Thursday, 28 April 2016

The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson (Young Adult, 10E/10E, NetGalley, short 'n' sweet review)

 November 2015, Thomas and Nelson, 318 pages, Hardback, Review copy from NetGalley

Content: major peril, tiny incidents of violence, sweet romance, humour, 

Summary from Thomas and Nelson
The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower.

Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.

Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.

The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek—Rapunzel in turn rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to this knight than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?

As Rapunzel acclimates to life in a new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this Rapunzel story unlike any other, a world of secrets and treachery is about to be revealed after seventeen years of lies. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?

Nayu's thoughts
An awesome retelling of Rapunzel! Okay so you want a bit more information than that. I adore fairytales and have yet to find a retelling which I didn't like. This one reminds me very fondly of other fantasy reads, especially the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey which doesn't have anything to do with fairytales, but it feels the same, if that makes sense. Rapunzel is sweet, kind, talented in carious crafts and totally ruled by her mother. It was horrid watching her leave a place she enjoyed, and have her mother force her to be antisocial. 

I cheered as Rapunzel's rebellion grew, and wailed when Things Happened which seemingly set her further from her Happy Ever After. She works so hard to flee her crazy mother, managing to find hope when there is barely any. You will have to read it to find out what happens at the end, but rest assured you will be planning many rereads just as I am! I've added more of Melanie's books to my wishlist as she is a new to me author who I've fallen in love with!

Find out more on Melanie's website. 

2 comments:

Melanie Dickerson said...

So happy you liked it, Nayu! :D

Nayuleska said...

Thanks Melanie - me too!