Growing Amaranth: A Rapunzel Retelling

by Toney Larson

Amaranth has never known a life outside of the walls of her mother’s quaint cottage--until the day she meets William. Even though she was raised to believe that boys are evil and untrustworthy, Amaranth cannot help but fall for the kind and gentle William. It was only when their friendship is uncovered and her mother locks her away in a tower that Amaranth begins to realize the true evil in her life. Torn between first love and the love of her mother, Amaranth must navigate her way through the lies and decide who she truly is.

Genres: Fairy Tales

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 23, 2014

About the author

When Toney Larson was a child, she dreamed of being a writer. When she grew up, she acted more responsibly and went to art school. After graduating from Southern Virginia University with a BA in Art, Toney reworked the Rapunzel fairytale in her first book, Growing Amaranth. Since then, she has continued to add tales to her YA fantasy series Legends of Draven. Originally from both Wales and Virginia, Toney uses her travels to increase her ability to relate to others. Through her writing, Toney hopes to help even one individual find comfort and companionship. A current resident of Utah, Toney lives with her husband and four children. When she’s not writing she spends her time in graphic design, homeschooling, and homesteading.

Reviews

[Alie · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface, Growing Amaranth is a delightful retelling of a familiar story, explaining how Amaranth ( Rapunzel) ended up in the tower and how she managed to escape. But, Larson goes beyond the surface and also addresses the effects of emotional abuse. The first person point of view provides insight into the victim's mindset which serves the duel purpose of showing victims that they are not alone and helping their loved ones understand how to help. As a whole, the story is very well written and engaging; I couldn't put it down!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of reading an advanced copy of Growing Amaranth.

Growing Amaranth is the story of a tortured soul, bound to the chains of a selfish, overbearing mother. When two young boys befriend Amaranth and teach her important life lessons, Mother retaliates in a terrifying way. This is not your Tangled tale, folks. Larson lends a unique, earthy voice that sweeps you along in her debut novel. I can't wait to read her next one!

[Tess McCombs · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like fairy tale books then I would definitely recommend reading Growing Amaranth. But be aware that this book is not a light happy story. It goes into the abusive aspects of Amaranths relationship with the Witch. Parts of it are very sad. Larson does an amazing job of making the reader feel the pain and anguish that Amaranth is feeling. This book has three parts to it. The first part was the most lighthearted. It is about Amaranth's childhood and it was delightful. The second part deals with the abuse that Amaranth goes through and being stuck in a tower. It is well written but a lot darker. The third part is about escaping and recovering from the abuse. This third part is why I gave it only three stars. It didn't seem to be as well planned out as the rest of the book and parts of the writing were flat. The story wandered around for a while before finally ending but the end just wasn't very strong. It kind of just petered out. There was still some brilliant writing that happened in the last part of the book. But it wasn't has good as the beginning or middle.