milothegoat1955's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
annacochran's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
THIS WAS SO GOOOOD
katelandbear's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
almost_alice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
naphthalene's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
klewreads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alchemicalreader's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is slow. It develops slowly, things happen almost as if they were fading slowly in. But Haelewise is such a complex, nuanced character, artfully written. The writing is atmospheric and engrossing, even if things feel slow. The whole book is like taking a walk through a dusk-lit forest, finding magical things and sometimes nothing at all. It picks up in the later third of the book. The story is meticulously researched, which I adore. It’s almost a simple origin story to Mother Gothel. Almost. There’s a duality everywhere in this book which mirrors its themes of orthodox christianity and paganism, it’s simple yet complex, lovely yet dark, hopeful yet fearful of the unknown, religious yet political, harsh yet deliciously feminine, mystical yet grounded. Rapunzel is not the focus of this book, which I found refreshing. Over all, stunning writing of a deceptively simple story.
bookishrn93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love a good fairy tell retelling, especially one from the villains POV.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Abortion
angemc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0