Rapunzel Untangled

by Cindy C. Bennett

Rapunzel is not your average teenager.

For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is.

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Retellings, Fairy Tales, Contemporary, Fiction

262 pages, Hardcover

First published February 12, 2013

About the author

Cindy C Bennett was born and raised in beautiful Salt Lake City, growing up in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains. She lives with two daughters, and three dogs. She also has two sons and two daughters-in-law. She volunteers her time working with teen girls between the ages of 12-18, all of whom she finds to be beautiful, fascinating creatures. When she’s not writing, reading or answering emails she can often times be found riding her Harley through the beautiful canyons near her home (yes, she rides a Harley and no, you'd never know it to look at her!).

Please visit the author’s website at
www.cindycbennett.com

Reviews

[✿ℎazℯℓ - thℯ ℛock Cℎick ℱairy✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*heartfelt-sigh*







I love RAPUNZEL to the moon and back so you would understand how terrified I was about this book. I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to my expectations or that I wouldn't like her character here. As it turns out, all of my fears were all totally useless. I LOVE THIS STORY.





The plot is quite good. I love how this story melded the modern world with the fairy tale.

Rapunzel was a clueless girl at first, but I was so proud of her when she added Fane in facebook! that was epic!


GIRL, YOU ROCKED!





She indeed grew more as the story progressed. She was even breaking rules (sounds bad, but hey, lock your self in a tower for 17 years and let's see if you don't go a little overboard once you've tasted freedom.. I MEAN.. WE YAY FOR FREEDOMMMMM, eh, POOH??!!!!






It doesn't even hurt that Fane is such a cute boy with his big ego and none existent humility. It was awesome, how he introduced Rapunzel to the delights of the world. I also love how he protected Rapunzel here. In that maze of a house, he wasn't as helpless as he should've been, considering his age, but THIS IS A FAIRYTALE REMAKE so a lot of things can happen. I love their fb/skype chats.


They were just sooooo....







.....ADORABLE. *sigh*


I find it very weird that Gothel has a dark master, who in turn also has a dark master. It wasn't very clear to me who the main villain was. All in know is that they weren't able to succeed in their witchy plans for my dear golden girl. Even though I have questions that were left unanswered, it doesn't change the fact that the story didn't make me put down the book. I was cringing at the thought of them being caught and then I sigh in relief whenever their day was finished. AWWWW..


I think that if I were Rapunzel, sneaking around.. WITH FANE in my own house, my face would look like this:







YES, I'd still be crazily happy! haha



So all in all, I loved this remake of Rapunzel. :)



BTW: I finished reading this book inside a moving van. BAD, I know.. but I couldn't help it. I had to finish!

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

***Warning, will be filled with spoilers because I don't think there's anything that you won't already know****

Okay, so let's just say it. This story was completely predictable and trite and cliche, especially since you can totally tell where the author draws elements of the story from. The title says it all - Rapunzel, and Untangled (yes, the movie). I love the fairy tale, and I love the movie, and this book just makes it so... underrated. So bland.

Why is it bland? Let's see:
1) The main love interest meets Rapunzel over Facebook. What. The. Hell?! Do people not know that being friend requested by a person on Facebook whom you don't see any pictures of or don't have mutual friends with is considered sketchy and a clear sign of something dangerous?
2) Rapunzel has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. She's been told that she has SCID and can't go outside because of her low immunity, and the moment she finds a sliver of evidence hinting that her "mother" isn't who she thinks she is, she blows it all up and confronts her! What kind of stupid thing to do is that? Especially since her "boyfriend" Fane specifically told her she should wait for more evidence!!
3) Abrupt characters. Rapunzel goes to a normal teen party and that's it. It's like the only people in the world are Fane, Rapunzel, her fake mother, and some evil warlock that we don't know anything about. What happened to the big wide world out there? Or a semblance of it? And what about that bird Angel that Rapunzel talks to? Anything to say about that?

Trust me, if I wasn't tired of thinking about this book already, I'd have more. Altogether, this was an unsatisfying read, especially since I've read fairy tale remakes that have been done so much better. If you're looking for a good fairy tale remake or adaptation, this is not it.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first experience with a modern day fairy tale retelling, and I have to say, if the others are even half as good as Rapunzel Untangled was I need to start reading them all up. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact, I loved it! I thought it was cute, clever, romantic, and so interesting, and Cindy Bennett even had a few twists up her sleeve. Rapunzel Untangled is a great book!

Rapunzel lives in a tower completely isolated and she has long flowing blonde hair. But you knew all that, right? She can't leave her tower because she has a severe immune disease and any contact with outside germs can be fatal for her. I thought it was awesome that her first introduction to the outside world was through facebook. How fitting in this technical age. She meets Fane on facebook and honestly, talking to him was just the catalyst that Rapunzel needed. She started to become more curious and interested in the world around her.

I just loved her and Fane's chats on facebook. I thought they were absolutely hilarious, and I loved all the pop culture and movie references. It kind of reminded me of the quick wit that I love so much in Meg Cabot books. (which as you all know, is HIGH praise from me) He is a great guy. He really took everything in stride. I thought the little romance between Rapunzel and Fane was adorable. Every time he got concerned with germs for her, it made me smile. There is just something about the two of them that works so well.

This book is not only the "can't-eat, can't-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over- the-fence, World Series kind of stuff," (two points for whoever can name this movie!) but it also has a touch of magic. And we all know that magic can lead to some unexpected twists. I'm not going to ruin any surprises but I loved all of the plot lines so much that I really want you to experience it for yourself.

I loved the house. It reminded me of the house in Rose Red by Steven King. Where the lady of the house has to keep building on and "growing" the house. This book isn't a horror like that one, but the continuous construction on the house reminded me of that.

If you like sweet romances, modernization of fairy tales and just plain great stories- you NEED to check out Rapunzel Untangled. I loved this book. One of my favorites of the year so far! It is also my first book by Cindy Bennett. She has so many other books that I would like to try. Let me know which one I should check out next!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Claps Hands* That has to be my very favorite retailing. Loved ever minute of it, loved the way Mrs. Bennett works in the old fairy tale with a contemporary flare. I wasn't quite sure it would work or could be done with the Rapunzel story, but wow kudos to her for doing such a wonderful job. I didn't want to put this one down, kept wondering what was going to happen and how. I loved the characters too especially Fab or I should say Fane. He was so sweet, curious, caring, chivalrous, just an all around amazing guy. He was so concerned with Rapunzel her feelings and if she would be okay. He wanted her to have and get the most out of life and he wanted to help her anyway he could. Rapunzel is stuck in a tower with no knowledge of the world around her. I am going to have to be vague I don't want to spoil the story. Since Rapunzel is so secluded in her world she is naive , but really a sweet person, and quite courageous considering her situation. Rapunzel's "mother" Gothel was a piece of work, ugh she was just a mess played her part convincingly, but what a rotten person. I loved the romance in this story it was really sweet and endearing. This is was a really fun and engaging read that I did not want to put down. If you are one who loves to read fairy tale retellings this is one you will not wat to miss. I was fortunate to read this as and arc from Cedar Fort, but I plan to buy it to add to my personnel library.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

****FINAL RATING: 4.30 STARS****

CATCHALL
I had absolutely no expectations going into this book. I hadn't really heard anything about it, and just decided to take a random chance on it because I wanted a light, fun read after some of the heavier stuff I'd been shouldering. I never, never expected to love it so much. Rapunzel is one of my favorite, if not my actual favorite, fairytale, so of course I was interested to see how it was retold in this book. The result was something I haven't seen before, and I loved the way it turned out.

THE HEROINE
RAPUNZEL
Rapunzel annoyed me at times, but on the other hand I could hardly blame her for some things. She was lied to her entire life, but for so long she had no reason to not believe it. And anyway, Rapunzel is no damsel is distress. She takes care of herself and though she gets help she ultimately makes her own decisions. Even though I didn't always agree with her decisions I could understand why she made them.

(Irrelevantly, why does spell check say "Rapunzel" isn't a word? It's the name of a classic freaking fairytale character. Ugh, whatever.)

THE LOVE INTEREST
FANE
Well, hello there. From the very beginning Fane is an intriguing character. Even though he's a perfectly ordinary human being he has an air of otherworldliness about him or something. He says what he thinks, he's funny, and he's not afraid to face the truth. He takes care of Rapunzel and takes several risks for her, even when she tries to push him away. From the very beginning, he tries to protect her, and he's so fabulous and so sweet and so loyal.

THE PLOT
In the author's letter, she says that although this story is set in the modern world, there's one difference: in the world this book takes place in, there's no such thing as the fairytale Rapunzel. It has never been told, never existed. It's a small change but an important one.

At the beginning of this book, Rapunzel has everything she could possible want. Everything, that is, except for freedom. Luckily for her, her mother has no real idea of how to work the internet. So when Rapunzel claims to use it for school, she leaves her alone. Rapunzel proceeds to discover Facebook and friends some random cute guy from a nearby school. While not recommended for obvious reasons, it works out pretty well for her.

There are definitely basic elements of the classic fairy tale. Rapunzel's blonde hair is ridiculously long, and though she doesn't know it yet, the woman who claims to be her mother of course is not. Oh, and she lives shut in in a tower. It's a modern Rapunzel, but it is still recognizable.

I loved the way the story unfolded. At first, it just seems like it's all for fun. But eventually, as everything starts to unravel, it grows more serious. Rapunzel was comfortable in her life before, but after meeting Fane, she can't go back and she doesn't want to. She fights back for the first time.

Even though I loved this book, I can't ignore the randomness or the inconsistencies, though. I can't say exactly what they are without being spoilery, but let's just say that not everything fits together. Furthermore, there are just some random paranormal elements thrown in that aren't really ever explained and never really go anywhere and yeah. Felt kind of pointless.

Still, that didn't keep me from loving this book. Those errors were fairly minor and didn't ruin the book for me. I love Rapunzel's story from beginning to end. It was fun, yes, but there was more to it than that too.

THE ROMANCE
From the very beginning, Rapunzel and Fane have chemistry that eventually builds into something greater. Rapunzel has absolutely no romantic experience, but that doesn't stop her from learning. It is a cute and sweet romance, but it's also strong because of how it develops as the pair piece together Rapunzel's mysterious past and find out who she really is. I love their interactions, and their first kiss is absolutely perfect. He takes care of her, and she trusts him.

THE WRITING
Somehow, I really clicked with this writing even though it's not usually the type of style I like. Despite my initial frustrations with Rapunzel the writing really allowed me to understand her thoughts and connect with her character. I loved the way the words were used, and how she put in modern lingo without doing what I secretly call "over-teenagerisation." (Oh, shut up.) The descriptions were a bit lacking and I would have liked more imagery but other than that it was fantastic.

THE ENDING
The ending was so sweet and so perfect. I mean, yeah, it worked out almost a little too ideally. But honestly, I didn't care. I was so, so happy with the ending. I adore HEAs, and though this book suffered from at least one fairly major inconsistency near the end I still managed to get past that. I was really impressed with the way everything came together, and though a lot of the truth seemed to take forever to come out I was still mostly satisfied.

WRAPUP
I truly enjoyed this book, and I loved it so much more than I would have expected to. It was fun, but it also contained some darker stuff which I loved. I'm definitely going to start keeping an eye on Cindy's work and hope she more fun fairytale retellings like this. I'd love to see Cinderella. Anyway, would I recommend this? You bet. If you're a fairytale or even just a modern contemporary lover, this book is definitely for you.

FINE.

Find more of my reviews on Sparkles and Lightning!

[Dulce María · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me divirtió mucho la forma en que la autora adapto este cuento a la actualidad (las menciones a Facebook, Skype y otras cosas fueron super divertidas).
Sin duda alguna Fane es super lindo, comprensivo y perfecto, pero siento que el final quedo muy abierto no se terminaron de solucionar todos los problemas de la pobre Rapunzel (¿qué va a ser de ella ahora?) me abría gustado un epilogo, fuera de eso me encanto.

[Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks to Netgalley and Cedar Fort Inc. for giving me this book to review.

Rapunzel is locked in a tower by her mother, as she has an illness which could kill her if she goes outside. After she gets a computer and goes online to do school work, she joins Facebook, to find out what the world outside her tower is like, against her mother’s permission, and friends Fane. As her friendship with Fane develops, and she starts to explore the world, through her computer and in person.

I liked Rapunzel Untangled as it is the classic Rapunzel tale, set in modern day. The pacing is quite good; however there is a very long build up to the end showdown.

Rapunzel is very naive; however this comes across as realistic, as anybody who has been shut in a tower for their entire life would be. Gothel is an interesting person, as she has some strange character quirks which add to the character. The romance between Fane and Rapunzel is sweet but very predictable.

Whilst this book is very good, I felt it would be improved if it didn’t include magic. This is because it is introduced very late in the book, and feels almost like an afterthought.

In conclusion, Rapunzel Untangled is a good book, and an interesting reworking of a classic tale. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Beastly by Alex Flinn

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really 1.5 stars, but I'm giving it a boost because it's a Rapunzel retelling.

To see full review click here.


Oh boy.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I like the fact that it's good clean fun and that it's a Rapunzel retelling (who doesn't love a Rapunzel retelling) and that's about it...

Which is sort of sad.

It was my first Kindle purchase after all. And I wanted that purchase to be kick ass. But this wasn't.

Yet, I don't feel like ripping this one into little bitty shreds because while it had several dumb ass moments, I could see some people enjoying this one.

I know, weird right? Me not wanting to rip into something bad. What is wrong with me?

What I'm trying to say is if you can suspend logic, like fairly bland characters, or are just naive you might like this this one. And that's not a bad thing.

However, there were lots of problem with form and substance with this one and I think for the purpose of the review. I'm going divide these two sections up.

Form:

In general this one read okay. Major issues I found were repetitions with words or scenarios. There were like four or five chapters that ended with the same scenario (i.e. Rapunzel either went to sleep or kissed Fang). Also, there was repetitive uses of certain words throughout the book.

Another issue with form was excessive descriptions. I really hate it when characters are described in detail. Not that I hate descriptions, I like descriptions. But to have the characters describe themselves to each other in such detail over Facebook...um yeah, it doesn't work so much.

I think that was the same feeling I got with a lot of the dialogue that went on between the characters as well. It just felt stilted. And that wasn't just because dialogue was often used for info dumps. I think it was because of third person. Honestly, I think it's more difficult to write in third person than first and it shows here. There's just a very stilted tone with the writing and I felt it told more than showed. Was it bad? No. I enjoyed it enough. It was pretty clean over all, but there was just something off if that makes sense.

Substance:

Okay, this is where the real problems with the book reside.

Substance.

Let's talk with the characters first. God, were they dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

I can't handle stupid characters. Because I figure out their problem before they do. And that's just not fun. And really...really Rapunzel you didn't think anything was up? If you really were Bubble Girl you'd think you'd be seeing doctors on a regular basis. You'd be not allowed to open your windows and see pretty blue birds and if you wouldn't be immune to your mother's germs.

Then there's the fact she knows about Google but never thinks to Google herself, her mother, or anything related to the questions that her mother refuses to answer. Can we say stupid?

It gets worse though....you want to know what she does Facebook stalk? And she meets a random guy, who uses a fake name on Facebook who doesn't have a profile picture (She doesn't either-who doesn't have a profile picture?) Internet safety much? Or for that matter any knowledge about how Facebook actually works....ugh.

And then the fact that Gothel blindly trusts her and doesn't even have Spyware, have some sort of blocking program on the machine, or check her online history? Really? I thought that was how she was going to get caught-because no way in the YA version would they have Rapunzel gets knocked up by the prince like in the original version. But the way that she got caught, she practically handed herself to Gothel by confronting her. Girl, what did you expect Gothel to do admit she was wrong and take you back to your birth parents?

And then there was the end. It seriously, seemed like something out of Anastasia bad guy included. In fact, I felt like this was a mixture of that movie and Tangled (the characters are described looking just like Disney's version and there's even some scenarios). It just didn't make sense, not to mention Rapunzel had no one who cared about her save for Fang?

Really?

You think her bio parents just because they're divorced don't give a rat's ass about her. Did you see that Anderson Cooper special about missing kids last week? Geez....

Best Feature: Appropriate. I really like the fact that this book was age appropriate. That's hard to find in this day and age. And I really think that this would've made a good middle grade book. Okay, so yeah, I do think that sometimes the book was immature but overall it's a YA book that I wouldn't be that nervous handing to a preteen save for one issue which I'll discuss later. Also, the idea is pretty kick ass.

Worst Feature: Illogical mess. A lot of the plot is driven by stupidity. If the characters had a lick of common sense then the story could've been over a lot sooner than it was. Also, seriously, would you just randomly accept a request from a stranger on Facebook. I mean, that's not safe internet behavior. And the fact that this book sort of says that's okay...sort of ruins its best feature.


Appropriateness: If you're looking for something for a younger teen, this is a book to get. There' s no cursing that I can think of and they barely kiss. Okay, maybe the end has some magic violence. But it's nothing you wouldn't see in a movie like Anastasia. Probably the worst thing is the message it gives about finding significant others on the internet. Obviously, Bennet has not watched Lifetime television.

[MisskTarsis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Con toda sinceridad, es completamente aburrido. Sin chispa, sin emoción. No sé, esperaba una mejor adaptación, pero es tan infantil que da flojera seguir leyendo. Y entre ellos NO HAY CHISPA. En todo el libro no la hay.

[LPJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm fairly torn about this review because I really, really liked 85% of this book. That gets 4 stars. The last 15%, however, gets 2.

This modern-day retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale is mostly delightful. We meet the 17-year-old who has lived a life stuck in her rooms in a mansion, unable to go outside or interact with anyone but her mother because of an immune deficiency disorder. She goes to school online and is prohibited from using her computer for anything non-education related, but discovers Facebook one day (as teenagers tend to do) and her life is changed. The profile of one local hottie, Fane Flannigan, catches her eye and they begin a secret correspondence.

For me, this all turned out to be as good as it sounds. We feel Rapunzel's loneliness and isolation. Her mother is distant and fairly odd with all sorts of weird rules about brushing her (extremely long) hair a certain number of times and keeping everything sterile. A little teenage rebellion was way overdue, and Rapunzel's growing relationship with Fane is wonderful as he teaches her about the world. Their FB message conversations are a highlight for me and their relationship leaps off the page.

Things are going really well like I said until the end, where it all just gets weird. Most of the book is sprinkled with vague magical explanations that could be accepted as such or alternatively viewed as the ramblings of a mentally unstable person. And yeah, Rapunzel's hair is 15 feet long, but still... When the novel decides to add some indisputable magic in the mix, it feels like it came out of nowhere - up until that point the world of the book could *possibly* have had magic in it, but since all we heard of it came from Rapunzel's weird mother, I never really took it at face value. When the real magic shows up, things start to fall apart because it feels like the world we've been inhabiting has shifted on its axis. I really needed something more concrete magic-wise, way before the 85% mark to make what came next work in my mind.

What's worse is we're introduced to a new, more one-dimensional villain, with a wacky agenda that also comes out of nowhere. These new elements build on the previous hints of magic in the book, but in a way that doesn't feel organic to the story.

In some ways the novel may have been hindered by its 1st person POV. Other, grounding elements could have been provided via a 3rd person narrator.

There were also some spoilery things that really bugged me.
Things that fell apart after a few moments of consideration:
- Wouldn't Fane have called the cops shortly after discovering that Rapunzel had been kidnapped as an infant? Or even just suggested it? Why leave her there with her kidnapper?
- Did Vedmak engineer Gothel's "business trips" in order to strengthen Rapunzel and Fane's relationship? We never really find out why Gothel conveniently went out of town.
- Who were these other people that were coming to help with the ceremony? Did they have powers or were they similarly under Vedmak's spell? Just telling us that he's a really powerful warlock when we have no idea about this new magical realm we've entered just left me with waaay more questions.
- After Rapunzel discovers her real name and those of her birth parents, she states that she has nowhere to go. Really? I'm sure that both of her parents would enjoy knowing she's still alive and getting to know her as an adult. Not sure what their being divorced really has to do with anything. Also, she could have siblings out there - doesn't she want to know for sure?


I actually wish this book had stayed true to the path it originally set and kept us grounded in a more real world scenario with just hints of the supernatural the whole time. The addition of the magical elements so late in the game actually took away from the story being told.

Ultimately, I'd still recommend Rapunzel Untangled. Others may not feel as disconcerted as I did about the ending, and most of it is really entertaining and nicely done.

[Anusha Iyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A modern re-telling of Rapunzel? …come on I was stoked. Who doesn’t love a good up to date twist on fairy tales? Especially Rapunzel of all fairy tales out there? Chick with infinite golden hair, trapped in a tower, with her crazy, witch of a mother…So awesome. There was no way to keep me away from this.

Sorry to break it to you guys but my experience with this book was not that awesome. It was interesting at best. Yea…I was a bit disappointed with this book. Are you ready for the rundown? Well, here it is:

1.The Modernisms

There was a massive lack of it. Just because Rapunzel now uses Facebook and Skype, doesn’t make this story applicable to today’s issues. There weren’t many changes from the original fairy tale: Rapunzel still had that giant Haunch of hair, she was still trapped in a spooky tower, her boyfriend still rescues her from her evil witch-a-momma.

The story itself is just a simple retelling of the fairy tale with some minor splashes of today’s real world. It just didn’t meet my expectations.

2.Insta-Love

“I love you, Fane. I have since I first saw your picture. You made my life worth living, and I’ll never forget you.” –Loc 2509

Wow, just one picture did all that for her! I got to start checking out some facebook images now. Wait that sounded creepy…I didn’t mean for that to happen. But you guys understand my point, yay.

3.Predictable

Every aspect of this story was extremely straight forward and unsurprising. The mom is cuckoo (and not for Coco Puffs), Rapunzel figures it all out, the villain even makes a grand gesture at the end. After all that has gone down (surprise, surprise) Fane and Rapunzel get together. I just wanted there to be something that I surprised me.

This was of course totally all my own opinion. In general it was a very good re-telling of Rapunzel…I just expected a lot more. So for all you curious folks out there, I suggest picking this puppy up and giving it a shot. This book is perfect for younger audiences, and especially for children who are new to reading. It’s fast, quick, and easy to read…all qualities you want when you are just starting out. With that, I’ll end.

Oops just kidding. One last thing: Many thanks to Netgalley and Cindy C. Bennett for providing me this copy to review.

Happy Firsts!

This review and more are also hanging out at Rainbows and Books

[sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nunca pensé que llegaría este día, pero Rapunzel Untangled no me ha gustado nada. Tenía muchas expectativas porque me encanta cómo escribe Cindy C. Bennett. Pero este libro tiene algo que... no. Lo leí ayer, porque me sentía realmente mal, sin poder mirar hacia abajo y ya te digo, mucho menos estudiar. Así que me tendí en la cama con mi Ebook y comencé a leer Rapunzel. Sin embargo, me tuve que obligar a seguir leyendo, porque aunque fuese corto no me apetecía tener que terminarlo hoy.

El principal problema que tengo es cómo se conocen los dos. O sea, Rapunzel ha vivido toda su vida en una torre, incomunicada y sin conocer a nadie aparte de su madre, y en ningún momento tiene curiosidad por lo que pasa ahí afuera (la tiene, pero nunca le pregunta a su madre). Así que un día descubre facebook. Se crea una cuenta como "RG" y, así por la cara, agrega a Fab Fane Flannigan. No quiere que nadie la conozca, solo se hace la cuenta para cotillear a la gente, pero un día lo agrega. Pero no quiere saber nada de él. Entonces él empieza a hablarle por mensajes. Qué queréis que os diga, pero las peticiones de amistad que me llegan de esta gente con fotos de perfil extrañas o personas que no tienen ni un solo amigo, vaya me falta tiempo para darle a eliminar. Total que a los pocos días su madre se va de la ciudad y Rapunzel invita a Fane a su casa.

...

¿Hola?

...

Supongo que de alguna manera se tenían que conocer pero yo qué sé. La verdad es que la primera vez que se ven me resultó todo demasiado forzado, no sé, surrealista. Al igual que las primeras conversaciones que tienen por FB. Yo qué sé.

La relación entre los dos, bueno, no es que me haya encantado tampoco. La mayoría de las veces estaba aburrida y pasaba las páginas (por ejemplo, cuando los dos van vagando por la casa y la autora te llena de descripciones y más y más y más).

Sumándole a todo esto que de pequeña tenía a Rapunzel en un pedestal... A todas horas tenía puesta la película de Barbie de Rapunzel y ahora Enredados es de mis películas favoritas de Disney. Puedo verla una y otra vez que no me aburro. Así que sí, decepcionante en todos los sentidos.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me smile from the very beginning. We all know the story of Rapunzel and her golden hair, but this modern day version has characters that are vivid and likeable and twists that bring the story into this century. But, just because the story takes place in modern day, doesn’t mean it has to lack the fairy tale magic that we all love. This story has both.

Rapunzel is lonely. Living in a tower because of her immune disease, she lives a life of monotony and isolation. Her only human contact comes in the form of her distant, unloving mother, Gothel. But, although she doesn’t understand the world outside her window, Rapunzel has a desperate desire to. And it’s this desire that turns her into a sassy character. She doesn’t allow her fear of the unknown to stop her but, instead, pushes through it to experience new adventures. Our “prince” in this story is Fane, a handsome boy Rapunzel meets through Facebook. His character is the perfect prince for today’s world. He’s funny and eats a lot and loves sports, but he’s also caring and sweet and understanding. The gentleness with which he treats Rapunzel and the encouragement he gives her when she needs it is heartwarming. Fane and Rapunzel’s adventures and attempts to free her from her current situation are addictive…I immersed myself in the story! My only concern, and it didn’t actually impact my love for this book, was the end. I found that the story unwound a bit too quickly. The magic elements came into play and the story wrapped really swiftly. This just means that I would have liked a slightly longer book with a deeper dive into the magic.

Of course, you need to accept that this girl has 15 feet of hair and is locked in a tower…and you have to accept that this boy is sweet and not some crazy person she met online. But, if you can suspend judgement about these things, you will undoubtedly love this story. It will warm your heart and make you root for the age-old good over evil. Pick it up when it’s released if you’re looking for a fun, quick, lovely read!

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier I wasn’t really a big fan of ‘Retellings’. Then I read Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and Jane by April Lindner and I changed my mind. When I came across this book on NetGalley I just had to request it. I mean who doesn’t like Rapunzel and who hasn’t seen Tangled? To my surprise, my request was granted and I quickly delved into the book.

Right from the foreword by the author and the prologue you know that this is going to be a darker version of the fairy tale.

A seventeen year old Rapunzel is restricted within the boundaries of her suite rooms because of rare disease that makes her vulnerable to any form of germ/virus/bacteria. Hence she has only ever known her mother and the world through her books. She had been made to believe that she was a part of a prophecy and that she was a vital part as her magic hair would one day help save the world. It’s in human nature to be curious about the unknown and Rapunzel is no exception. She is curious about the world outside her window. Thankfully, she has a computer and internet as a necessary part of her education and that turns into a source to quench her thirst to know more about the rest of the world. One day she discovers facebook and Fab Fane through it and her own little world changes forever. Fab Fane introduces her to Lord of the Rings, Pizza, M&Ms, sneaking out and encourages her curiosity about not only the world outside but also about her own life.

It was interesting to see a modern day Rapunzel who had access to the internet and used it to her advantage. The characters were really well developed and the modern day Rapunzel retained most of her original charm – the innocence, the beauty and the certain fragility about her. But at the end of the day her presence of mind, will power and inner strength helps her fight through the situations. Fane is really a ‘fab’ boy. He had every opportunity to take advantage of Rapunzel’s innocence and yet he becomes a true friend to Rapunzel. He showed patience and wit, two qualities that I simply adore. His family is also a friendly bunch. Gothel on the other hand was someone who genuinely freaked me out. Though her behavior was normal most of the time, right from the first chapter I thought that she was really creepy!

The Author, Cindy C.Bennet, kept the story flowing through her simple words and even though I knew how the story would end, I was glued to the book wanting to know more about the different aspects of Gothel’s motivation and how the ‘happily ever after’ would be pulled off. Overall, reading this book was quite an enjoyable experience. If not ‘The Best’, this Retelling is certainly one of the top few.

[Jannat Bhat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern day retelling of Rapunzel, the author did a fantastic job of putting a twenty-first century spin onto this classic tale, all while keeping true to the fairytale magic that remains at the heart of the story.

The story begins with Rapunzel. A lonely girl who, due to a disease that affects her immune system, has spent her entire life locked away in her rooms. With only her distant, unloving mother for company, Rapunzel decides to be rebellious and find herself a friend in the ‘outside’ world. How does she achieve this – facebook!

Through a series of messages, she slowly gets to know Fane. A handsome, funny and loving guy who introduces her to a world Rapunzel never even knew existed. When they finally meet, adventure ensues as the two of them set about breaking Rapunzel out of her tower and exploring the many secrets Gothel Mansion holds. But some secrets are more deadly than others, and Rapunzel is soon to learn she may not be the person she thinks she is. In fact nothing about her life is what is seems…
I really did enjoy this story. I admit, as a reader I did have to overlook a few things and accept some general silliness, but none of this took away my enjoyment of the book.

Rapunzel was a great character and with every page, you could see her becoming a bolder and more confident woman. Depsite the strangeness of her life, she was a very believable and down to earth person, yet with just enough naivety for events to be credible.

Fane I also loved. Charming and witty, he was a perfect modern day Prince although he seemed to take a lot on faith. Yet I couldn’t help but like his character. His patience with Rapunzel, and watching them fall in love was adorable.
Gothel however remains the most interesting of characters. The modern twist of her personality was brilliant and she helped make the story real for me. Also despite her being the bad guy, I did actually feel quite sorry for her in the end. She was just a lonely woman who really loved her child.

Plot wise the story moves quickly and doesn’t lag. Basically if you don’t look at things too literally, and take everything with a pinch of salt, Rapunzel Untangled is a great read and one I think younger teens would especially enjoy.

[Dani C. (Polly's Place) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rapunzel Unraveled is a contemporary retelling of the old fairy tale story about Rapunzel. Very cleverly done, this is a wonderful and entertaining story for YA readers.

Rapunzel has been told all her life that she has SCIDs, an immune deficiency problem which prevents her from leaving her suite of room. She eats, studies and sleeps in a tower far away from the world. The only person she sees is her mother Gothel.

Rapunzel is curious about what goes on outside of her room so without telling her mother she joins a social website. There she comes across a boy who lives near her and friends him. When Gothel goes out of town Rapunzel invites her new friend over and they meet face to face for the first time.

With Fane’s help, Rapunzel starts to realize that her mother is keeping secrets about who she really is…

I really enjoy fairy tale retelling and this one is one of my favorites. This is funny because I am not a fan of the original Rapunzel fairy tale. I like that this was mostly clean with just a few moments of darkness in it. I thought it followed the original fairy tale quite well and the author did a great job bringing it into modern times.

[Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
The first half of the book was very boring and did not feel at all how Rapunzl is supposed to be. The last half was alright, a little interesting even.

[Dear Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this and my other reviews at The Social Potato.

An arc was provided to me via Netgalley. This did not influence my review in any way. Thanks, NG!

Actual rating: 3.5 / 5

First of all, I'd like to say (even though it's highly unnecessary... haha) that Rapunzel is one of my favorite fairy tales, ever. That's why Disney's adaptation of it entitled "Tangled" is very precious to me. So when I chanced upon this book on NG, I immediately grabbed the opportunity to read and review it. I read that it was a modern adaptation of the said tale, and I thought to myself, "A modern retelling?! Well, that sounds exciting!" Adaptations are oftentimes hard to pull off successfully and compellingly, and writing a story in an entirely different setting while still retaining the elements that made the original so beloved even more. But I hoped and prayed that this one would do it for me. I mean, it has Facebook, hello?! Not that I patronize this information-selling website, but still, that's quirky enough. Unfortunately, despite all my Rapunzel love, I didn't like it enough to give it 4-5 stars.

Of course, this doesn't mean the book is bad. It was good. It was a cute and refreshing revamping of Rapunzel, with some traditional elements retained - there's still the amazingly long blonde hair, the tower where the heroine is confined in, the evil Gothel, the prince who comes in to save her, etc. etc... I won't be surprised if there'll be many people who'll love this adaptation. I really wanted to like it, and there were a lot of good stuff, too, but they are few in comparison to the other things that bothered me.

First, the Facebook thing. Man. At first, I thought it would be interesting to see how it would play out or how the author would incorporate it in a fairy tale adaptation. I remember the time when I first explored this social media tool, and needless to say, it was an invigorating feeling, but that's because I added people I knew in real life. Why would I want to be friends with with some random person on the net? o_o Rapunzel, in this novel, did just that, and while I did think it was bizarre, I shrugged it off, thinking, "Well, I know several who added strangers based on their profile pictures online, so that's a little bit realistic, I guess!" but what made it even weirder were the conversations that ensued after that. x_x They were unbelievable at best. I mean, do you think a conversation like this would actually happen between two strangers on facebook:

"Hi, mysterious friend. There isn’t much info on your page. Who are you, RG?"

"Hi, Fab Fane Flannigan. I don’t mean to be mysterious. You wouldn’t know who I am, but I live in the same city as you. I don’t go to your school."

"Ahh, the mystery deepens. You say you don’t go to my school, indicating that you are my age, anyway. Are you? Or are you one of those creepy stalkers who hunts down innocent children on the Internet and invites them into the back of your van for some candy?"

"I assure you I am not a stalker!"

"Just what a stalker would say."

"I am NOT a stalker. I am a seventeen-year-old girl."

"Well, that makes sense then. All the girls want me."

*cringe*

Sure, it's fiction, and maybe girls and boys who suddenly chanced upon each other in a fictional setting would converse like that, but it was seriously silly, and I couldn't get past how unbelievable their first exchange was. It doesn't help that the succeeding conversations were just as awkward and unconvincing as the first one, making their online chats sometimes boring. I didn't want to do it, but I oftentimes found myself skimming to get past them, knowing they'll meet each other anyway. And besides, I didn't want to keep on wincing at the unimaginable dialogue x_x

And they did, and it got better after that. Since Rapunzel was extremely sheltered and inexperienced about life in general, I found her fascination on new things like chocolate, pizza, and poker endearing. She was able to broaden her horizons, learn new things, and consider more possibilities to do with her life. She started to yearn and long for something more, beyond the walls of the tower she has been confined in for most of her life, and I think these changes as well as her transformation were the strongest aspects of the book. Fane, on the other hand, seemed to me a dull character overall. He was your average too-good-to-be-true guy who's kind, strong, caring, and who'd risk his life for you, especially someone he met on the internet. But let's give him credit, he did try to get to know Rapunzel better, and he was the one who opened the entire world for her, so kudos to that. The process of Rapunzel's transformation was a pleasure to read, and I actually thought that after all the things she learned and realized, she'd have more balls and do something about her situation. Like, you know, standing up for herself and fighting the big, mean witch. But this didn't happen, and she still remained the helpless damsel in distress 'til the very end. :(

I also felt uneasy with all the magic incorporated in this novel. It was a modern adaptation, so I was extremely hoping that it would become a contemporary read. Unfortunately, there are witches and warlocks and even kame hame waves rays of light bursting from the palms of the hands, and that really turned me off. How is this a modern retelling? The only modern stuff here are facebook, pizzas, cars and halloween parties. Of course, this doesn't mean the paranormal aspect was bad... it just disappointed me because it seemed like a lazy attempt to resolve issues... having a more realistic retelling in a modern setting would have been phenomenal. Up until 75%, you get the contemporary fiction vibes and then we have warlocks, superpowers, ability to erase memories, 666, and the like. That's pretty vague and inconsistent, if you ask me :|

Overall, I still did enjoy this book to give it 3.5 stars. If the things I stated turn you off, you may want to proceed with caution. But if you don't mind cringe-worthy dialogue as well as hazy fantasy/paranormal elements in what felt like a contemporary setting, then go right ahead. There have been many glowing reviews for this particular book, I just didn't like it as much.

[Jordis Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the story of Rapunzel and I was so excited when I saw this book on the library shelf. It's a modern day version of the tale and it's now one of my favorite books. Rapunzel meets Fane on a Facebook account her mom doesnt know about. Soon they meet up and start uncovering other secrets carefully buried...

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Popsugar 2018-Pick a favorite prompt from 2015.2016,or 2017. I chose 2016-A Book Based on a Fairy Tale.
This was a modern day retelling of Rapunzel: Girl kidnapped and kept in the tower for the "magical" properties of her hair. It was entertaining. However, I much preferred "Cress" by Marissa Meyer for a Rapunzel Retelling.

[gail ♛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ended up being better than I expected. I picked it up on a whim because I love retellings and I'd never read a Rapunzel retelling. It's one of my favorite fairy tales, so I thought I'd give this modern twist a try. I really liked it. The characters were relatable and there was so much more depth to the plot than I was expecting.

[Georgina Martin (Bookz and Bitz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

From: Bookz and Bitz

Books have fads, just look at the explosion of Fifty-shades-type-trash that have appeared on the shelves this christmas. In YA there was vampires, then werewolves and now fairytale retelling. Jackson Pearce did a fantastic job for older readers on Sisters Red and Sweetly, in a similar style we have Cinder, Ash and Beastly and for younger readers Just Ella and Palace of Mirrors steal the show. Its not just in the written world that Fairytales are taking charge - TV is filled with shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time, with the movie world following suit. With such a full market, I was in two minds about Rapunzel Untangled - part of me was excited for a new retelling, another part apprehensive as its ‘all be done before’.

Rapunzel is nearly 18 when the story begins, she’s living in a tower with only her mother for company, why? Rapunzel has SCIDs (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency - in other words germs are bad for her). Her mother has long told her the story of how she is to save the world, she’s never to cut her hair and is to stay healthy, waiting for the day when the prophecy comes true. Rapunzel doesn’t dispute this, why would she? Her mother wouldn’t lie to her. Rapunzel happens to stumble upon a site ‘Facebook’ one day (she has a computer for school work), and on a whim friend requests a boy that lives near, Fane. Fane accepts and soon the pair are chatting (via fb) and a friendship blossoms.

Rapunzel, still a teenager, if not a normal one, keeps this friendship from her mother, and soon takes a massive risk by sneaking him in when her mother is away. Her friendship with Fane becomes the catalyst, and Rapunzel starts to question everything, betray her mothers trust and starts to leave her room, her home and everything she knows.

Of course this is a fairytale, and what fairytale doesn’t have magic and bad guys and betrayal......so thats all there two (And a hero....)

I quite enjoyed the book, I do wonder what age demographic is is aimed at though, its marketed as a YA book, however the first few chapters read as a younger read. Having said that the latter chapters get quite dark and gritty and really are the saving grace of the book. In fact once we get past the forced, awkward Facebook scene setting it gets better. I know that Bennett wanted to bring the story into the modern day, but the Facebook storyline was painful, no decent looking jock-type (which fane is supposed to be) is going to bother chasing down a ‘fan’ who friend requests him from an account with no friends, no picture and no name, its just not going to happen (and it goes against EVERYTHING we teach our younger generations about internet safety!). Personally I’d of arranged their meeting first, perhaps a dare for Fane to run into the house where he catches a glimpse of Rapunzel (and vice versa), leading her to look him up on Facebook - something to link them together before the internet takes over.

Once they meet, the story gets stronger, both are quite likable people, Rapunzel is a little dense, but then you’d expect that in a girl thats never been out. I loved the little touches like her knowing what a car it, but not knowing how to get the door open - things that really would be new to her. As I said above the later scenes where Rapunzel’s story starts to go wrong are brilliant, the twists that show up are unexpected and you wonder if, and how, she’ll get out of it.

Following all of that I felt the ending pretty rushed, the action happens, then theres about one chapter (a short one) that skims over what-happened-next, I felt a little cheated, I’d invested time in the characters and then I don’t REALLY find out what happened next.

Over all - a good read, but perhaps aimed at a mixed demographic - its neither all for younger readers or all for YA - its somewhere in the middle, the beginning being very simply written, the ending being much grittier. I enjoyed it, and read it in a day but felt there was some magic missing, something that fairytales should never be short of - a read I’d recommend to young teenage girls, but that won’t appeal to the twilight generation.

ARC/EGalley kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Misty Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book, been completely fascinated by it, but have absolutely no idea why? No? Well…phooey on you then. (Just kidding. Maybe.) That was exactly the case for me when I finally sat my stubborn booty down and read “Rapunzel Untangled.”

See…Rapunzel is a pretty big deal in my house (and by big I mean I hear “LET DOWN YOUR HAAAIIIRRRR” at least five time a day coming from my 4-year-old daughters room) So when I saw that Ms. Bennett was looking for reviewers for her Rapunzel themed novel, not pouncing was not an option. (Do you KNOW how cool it was when my daughter asked me “What are you reading mommy?” and I could answer with something that didn’t involve zombies or jilted lovers? Let’s just say it started with awe and ended with some.)

Anyways, (back to the subject at hand…”facinated and don’t know why”) I could sit here and lie to you. Tell you that RU was action packed, that I was floored by the characters…drawn in to their trails and tribulations to the point of disillusion (which would explain my inability to put this book down) but that’s not the case. The truth is…this book interested me because of my daughter. My tiny little Rapunzel obsessed mini-me.

“Rapunzel is not your average teenager.

For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is.

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairy-tale.”

So…what about the story? Well, for starters…there wasn’t much of one.

I have read the original (short) story of Rapunzel, and I loved it. Though short…it illustrated the consequences and rewards of longing, love, and deception. So a longer more in-depth version was in my mind…a stroke of genius.

However as I rounded the 60% mark I realized I wasn’t feeling a connection to the story at all. The characters were ok. Rapunzel was appropriately naive. Fane was self-assured and loving. Even Gothel was mean and deceptive in all of the right places.

So what was wrong?

The characters never evolved past their initial introduction. The story was slow. The same halls were explored over and over. The same concerns were address ad nauseam The same bad attitude erupted from her mother at the mere mention of freedom. Without a forward moving plot for the majority of the book, I felt as if I was in a holding pattern circling the airport.

I wanted adventure! I wanted passion! I wanted Rapunzel to take her life back.

Instead I was offered up a quick solution to an average story. A story that HAD twists (like a room that was covered floor to ceiling in 6′s and charred from a previous fire.) It had turns (staircases that supposedly went nowhere) Heck..it even had a heavy dose of mystery (mamma Gothel was a husband killer?) the problem was…all of these things were just left hanging. Like an ad-lib that was never finished.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying the book was all bad. Even though it kind of sounds that way. I just wish Bennett would have taken more chances with the story that she was trying to tell. Made things MORE uncomfortable. Pushed herself. Instead, she wrote an everyday average book about a girl who has long hair and a boy who fell in love with her over Facebook.

In short…not the best. Not the worst. Just average.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Tell the story that makes your heart race. Not the one that makes it beat.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024

2019
3 star

I've always enjoyed the story of Rapunzel, especially Disney's recent version, Tangled. This version definitely has it's moments, but I feel like it's a little bit watered down. And the language used between Fane and Rapunzel was a little bit awful. It's very hard to have kids instant messaging each other and have it sound normal.

Rapunzel is everything you want her to be, though. She is shy and naive, but curious and smart. She seeks out Fane on Facebook, which leads her on a spiraling chase of discovery. She has fully believed in her "Mother," Gothel, until she encounters Fane. Fane teaches her to think about her situation and beyond.

Fane is honestly a sweet kid. Especially for a teenage boy (lol). He's clever and daring (not every guy would be willing to climb up a trellis to get to a tower for a girl they've never met before). I think it's really sweet how much he wants to protect Rapunzel, especially in the end when all is revealed about Rapunzel's true origins.

Honestly, Gothel has to be like the worst villain of all time, though. She gives Rapunzel a cell phone. She gives her unrestricted access to the internet. Yes, she does horrible things like lock Rapunzel away in a tower and then, later, a dungeon. But still, she literally might as well have given Rapunzel a key to escape with! Actually, once she left Rapunzel's door unlocked, so she basically did just that! I know she's confident that Rapunzel 1) completely believes her to be her mother and 2) wouldn't try to escape. But it still seems a bit underwhelming for a villainous lady such as herself to be so lacking in the actual villainy part.

I also wish it was explained why Rapunzel had the magic-ly long hair anyway (the hair itself being magical was explained, but not why she had such long hair to begin with). She already had the long hair before she was "found" by Gothel, so what caused it? In other stories it's usually given some sort of explanation, so it did bother me that was never addressed.

Plus, in the very end, Rapunzel found out her origins. Including her birth parents and that was addressed with a simple, "ah well, more strangers." And her basically deciding not to track them down or anything. Which struck me as odd because even Gothel claimed that Rapunzel had a bleeding heart and the best way to get her to cooperate was by telling her she was helping everyone in the whole world. Like, girl, your parents probably think you are dead and you aren't willing to track them down and tell them otherwise?! Besides, literally everyone in the entire world is a stranger to you. You have met like 10 people. Seriously.

I should stop thinking about this book because I might end up rating it even lower.

2017 - 4 star rating

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Cedar Fort, Inc and Netgalley.)
17-year-old Rapunzel lives alone in a tower. Her mother lives in the house attached to the tower, and visits her every day.

Rapuzel has an immune deficiency problem called SCIDs, which means that she is unable to leave her tower. But one day, Rapunzel sends a friend request to a boy (Fane) on facebook, which he accepts. The pair start talking, and when Rapunzel’s mother goes away on a business trip, Fane climbs Rapunzel’s tower and visits her.

The pair develop feelings for each other, and Fane visits as often as possible. Slowly, Rapunzel begins to do things that she has never done before – leaving her tower, feeling the grass for the first time, sneaking out to a party, and her first kiss!

Rapunzel has so many questions though, and she’s not happy with the answers her mother gives her. She wants to leave her tower, and lead a normal life, but her mother won’t let her.
Will Rapunzel ever make it out of the tower? What secrets is her mother hiding from her? And can Rapunzel and Fane ever have a real relationship?


Having seen the Disney version of this story about a million times, it’s one that I know well, and this was a good retelling.

Rapunzel is quite shy and naïve, which I suppose is to be expected considering her history. She’s brave enough to leave her tower though, and to maybe make her life better. She wasn’t stupid enough to think that there wouldn’t be repercussions for her behaviour though, and also tried to reduce the risk to herself whilst doing her ‘risky’ behaviour.

I liked Fane and how he tried to find new things for Rapunzel to experience, even the little things like bringing her M&M’s! The easy friendship between the two was sweet also.

The storyline in this book was pretty obvious – as expected from a retelling, but the details were slightly different, which made this retelling special in its own way. I had gotten a little sick of Mother Gothel by the end, but I expect that was sort-of the point!
Overall; a entertaining retelling of Rapunzel.
6.75 out of 10.

[negan ! · Rating 3 out of 5]

"¡Rapunzel, deja caer tu cabello!"

#2015ReadingChallenge: #9. A book by a female author.

Estaba usando la netbook de mi hermano y, como no tenía ningún libro allí, entré a un blog al azar y descargué el primer libro que me llamara la atención, y resultó ser éste. Es ligero, fácil de leer. A veces me aburría porque hay bastaante relleno y páginas sobrantes, y a veces me interesaba mucho por lo que le pasaba a los personajes. Todo el asunto del seis fue muy dinámico y divertido.



Con respecto a los personajes, Gothel fue el más llamativo. Mis reacciones con ella fueron más o menos así:







Fane... *w* Aunque me pareció cursi en exceso y poco realista, su sentido del humor aportó mucha forma a la historia. Eso sí, lo shipeé mucho con Rapunzel.



Y, como era de esperarse, Rapunzel fue, durante la mayor parte del libro, el gran meh. Tiene un carácter sumiso entendible, pero aun así irritante. Su cambio radical (de miedosa a Juana de Arco en unos cuantos capítulos) era predecible, así que no me aportó ninguna emoción lol.

El final es, sin intención de faltar el respeto a nadie, medio ridículo. La escena en la Mansión Gothel entre Rapunzel y Vedmak es extraña, no la comprendí ni un poquito; es un final rápido, decepcionante e improbable de parte de la autora, y le bajé mucha puntuación por eso.



Ahora en criollo: zafa, pero, personalmente, no encontré nada memorable en él, y lo recomiendo sólo para luego de una lectura densa o en un momento de hastío literario :3

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this modern version!! Rapunzel is a girl who believes that if she comes in contact with anyone--or leaves her tower rooms, for that matter--she will die from her disease. Her mother, Gothel, believes that Rapunzel should be educated, but doesn't want to take the time to figure out technology, so...while doing an Internet search for a Biology assignment, she stumbles onto Facebook and a whole new world opens us to her--one that includes friends.

Fane is just great!! I love how brave and funny he is. He makes it his own personal mission to introduce Rapunzel to things she's been missing out on.

I loved the new take on an old favorite. This is one story that I can't wait to read again...and again.

Content: some talk of witchcraft; mild violence; mild kissing.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

wow. this was SUPER BORING. how is it possible to make rapunzel this boring?

[Naiu Herondale · Rating 4 out of 5]

me encanto!!! esta muy bien adaptada :D

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slight spoilers included in my review.

I would like to start this review with a caveat: I didn’t hate Rapunzel Untangled. I didn’t throw my Kindle across the room in a violent rage, fan the flames of my righteous anger or anything like that. By the end, I was mostly just glad to be free of this book. I have no extreme feelings for this book one way or another. Even now, it’s really just the book I read that one time about how Rapunzel used Facebook.

And that's what Rapunzel Untangled is; Rapunzel with a bit of a modern twist.

Rapunzel has SCIDS, a disorder where her immune system is unable to protect her body against harmful germs and pathogens, and is forced to remain "locked" in a tower with only contact from her distant mother, Gothel. With fifteen feet of hair and a world-saving prophecy resting on her shoulders, Rapunzel is far from ordinary. Still, she yearns for the world beyond her tower, with only a computer to connect her to it. It’s on Facebook she meets Fane, a local boy who urges Rapunzel to reexamine her life and everything it was destined to be.

Let me tell you another story.

In April of 2008, Elizabeth Fritzl was rescued from a twenty four year imprisonment in her father’s cellar. There she had been continuously raped and, over time, given birth to seven of of her father's children. Three of these children were kept with Elizabeth in the dimly-lit cellar for their entire lives. In the aftermath, the three Fritzl children’s health remained uncertain: “…health experts say a chronic lack of sunlight and exercise can leave children's bones pliable, their muscles weak and their eyes overly sensitive to strong light. The Fritzls' vulnerabilities hardly stop there. The immune system, like the brain, requires stimulation to develop.”

Consequently, Rapunzel, our titular protagonist, is a conundrum to me. Though kept to a much more luxurious standard than the Fritzl children, Rapunzel, like them, had never been in direct contact with the outside world. Her only access to it came from a single window in her bedroom and her brief interactions with Gothel. She has some exposure to sunlight through this window, though only in the morning when it is “early enough that the workers hadn’t show up,” which is a few moments before six o’clock in the morning. Yet when she makes her first foray into the outside world, she is completely unfazed by the sunlight. Heck, even the Chilean miners that had been trapped underground for 69 days had to readjust to sunlight lest they damage their eyes. She ought to be at least a little sensitive to it, since it’s a light much stronger than she’s used to even in her rooms. Alas.

She hadn’t even touched a live plant before, but rolls around in the grass without a care in the world. She touches birds and eats McDonald’s and kisses Fane with really no physical consequences at all. Fane keeps insisting that Rapunzel’s health is in jeopardy as she does these things, but because nothing really happens, the stakes never really feel that high. It isn’t until after Rapunzel attends a Halloween party that there are any repercussions for her carelessness. Rapunzel does eventually experience a relapse due to prolonged exposure to the outside world, but it came so late in the game that it didn't really make any sense. I think this was Bennett's way of acknowledging some of the problems I raised, but because Rapunzel recovers and eventually does go outside again to no further consequence, I really couldn't buy into this.

Throughout the rest of Rapunzel Untangled, we’re led to believe that Rapunzel’s immune system is reasonably intact. She visits Fane for Thanksgiving where at least thirty of his relatives are present, even spends the night, and her body is none-the-wiser. She doesn’t get sick, doesn't react in any negative way to her environment and is totally fine for the remainder of the book. This ruined Rapunzel Untangled for me on every level. Rapunzel’s relative health was more fantastical to me than any other element or magical twist.

I could also get into how strange it is that Rapunzel is so socially well-adjusted, considering she’s only ever been in contact with two people and has nothing more than a computer and some movies to guide her, but I don’t think that’s necessary. This aspect of Rapunzel’s imprisonment, given the very many ways this would change her interactions with the outside world, was better glossed over - and obviously not the kind of issues this book was written to address. The Fritzl children were observed to have problems orienting in larger spaces because of their limited confinement, and I imagine the same would have been true of Rapunzel as well. But unlike her health, which is the reason Rapunzel is locked in her tower, these consequences didn‘t demand to be acknowledged.

I would, however, had liked to see her a little more interested in her surroundings. She touches grass for the first time in her life, right? That's a pretty big deal. But as soon as Fane suggests they return to her rooms for some lunch, not more than a paragraph or two later, she's ready to go back. Two paragraphs outside and she's had her fill. This girl never knows if she’s ever going to see the grass again, has only spent a paragraph touching it and heads inside to eat, something she has done three times a day her entire life. I wish she had been more hungry to discover the world around her, and just a little less occupied with Fane.

My biggest issues with Rapunzel Untangled have to do with its implausibility. Not only because of Rapunzel's physical and mental well-being, but also because of Gothel as a villain. I realize she's a fair bit older and certainly a little off her rocker, but after spending so long concocting the lie that is Rapunzel's life, I expected her to be a little well, er, vigilant. Not only does she supply Rapunzel with a computer and internet service for "homework," a curriculum which Gothel never seems the least bit interested in, but she doesn't ever once monitor Rapunzel's internet activity. Rapunzel Skypes and Facebooks with Gothel unaware. At one point, she even leaves Rapunzel alone with a cell phone.

Another gripe I have with Rapunzel Untangled was the use of Google. With just one internet search, all of my and Rapunzel's questions are answered. With just a few words typed into a Google search engine, literally all of the questions Rapunzel has had her entire life are answered just like that - telling, not showing, at its worst. It's such a lack of style on Bennett's part. I literally could not believe the level of laziness in this one scene. We spend the entire book surrounded by the mysteries of Gothel and her mansion, and Rapunzel just Googles it and reads a single article that answers every single question. Really. Really. I still haven't processed the level of ridiculousness contained in that one chapter. Thanks a lot, Stephenie.

Despite my many problems with Rapunzel Untangled, I found Rapunzel and Fane to be one of the more enjoyable aspects of the book. They were a bit on the bland side, but I still liked their relationship. Their Thanksgiving together, and Rapunzel’s first experience with a real family, were nice and surprisingly tender moments. Though a little nondescript overall, they were one of the reasons Rapunzel Untangled was a benign experience for me.

As for the ending, it took a turn for the bizarre that didn't really, well, make any sense at all. None. I couldn't believe any of it, and was, in the end, unsatisfied. In large, I admit, because Rapunzel doesn't seem to have any interest in her birth parents. But also because "they'd done a DNA test on her [Rapunzel] to discover who she really was," as if it were really just that easy. Without any kind of leads or her DNA in an existing system of dental records, how does taking her DNA offer up any of that information? Without DNA to compare it against, there isn't much they can help her with blindly. I suppose I shouldn't be debating that after all this book and I went through together, but this was just another little thing that went on to create big, gaping plot holes that, like Rapunzel, never saw the light of day.

Like I said, I didn't hate Rapunzel Untangled. Browsing through my status updates and this review  you might think I did, but that's not the case. My feelings for this Rapunzel retelling aren't violent. I don't want to ship this book to the depths of Hell. I don't want to light it in on fire and then light its remains on fire. I don't even want to discourage anyone from reading it, because I'm sure it will be enjoyed by people who can get over what I couldn't. Really, I'm just glad it's over and that I can move onto greener pastures.

This review is also featured in The Books and Beans. I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley for reviewing purposes.