordinary, but ultimately very loyal. In the beginning, he suggests he and Talia should get married, mostly because he likes that she listens to him when he goes on and on about farming. I’ve often suspected that what men really want is a woman who will hang on their every word.
Publication date:
September 27, 2010 (available for preorder now from the publisher or from Amazon)
Genre: Fantasy
Primary format: E-book
Publisher: Carina Press
Cool news:
Tia has planned a Pajama Party Blog Tour to celebrate the upcoming release of the novel. She’ll be guest posting here Wednesday, September 22 and will be available in the evening to answer questions. Pull on you PJ’s and join us!
Note:
Tia very kindly arranged for me to have a reviewer’s copy of The Sevenfold Spell so I could read this book before her blog tour. Thanks, Tia!
You can find Tia on the web at: http://www.tianevitt.com
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Thank you so much for this lovely review. I’m thrilled that you liked it so much!
I gave a big “Yes!” when Talia’s mother took action near the end of the story(trying not to be too spoilery). It was a great read.
Thanks! That was a burst of inspiration when I was polishing it up and trying to think of a way to bring it full circle.
Charlie. I love your blog. I haven’t gotten around to commenting but I do read and enjoy. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, buddy! I enjoy your blog, too! 😉