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miratrix's review against another edition
2.0
It was okay
It was an ok read but Gothel repeating herself was annoying to me and twists were predictable and didn't really impact the story.
It was an ok read but Gothel repeating herself was annoying to me and twists were predictable and didn't really impact the story.
melb876's review against another edition
1.0
Reads like a kindergartner wrote this
I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get past the awful storytelling.
I had high hopes for this book based off of its story description blurb. I read the first 5 chapters before I couldn't force myself to suffer through the bad writing anymore. I hate not finishing a book, so I skimmed through the rest of it hoping to find some saving grace within the pages, but it really is one giant, over-the-top, kindergarten story. Yes. Kindergarten. It was written in a way that a child would tell a story, with all of the groan-worthy Mary Sue and bad fantasy-trope clichés thrown in. Truly a painful chore to read.
I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get past the awful storytelling.
I had high hopes for this book based off of its story description blurb. I read the first 5 chapters before I couldn't force myself to suffer through the bad writing anymore. I hate not finishing a book, so I skimmed through the rest of it hoping to find some saving grace within the pages, but it really is one giant, over-the-top, kindergarten story. Yes. Kindergarten. It was written in a way that a child would tell a story, with all of the groan-worthy Mary Sue and bad fantasy-trope clichés thrown in. Truly a painful chore to read.
eve_boobies's review
3.0
This book was alright but I must admit, it got me extremely mad at some points. I’d say the first half was the better of the two, and the second was where everything went downhill. There are a few things I’d like to discuss about this book that formed my option of it.
First of all, the relationship between Gothel and Raj was totally unsatisfactory. There was no chemistry. Not only was there no development for their relationship, but there weren’t really any grounds for it either. They just met and then poof, they’re in love. I certainly did not feel that connection. In addition, Gothel’s insecurity throughout the whole of their ‘relationship’ (basically since they first met) got real annoying real fast. All she ever thought about was how they didn’t have a future together even when they both blatantly confessed their love to one another. It really got on my nerves.
The next thing that bothered me was the charger development in general and how little we knew about each character. It felt really lazy. We met many characters throughout this book and yet, I feel as though I know nothing about any of them. None of them had a personality, just a few recognisable traits. This was also very annoying. The way I see it, none of the characters even became friends, they just said one or two words to one another and went on an adventure together.
The magic in this bothered me too. Or at least, Gothel’s magic bothered me. See, I was perfectly content with her not being a natural magic weirder, I thought it gave her more character and made her seem a bit less like ‘the chosen one’. However, when suddenly at the very end she’s all high and mighty about being a natural? Nuh-uh, I wasn’t having that. Not only that, but also the fact that her magic was barely ever used until the final quarter. She had used it maybe once or twice during the journey but then once the final battle arrived, she started pulling spells out of her ass. Where were your spells when you actually needed them on the adventure???
The father trope. A classic. Very stupid though. I understand that Gothel may have felt a bit conflicted as she had just learnt that the enemy was her father, however, the way she handled it really grated my gears. She made way to big of a deal over it. One second she was like “But I’m your daughter” and the next she was like “I refused to call him father. He never was one to me”. Girl, this man is your enemy, why are you being this way? It’s actually pathetic.
As an add on to the last point, her mother seemed like an absolute dick. Gothel wasn’t sure whether or not to forgive her for being a selfish bitch. She shouldn’t have but it seemed like she was on the way there. That woman ruined her daughters life and lied to her multiple times and yet it was justified because she was her mother and she loved her. Get out with that ridiculous notion.
Overall, I actually thought this book wasn’t too bad despite all the things I just listed (it’s easier to talk about the bad stuff). I really enjoyed the first half, it’s just the second that utterly let me down. As mad as I got at some of the things, I definitely don’t regret reading this. I had a fun time and I thought the whole concept was pretty cool. I only wish that it had been executed in a much better way.
First of all, the relationship between Gothel and Raj was totally unsatisfactory. There was no chemistry. Not only was there no development for their relationship, but there weren’t really any grounds for it either. They just met and then poof, they’re in love. I certainly did not feel that connection. In addition, Gothel’s insecurity throughout the whole of their ‘relationship’ (basically since they first met) got real annoying real fast. All she ever thought about was how they didn’t have a future together even when they both blatantly confessed their love to one another. It really got on my nerves.
The next thing that bothered me was the charger development in general and how little we knew about each character. It felt really lazy. We met many characters throughout this book and yet, I feel as though I know nothing about any of them. None of them had a personality, just a few recognisable traits. This was also very annoying. The way I see it, none of the characters even became friends, they just said one or two words to one another and went on an adventure together.
The magic in this bothered me too. Or at least, Gothel’s magic bothered me. See, I was perfectly content with her not being a natural magic weirder, I thought it gave her more character and made her seem a bit less like ‘the chosen one’. However, when suddenly at the very end she’s all high and mighty about being a natural? Nuh-uh, I wasn’t having that. Not only that, but also the fact that her magic was barely ever used until the final quarter. She had used it maybe once or twice during the journey but then once the final battle arrived, she started pulling spells out of her ass. Where were your spells when you actually needed them on the adventure???
The father trope. A classic. Very stupid though. I understand that Gothel may have felt a bit conflicted as she had just learnt that the enemy was her father, however, the way she handled it really grated my gears. She made way to big of a deal over it. One second she was like “But I’m your daughter” and the next she was like “I refused to call him father. He never was one to me”. Girl, this man is your enemy, why are you being this way? It’s actually pathetic.
As an add on to the last point, her mother seemed like an absolute dick. Gothel wasn’t sure whether or not to forgive her for being a selfish bitch. She shouldn’t have but it seemed like she was on the way there. That woman ruined her daughters life and lied to her multiple times and yet it was justified because she was her mother and she loved her. Get out with that ridiculous notion.
Overall, I actually thought this book wasn’t too bad despite all the things I just listed (it’s easier to talk about the bad stuff). I really enjoyed the first half, it’s just the second that utterly let me down. As mad as I got at some of the things, I definitely don’t regret reading this. I had a fun time and I thought the whole concept was pretty cool. I only wish that it had been executed in a much better way.
passionatelycurious's review
3.0
I was in the mood for magical fairytale retellings, and Grantham's "The Witch's Tower," a retelling of Rapunzel from Gothel's point of view, sounded like an interesting change of pace from the Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella retellings that I read last year. In this retelling, Gothel is our hero who teams up with a prince's squire, Raj, to find a pair of magical shears to free Rapunzel, who is described as a somewhat feral, nearly insane princess that is trapped in her infamous tower by her father, an evil sorcerer that controls the lands they live on. Along their journey, in a truly Wizard of Oz fashion, they are joined by a nameless shapeshifting wolf, a terrible and drunken musician, and a cursed dragon princess. There is a happily ever after for Gothel, and I did enjoy the journey they took, but I found it fairly boring and predictable. I think this would be a great book for a young teenager that's looking to get into fantasy, but probably too young to truly be labeled young adult. There's a very light romance and a few fighting/battle scenes, but it's overall a very cute, wholesome story about found family and friends, and it's a very easy read that probably would have taken me a day if I had had the time to commit to it. It leaves off in a way that gives plenty of room for the side characters own stories and I know that there are more books in the series.
eve_boobies's review against another edition
3.0
This book was alright but I must admit, it got me extremely mad at some points. I’d say the first half was the better of the two, and the second was where everything went downhill. There are a few things I’d like to discuss about this book that formed my option of it.
First of all, the relationship between Gothel and Raj was totally unsatisfactory. There was no chemistry. Not only was there no development for their relationship, but there weren’t really any grounds for it either. They just met and then poof, they’re in love. I certainly did not feel that connection. In addition, Gothel’s insecurity throughout the whole of their ‘relationship’ (basically since they first met) got real annoying real fast. All she ever thought about was how they didn’t have a future together even when they both blatantly confessed their love to one another. It really got on my nerves.
The next thing that bothered me was the charger development in general and how little we knew about each character. It felt really lazy. We met many characters throughout this book and yet, I feel as though I know nothing about any of them. None of them had a personality, just a few recognisable traits. This was also very annoying. The way I see it, none of the characters even became friends, they just said one or two words to one another and went on an adventure together.
The magic in this bothered me too. Or at least, Gothel’s magic bothered me. See, I was perfectly content with her not being a natural magic weirder, I thought it gave her more character and made her seem a bit less like ‘the chosen one’. However, when suddenly at the very end she’s all high and mighty about being a natural? Nuh-uh, I wasn’t having that. Not only that, but also the fact that her magic was barely ever used until the final quarter. She had used it maybe once or twice during the journey but then once the final battle arrived, she started pulling spells out of her ass. Where were your spells when you actually needed them on the adventure???
The father trope. A classic. Very stupid though. I understand that Gothel may have felt a bit conflicted as she had just learnt that the enemy was her father, however, the way she handled it really grated my gears. She made way to big of a deal over it. One second she was like “But I’m your daughter” and the next she was like “I refused to call him father. He never was one to me”. Girl, this man is your enemy, why are you being this way? It’s actually pathetic.
As an add on to the last point, her mother seemed like an absolute dick. Gothel wasn’t sure whether or not to forgive her for being a selfish bitch. She shouldn’t have but it seemed like she was on the way there. That woman ruined her daughters life and lied to her multiple times and yet it was justified because she was her mother and she loved her. Get out with that ridiculous notion.
Overall, I actually thought this book wasn’t too bad despite all the things I just listed (it’s easier to talk about the bad stuff). I really enjoyed the first half, it’s just the second that utterly let me down. As mad as I got at some of the things, I definitely don’t regret reading this. I had a fun time and I thought the whole concept was pretty cool. I only wish that it had been executed in a much better way.
First of all, the relationship between Gothel and Raj was totally unsatisfactory. There was no chemistry. Not only was there no development for their relationship, but there weren’t really any grounds for it either. They just met and then poof, they’re in love. I certainly did not feel that connection. In addition, Gothel’s insecurity throughout the whole of their ‘relationship’ (basically since they first met) got real annoying real fast. All she ever thought about was how they didn’t have a future together even when they both blatantly confessed their love to one another. It really got on my nerves.
The next thing that bothered me was the charger development in general and how little we knew about each character. It felt really lazy. We met many characters throughout this book and yet, I feel as though I know nothing about any of them. None of them had a personality, just a few recognisable traits. This was also very annoying. The way I see it, none of the characters even became friends, they just said one or two words to one another and went on an adventure together.
The magic in this bothered me too. Or at least, Gothel’s magic bothered me. See, I was perfectly content with her not being a natural magic weirder, I thought it gave her more character and made her seem a bit less like ‘the chosen one’. However, when suddenly at the very end she’s all high and mighty about being a natural? Nuh-uh, I wasn’t having that. Not only that, but also the fact that her magic was barely ever used until the final quarter. She had used it maybe once or twice during the journey but then once the final battle arrived, she started pulling spells out of her ass. Where were your spells when you actually needed them on the adventure???
The father trope. A classic. Very stupid though. I understand that Gothel may have felt a bit conflicted as she had just learnt that the enemy was her father, however, the way she handled it really grated my gears. She made way to big of a deal over it. One second she was like “But I’m your daughter” and the next she was like “I refused to call him father. He never was one to me”. Girl, this man is your enemy, why are you being this way? It’s actually pathetic.
As an add on to the last point, her mother seemed like an absolute dick. Gothel wasn’t sure whether or not to forgive her for being a selfish bitch. She shouldn’t have but it seemed like she was on the way there. That woman ruined her daughters life and lied to her multiple times and yet it was justified because she was her mother and she loved her. Get out with that ridiculous notion.
Overall, I actually thought this book wasn’t too bad despite all the things I just listed (it’s easier to talk about the bad stuff). I really enjoyed the first half, it’s just the second that utterly let me down. As mad as I got at some of the things, I definitely don’t regret reading this. I had a fun time and I thought the whole concept was pretty cool. I only wish that it had been executed in a much better way.
jillbrewer89's review
2.0
This book was unbelievably boring, it had no real hook, to be fair. I’m a big fan of authors twisting your modern day fairytales but this one I wasn’t a big fan of.
The main characters had very little, to no chemistry, and the plot seemed to drag on, they’d go somewhere, get attacked, find a tagalong for their journey, and repeat.
The main characters had very little, to no chemistry, and the plot seemed to drag on, they’d go somewhere, get attacked, find a tagalong for their journey, and repeat.
amandasbookreview's review
"This story is not a typical fairytale!"
Check out the full review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2019/april/viewer/desktop/#page/74
Check out the full review at:
http://magazine.indtale.com/magazine/2019/april/viewer/desktop/#page/74
miratrix's review
2.0
It was okay
It was an ok read but Gothel repeating herself was annoying to me and twists were predictable and didn't really impact the story.
It was an ok read but Gothel repeating herself was annoying to me and twists were predictable and didn't really impact the story.
burbanbabe2214's review against another edition
1.0
Even after reading the reviews on this I thought I would give it a try anyway. Thankfully this book was free otherwise I would have been pissed wasting my money on this. The writing is so horrible and inconsistent. One moment it's like a love struck 12 year old is narrating and the next the narrator from princess bride steps in. As you get further into the book the worse the writing gets. The sappy love story ruins the whole point of the story and there are far too many other fairy tale references in the book that don't even make sense as to why they were shoved into the story. Save yourself some time and bypass this.
a_hutchinson19's review against another edition
2.0
This was an okay story I liked the relationship between the different fairytale characters however the romance in the story was unnecessary and I didn't feel connection to the characters or plot. I won't be carrying on with the series
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