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korrinamoe's review against another edition
5.0
I'm the type of person that loves fairy tales, because of the fairy tales mashed together in that one book, I loved it. I loved how they had nicknames, but it was so obvious who was who.
somewheregirl7's review against another edition
3.0
12-year-old Julie is the daughter of Rapunzel. Rapunzel and her other fairy tale friends broke out of their stories and decided to live in the real world. In order to break free they had to battle The Wild, a standge psuedo-cognizant being/nature/bush from hell that transforms anything it can into fairy tales and keeps the characters locked into their stories at its heart. Julie sleeps with The Wild under her bed, just to keep an eye on it. But when The Wild gets loose Julie is sucked into a series of fairy tales and trying desperately to save herself and her mother.
This was a really interesting premise and had lots of promise. It didn't quite follow through on it though. I can't put my finger on what exactly was off. The pacing was decent. Characters felt a bit thin and the dialogue was okay but not great. Description was sometimes overdone and sometimes thready. The conflict resolutions were often far too pat and easy. This felt like a story in 2D rather than 3D - it just never really came alive. I can see the promise and the spark underneath - but right now it's just hampered by the prose. I heard the author do a reading from her second book and I think the issue may just be that this was a freshman effort. The second book seemed to deliver on the promise this one didn't so I'll likely pick that up and give it a try.
This was a really interesting premise and had lots of promise. It didn't quite follow through on it though. I can't put my finger on what exactly was off. The pacing was decent. Characters felt a bit thin and the dialogue was okay but not great. Description was sometimes overdone and sometimes thready. The conflict resolutions were often far too pat and easy. This felt like a story in 2D rather than 3D - it just never really came alive. I can see the promise and the spark underneath - but right now it's just hampered by the prose. I heard the author do a reading from her second book and I think the issue may just be that this was a freshman effort. The second book seemed to deliver on the promise this one didn't so I'll likely pick that up and give it a try.
librariann's review against another edition
Ages 9+
A 12 year old girl, child of fairy tale legend Rapunzel, must conquer the overgrown tangle of forest known as the Wild after it escapes from its hiding place under her bed. In the Wild, she must avoid fairy tale endings in order to save her mother and other friends. Fun and entertaining! I look forward to picking up the sequel.
A 12 year old girl, child of fairy tale legend Rapunzel, must conquer the overgrown tangle of forest known as the Wild after it escapes from its hiding place under her bed. In the Wild, she must avoid fairy tale endings in order to save her mother and other friends. Fun and entertaining! I look forward to picking up the sequel.
book_nut's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant look at choices, freedom and fairy tales. Julie's a great main character and I love how Durst worked fairy tales into the story.
bookarian's review against another edition
4.0
Fairytale characters spent centuries trying to escape from their stories in "The Wild[Wood:]" and finally Rapunzel found a way. She's now a hairdresser and a single mother. But the wild has escaped, and it's up to Rapunzel's daughter, who just wants a normal life, to rescue them all again.
thatweirdlibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting plot. My only problem was not knowing all of the fairy tales to associate with the book. So before you read this book touch up on some of the known fairy tales.
k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
3.0
Julie's mother, Rapunzel, captured the Wild Wood that forced all of the fairy tale characters into their roles again and again. The Wild is inprisoned under Julie's bed. And then someone sets it free...
This fractured fairy tale is confusing in an Alice in Wonderland kind of way. It is written for children, but I wonder if they wouldn't get lost reading it. Still it is fun to read.
This fractured fairy tale is confusing in an Alice in Wonderland kind of way. It is written for children, but I wonder if they wouldn't get lost reading it. Still it is fun to read.
anjreading's review
4.0
4.5 stars. Durst's first novel is a middle-grade fantasy and I absolutely loved it! Julie lives in the modern world with her mother, Rapunzel, and her brother, Puss-in-Boots. 500 years ago, her family was trapped in the “Wild”, reliving the same fairy tale stories over and over, until Rapunzel mysteriously found a way to break everyone out. The Wild currently lives contained under Julie’s bed, but when someone makes a wish at the wishing well and the Wild breaks free, it’s all down to Julie to protect her family and friends from the Wild, which is rapidly growing and forcing everyone into fairy tale loops.
bellatora's review against another edition
3.0
I was not aware when I started this that it was middle grade, but that explained a lot. It had an imaginative take on fairy tales, where some supernatural force known as the Wild trapped people into playing familiar roles over and over and over again (kind of a kiddie version of [b:The Fairy Godmother|13982|The Fairy Godmother (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #1)|Mercedes Lackey|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347732340s/13982.jpg|16082], although this was still a surprisingly dark book). The plucky girl heroine is Rapunzel’s daughter, who has to set things right when the Wild gets set free. It was good, just written for a younger crowd.
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
Julie Marchen, daughter of Rapunzel, has more to deal with than other girls her age. Years ago, fairy tale characters rose up and defeated The Wild, the force that doomed them to repeating the same stories year after year. Now The Wild is safely guarded under Julie's bed. Julie herself feels caught between two worlds - she has to go to school and pretend she's normal, although when she goes home she's likely to catch a ride with Cinderella and have dinner with the seven dwarves. When someone completes a fairy tale event by making a wish in her grandmother's wishing well, The Wild suddenly comes back to life and Julie must risk everything to defeat it once again. Once inside The Wild, she must be careful not to get trapped in any stories and she's the only chance they have at defeating The Wild once again.
An interesting take on twisted fairy tales, this story combines characters from dozens of stories.
An interesting take on twisted fairy tales, this story combines characters from dozens of stories.