Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Rapunzel Untangled Review

Rapunzel Untangled blurb. (Taken from rapunzeluntangled.blogspot.com)

Rapunzel is not your average teenager. For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction.
But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is.

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.
My Review: 


One of the most exciting things about the young adult fiction genre is that the characters are feeling so many things for the first time. In Rapunzel Untangled, readers get to feel the thrills that our golden-tressed protagonist experiences as Fane slowly brings the world in through her window: pizza, movies, kisses. Fane  pulls Rapunzel away from her tower to parties, playgrounds and new friends. All things so foreign and magical to her.

The story is a modern day re-imagining of the fairy tale classic, but  Cindy C. Bennett's take on Rapunzel is anything but stale. The mysterious circumstances that keep Rapunzel in the tower, the motives of her "mother," Gothel, and the strange mansion she calls home, kept me intrigued as the story smoothly flowed along. The sweet, romantic relationship between Fane and Rapunzel charmed the pants off me. Fane is every bit the modern hero. Rapunzel is the damsel in distress, a little helpless, but it's very sweetly portrayed and realistic, given she's been locked away from the rest of the world and brain-washed by Gothel, her only companion for nearly 18 years.

Rapunzel Untangled moves steadily toward the shocking, supernatural-tinged ending, never-stagnating, but delivering one exciting moment after another as Rapunzel gets acquainted with the world at large and the truths about herself.

Another perk about this novel: The themes of freedom, new love and self-discovery that are explored here are so classic and integral to basic human nature that my 5 year-old was able to comprehend and appreciate the book as I read it to her each night. Rapunzel just has universal appeal!

Skillfully written and beautifully imagined! 5 stars!


Pre-Order Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett on Amazon
Rapunzel Untangled Facebook Page

No comments:

Post a Comment