Spindelkin is an enchanting and wonderfully-imagined YA novel by Jean Davis. The queen’s daughter, Amira, suffers through a daily extract of her poisoned blood to remain alive. Cut off from civilization, Amira has only her mother, father, and maids as visitors. One day, Amira finds that the queen has given birth to a son, but he is dying. Amira decides to risk leaving her quarters, find her newborn brother, and rescue him. But his salvation may lie with the people known as the Spindelkin. The Spindelkin live in the forest, possess strange powers, and aren’t on good terms with the kingdom. Will a small girl and an infant survive in the dark woods of this mysterious race of creatures?
V. E. Schwab once asked readers to broaden their minds when reading fantasy beyond the Lord of the Rings or the Harry Potter series. Spindelkin is such a novel, and it’s all the better for it. As with all the best fantasies, Spindelkin shows us—through magic and creatures—a side of life we tend to ignore or overlook as we get older.
The scenes in the Spindelkin forest that come early in the book are most gripping and dramatic. The concept of nature and time are turned on its head. The book dares to depict both races (human and Spindelkin) as heroic and villainous. Walking in both worlds, Amira represents the best the world has to offer.
The length of the novel fits YA, but the character age and events feel more at home in a middle grade novel. Amira is the reader’s avatar and serves that purpose well. Her arc is muted in favor of the changes that happen to everyone around her as often happens in a high fantasy fable.
The novel deepens as it unfolds, with more intrigue and clever ideas. Even the epilogue has an interesting twist for one of the characters—one that I found worked.
Jean Davis has written a well-plotted, fascinating YA fantasy. The novel’s worldbuilding, adventure, and ideas combine into a satisfying and delightful reading experience.