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siriuslyloveyou's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
snakeboba's review
5.0
I was pretty sure I would like this book because I love Disney, Tangled, and fairytales that have a twist. This book served all those things on a silver platter to me. It was a safe random pick from the library.
What I was surprised about was how much I liked how Braswell made the twists. This isn't a “Once upon a time...” and there's only Rapunzel being told from a different perspective. There's a small side story as you why it's different. There's more to it than the typical small changes.
Also, I enjoyed the writing style and how different things turned out. What Once Was Mine doesn't simply mirror Tangled. It's its own story. If it didn't have the minor side piece it would be a great read still.
What I was surprised about was how much I liked how Braswell made the twists. This isn't a “Once upon a time...” and there's only Rapunzel being told from a different perspective. There's a small side story as you why it's different. There's more to it than the typical small changes.
Also, I enjoyed the writing style and how different things turned out. What Once Was Mine doesn't simply mirror Tangled. It's its own story. If it didn't have the minor side piece it would be a great read still.
soybeanthefrogqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kaitspen13's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
At the moment I'm not in the mood for big books. But at the moment I am in the mood for light hearted and fun fairytale retellings or fairytale inspired stories in general. So, even though I doubted a little this morning if I was really gonna read this brick, I decided to just go for it. Mostly because I know the the font of this book is quite big and that these almost 500 pages wouldn't feel like almost 500 pages.
I was absolutely right. In no time I made my way through this book. Partly because the font is indeed quite bit, but also because I love Braswell's writing style. It's never simple, it feels at times quite poetic even, and yet it never feels hard or complicated either. I think it really fitted the story of Rapunzel and how Rapunzel should sound. After all, she had loads of time to teach herself all kinds of things and she's quite clearly not stupid. Naive, yes, but not stupid.
Just like all the Disney Twisted Tales the story manages to keep the heart and soul of the story while changing quite a few things and adding even more. I don't want to take away too many surprises of course, discovering all the changes is half the fun of reading these stories, but there's a lot more politics, a lot more magic, there are a few amazing new characters and a few characters appear in a slightly different form. Tangled is an amazing movie and this book is different, but just as great.
I do have to admit though that the chapters in the hospital are beautiful and sentimental, but don't really add much to the story. It's nice to have a story about a girl with magical hair told to a girl who lost all her hair because of chemo, but if the scenes with the girl with cancer had been left out, the twisted tale of Rapunzel still would have been the same. However, after reading the author's note at the end of the book, I understand why the scenes had to be there.
I was absolutely right. In no time I made my way through this book. Partly because the font is indeed quite bit, but also because I love Braswell's writing style. It's never simple, it feels at times quite poetic even, and yet it never feels hard or complicated either. I think it really fitted the story of Rapunzel and how Rapunzel should sound. After all, she had loads of time to teach herself all kinds of things and she's quite clearly not stupid. Naive, yes, but not stupid.
Just like all the Disney Twisted Tales the story manages to keep the heart and soul of the story while changing quite a few things and adding even more. I don't want to take away too many surprises of course, discovering all the changes is half the fun of reading these stories, but there's a lot more politics, a lot more magic, there are a few amazing new characters and a few characters appear in a slightly different form. Tangled is an amazing movie and this book is different, but just as great.
I do have to admit though that the chapters in the hospital are beautiful and sentimental, but don't really add much to the story. It's nice to have a story about a girl with magical hair told to a girl who lost all her hair because of chemo, but if the scenes with the girl with cancer had been left out, the twisted tale of Rapunzel still would have been the same. However, after reading the author's note at the end of the book, I understand why the scenes had to be there.
kaeliwolf's review
4.0
I enjoyed the writing style of the author. I always enjoy a good fairytale retelling, and this did not fall short of the story of Rapunzel at all. This is a very worthy read for anyone who enjoys retellings.
bethany_reads2003's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0