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elevetha 's review for:
The Golden Braid
by Melanie Dickerson
Is this it? Is this when I finally give up on Dickerson's medieval romance/fairytale retellings? It might just be. I've read six of them, after all, and I'm think I'm finally ready to admit that no matter how many I keep reading (or she keeps writing), they are very simply not doing anything for me.
And they're all the same.
And at first, Rapunzel and Gerek have a bit of a rocky relationship because Gerek is a gallant jerk-face, and rather arrogant, and is determined to marry a rich heiress but not to love her, because then he might abuse her like his father abused his mother, which is stupid but I guess it comes from a good place??? And then he's injured and is coerced into teaching Rapunzel to read and write, and she picks it up in, you know, a week. And through knowing Rapunzel, this beautiful mistreated paragon of virtue, he becomes a better a person.
Rapunzel finally gets up the courage to really defy Gothel and leave home for a position working at the castle, and discovers *SHOCKER* that she is really the long lost daughter of the duke of Hagenheim, who was stolen away by Gothel after her baby had died, but they keep that under wraps and all is well until Gothel's old lover who jilted her after leaving her pregnant shows up to convinces her he's come back to her and gets her to help him in a plot to take over Hagenheim Castle, but then of course, jilts her again and Gothel is completely driven nutso by this and abducts Rapunzel to hold her in the iconic tower. More evil plotting on Gothel's part, and then Gerek shows up to rescue Rapunzel and they put Gothel to justice and Gerek and Rapunzel get married and live happily ever after.
Which is fine. It was all fine, I guess, but A. not that good and B. I've read most of this all before. By the same author.
This one was better than the first three of this series, but probably about on par with [b:The Captive Maiden|17679368|The Captive Maiden (Hagenheim #4)|Melanie Dickerson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365649805s/17679368.jpg|24696392], though significantly less "masculine/manly" comments about Gerek, though he is still ridiculously handsome.
And they're all the same.
Spoiler
I mean, yeah, sure the intricacies of the plots change and sometimes characters are slightly different or something, but they're all the same. Probably my biggest peeve when it comes to these books are the lecherous/sadistic creep who always for one reason for another attacks the main girl, usually at least twice per book, and then is saved, usually both times, by her love interest. Usually she doesn't trust her love interest at first, this time it was because Gothel was poisoning Rapunzel's mind regarding all men ever, and we all know what they all really want blah blah they'll love you and leave you, and you can't talk to them or touch them or look at them or THINK of the idea of a man, because they're all terrible.And at first, Rapunzel and Gerek have a bit of a rocky relationship because Gerek is a gallant jerk-face, and rather arrogant, and is determined to marry a rich heiress but not to love her, because then he might abuse her like his father abused his mother, which is stupid but I guess it comes from a good place??? And then he's injured and is coerced into teaching Rapunzel to read and write, and she picks it up in, you know, a week. And through knowing Rapunzel, this beautiful mistreated paragon of virtue, he becomes a better a person.
Rapunzel finally gets up the courage to really defy Gothel and leave home for a position working at the castle, and discovers *SHOCKER* that she is really the long lost daughter of the duke of Hagenheim, who was stolen away by Gothel after her baby had died, but they keep that under wraps and all is well until Gothel's old lover who jilted her after leaving her pregnant shows up to convinces her he's come back to her and gets her to help him in a plot to take over Hagenheim Castle, but then of course, jilts her again and Gothel is completely driven nutso by this and abducts Rapunzel to hold her in the iconic tower. More evil plotting on Gothel's part, and then Gerek shows up to rescue Rapunzel and they put Gothel to justice and Gerek and Rapunzel get married and live happily ever after.
Which is fine. It was all fine, I guess, but A. not that good and B. I've read most of this all before. By the same author.
This one was better than the first three of this series, but probably about on par with [b:The Captive Maiden|17679368|The Captive Maiden (Hagenheim #4)|Melanie Dickerson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365649805s/17679368.jpg|24696392], though significantly less "masculine/manly" comments about Gerek, though he is still ridiculously handsome.