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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
TL;DR Review: While flawed with strange retcons and pacing issues towards the end, Mother Knows Best proves to be a fun addition to the world of Tangled. The characters are fleshed out wonderfully and while the presence of the Odd Sisters does feel a bit forced, Gothel’s connection to her sisters is lovely. A must read for any major fans of the movie.
Content Warnings: Death, Abuse, Kidnapping.
”Sometimes we create images of the people we love and hate in our minds, and those images override what we see with our eyes, even when they are right in front of us. Even if we've imagined them to be monsters, to see them as they truly are with our eyes and our hearts is sometimes shocking.”
Full Review - Contains Spoilers:
I want to preface this review with this: I have not read the other books in this series and because of this, I do feel like I am missing out on some crucial backstory for the characters of the Odd Sisters. Their story and presence in the novel is prominent, so going into this and thinking it was a standalone book about the rise of Mother Gothel only does lead to some disappointment. The fact of the matter is that I did not enjoy the Odd Sisters, I found them to be unlikable and to have too much influence on the story. Maybe that would not be the case if I was more familiar with the series, but if you are thinking to pick this book up without having knowledge of the others, do consider that first.
Tangled is, at the time of this review, my favorite Disney Princess film. I connect with the story a lot, so when I head Mother Gothel was getting an expansion to her story, I was thrilled. I dove right into the book and honestly, I can say that overall I am impressed. The story presented is very fleshed out, with Gothel feeling much more like a person with dimension than she does in the film. We see her fall from grace and into darkness at the loss of her sisters and frankly, it becomes hard to not empathize with her plight.
My biggest critique overall is the changes it does make to the world of Tangled - things that just seem convoluted, especially towards the end, that drastically change the backstory of the Princess. It also ends up almost rushing to the finish line, pushing the Odd Sisters to the front of the story and making them Gothel’s antagonist. If you haven’t been reading the rest of the series, this almost feels as if it comes out of nowhere and leaves a hollow feeling to the finish.
One last thing: I was not a fan at all of the retcon. Having Rapunzel put into a sleep for ten years felt like it was just a way to not have to write her interactions with Gothel and rehash the movie. Yet, it didn’t work. If anything, it felt confusing and more like it was bent on making fun of the movie than embracing the very real themes of abuse and hardship that were present in the film. It honestly makes a lot of the trauma of Rapunzel’s story feel pointless.
Overall though, if you can look past those flaws and the pacing problems towards the end, it does prove to be a fun read. It’s very well written and it does provide a very interesting backstory for one of my favorite villains. If the Odd Sisters were removed, I feel it could have been a classic addition to an already loved Disney story.
Content Warnings: Death, Abuse, Kidnapping.
”Sometimes we create images of the people we love and hate in our minds, and those images override what we see with our eyes, even when they are right in front of us. Even if we've imagined them to be monsters, to see them as they truly are with our eyes and our hearts is sometimes shocking.”
Full Review - Contains Spoilers:
I want to preface this review with this: I have not read the other books in this series and because of this, I do feel like I am missing out on some crucial backstory for the characters of the Odd Sisters. Their story and presence in the novel is prominent, so going into this and thinking it was a standalone book about the rise of Mother Gothel only does lead to some disappointment. The fact of the matter is that I did not enjoy the Odd Sisters, I found them to be unlikable and to have too much influence on the story. Maybe that would not be the case if I was more familiar with the series, but if you are thinking to pick this book up without having knowledge of the others, do consider that first.
Tangled is, at the time of this review, my favorite Disney Princess film. I connect with the story a lot, so when I head Mother Gothel was getting an expansion to her story, I was thrilled. I dove right into the book and honestly, I can say that overall I am impressed. The story presented is very fleshed out, with Gothel feeling much more like a person with dimension than she does in the film. We see her fall from grace and into darkness at the loss of her sisters and frankly, it becomes hard to not empathize with her plight.
My biggest critique overall is the changes it does make to the world of Tangled - things that just seem convoluted, especially towards the end, that drastically change the backstory of the Princess. It also ends up almost rushing to the finish line, pushing the Odd Sisters to the front of the story and making them Gothel’s antagonist. If you haven’t been reading the rest of the series, this almost feels as if it comes out of nowhere and leaves a hollow feeling to the finish.
One last thing: I was not a fan at all of the retcon. Having Rapunzel put into a sleep for ten years felt like it was just a way to not have to write her interactions with Gothel and rehash the movie. Yet, it didn’t work. If anything, it felt confusing and more like it was bent on making fun of the movie than embracing the very real themes of abuse and hardship that were present in the film. It honestly makes a lot of the trauma of Rapunzel’s story feel pointless.
Overall though, if you can look past those flaws and the pacing problems towards the end, it does prove to be a fun read. It’s very well written and it does provide a very interesting backstory for one of my favorite villains. If the Odd Sisters were removed, I feel it could have been a classic addition to an already loved Disney story.
adventurous
dark
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was overall a GOOD BOOK! My 4 star railing is due to the fact I feel like I still have a lot of unanswered questions.
What I loved about this book is I feel like the story DEFINITELY stayed focused on mother Gothel and not the odd sisters. Yes they were apart of the story, but the focus did not shift to being solely about THEM or just their POV. They made appearances and told their side but the focus remained on mother Gothel.
But I still have so many questions about mother Gothel! Who is she really? Who are her sisters? What happened to the Dead Woods? What did the sisters actually want from her? I suspect I’ll get some of these answers in the book about the odd sisters but for now it just feels unfinished ☹️
What I loved about this book is I feel like the story DEFINITELY stayed focused on mother Gothel and not the odd sisters. Yes they were apart of the story, but the focus did not shift to being solely about THEM or just their POV. They made appearances and told their side but the focus remained on mother Gothel.
But I still have so many questions about mother Gothel! Who is she really? Who are her sisters? What happened to the Dead Woods? What did the sisters actually want from her? I suspect I’ll get some of these answers in the book about the odd sisters but for now it just feels unfinished ☹️
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Super dark and creepy… I enjoyed the middle of the book the best but then it shifted and it wasn’t about Gothel anymore and we lost how she felt and what she was thinking.. Still a good story, nonetheless! It was a good backstory for Gothel and made sense when compared to the movie. I really like how the world of magic and fairies are intertwined and related to the villains. ✨
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first part was good, if a bit slow, as its set way before the well known story. It made sense and you really got to understand Gothel. The second part got much more confusing. It didn't really focus on Gothel or on wanting to get her sisters back anymore, focusing more on other characters that didn't matter to me or make any difference to the story. I didn't understand what their purpose was. Gothel changed as well. She kept changing her mind on what she felt about the odd sisters and it really threw me.