Friday, December 13, 2013

Review & Giveaway - My Name is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton


Title: My Name is Rapunzel
Author: K.C. Hilton
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Pages: 302, Paperback
Goodreads Rating: 3.9 stars
My Rating: 3/5 stars
My Content Rating: PG (Nothing more than kissing)

Summary from Goodreads: My tale has been told again and again, and I’ve heard each one. Except for my hair, I barely recognize the pitiful renditions. Muddled versions, crafted to entertain laughing children…but the children wouldn’t have laughed if they’d known the real story. It wasn't their fault. They didn't know the truth. Nobody did.

My name is Rapunzel. I will tell you my story. I will tell you the truth.


My Name is Rapunzel is an interesting take on the original fairy tale.  In this version, Rapunzel is cursed by a witch just as she is about to run off with her true love, Henry.  The witch kills Henry and curses Rapunzel with immortality, forcing her to live with her loss forever.  Rapunzel is trapped not just by the witch, but also by a dragon, who she sometimes fears and sometimes believes is protecting her.  The story spans over 250 years of Rapunzel's life.

The negatives:
  • Confusing timeline. One issue with this book is the fact that it's not told in order and some events are repeated.  This can work when it's done well, but I just didn't think it was well-executed in this book.  We start with a prologue that seems like a climactic point in the book, then we go 100 or so years in the past (back to the 1700's) and see the story of how Rapunzel ended up cursed and how her true love was taken from her.  We see parts of her life up until her father dies and then we skip 200 years into the future (to present day).  The event in the prologue is mentioned again, but barely - it's not nearly the climactic moment that I expected to be and it's really just glossed over later in the book. In the present day, Rapunzel decides to tell her story to a reporter via letters where she describes parts of her childhood and re-tells parts of the story that we've already heard (sometimes almost word for word!).  We also hear some other very important events in her life that happened in the past 200 years, but (perhaps since they are all told via letter), they seem to lack emotional impact.  These were some of the best scenes in the book, but I think the letter format just made them fall a little flat for me and I wasn't able to fully invest in the characters because of this.  I wished that a bit more time had been spent on these important events in the middle of her life.
  • Predictable twist.  The main twist in this book was pretty predictable - I had it figured out very early on.  There were a few other twists that I didn't see coming, though.
  • Undeveloped characters.  I just didn't feel like most of the characters in this book were particularly well-developed.  We only get to see Henry for one scene before he disappears, so it's hard to understand why she pines for him for over 200 years.  And most of the other characters are also just surface characters - the reporter who may or may not believe Rapunzel's story and who Rapunzel is alternately angry with and enamored with, the "best friend" who Rapunzel talks to now and then at the mail box, even the witch who lives with Rapunzel for her entire life - I never really felt like I got to know any of them, so it was hard to be invested in them.
What I enjoyed:
  • The alternate fairy tale story.  I enjoyed the concept of Rapunzel being a real girl who had lived for over 250 years and her story had been told (but twisted) over the years.  The backstory between Rapunzel and the witch was interesting and made the story more unique.  Seeing Rapunzel try to maneuver in a modern day world was fun and I also thought that the addition of the dragon to the story made it much more intriguing.  
  • The dragon.  I think the dragon was my favorite part of this book.  I loved figuring out his motivations and how he was tied to the witch and to Rapunzel's curse.  I often actually felt very sorry for the dragon and liked him better than many of the human characters in the book!
  • Twists.  Like I said, I had the main twist in this book figured out, but there were a few other twists in the end that I did not see coming and that I enjoyed.
This book is a cute retelling, but there's nothing amazingly compelling about it.  While I did like the fresh take on the fairy tale, I wish that I'd been able to connect to the characters a little more.  Overall, I give it 3/5 stars.

***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***



ABOUT K.C. HILTON

Born and raised in Aurora, Illinois I spent my childhood climbing trees and playing street games with the neighborhood kids. I was a proud tomboy, until the day I didn’t want to hike the land to an old graveyard. From that point forward I was considered a “girl”.

At the age of seventeen I moved to Kentucky and eventually began to raise a family of my own. Having worn several “hats” my life has been an adventure all on its own. Still, to this day, I yearns to be a mechanic and own a pink toolbox with pink tools.

I can usually be found updating my website, reading great books, watching awesome movies or creating videos for my YouTube channel. Most days I craves Diet Coke, pizza and chocolate, in no particular order.

I don’t read scary books or watch horror movies… I’m way too scared! Lol.

Connect with the author:
 photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png  photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png 
Pinterest



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments (14)

Loading... Logging you in...
  • Logged in as
When done right, dragons can def be a plus, but sorry to hear that the timeline was confusing and characters unbalanced.
1 reply · active 586 weeks ago
Yes, the dragon was my favorite part of the book!
I love retellings, even if they're not perfect and some aspects of the story are lacking. I do, however, wonder if I'd be able to get past the under-developed characters and the confusing timeline, as these are two points that are usually pretty important to me when I read... Thank you for an honest review! This is the first re-relling of Rapunzel that I've come across, and I think it would be pretty cool to get a chance to read it! ^^
My recent post Mad World-Desperation by Samaire Provost
1 reply · active 586 weeks ago
Yes, I enjoyed this book, but I do think that it could have used a bit of work on the timeline. I don't mind books that switch back and forth between timelines when it's done well, but this book seemed to move around willy nilly and sometimes repeated itself. Still, I thought the story itself was good, so it's definitely worth reading.
I've been wanting to read this one for a long time. Very strange it takes place over such a broad timeline. Nevertheless, still excited for it.
My recent post Dark Night of the Soul Blog Tour - Review,Excerpt & Giveaway
1 reply · active 586 weeks ago
The broad timeline is actually kind of fun - I just wish it had been told in a manner that made more sense (and hadn't repeated certain scenes). Still, the book was enjoyable. Good luck in the giveaway!
I keep thinking I want to read this one but I have read lukewarm reviews!
1 reply · active 586 weeks ago
It was enjoyable, but definitely had its flaws. I know you're a fan of retellings, though, so maybe you'd like it more than I did!
I love retellings too. The retelling of events sounds odd to me, I'm curious about how it works in the novel. I'm also a sucker for a protective, surly dragon! :)
My recent post Blue Lines by Toni Aleo
1 reply · active 586 weeks ago
Loved the dragon! I mean, how can you not? Good luck in the giveaway!
I just love fairy tales being retold. This is one story I will read.
1 reply · active 586 weeks ago
Fairy tale retellings are always fun - I definitely agree! Good luck in the giveaway!
Ooh... Sounds like a fun twist to the ol Fairy Tale. It's a shame you didn't like it as much as you hoped. And when the storyline jumps back and forth too much. Great honest review!

Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
My recent post Waiting On Wednesday # 69 – Born in Blood and Fighting Love
I'd love to read this book. Thanks for the giveaway!

Post a new comment

Comments by