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book_leigh's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
This was a short read, but still pretty good. Rapunzel is not my usual fodder for fairytales so I can't compare it directly to the fairytale. I will say that I find the premise of an academy full of people with prophecies spoken over them to be quite useful. It does come to a satisfying conclusion. I may continue the series.
kreela's review against another edition
3.0
DNF. The story was very engaging at first. Rapunzel is happy to have the tower room at the academy because then she doesn't have to share it with a roommate. It has a great view, and her bestie Gavin is willing to hang out with her. Her interaction with the stepmother brings back memories of my supposed rebellious youth in my teens. My mom insisted, despite doing my chores and trying to become the scientist she wanted, that I was rebellious. I see that in Rapunzel, who is feeling the long strings from her mother dress tangling her up, and she is restless.
BUT...my interest petered out after 1/2 the novel when it stayed sweet. There was plenty of saccharine romance but no real tension, no action, no undercurrent dragging me into the world. I realized that Laura Greenwood aimed this story at the pure-romance crowd. While I want 60-70% romantic tension and heat, I need more complexity, humor, or action to balance it out.
You might like it better. The characters have depth. The setting evokes the Disney castles I love. Just expect a slower pace.
BUT...my interest petered out after 1/2 the novel when it stayed sweet. There was plenty of saccharine romance but no real tension, no action, no undercurrent dragging me into the world. I realized that Laura Greenwood aimed this story at the pure-romance crowd. While I want 60-70% romantic tension and heat, I need more complexity, humor, or action to balance it out.
You might like it better. The characters have depth. The setting evokes the Disney castles I love. Just expect a slower pace.
emlickliter's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
Tower of Thorns by Laura Greenwood – Rapunzel knows the parameters of her prophesy, but she starts falling for a boy who has no idea what his future may hold. If you are a nosy nelly like me, you are going to be rather annoyed with the mysteries not revealed at the end of this one. But I live in hope that we may find out more in the next book! Happy Reading!
crystan's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
roddenea's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Felt a bit young compared to what I was expecting, but that might have just been my expectations were off. However, as it mentioned that Grimm Academy takes students before they turn 20, I am assuming the other books will be about these characters as teens as well
Liked Rapunzel well enough, and I'm interested to see how the other characters have prophecies about their stories
Liked Rapunzel well enough, and I'm interested to see how the other characters have prophecies about their stories
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I know that at times my reviews seem a little hypocritical. What I see as a problem in one book, I name as a quality in another. For example: It's hard to pinpoint why I enjoy this series by Laura Greenwood better than the Keeper, which has a scenario that's not even that different from this one. And I honestly can't always answer that question. I'm an emotional reader. I connect with a story, feel something while reading it or not. And that's not always an objective thing.
This morning in bed I read this book and I enjoyed it so much! The small nods to both the Disney version and the original version of the tale made me smile and through every word you feel that the author loves Fairytales, and all the different retellings of those tales, just as much as I do. For some reason the mix between an Academy AU and a spin on the original tales works. Yes, at times it feels young, and light, and innocent. But somehow in this series it works.
We already heard bits about Rapunzel's story in the Sleeping Beauty book, but this really tells the story. I love how Greenwood lets her characters bond before we reach the meaningful part of the story. Gavin and Rapunzel talk. I have to admit that those conversations aren't really deep or complicated or overly intelligent, but at least their love is more than just a few glances and a few smiles. There's some sort of build up.
I also love how Greenwood uses the plot of the original tales to shape the prophecies, mostly curses. This means that in a way Greenwood uses the exact same elements as the original story, but mixes them up so they become a new and fresh story. Some elements get a more prominent role than others, but that's just very natural.
And although this is just a short story, a hundred pages, it does feel complete enough to feel like a full story. I don't get the feeling we miss something or need much more. Greenwood basically wrote another version of the Fairytale. It has all the qualities of a Fairytale and then a few little extra things that makes the story a little more original.
I'm a fan of this series at least and I can't wait to read the rest!
This morning in bed I read this book and I enjoyed it so much! The small nods to both the Disney version and the original version of the tale made me smile and through every word you feel that the author loves Fairytales, and all the different retellings of those tales, just as much as I do. For some reason the mix between an Academy AU and a spin on the original tales works. Yes, at times it feels young, and light, and innocent. But somehow in this series it works.
We already heard bits about Rapunzel's story in the Sleeping Beauty book, but this really tells the story. I love how Greenwood lets her characters bond before we reach the meaningful part of the story. Gavin and Rapunzel talk. I have to admit that those conversations aren't really deep or complicated or overly intelligent, but at least their love is more than just a few glances and a few smiles. There's some sort of build up.
I also love how Greenwood uses the plot of the original tales to shape the prophecies, mostly curses. This means that in a way Greenwood uses the exact same elements as the original story, but mixes them up so they become a new and fresh story. Some elements get a more prominent role than others, but that's just very natural.
And although this is just a short story, a hundred pages, it does feel complete enough to feel like a full story. I don't get the feeling we miss something or need much more. Greenwood basically wrote another version of the Fairytale. It has all the qualities of a Fairytale and then a few little extra things that makes the story a little more original.
I'm a fan of this series at least and I can't wait to read the rest!
dustyshell's review against another edition
2.0
Oversimplified story. No depth to make me care about the characters before they are in dire danger.
crystal_dark's review
lighthearted
5.0
I really enjoyed this story and getting to know Rapunzel and Gavin. This book also has several other characters that are introduced that I liked and look forward to reading more about in the future. I look forward to reading the next book in this series Spindles And Spells: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Sleeping Beauty.
Series Character and Story Connections for Tower Of Thorns: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Rapunzel
Briar Rose's story will be in Spindles And Spells: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Sleeping Beauty
Ella's story will be in Pumpkins And Proms: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Cinderella (Book 03)
Marigold's story will be in Lilies Of Loss: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Frog Prince (Book 04)
Helena's story will be in Feathers Of Fate : A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Goose Girl (Book 09)
Series Character and Story Connections for Tower Of Thorns: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Rapunzel
Briar Rose's story will be in Spindles And Spells: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Sleeping Beauty
Ella's story will be in Pumpkins And Proms: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Cinderella (Book 03)
Marigold's story will be in Lilies Of Loss: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Frog Prince (Book 04)
Helena's story will be in Feathers Of Fate : A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Goose Girl (Book 09)