k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
5.0
Retold fairy tales are fun anytime, but this one has some excellent thematic messages -- the biggest being hinted at in the title. Definitely recommend it you want a little magic in your reading life.
hours_of_blue's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
cynleeinabook's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
When I first started reading this book, it was five-stars, then it went to four-stars, and about half way through the book it dropped to three-stars, so can you see where I am heading? I think one of the biggest issues is that this book is way too long. Its slow pacing made it dull in some areas, and not gripping enough for me to want to continue to the end. I did make it to the end, yay! Haha.
Jack is the best part of this book. No contest. Or Prince Frog. He's cute!
What really saved this book, and led me to give it 2.5/5, is Rapunzel's slight maturity at the end. I do not like the development of her character, at all. It was too uncomfortable at times how child-like she read, due to her being kept in the tower. She came off as way younger than her age, and the way she acted in certain scenes read like a five-year old. I'm sorry if this is harsh! Rapunzel is very sweet, and very innocent, and there lies the biggest problem. Should she be "that" innocent even given her circumstances? Having been so sheltered, I don't know... again... it made me uncomfortable.
In the end, Rapunzel's depiction, and the whole story-line of Witch... I find myself asking why Witch was turned into such a sympathetic character. I get that she was all Rapunzel knew as a mother, but still? Really? No thanks.
Wish I could have enjoyed this book more, since it had amazing potential!
When I first started reading this book, it was five-stars, then it went to four-stars, and about half way through the book it dropped to three-stars, so can you see where I am heading? I think one of the biggest issues is that this book is way too long. Its slow pacing made it dull in some areas, and not gripping enough for me to want to continue to the end. I did make it to the end, yay! Haha.
Jack is the best part of this book. No contest. Or Prince Frog. He's cute!
What really saved this book, and led me to give it 2.5/5, is Rapunzel's slight maturity at the end. I do not like the development of her character, at all. It was too uncomfortable at times how child-like she read, due to her being kept in the tower. She came off as way younger than her age, and the way she acted in certain scenes read like a five-year old. I'm sorry if this is harsh! Rapunzel is very sweet, and very innocent, and there lies the biggest problem. Should she be "that" innocent even given her circumstances? Having been so sheltered, I don't know... again... it made me uncomfortable.
In the end, Rapunzel's depiction, and the whole story-line of Witch... I find myself asking why Witch was turned into such a sympathetic character. I get that she was all Rapunzel knew as a mother, but still? Really? No thanks.
Wish I could have enjoyed this book more, since it had amazing potential!
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best retellings I have ever read. It certainly is the best Rapunzel retelling by far and this is a big thing for me because I've read a ton in this genre.
It's the usual story of Rapunzel - girl in tower guarded by a Witch - but the twist here is how the Witch has chosen to imprison Rapunzel. She dotes on her like a little princess keeping Rapunzel completely under the Witch's thumb of Rapunzel's own volition.
The arrival of a thief named Jack throws everything out of whack leading Rapunzel down a path of discovery and betrayal she had no idea even existed.
First off Rapunzel herself was an amazing character. She's so spoiled at the beginning it's difficult to like her. But, as the story unfolds you start to see how deep Witch's manipulations go. Emotional abuse can be difficult to identify especially for kids who have no experience with other dynamics. This book does a wonderful job of unpacking not only how this affects Rapunzel without her even realizing it as well as how hard it is to process even when she does start to figure it out.
I hated Witch from the beginning until the bitter end because I am on the outside. I can't possibly imagine doing what Rapunzel does or feeling the compassion she still has for Witch, but I understand and empathize with her decisions because of how well written the whole thing is. It doesn't make sense to me or anyone else in the book, but it's not about us. It's about how Rapunzel's relationship with her abusive mother is her own, not for anyone else to pass judgment on. It's about how there can still be love - right or wrong - regardless of what someone has done.
Now, this doesn't ring true of all situations, of course. Abuse can be a sliding scale unfortunately which is why it's so important for the victim to come to terms in their own time in their own way. They being said there are lines that are crossed that I do believe warrant no contact at all. Forgiveness is a whole other thing entirely. But, like still wanting to stay in touch or interact is a no go after certain forms of mistreatment. I hated that Rapunzel was willing to overlook what Witch had done because Witch so obviously is an awful person that I personally do not believe deserves any compassion. While I loved Rapunzel I found this part of her very selfish. It's one thing to accept your abusive parent, it's another to expect others to do so. And it's frustrating that she can't see how privileged she is that she can just choose to ignore the tragedies inflicted on them. Witch ruined many peoples' lives but Rapunzel low-key doesn't care because Witch loved *her*. Like she hurts Rapunzel's best friend and Rapunzel is still like 'But, Witch isn't so bad!' But, that's also what I loved about the book; the fact that this is only a flaw depending on your perspective on dealing with abusive parents. It asks you to take a step back from your own bias, put yourself in Rapunzel's shoes, and acknowledge that what you would do isn't right for everyone. And while it would have been satisfying for Rapunzel to do what I might have done it wasn't the right thing for her to do. It asks you to think in terms of mercy rather than retribution. I'm a really empathetic person, but this book really stretched my compassion as thin as it could go.
(To be honest, Rapunzel handles the whole thing with grace, it just annoyed me that Witch got any sympathy at all. It's realistic because love doesn't just end like that. It's just so hard for me to let my own disdain go.)
Rapunzel's arc is the emotional core to the whole book so it was crucial that this aspect be good. I felt it was masterfully done. And for this to be a debut? I was just blown away.
The supporting cast is fine. None stand out for me to love, but I enjoyed them. Plus I consider it a win that it didn't feel as if they were only there to force the story along or add exposition. Functionally some did fulfill this requirement however it didn't *feel* that way as I was reading it which is the mark of a good story in my opinion.
Everybody had a twinkle of personality that added to the tension or stakes or development. It was an effective use of characters of varied significance which is all I want in a story that relies on a journey; the protagonists by virtue of the plot cannot stay in one place too long, but that doesn't mean I want to rapidly flip through a bunch of nobody characters either. Jack is technically main as well, but this is so strongly Rapunzel's story that it doesn't really feel like it. But, that didn’t mean I didn’t appreciate him. He was a wonderful voice of reason as well as audience surrogate. He often said what I wanted to say to Rapunzel and regardless of outcome it was still cathartic to read. Watching him come to slowly care for Rapunzel as a friend (possibly more?) was heart-warming.
The diversity was nice too. Jack is Asian and most of the secondary characters are POC. I liked how casual it was. It felt like Morrison was writing a fantasy world like the modern world; where it’s commonplace to have different races intermingling. I haven’t read a lot of middle grade fantasy that has been able to achieve this kind of normalcy without it feeling forced or cheap. It was refreshing. (And the next book which I’ve already started features a Black main character so this isn’t a one-off either)
Anyways, this so far is one of if not my ultimate favorite book of 2020. It will definitely be the peak of retellings for quite some time. Right now I can’t imagine anything outside of Morrison’s other works topping this. Seriously, read this book. This is as good as it gets when it comes to the genre.
It's the usual story of Rapunzel - girl in tower guarded by a Witch - but the twist here is how the Witch has chosen to imprison Rapunzel. She dotes on her like a little princess keeping Rapunzel completely under the Witch's thumb of Rapunzel's own volition.
The arrival of a thief named Jack throws everything out of whack leading Rapunzel down a path of discovery and betrayal she had no idea even existed.
First off Rapunzel herself was an amazing character. She's so spoiled at the beginning it's difficult to like her. But, as the story unfolds you start to see how deep Witch's manipulations go. Emotional abuse can be difficult to identify especially for kids who have no experience with other dynamics. This book does a wonderful job of unpacking not only how this affects Rapunzel without her even realizing it as well as how hard it is to process even when she does start to figure it out.
I hated Witch from the beginning until the bitter end because I am on the outside. I can't possibly imagine doing what Rapunzel does or feeling the compassion she still has for Witch, but I understand and empathize with her decisions because of how well written the whole thing is. It doesn't make sense to me or anyone else in the book, but it's not about us. It's about how Rapunzel's relationship with her abusive mother is her own, not for anyone else to pass judgment on. It's about how there can still be love - right or wrong - regardless of what someone has done.
Now, this doesn't ring true of all situations, of course. Abuse can be a sliding scale unfortunately which is why it's so important for the victim to come to terms in their own time in their own way. They being said there are lines that are crossed that I do believe warrant no contact at all. Forgiveness is a whole other thing entirely. But, like still wanting to stay in touch or interact is a no go after certain forms of mistreatment. I hated that Rapunzel was willing to overlook what Witch had done because Witch so obviously is an awful person that I personally do not believe deserves any compassion. While I loved Rapunzel I found this part of her very selfish. It's one thing to accept your abusive parent, it's another to expect others to do so. And it's frustrating that she can't see how privileged she is that she can just choose to ignore the tragedies inflicted on them. Witch ruined many peoples' lives but Rapunzel low-key doesn't care because Witch loved *her*. Like she hurts Rapunzel's best friend and Rapunzel is still like 'But, Witch isn't so bad!' But, that's also what I loved about the book; the fact that this is only a flaw depending on your perspective on dealing with abusive parents. It asks you to take a step back from your own bias, put yourself in Rapunzel's shoes, and acknowledge that what you would do isn't right for everyone. And while it would have been satisfying for Rapunzel to do what I might have done it wasn't the right thing for her to do. It asks you to think in terms of mercy rather than retribution. I'm a really empathetic person, but this book really stretched my compassion as thin as it could go.
(To be honest, Rapunzel handles the whole thing with grace, it just annoyed me that Witch got any sympathy at all. It's realistic because love doesn't just end like that. It's just so hard for me to let my own disdain go.)
Rapunzel's arc is the emotional core to the whole book so it was crucial that this aspect be good. I felt it was masterfully done. And for this to be a debut? I was just blown away.
The supporting cast is fine. None stand out for me to love, but I enjoyed them. Plus I consider it a win that it didn't feel as if they were only there to force the story along or add exposition. Functionally some did fulfill this requirement however it didn't *feel* that way as I was reading it which is the mark of a good story in my opinion.
Everybody had a twinkle of personality that added to the tension or stakes or development. It was an effective use of characters of varied significance which is all I want in a story that relies on a journey; the protagonists by virtue of the plot cannot stay in one place too long, but that doesn't mean I want to rapidly flip through a bunch of nobody characters either. Jack is technically main as well, but this is so strongly Rapunzel's story that it doesn't really feel like it. But, that didn’t mean I didn’t appreciate him. He was a wonderful voice of reason as well as audience surrogate. He often said what I wanted to say to Rapunzel and regardless of outcome it was still cathartic to read. Watching him come to slowly care for Rapunzel as a friend (possibly more?) was heart-warming.
The diversity was nice too. Jack is Asian and most of the secondary characters are POC. I liked how casual it was. It felt like Morrison was writing a fantasy world like the modern world; where it’s commonplace to have different races intermingling. I haven’t read a lot of middle grade fantasy that has been able to achieve this kind of normalcy without it feeling forced or cheap. It was refreshing. (And the next book which I’ve already started features a Black main character so this isn’t a one-off either)
Anyways, this so far is one of if not my ultimate favorite book of 2020. It will definitely be the peak of retellings for quite some time. Right now I can’t imagine anything outside of Morrison’s other works topping this. Seriously, read this book. This is as good as it gets when it comes to the genre.
bookmarklit's review against another edition
4.0
Cuuuute! That was a fun little adventure. I like Fantasy books like this, with friends journeying together. The characters (especially Witch) were more complex than I expected too. Rapunzel wasn’t my favorite tbh but she grew on me a bit toward the end. Intrigued to see what can happen in the rest of the books!
givnuapeacesign's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fun twist on the story of Rapunzel. One of my sixth graders recommended this title to me. I am sadly not a fan of fairytales, so it sat in my “to read “ pile for quite a time. The book cleverly intertwined Rapunzel with Jack of the beanstalk. The first 100 pages were slow. But I had to persist so I could report back to my student. Magically the story gained momentum and I began to care about the characters, even the witch. In true fairytale form, it all worked out in the end leaving the reader ready for the sequel. This is not the caliber of Wicked. It is a preteen to teenager’s novel. For those who like fairytales, this series may be just what you are looking for.
lberestecki's review against another edition
3.0
This was a decent fairytale retelling with some interesting elements. The way the Witch was handled was a nice touch, and Morrison did a good job seamlessly blending Jack and the Beanstalk with Rapunzel. The thing that kept me from really enjoying this was Rapunzel herself. She was a really difficult character to like for almost the entire story, making it tough to root for her.
connie575's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
10-12 yr olds Rapunzel travels outside her tower and learns so much about the world. Meets interesting people, fairies, andd others.
cosmic's review against another edition
5.0
"Happy endings were no good anyway, she thought, yawning. Happy endings were still endings. Instead, tomorrow was coming, and there would be more adventures when it came."
bloomingrose92's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
With the advent of Tangled, good Rapunzel retellings seem dull in comparison. But this book balances the pain of having someone you love do and be horrible, and still loving them with grace.