Or in this case, Rapunzel, Rapunzel, hop on Facebook chat.
Earlier this week I was lucky enough to meet the Cindy C. Bennett, author of the fabulous Rapunzel Untangled. There I was, carrying my already too tall stack of books when I got to her table. Cindy C. Bennett was so nice that I had to get a signed copy of Rapunzel Untangled. She also recommended another book by another author that I will be finding soon, when I don't have a stack of books to read.
I was excited to see this Rapunzel story, a retelling of an old classic in a modern way. Rapunzel is an underutilized princess fairy tale, it's not one of the big three - Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. Rapunzel has always been one of my favorite princesses, in part because she isn't one of the super popular princess. So as I said, super excited for this one!
Sadly I couldn't get this from Barnes and Noble for my Nook or from my local library which are my two preferred reading methods. I won't lie, I felt a bit ashamed of myself for buying it for the Kindle app after so many years with Nook. However, it was better than the alternative, actually reading my autographed copy. *shiver*
It was a quick read, I started about 6 p.m. and finished about 8:30 p.m. with a break for dinner.
In the beginning of Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett we meet Rapunzel, a 17 year old girl who has been isolated her whole life because of SCID - Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. Or so she has been told. Rapunzel has everything she could want in her suite, from a huge bedroom and bathroom to a full size kitchen. Rapunzel has lived here her whole life and has had no contact with anyone other than Gothel, her mother. Rapunzel has been home schooled for obvious reason and after discovering Facebook her world begins to change. When she send a friend request to Fab Fane Flannigan she has no idea how drastic those changes will be.
Rapunzel Untangled is a fairy tale retold with a modern twist. It combines a coming of age story with a budding romance without overdoing the romance. I think the romance is light enough that young readers will be fine, no need to worry. If it were a movie I would say it is PG - a couple of kisses and a deranged lady working with an even more deranged sorcerer.
I would say it is a very well written story though the writing level does seem to be geared more towards a younger age group. While the Rapunzel is 17, her isolation and naivety make her seem much younger, perhaps 13 or 14.
Overall, I would rate this one a 3.75/5. Or a 4/5 because the author was super nice.
Recommendations -
Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett - If you liked Rapunzel Untangled, you might want to try Geek Girl, another book written by Cindy C. Bennett. This book has a modern setting and isn't based on a fairy tale at all, but it looks good in its own way.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale - This is another girl trapped in a tower story written by one of my all time favorite authors.
The Fates series by Kristine Grayson - This is an adult series that takes fairy tale characters and places them in a modern world that borders the fairy tale world. Who know that the Grimm Brothers had it all wrong? I am in love with this series currently.
No comments:
Post a Comment