Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon: A Tangled Novel

Tangled #1

by Leila Howland

Join Rapunzel and her lady-in-waiting Cassandra on a new adventure filled with friendship and fun! This beautiful middle grade novel tells an original story set in the world of the Disney Channel show Tangled the Series.

Tangled the Series on Disney Channel is set between the events of the original film and the start of Tangled Ever After. The series follows the long-locked Rapunzel as she acquaints herself with her parents, her kingdom, and the people of Corona and realizes there is much more she needs to learn before she can truly accept her royal destiny, causing her to put her crown and her marriage on hold to seek out epic adventures, much to the dismay of her father, the king. Accompanying Rapunzel on her journey is the charming Eugene; plucky chameleon sidekick Pascal; no-nonsense horse Maximus; the Snuggly Duckling Pub Thugs; and newcomer Cassandra, a tough-as-nails lady-in-waiting who becomes Rapunzel's confidante.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Retellings, Fiction, Adventure, Fairy Tales

Audible Audio

First published September 5, 2017

About the author

Leila Howland grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. A graduate of Georgetown University, Leila spent five years acting in New York where she was a company member of the award-winning Flea Theater in Tribeca. She is the author of the YA novels Nantucket Blue, for which she was named a Publisher’s Weekly Flying Start author, Nantucket Red, and Hello, Sunshine, as well as the Silver Sisters middle grade series and the upcoming Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon. Leila now lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Patricia Bejarano Martín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si sois amantes de Tangled the series, tenéis que leer este libro.
Aquí vemos cosas que ocurren antes del corto Before Ever After, contándote entre medias dicho corto y luego algo que no vemos durante la primera temporada.
Es algo que me ha gustado, conocer como se conocieron Cass y Raps y como entablaron su preciosa amistad y que no vemos en la serie, aunque se mencionen momentos puntuales.
Yo recomiendo su lectura después de haber visto la primera temporada de la serie para evitar cualquier tipo de spoiler ^^

[angel ೃ༄ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love accidentally sapphic literature

[hale]

rapunzel and the lost lagoon walked so the spanish dub of plus est en vous could run

anyway thank u miss leila howland for being one of the first to say cassunzel canon 🙏

[Book Him Danno · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter whom is 8 years old read this book and will be writing the review for the book.
Oh my gosh the story is right after the movie. I mean seriously like right after the movie ends. I love Rapunzel she is like me and has a hard time trying to figure out where she fits in the world. Than there is Cass I think that's her name and she is so fun and like me too because she doesn't like all the girlie stuff that sister likes. She wants to be a guard and that is awesome.
I loved the friendship in the book and how you can be anything you want to be even if your a girl. I can't wait to read the next book.
Thank you to who ever gave my mom this book it was the best and I can't wait to read more.
Likes: Girls can be any one they want to be if they work hard. Girls can be princesses and be strong and fight for what is right.
Dislikes: NOTHING!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a Advance Copy.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish goodreads had half stars! Like this is a 3.5 star for me, but I don't know if I want to round up or down.....

This book took me two whole months to read. I just don't think I was in the mood for it when I started it, but I love Rapunzel so I didn't want to dnf it. I ended up enjoying it overall. It had the same vibe as the movies, but still added a lot. I really just want to binge watch the tv show now. It was a super quick read once I got into it and I really do love the dynamic between Cass and Raps. They really complement each other. There was absolutely no Maximus and very little of Pascal and Eugene, but I think this book was supposed to spotlight the friendship between Cassandra and Rapunzel that the show is going to be more focused on, but I'm not mad about it. (Although I do love Eugene). I kind of wish this could be put into the movies/tv show canonically although I know it probably won't be. A good read if you love Rapunzel and are in to the new tv show.

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rapunzel and Eugene are the best Disney couple I'm sorry I don't make the rules

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting. I love it!!!

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a lovely niece that was telling me her favorite book and movie are "Tangled." That sounded kind of fun to me so I signed up for it and it's on hold. So, started looking around and saw this book which I had not heard of, but saw that it was included in "Tangled #1." So got interested in this and ordered it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see why my niece enjoyed it so.

This cute story follows Rapunzel and her best friend Eugene as she is recently out of the castle tower where she has been for 18 years. She has 70 some feet of hair and at one point cuts it, and in this book it grows back. I haven't seen the movie, but apparently this book picks up one week after the end of the movie.

Having not seen or read the first book or movie, I don't know what's going on. However I really enjoyed it. I've learned that it can answer questions you may have had after the start. It's a great book for both the younger and some older audiences. Without too many details. It's really quite fun. Recommend. Written by Leila Howland, narrated by Erin Bennett.

[Elo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a bit sad to only give 2 stars because I love (Disney’s) Rapunzel.
I guess the book is aimed at younger readers but I enjoy children’s books generally so this argument doesn’t convince me that much.
It was nice to see Rapunzel (Rapps?!), Eugene and Pascal (no Maximus, the doggish horse) and Cassandra, as the Captain of the Guards’s daughter could have been a nice addition to the team but I just could get Cassandra at all. Her problems, while not useless or unimportant in themselves, are just dealt in the most annoying way.
She’s just really annoying and expect so much (wines a lot) and expect lots from Rapunzel and guilt-trips her while coming off as, unfriendly, condescending and a buzz kill most of the time, while judging everyone and wining about how “unfair” her life is...
Like I said, her desire of following her dreams is a good motivation but I just didn’t like her.
I don’t get why Rapunzel loves her that much.

Especially since most of their friendship bonding happened during what the book presents as an “interlude” consisting of a bunch of paragraphs for both Rapunzel and Cassandra where they do stuff. Like, what?

I guess it is to not have a big book but I’m really not convinced about that writing. It’s weird, uneffective and brings nothing to the story except for a useless shortcut and reads a bit like laziness.

It might work to describe and develop an episode of the tv series but it just doesn’t work in the novel.

As for Rapunzel, she’s definitely her extra cheery self. We don’t see much of Eugene in the book and that’s ok. The marriage proposal was brushed off, also fine (I do need to watch it on tv though) but I thought Rapunzel definitely got a bit « walked » over by Cassandra.
Maybe that’s my feeling but there is one big thing that Rapunzel « does » and that’s blowned out of proportion by Cassandra and end up being the plot (?) of the novel?
And because of that, Rapunzel comes off as going with the plot instead of driving it, and just listening to Cassandra’s whims way too much for my liking.

My, my! I guess I really didn’t like Cassandra that much. I just felt she wasn’t really keen at all on even « trying » her friendship with Rapunzel, and it felt a lot one-side (from Rapunzel’s side).

It is a sweet adventure story about our lovely naïve and growing Rapunzel and giving her a female friend is great. I just wished I liked her more that I did.
I also wished we had a bit more insight into’s Rapunzel’s big change of life from her tower to her life to the Palace.
She talks about it a bit, especially at the beginning, but do not go into much insight you could expect from a novelization. I get in episodes of a cartoon, you can’t expect much and this novel was the best place to do it and I do not feel as we did.

At the end, we get a supposedly inappropriate barefoot Rapunzel who wants to see the world. And who has to learn about proper etiquette to be a princess (and one day queen) and...she does it.

I mean, that’s Rapunzel for you. She does know how to follow orders and be a good sport about it. And you know what? I don’t mind that much, she’s a very sweet girl and I love her for it.
She still has some adventures and seems to be able to balance both so, you go girl!
It’s just in contrast we have Cassandra that complains way to much when she’s basically doing the same as Rapunzel. It’s not as bad as she makes it up to be.

And yet at the end, while sermoning Rapunzel about who she should talk to or not- she’s the one that ended up having troubles. For her want to become a guard (you know, protecting people while they live, not guarding them from everyone so they don’t live or talk to anyone) she was doing a lot of judging and not much thinking on her part.

So yeah, there is that. I feel bad to have a negative review because they tend to be bigger than my « I LOVE IT AND DUNNO WHY » reviews, which is never fun.
It’s still a fun adventure with Rapunzel that probably should please less expecting readers. Cassandra just irked me a bit too much for me to fully enjoy the story but that may be only me.
Now I just feel like rewatching the movie and find the episodes of the series to watch. Cause I love me some Rapunzel!

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #6 for Believathon, November 2020: Read a book set in another world

Rapunzel is one of my favourite Disney movies, so when I saw a discount for this book, I happily bought it, even though it feels a bit like a guilty pleasure read. However, I was genuinely surprised that the story was very well developed! Rapunzel and other characters were true to their movie personalities, so it was fun to read a new story about them. Ultimately, it's a cosy and enjoyable story and I will recommend it for younger readers, or anyone who likes Disney's Rapunzel :)

P.S. The scene in the library was absolutely golden! :D

[Kara (bookishskippy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Enjoyed this book and was shooked at so many things the fact that rapunzel was a bookworm and artist just blew my mind.

This book was written from the 2 main characters pov. So i was a bit hard for me to be align to whats happening.
Enjoyed the adventures and mystery.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story takes place after the movie Tangled. Rapunzel is now a princess and having the grueling task of learning how to be one. Cassandra, daughter of the head guard, wants to be a guard, but is appointed as Rapunzel's lady in waiting. However, like Tangled, this is a book about girl power, so the two become fast friends and are soon embroiled in a mystery of a lost lagoon and what may be imminent danger. I think my first introduction to girl-princess-as-hero in a book for children was in The Paper Bag Princess when my sister gave one of my daughters a copy of that for Christmas one year, but this is for girls older than those still wanting picture books. It isn't really a fairy tale retelling, although I shelved it that, because I wasn't sure what else to call it. Fan fiction hundreds of years later?

[Kateryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story of Rapunzel after she escaped from the tower and reunited with her family. I like Rapunzel fairy tail and the Tangled movie, but I was disappointed with this book. The writing was poor. There was no suspense and the whole mystery of the lagoon was unconvincing. But my biggest issue was that Rapunzel, according to the original story, was 18 years old but in this book she behaved like 10 years old. And I would let it go but then Rapunzel got a marriage proposal.. It’s a big plot hole and it just doesn’t sit right with me. Obviously this is a middle grade read, and I’m not the intended audience, but I really was not a fan.

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, friendship, trust, adventure, love, loyalty.
Sharing in each other's interests like art, reading, sports, adventure,...
What happened to the engagement?

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and exciting. Amazing leading characters, best side characters and a fun plot to read.

[Anaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was great book,full of mystery,adventure and friendship,I kinda got bored of it but I was really just bored of reading,and it was actually soooooooo good I will recommend this to friends.

[Lisa Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon by Leila Howland bridges the gap between the Tangled movie and the Tangled: Before Ever After special from the television series. The book was a pleasure to read because it was written in a way that anyone could enjoy, as long as they are at least at a middle school reading level. It is written in first person and switches between the perspectives of Rapunzel and Cassandra. I read the ebook version and found it very informative and enjoyable. I highly recommend it if you want to know more of the backstory behind the series.

Rapunzel and the Last Logoon reveals all of the juicy details that were missing from the Tangled series about how Cassandra became Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting. Since half of the book is written from Cassandra's perspective, it answers a lot of questions we might have, such as why she seems to hate Eugene, why she trusts Rapunzel so much, and how she feels about her royal duties. As the daughter of the captain of the guard, Cassandra is a fierce warrior who is always trying to prove herself to the rest of the kingdom. Though not implicitly stated in the book, it seems that Cassandra feels she needs to work twice as hard as a woman to prove that she is just as capable of being captain as her father or any other man. She is obsessed with what people think about her to the point where it gets out of hand later. That is why she is reluctant to open up to anyone for fear of being judged. She thinks that she needs to be perfect all the time because there are no other women in the royal guard.

Unfortunately, I didn't learn too much more about Rapunzel than I already knew because she is pretty much an open book. We already know her life story from Tangled. Since she trusts everyone, she readily speaks her mind no matter what the situation. Her thoughts and actions are usually pretty obvious. Just like in the series, she feels trapped in the castle and wants to go on adventures and see the world now that she's finally out of her tower. Rapunzel takes an instant liking to Cassandra, which influences her mother's decision in making Cassandra her lady-in-waiting. It takes quite a while for Rapunzel to break through Cassandra's heavily guarded exterior, but as usual, she sees the good in everyone, and they eventually become friends. Cassandra sees Rapunzel's overly trusting nature as a flaw, but Rapunzel never ends up trusting any of the wrong people. To be honest, it would have been more interesting if Rapunzel had trusted the wrong person and learned a lesson at the end, but that would have overshadowed Cassandra's need to learn how to trust.

I found that constantly switching between Rapunzel and Cassandra's perspective in each character was a bit distracting. Since the chapters were so short that I found myself forgetting whose perspective I was reading. I think the book would have worked better if it had been written in the third person or switched perspectives halfway through instead of every other chapter. Though the two are very different in personality, the writing style doesn't change in each switch so it can be a little jarring if you're trying to read quickly. It doesn't help that Rapunzel and Cassandra are usually in the same place doing the same thing in each chapter.

One thing I found interesting about this book is that Eugene played a very small role in the story. Tangled was one of the last romantic princess movies of this era, and Disney has been trying to focus more on sisterly love than romantic love as of late. If Eugene served any purpose, it was to stand as a wedge between Rapunzel and Cassandra's friendship. Even in the series shorts, Rapunzel makes it clear that she cares about Eugene and Cassandra equally and wishes they could get along instead of constantly competing for her trust. That was the main focus of this novel. Rapunzel nearly loses Cassandra's trust because of her relationship with Eugene, so she must put her romantic relationship on the backburner in order to earn Cassandra's friendship. The book shows us that the love we have for our friends is just as important as the love we have for our significant other.

Overall, Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon was a pleasure to read. It answered most of the questions people might have after watching the series and shed new light on Cassandra's personality. It also showed that Disney is placing less focus on romance in modern times, even for characters who are already partnered up. The book was long enough to be enjoyable for an older audience, but not too advanced for a younger audience. The only thing that was a little distracting was the switching perspectives.

[Jaime Dear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for if you're a fan of Tangled the Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, ESPECIALLY if you're a Cassandra fan since there is CASS POV CHAPTERS!!! I kept getting emotional...just what I needed to get more of the silly yet serious-about-character vibes of the show :)

[joanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy. That was bad all around. The characterization, setting, world building, and plot are all horrible. This felt like a rushed fanfiction, which I guess is all it was.

[Elevetha · Rating 2 out of 5]

*a copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review*

I might have enjoyed this more if I had been the target audience (aka younger) but as it was, I was pretty indifferent to it. The writing isn't bad and seems to fit the voice of the characters pretty well, which I appreciated. More than anything, what was hard to get behind was the story, especially since even at the end, I'm still not sure what the heck was magical about the lagoon in such a way that was so goshdarn important they keep it hidden and a secret.

I didn't much care for Cass all that much, she was very distrustful and generally pouty. She was making a much bigger deal out of never telling anyone anything and her fear of banishment and obcession with discovering the secret of the lost lagoon and 'protecting the kingdom' than necessary. I wonder if she's better in the t.v. show?

Strongly disliked Deliah - she was super annoying and honestly more suspicious than the actual bad guy.

What the heck was up with the owls drying Rapunzel's hair? Kinda bizarre addition there but okay.

The whole 'Winged Beast' thing was dumb. The way that maneuver was described and then finally executed just didn't seem like it would really work quite so well. All I could think of, however different the two, was the Iron Lotus from Blades of Glory.

[Lost Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Rapunzel é a minha princesa favorita por isso não podia de deixar de ler esta história!

Esta história passa-se depois do filme mas durante os primeiros episódios da série Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. Aqui descobrimos mais ao pormenor como a Rapunzel e a Cassandra se conheceram e se tornaram inseparáveis. Claro que muitos dos nossos personagens favoritos aparecem durante a história como o Eugene e o Pascal.

Adorei voltar a este universo e acompanhar a Rapunzel em mais mistérios e aventuras. Também adorei a escrita e termos duo pov acrescentou depth à história.

Se estás à procura de uma easy and quick read este é o livro perfeito.

Mal posso esperar para ler o próximo livro desta coleção 🫶🏽

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a cute middle grade novel! I don’t read much middle grade, but when I saw a book series about Tangled, I had to check it out.

I thought the author did a great job with the characters. The dialogue felt authentic, to the point that I could almost hear the voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi whenever Rapunzel or Eugene spoke.

I’m not the biggest fan of Cass in the series, and I didn’t like her as well as the other two characters here either. Still, I enjoyed watching the friendship between the two of them grow and I liked that they each learned about each other.

Overall really cute.

[AnneDrawsArt · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was beautiful, the way the book is layed out, the cover and the story its self, reminded me of all my favourite tangled characters. adding it to my re read list.
if you love tangled or Disney even, this book is for you.
a gentle read I would highly recommend it for readers that are just starting to read on a higher level. the story carries you through and would help young readers from getting distracted.

[Cassandra Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute middle-grade book that captured the voices of the characters from Tangled well. My one complaint which lowered the rating is that the drama for Rapunzel and Cass seemed overdrawn and at times over dramatic, but I guess younger people do have a tendency toward histrionics. I look forward to the next book, which purportedly has more Eugene. :)

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this one. Rapunzel is my favorite, and I get this is supposed to be about her finding a true friendship she's never been able to have before, but it just dragged quite a bit. I missed Eugene and Maximus. It was a little difficult to like Cassandra. She was harsh and overreacted about a lot of things. I'm hoping the second book will be better.

[august ! · Rating 3 out of 5]

they're so sapphic.

the writing was pretty bland and some things were REALLY out of character, but otherwise it was enjoyable!! will be reading the sequel soon.

convinced the author is a cassunzel truther. no woman looks at another woman's hands for so long that she can recognize that they're a familial trait.

[MantaRaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[lizeindisney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars is because I wasn’t absolutely hooked on it. But it was a really fun read, dual narrative which I love, and a good storyline.

Paperback

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, fun adventure that ties in well with the show. I really enjoyed it.

[Bailey Kost · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was so cute and fun to follow what rapunzel and flynn are up to after the movie - need to watch the show now!