𝘙𝘢𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘻𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬. “𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘌𝘶𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦?”
[…]
“𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵, 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺
⋆。‧˚ʚ💜💫🏰🌼ɞ˚‧。⋆
The general premise of this book isn’t one I would typically gravitate towards, YA fantasy steeped in kingdom secrets, magic, and darkness, but as it’s a Tangled retelling I had to give it a try. Safe to say, I absolutely loved it.
Rapunzel and Eugene are deftly characterised in a way that feels truly faithful to their on-screen counterparts. When it comes to retellings if the characters essences aren’t captured well it can quickly dampen the novel, so I was apprehensive but ended up so impressed. Eugene’s wit and relentless sarcasm remain intact, meanwhile Rapunzel’s endless optimism, creativity, and selflessness continue to shine throughout the novel.
Above all else, it’s their relationship that makes the story so compelling. Eugene gives Rapunzel the space to process her trauma at her own pace, encouraging her to realise that she is already enough, she doesn’t have to spend her entire life proving her worth to anyone. He helps her adjust to life outside of the tower while never asking her to give up any of her “quirks” that she has attainted due to her unusual childhood (such as her lack of royal etiquette and disdain for shoes!). Equally, the novel doesn’t reduce Eugene to merely the supportive & funny love interest; it gives him his own emotional arc, allowing his insecurities and difficult past to quietly loom over his hopes for a future with Rapunzel.
Pascal and Maximus also make many appearances, which was nice to see, but admittedly I expected Maximus to have a slightly larger role. You can’t have everything, though!
The central plot revolves around a nearby kingdom, Astera, which has stayed closed off from outsiders for years. Unexpectedly, Rapunzel receives an invitation to Asteran Princess Verette’s coming-of-age ball, and the chaos and mystery unfolds from there. Eugene, Max, Pascal and Cressien (a Royal Minister of Diplomatic affairs) accompany her on the venture.
After reading Wings of Starlight and being pretty dissatisfied — I felt rather apathetic towards it, the purple prose was undeniably pretty, but it was not emotionally striking for me like it seems to be for most readers — this has restored my faith in Disney retellings!!