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2.85 AVERAGE
2.85 AVERAGE
When I saw the cover and title of this book, I absolutely had to read it. But after the first few sentences I knew I was in a for a book-full of disappointment.
Character - Rapunzel was pathetic. She was so naive and almost stupid, not picking up on things that should have been obvious. I couldn't root for her or even connect, because she kept making such stupid decisions and saying stupid things. She acts like a 17 year old when she's supposed to be over 200 years old. It just didn't ring true. Gretta - Confusing beyond belief, no clear desire or motive. Rapunzels Father - I hated him so much by the end of the book. He had so many inconsistencies, it was ridiculous.
Writing style/syntax - Awful. This sounds like a first novel written by someone who didn't bother to revise at all. It's no wonder that it's self published, any editor would want to give it a complete overhaul.
Plot - Ok. There was so many points that I thought would be so interesting, but they were not at all well written. Hilton brought up a lot of points about eternal life and legitimate problems, but they were written so badly.
Overall - I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If Hilton did a complete overall, editing and revising I think it has great potential! But if this is the finished project, not worth the read.
Character - Rapunzel was pathetic. She was so naive and almost stupid, not picking up on things that should have been obvious. I couldn't root for her or even connect, because she kept making such stupid decisions and saying stupid things. She acts like a 17 year old when she's supposed to be over 200 years old. It just didn't ring true. Gretta - Confusing beyond belief, no clear desire or motive. Rapunzels Father - I hated him so much by the end of the book. He had so many inconsistencies, it was ridiculous.
Writing style/syntax - Awful. This sounds like a first novel written by someone who didn't bother to revise at all. It's no wonder that it's self published, any editor would want to give it a complete overhaul.
Plot - Ok. There was so many points that I thought would be so interesting, but they were not at all well written. Hilton brought up a lot of points about eternal life and legitimate problems, but they were written so badly.
Overall - I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If Hilton did a complete overall, editing and revising I think it has great potential! But if this is the finished project, not worth the read.
February 2015
1.5 stars
slow, disappointing. Skimmed towards the end.
Gosh. This cover is absolutely gorgeous!!! I really hope the story is as stunning as the cover!!
1.5 stars
slow, disappointing. Skimmed towards the end.
Gosh. This cover is absolutely gorgeous!!! I really hope the story is as stunning as the cover!!
2.5-3 STARS
Rapunzel, a story that I’ve read so many time over the years and still read it to my little brother and sister, and my curiosity was the cause that I’ve read this book.
And let me tell you…. I’m not impressed, nah-euh….
The book was soooo dragging and boring that I had to force myself to finish it, fairy tales are rewritten they should have some major changes and twists that keeps us really focused on the story, but this one was 42 pages of excitement and 280 pages of boredom .
You must ask yourself why i gave the book an almost 3 STARS, well, 2 STARS are for Rapunzel I just love her from young age, and the other half-one STAR is actually what happened at the end with Edwin and Luke, yeah that part left my jaw flat on the floor, I DID not expect THAT !
If you read the book you’ll understand what I’m saying.
Rapunzel, a story that I’ve read so many time over the years and still read it to my little brother and sister, and my curiosity was the cause that I’ve read this book.
And let me tell you…. I’m not impressed, nah-euh….
The book was soooo dragging and boring that I had to force myself to finish it, fairy tales are rewritten they should have some major changes and twists that keeps us really focused on the story, but this one was 42 pages of excitement and 280 pages of boredom .
You must ask yourself why i gave the book an almost 3 STARS, well, 2 STARS are for Rapunzel I just love her from young age, and the other half-one STAR is actually what happened at the end with Edwin and Luke, yeah that part left my jaw flat on the floor, I DID not expect THAT !
If you read the book you’ll understand what I’m saying.
THIS BOOK MADE ME ANGRY. I DO NOT KNOW HOW YOU PEOPLE CAN READ THIS BOOK. I HATED, I DESPISED THE MAIN CHARACTER. SHE IS WHINY SHE IS ANNOYING AND SO IS JENKINS AND SO IS HENRY AND EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER WAS PISSING ME OFF. IT HAD A GREAT SOUNDING PREMISE BUT THE STORY BUILDING WAS BAD, THE CHARACTERS WERE AWFUL AND I REALLY REALLY TRIED VERY HARD TO FINISH THIS STUPID BOOK I CANNOT. I AM SORRY. BUT THIS BOOK INFURIATED ME TO NO END. RAPUNZEL WAS SERIOUSLY WAY WAY WAY TOO ANNOYING AS A CHARACTER FOR ME TO EVEN FEEL SORRY FOR HER. ONLY CHARACTER I SO MUCH AS GLANCED AT WITH ADMIRATION WAS GRETA WHO STUCK AROUND WAY TOO LONG AROUND THIS BRAT AND ALL I CAN THINK IS WOW GOOD FREAKING JOB BECAUSE YOU LAY OUT HER WASHING AND LIKE BASICALLY HER SERVANT AND RAPUNZEL IS LIKE A LITTLE BRATTY GIRL THAT DOESNT GET WHAT SHE WANTS SO BLAMES EVERYTHING ON YOU. PACK YOUR BAGS AND GO LADY FIND ANOTHER PRINCESS/GIRL I BELIEVE YOU CAN DO BETTER. I AM SO DONE WITH THIS BOOK, SHARON OUT.
I was somewhat disappointed in this book; while I loved the story line and I think in another situation I could have loved the characters, the writing just felt very drawn out and excessive, and the things that felt important were almost rushed while everything else went on excessively. I think it definitely would be enjoyable for younger readers, it just wasn't what I'd hoped for in a YA retelling.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Behind The Secret Bookshelf.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads ARC giveaway.
Two words: highly disappointed.
I saw this book on Goodreads and immediately told myself I had to have it. The concept was highly intriguing and I am a sucker for a fairy tale re-telling. But when I finally started reading the book, what did I find, but something not so magical and truthfully, not very worthy to be called one of the great fairy tale re-tellings.
Initially, I was extremely excited to delve into this book, but the moment I started reading (and reading further only confirmed it) I saw to my disappointment that although the concept had potential with the whole "Rapunzel is immortal and must co-exist next to the modern world while she lives with a witch and dragon" it never really took off.
The characters themselves were highly one-dimensional and did not ring true to me. No exposition on any of the characters is given and the reader barely knows anything about them other than they are stuck together. Rapunzel was particularly unbelievable, not because she was a fairy-tale character, but because I could not believe her complete immaturity and ignorance for being over two centuries old and having access to the supposed "devices" she had. And Henry. Oh, Henry. The reader never finds out anything about his background and never gets any character development from him, other than knowing he is Rapunzel's "true love." And the reader doesn't really even know why! He is supposed to be one of the most important elements of the story-why Rapunzel sacrificed so much for him, and yet the reader never once even finds out his last name! Then there was Gretta. Honestly, I couldn't hate the witch because she was too flat a character, just like all the others to hate. The problem with each and every one of these characters is that they stay pretty much the same person they were throughout the book, never evolving and maturing; they were simply stagnant. Back to Gretta. She is introduced as a terrible witch and yes, what she inflicts upon Rapunzel and Henry is terrible yes, but I could never really get into Rapunzel's anguish because she is so close-minded about everything and never once becomes curious about who Gretta really is, and just decides to hate her for two centuries, never really figuring out Gretta's history until Gretta conveniently tells her. Gretta was someone who you were supposed to hate and loathe, and I felt pretty apathetic about her-about all of them really. The greatest feeling I had while reading was annoyance, especially with Rapunzel because she decides to be extremely stupid and writes to a stranger about her life, though she does not know this man and knows that he will likely not believe her.
And it is this little oversight by Rapunzel that annoyed me the most. She gets infuriated because of some person who she does not know, writes an article about fairy tales being not true and all of that, blah blah blah. So what does any sane person who has a secret to keep so she does not get hunted do? Write a series of very long, badly written letters to this unknown person with her address on it so he can conveniently trace her and fall in love. My biggest problem with this scenario is that throughout the book, Rapunzel frequently stresses the fact that she wants to stay hidden and does not want anyone to recognize her-that's why she only ventures into town once every fifty years. But then, the witch lets workers into the castle (don't you think people would get suspicious?) to set up modern conveniences and Rapunzel immediately spills her guts out to a person who might expose her entire secret to the entire world. Why? Just why would she do this? I get that the letters are to tell the reader more of the story in a "unique" way, but Rapunzel's lack of foresight on the matter with John (who is another annoying, one-dimensional character)is what makes the least sense in the book. Why risk blowing your entire secret for some sassy reporter's column?
Another thing that bothered me about reading this was the lack of developed dialogue and general use of words in the novel. Living for more than two centuries, you would think that all of these immortal characters would have developed a more refined speech, but sadly, that is false. The descriptions and dialogue-both internal and with other characters-sounds as if Rapunzel was uneducated or else rather lazy with her speech. She talks like a ditsy teenage girl, not like someone who has experience much in her long, long life. And all those books she read over the years were bound to have had just a little impact on her speech, but no. The syntax was not up to par at all and it highly annoyed me. This girl's vocabulary was so unrefined and her diction completely inappropriate for the character she was supposed to be portraying that it was one of the biggest turn-offs of the book.
I really tried to like this book, truly I did. But honestly, the the lack of character development, the juvenile syntax, and just the annoyance of the plot (the location did not even ring true!) could not make me like the book. This book took me five months to get through, mainly because I would put it down for weeks at a time, not reading, too annoyed to go on. There was definitely a boat load of potential, but it just did not work out. I think I'll go watch Tangled now so my faith in Rapunzel is restored a little bit.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads ARC giveaway.
Two words: highly disappointed.
I saw this book on Goodreads and immediately told myself I had to have it. The concept was highly intriguing and I am a sucker for a fairy tale re-telling. But when I finally started reading the book, what did I find, but something not so magical and truthfully, not very worthy to be called one of the great fairy tale re-tellings.
Initially, I was extremely excited to delve into this book, but the moment I started reading (and reading further only confirmed it) I saw to my disappointment that although the concept had potential with the whole "Rapunzel is immortal and must co-exist next to the modern world while she lives with a witch and dragon" it never really took off.
The characters themselves were highly one-dimensional and did not ring true to me. No exposition on any of the characters is given and the reader barely knows anything about them other than they are stuck together. Rapunzel was particularly unbelievable, not because she was a fairy-tale character, but because I could not believe her complete immaturity and ignorance for being over two centuries old and having access to the supposed "devices" she had. And Henry. Oh, Henry. The reader never finds out anything about his background and never gets any character development from him, other than knowing he is Rapunzel's "true love." And the reader doesn't really even know why! He is supposed to be one of the most important elements of the story-why Rapunzel sacrificed so much for him, and yet the reader never once even finds out his last name! Then there was Gretta. Honestly, I couldn't hate the witch because she was too flat a character, just like all the others to hate. The problem with each and every one of these characters is that they stay pretty much the same person they were throughout the book, never evolving and maturing; they were simply stagnant. Back to Gretta. She is introduced as a terrible witch and yes, what she inflicts upon Rapunzel and Henry is terrible yes, but I could never really get into Rapunzel's anguish because she is so close-minded about everything and never once becomes curious about who Gretta really is, and just decides to hate her for two centuries, never really figuring out Gretta's history until Gretta conveniently tells her. Gretta was someone who you were supposed to hate and loathe, and I felt pretty apathetic about her-about all of them really. The greatest feeling I had while reading was annoyance, especially with Rapunzel because she decides to be extremely stupid and writes to a stranger about her life, though she does not know this man and knows that he will likely not believe her.
And it is this little oversight by Rapunzel that annoyed me the most. She gets infuriated because of some person who she does not know, writes an article about fairy tales being not true and all of that, blah blah blah. So what does any sane person who has a secret to keep so she does not get hunted do? Write a series of very long, badly written letters to this unknown person with her address on it so he can conveniently trace her and fall in love. My biggest problem with this scenario is that throughout the book, Rapunzel frequently stresses the fact that she wants to stay hidden and does not want anyone to recognize her-that's why she only ventures into town once every fifty years. But then, the witch lets workers into the castle (don't you think people would get suspicious?) to set up modern conveniences and Rapunzel immediately spills her guts out to a person who might expose her entire secret to the entire world. Why? Just why would she do this? I get that the letters are to tell the reader more of the story in a "unique" way, but Rapunzel's lack of foresight on the matter with John (who is another annoying, one-dimensional character)is what makes the least sense in the book. Why risk blowing your entire secret for some sassy reporter's column?
Another thing that bothered me about reading this was the lack of developed dialogue and general use of words in the novel. Living for more than two centuries, you would think that all of these immortal characters would have developed a more refined speech, but sadly, that is false. The descriptions and dialogue-both internal and with other characters-sounds as if Rapunzel was uneducated or else rather lazy with her speech. She talks like a ditsy teenage girl, not like someone who has experience much in her long, long life. And all those books she read over the years were bound to have had just a little impact on her speech, but no. The syntax was not up to par at all and it highly annoyed me. This girl's vocabulary was so unrefined and her diction completely inappropriate for the character she was supposed to be portraying that it was one of the biggest turn-offs of the book.
I really tried to like this book, truly I did. But honestly, the the lack of character development, the juvenile syntax, and just the annoyance of the plot (the location did not even ring true!) could not make me like the book. This book took me five months to get through, mainly because I would put it down for weeks at a time, not reading, too annoyed to go on. There was definitely a boat load of potential, but it just did not work out. I think I'll go watch Tangled now so my faith in Rapunzel is restored a little bit.
Arc was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
My Name is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton is a beautifully written fairytale retold by a great author who knows how to keep her readers on edge.
I liked this book a lot. I felt like I stepped into the time of fairytales, dragons and witches myself. It was so imaginative!
I loved the way the author wrote the main character, Rapunzel over the centuries and you can definitely see a change in her. At the end, she definitely wasn't the girl we met at the beginning of this book. Great character building!
I also liked a lot of the other characters. There were quite a few but I do have to say I loved John and I'm glad in the end he got what he wanted, which was to fly. I was really touched by that turn of events, which brings me to the topic of the ending of this book. A lot was happening and I kept reading page after page to see how it was going to turn out and I must say, one of the best ending I have ever read. I was really glad by the outcome of it all and how everything fit together.
In the first part of this story, though, I had a little difficulty getting into the story because everything seemed to go so very slow. I wanted things to start happening and picking up but that has probably more to do with my personal likings than the author's writing. I did love the second half of the book when things began fitting together more and more and when we came to the year 2013, modern times and all that.
Overall this book was very likable and quite funny, too. And doesn't everyone loves a good fairytale every now and then? Especially when it's retold in the way K.C. Hilton did it. I'm so glad and honored I got the chance to read the arc and hopefully provide good feedback.
I would recommend this book to readers of fairytale retellings no matter what age. And even if you don't usually read those kinds of books I would recommend it anyway because I loved the author's writing so much. It really was something!
My Name is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton is a beautifully written fairytale retold by a great author who knows how to keep her readers on edge.
I liked this book a lot. I felt like I stepped into the time of fairytales, dragons and witches myself. It was so imaginative!
I loved the way the author wrote the main character, Rapunzel over the centuries and you can definitely see a change in her. At the end, she definitely wasn't the girl we met at the beginning of this book. Great character building!
I also liked a lot of the other characters. There were quite a few but I do have to say I loved John and I'm glad in the end he got what he wanted, which was to fly. I was really touched by that turn of events, which brings me to the topic of the ending of this book. A lot was happening and I kept reading page after page to see how it was going to turn out and I must say, one of the best ending I have ever read. I was really glad by the outcome of it all and how everything fit together.
In the first part of this story, though, I had a little difficulty getting into the story because everything seemed to go so very slow. I wanted things to start happening and picking up but that has probably more to do with my personal likings than the author's writing. I did love the second half of the book when things began fitting together more and more and when we came to the year 2013, modern times and all that.
Overall this book was very likable and quite funny, too. And doesn't everyone loves a good fairytale every now and then? Especially when it's retold in the way K.C. Hilton did it. I'm so glad and honored I got the chance to read the arc and hopefully provide good feedback.
I would recommend this book to readers of fairytale retellings no matter what age. And even if you don't usually read those kinds of books I would recommend it anyway because I loved the author's writing so much. It really was something!
I liked the author's concept of a revamped Rapunzel story, but beyond that, I couldn't find much to love. I found the characters to be inconsistent and shallow, and the relationships between characters even more so. I am also certain that the author copied and pasted segments of their story. There are parts in the story that match earlier segments word for word.