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Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumplestilskin's Name
An old tale tells the story of how a little man named Rumpelstiltskin spun straw into gold and tricked a desperate girl into trading away her baby. But that’s not exactly how it happened.
The real story began with a drunken father who kept throwing money away on alcohol and women, while his daughter, Aoife, ran the family farm on her own. When he gambled away everything they owned to the Duke, it was up to her to spin straw into gold to win it all back.
With her wits and the help of a magical guardian, she outsmarted the Duke and saved the day.
Well almost…
Her guardian suddenly turned on Aoife and sent her on a quest to find his name, the clues to which were hidden deep in the woods, a moldy dungeon, and a dead woman’s chamber.
This is not the tale of a damsel in distress, but a tenacious, young woman who solved a mystery so great that not even the enchanted man who spun straw into gold could figure it out.
Not until Aoife came along.
The real story began with a drunken father who kept throwing money away on alcohol and women, while his daughter, Aoife, ran the family farm on her own. When he gambled away everything they owned to the Duke, it was up to her to spin straw into gold to win it all back.
With her wits and the help of a magical guardian, she outsmarted the Duke and saved the day.
Well almost…
Her guardian suddenly turned on Aoife and sent her on a quest to find his name, the clues to which were hidden deep in the woods, a moldy dungeon, and a dead woman’s chamber.
This is not the tale of a damsel in distress, but a tenacious, young woman who solved a mystery so great that not even the enchanted man who spun straw into gold could figure it out.
Not until Aoife came along.
306 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
April 11, 2021
1.5 stars.
Clearly I am in the minority.
The writing itself is good but if I don't like the heroine or hero (in this case both) it doesn't work for me.
The only reason I kept on reading and didn't quit was because I was hoping things would improve but they didn't.
The h has mean parents who she sacrifices everything for. She literally breaks the heat of the one person who helps her, and falls in love with the nasty hero
The h is Truly there is not one likable character in this entire story.
So the hero says he fell in love with the h because he saw in her eyes that she was the only woman that could love him, that she could see past his darkness. Well As you can see, the h only cares about herself. She not only makes
Clearly I am in the minority.
The writing itself is good but if I don't like the heroine or hero (in this case both) it doesn't work for me.
The only reason I kept on reading and didn't quit was because I was hoping things would improve but they didn't.
The h has mean parents who she sacrifices everything for. She literally breaks the heat of the one person who helps her, and falls in love with the nasty hero
The h is Truly there is not one likable character in this entire story.
So the hero says he fell in love with the h because he saw in her eyes that she was the only woman that could love him, that she could see past his darkness. Well As you can see, the h only cares about herself. She not only makes
dnf
April 21, 2017Well crap ....
There goes my first DNF of 2017
I tried ...
DNF at 30%
Absolutely nothing about this story flowed naturally and most of it was a bunch of contradicting crap or repetitive crap and yeah ... basically just a lot of crap.
Im pretty disappointed right now because... a Rumplestilskin retelling?!? How many times does that happen?
Answer: At least one time too many :(
The worst part is, by the time I knew it wasn't getting any better, I already really wanted to know what happened. Thankfully, I was able to find spoilery reviews that seriously saved me from having to suffer through 70% more of this book!
There goes my first DNF of 2017
I tried ...
DNF at 30%
Absolutely nothing about this story flowed naturally and most of it was a bunch of contradicting crap or repetitive crap and yeah ... basically just a lot of crap.
Im pretty disappointed right now because... a Rumplestilskin retelling?!? How many times does that happen?
Answer: At least one time too many :(
The worst part is, by the time I knew it wasn't getting any better, I already really wanted to know what happened. Thankfully, I was able to find spoilery reviews that seriously saved me from having to suffer through 70% more of this book!
February 25, 2019
This was an interesting retelling of the Rumplestilskin tale. Aoife is a smart girl who rides the line of propriety. She has been taking care of her family for years by running the business and collecting her drunken father from the whorehouse when needed. She also has a mysterious spirit watching out for her in the woods. She catches the eye of the Duke who threatens her family and her freedom. The Duke challenges her to spin straw into gold and the spirit in the woods decides to help her. When the spirit is called upon to help her a second time, he gives her an impossible choice with steep prices. The rest of the story is about the consequences of her choice and the root of the animosity the spirit feels toward the Duke.
Eh, this was average/good. I liked Aoife's character. She smart and caring, but the men's characters just bugged me. I get that the time period set these guys up to be rather sexists by modern standards but geez, they were being chauvinistic even when they weren't trying to be. As far as the plot goes, it was alright. Again, average. There were some slow parts, then it picked up.
Eh, this was average/good. I liked Aoife's character. She smart and caring, but the men's characters just bugged me. I get that the time period set these guys up to be rather sexists by modern standards but geez, they were being chauvinistic even when they weren't trying to be. As far as the plot goes, it was alright. Again, average. There were some slow parts, then it picked up.
July 4, 2017
To be honest I liked the beginning of this story but then it got kinda boring. But of course it redeemed itself at the end and earned 4 stars.
It had twists and turns that I really was not expecting!
"If it is a monster you believe me to be, then I suppose it's a monster I must be."
The Little Man as he is called through the book starts out as a character that you automatically like. But as the story moves forward you see his character change. He becomes cold and unforgiving. But once we learn about his back story you start to understand him more. Sure, he becomes less and less the character that I liked at the beginning of the book but by the end I had sympathy for him and felt for him. I wouldn't say he redeemed himself but I think he learned that even though your outward appearance may not be the norm or what we see as beautiful doesn't mean the inside is the same. Everyone is loved even if they don't hear it. We all want to be seen in this world, in one way or another. I think he finally got his chance.
"You are seen."
4/5 stars.
It had twists and turns that I really was not expecting!
"If it is a monster you believe me to be, then I suppose it's a monster I must be."
The Little Man as he is called through the book starts out as a character that you automatically like. But as the story moves forward you see his character change. He becomes cold and unforgiving. But once we learn about his back story you start to understand him more. Sure, he becomes less and less the character that I liked at the beginning of the book but by the end I had sympathy for him and felt for him. I wouldn't say he redeemed himself but I think he learned that even though your outward appearance may not be the norm or what we see as beautiful doesn't mean the inside is the same. Everyone is loved even if they don't hear it. We all want to be seen in this world, in one way or another. I think he finally got his chance.
"You are seen."
4/5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2018
I was going to try to be generous and give this 2 stars but you know what, it's just awful. I can't actually believe I finished it but it didn't get truly cringey until maybe a fourth of the way through and generally I'm already committed by that point. I just don't even know what this is supposed to be. I THOUGHT it was going to be a retelling with a romance between the MC and Rumpelstiltskin where he's like not as bad as he originally seems I guess, and while I was kind of wary about that and it would have definitely come with its own set of problems [uwu he's just ~misunderstood~] what we got was actually so much worse.
Basically this girl is harassed and tricked into marriage by this horrible duke and then makes the deal with Rumple to spin straw to gold etc etc, tells Rumple that she loves him and plots to leave the duke who is just awful by the way - threatening to bankrupt her family if she doesn't marry him, wanted to burn her at the stake as a witch, etc etc - so she can be with him instead. But THEN she does a complete 180 for NO REASON and decides the duke is just a super great guy and Rumple is the truly awful one even though he's been helping her up to this point.
Blah blah story goes pretty much how you would expect from there but I just don't understand what the author was trying to accomplish here. Why do a retelling if you're still going to make Rumple the 'bad guy' and not actually really change anything in the story? Why have your heroine end up with an abusive jerk who apparently got swapped out for a pod person halfway through the book? Actually you know what, pod people is the only explanation for anyone's behavior in this book. It was all an elaborate pod person experiment and no one can tell me otherwise.
Basically this girl is harassed and tricked into marriage by this horrible duke and then makes the deal with Rumple to spin straw to gold etc etc, tells Rumple that she loves him and plots to leave the duke who is just awful by the way - threatening to bankrupt her family if she doesn't marry him, wanted to burn her at the stake as a witch, etc etc - so she can be with him instead. But THEN she does a complete 180 for NO REASON and decides the duke is just a super great guy and Rumple is the truly awful one even though he's been helping her up to this point.
Blah blah story goes pretty much how you would expect from there but I just don't understand what the author was trying to accomplish here. Why do a retelling if you're still going to make Rumple the 'bad guy' and not actually really change anything in the story? Why have your heroine end up with an abusive jerk who apparently got swapped out for a pod person halfway through the book? Actually you know what, pod people is the only explanation for anyone's behavior in this book. It was all an elaborate pod person experiment and no one can tell me otherwise.
January 10, 2017
I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did! It was such a refreshing and original retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I absolutely loved it!
February 23, 2018
An original, superbly re-imagined fantasy, this is an outstandingly well-told tale.
A clever plot is woven of threads of magic, friendship, duty and desire. Engaging characters are led by Aoife, who has to overcome one challenge after another. Some are burdens, some are magical - but the hardest are those in which she has to untangle a mystery, entwined with her own emotions and those of others. Human motivations play as big a part as do magic, and becoming an adult. Nor is Aoife the only one who needs to grow up!
I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful re-telling of an old fairy tale. A great read!
A clever plot is woven of threads of magic, friendship, duty and desire. Engaging characters are led by Aoife, who has to overcome one challenge after another. Some are burdens, some are magical - but the hardest are those in which she has to untangle a mystery, entwined with her own emotions and those of others. Human motivations play as big a part as do magic, and becoming an adult. Nor is Aoife the only one who needs to grow up!
I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful re-telling of an old fairy tale. A great read!
February 12, 2017
Wow! This is a well done retelling of Rumplestilskin. There is a lot of depth to the story and it had the feeling of the old-world.
Aoife is a talented young woman. She readily accepts most of the people who cross her path. She has an intelligent mind and is able to figure out how to turn a poorly performing farm into one producing a profit. Her father brags that she has the "Midas" touch and can turn things to gold. This backfires on him when he is told that he must prove his claims or loose his farm.
The book follows closely to the original on the basic plot of the story. Aoife has Rumplestilskin help her perform an impossible task so that she can save her family.
The basics are similar, but the stories have marked differences. I enjoyed the changes. The story is dark, there is a lot of pain behind the actions of the characters. I think most of the time we think of fairy tales being the Disney renditions, where in fact they are pretty dark and frightening.
This book has a lot of innuendo. I didn't find any descriptive love scenes, but they are implied. Also Aoife bring her father home from the local brothel on many occasions. The book also contains violence. I would recommend this book without hesitation to a more mature reader (16+)
Aoife is a talented young woman. She readily accepts most of the people who cross her path. She has an intelligent mind and is able to figure out how to turn a poorly performing farm into one producing a profit. Her father brags that she has the "Midas" touch and can turn things to gold. This backfires on him when he is told that he must prove his claims or loose his farm.
The book follows closely to the original on the basic plot of the story. Aoife has Rumplestilskin help her perform an impossible task so that she can save her family.
The basics are similar, but the stories have marked differences. I enjoyed the changes. The story is dark, there is a lot of pain behind the actions of the characters. I think most of the time we think of fairy tales being the Disney renditions, where in fact they are pretty dark and frightening.
This book has a lot of innuendo. I didn't find any descriptive love scenes, but they are implied. Also Aoife bring her father home from the local brothel on many occasions. The book also contains violence. I would recommend this book without hesitation to a more mature reader (16+)
February 18, 2019
Nice fairy tale retelling
You don't see many versions of Rumpelstiltskin so I was intrigued when I started this. The beginning was too slow for me, I felt like not much was happening. It definitely picked up in the latter half. I liked seeing the romance develop and the backstory was interesting. Aoife was smart and independent, which I loved. Not bad overall
You don't see many versions of Rumpelstiltskin so I was intrigued when I started this. The beginning was too slow for me, I felt like not much was happening. It definitely picked up in the latter half. I liked seeing the romance develop and the backstory was interesting. Aoife was smart and independent, which I loved. Not bad overall
February 8, 2017
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumplestilskin's Name is a young adult fantasy re-imagining of the story of Rumplestilskin by Bonnie M. Hennessy. Twisted is Bonnie's debut novel and I have to say I loved it! I found it to be a delightful, and dark twisty tale of not only Rumplestilskin, but also of the young lady, Aoife.
This part of the summary is what initially got me interested in the story was, "This is not the tale of a damsel in distress, but a tenacious, young woman who solved a mystery so great that not even the enchanted man who spun straw into gold could figure it out." And let me tell you, Aoife was a fierce heroine. I really liked her. I do have to say, I initially thought that Rumplestilskin was going to be the love interest, and as I was reading, I even wanted him to be the love interest. But no, Rumplestilskin is not. There is a romance in Twisted, and it was pretty twisted, just like the rest of the story. And I found the romance to be quite good.
What I loved most about this book was that it turned everything I thought I knew about Rumplestilskin on its' head. This really was more of a re-imagining of his story, rather than a crafty re-telling. It was also pretty dark, so it is not a light and fluffy read. in fact, parts of this story made me downright sad. But I loved how dark and twisted it was. It was so unlike anything else I have been reading lately, and that in and of itself is pretty cool. Aoife goes through a lot in this book. At times you really feel the weight of everything she is dealing with and you feel awful for her, and at times you want to punch her, but overall I really enjoyed her character.
Bottom line: If you are a lover of dark stories that might not always get a happy ending. Or if you are a lover of retellings and reimaginings, Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumplestilskin's Name is a great book for you to pick up. It is really twisted, as the name suggests and I think it will pleasantly surprise you in more ways than you think. I was super impressed with Bonnie's writing. I found this book to be well paced, and well thought out and really great. I can't wait to read more by this author. She is one to keep an eye on.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumplestilskin's Name is a young adult fantasy re-imagining of the story of Rumplestilskin by Bonnie M. Hennessy. Twisted is Bonnie's debut novel and I have to say I loved it! I found it to be a delightful, and dark twisty tale of not only Rumplestilskin, but also of the young lady, Aoife.
This part of the summary is what initially got me interested in the story was, "This is not the tale of a damsel in distress, but a tenacious, young woman who solved a mystery so great that not even the enchanted man who spun straw into gold could figure it out." And let me tell you, Aoife was a fierce heroine. I really liked her. I do have to say, I initially thought that Rumplestilskin was going to be the love interest, and as I was reading, I even wanted him to be the love interest. But no, Rumplestilskin is not. There is a romance in Twisted, and it was pretty twisted, just like the rest of the story. And I found the romance to be quite good.
What I loved most about this book was that it turned everything I thought I knew about Rumplestilskin on its' head. This really was more of a re-imagining of his story, rather than a crafty re-telling. It was also pretty dark, so it is not a light and fluffy read. in fact, parts of this story made me downright sad. But I loved how dark and twisted it was. It was so unlike anything else I have been reading lately, and that in and of itself is pretty cool. Aoife goes through a lot in this book. At times you really feel the weight of everything she is dealing with and you feel awful for her, and at times you want to punch her, but overall I really enjoyed her character.
Bottom line: If you are a lover of dark stories that might not always get a happy ending. Or if you are a lover of retellings and reimaginings, Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumplestilskin's Name is a great book for you to pick up. It is really twisted, as the name suggests and I think it will pleasantly surprise you in more ways than you think. I was super impressed with Bonnie's writing. I found this book to be well paced, and well thought out and really great. I can't wait to read more by this author. She is one to keep an eye on.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
January 30, 2018
“Finding worth in that which makes others turn away. I suppose that is what I brought you here for.”
Aoife (pronounced 'Eee-fuh'), is a clever, clever girl with a pretty rough life. She's also got a giant heart and despite her upbringing, isn't judgemental at all. She's a bit standoffish, sure...but she's very confident, too.
This retelling of Rumpelstiltskin was not what I was expecting. It was dark in all the right places and painted some new characters into the story while giving a backstory to others that didn't really have them before. This author found a way to make nearly every character sympathetic while some still hated each other and may or may not even deserve sympathy. That's well done, I think.
Aoife (pronounced 'Eee-fuh'), is a clever, clever girl with a pretty rough life. She's also got a giant heart and despite her upbringing, isn't judgemental at all. She's a bit standoffish, sure...but she's very confident, too.
This retelling of Rumpelstiltskin was not what I was expecting. It was dark in all the right places and painted some new characters into the story while giving a backstory to others that didn't really have them before. This author found a way to make nearly every character sympathetic while some still hated each other and may or may not even deserve sympathy. That's well done, I think.
October 20, 2017
3.5 stars.
Well, what do I say? I like the story and the writing was good but it felt like it lacks passion between the hero and the heroine. And I'm not talking about passion on their sexual encounter but the whole romantic side of the story. I mean, their love for each other. I just wish the author have explored a little bit more about that. I'm not even a romantic person but I've noticed that so maybe the book really needs some improvement on that department? Or maybe it's a sign that I'm starting to have a heart? Whatever. Also, it would have been better if Ronan explained to Aoife that he did the things he did at the begining because he loves her and that he just doesn't know how to show it to her.
Well, what do I say? I like the story and the writing was good but it felt like it lacks passion between the hero and the heroine. And I'm not talking about passion on their sexual encounter but the whole romantic side of the story. I mean, their love for each other. I just wish the author have explored a little bit more about that. I'm not even a romantic person but I've noticed that so maybe the book really needs some improvement on that department? Or maybe it's a sign that I'm starting to have a heart? Whatever. Also, it would have been better if Ronan explained to Aoife that he did the things he did at the begining because he loves her and that he just doesn't know how to show it to her.
June 28, 2017
I'm pretty sure this is the first rumplestiltskin retelling I have ever read. (I do not count books where he has been a side story character) I think it was pretty good.
The author puts an interesting spin on why the little man we all loved to hate as children does what he does and why he wants our heroine to guess his name. I found the soon and it's results satisfying.
it wasn't the best fairy tale retelling I've read, but it was the best rumplestiltskin fairy tale retelling I've read.
The author puts an interesting spin on why the little man we all loved to hate as children does what he does and why he wants our heroine to guess his name. I found the soon and it's results satisfying.
it wasn't the best fairy tale retelling I've read, but it was the best rumplestiltskin fairy tale retelling I've read.
July 7, 2017
I wanted to like this book. I thought it sounded interesting and I was excited to read a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. When this book first started, I remained optimistic but soon it was evident I shouldn't be.
First off, there are no characters in this book to care about. Aoife is in typical YA fashion, not like other girls. She goes into brothels to get her father out, does math, hates girly things, and *gasp* wears pants later in the book. The Rumpelstiltskin character is awful, when the book first started I wasn't sure if I was supposed to like him or not- he reminds me a bit of Quasimodo from Hunchback (Disney), with his angst and annoying behavior towards Aoife. The Duke is the same way but in reverse, he starts out an asshole then becomes the 'nice' guy. Yep, this is one of those books.
I literally could not stop rolling my eyes throughout this book, "R" turns out to have been protecting Aoife her entire life, because luv. The Duke manipulates Aoife into marriage and when she agrees R throws a fit like a toddler, even though they had never formally met until basically that day. Oh, and of course Aoife kissed him- even though they had never met before that day. Because luv.
Speaking of love. The duke is a total asshole, who manipulates Aoife into marriage- to the point of threatening to burn her family alive unless she does so. What a charmer. So she marries him to protect her family, and magically he's not like that anymore, he's a nice dude! And Aoife falls in love with him, yep the man who abused her. R isn't happy with that so he starts abusing her and her unborn child too, yay for luv!
The minor characters in this novel aren't any better. Both of Aoifes parents are abusive. The father runs his family dry through his gambling habits, and her mother doesn't have many defining characteristics besides she likes embroidery (Aoife of course hates all things girly from the time), her sister is too sick to be a fully developed character apparently, and the Madam of the brothel ends up being the best character in this book.
As if all this isn't enough, this book has to have more witches, more magic, and more conniving women- because that's apparently what women did all day. R's problems with women are apparently caused by Mommy issues as he explains through one of his rampages later, but wait! It can all be cured through luuuuuuuv. Oh yeah, then R dies at the end- because what are resolutions.
I will now share some of my favorite quotes from the book with my commentary.
"It was not the gnarled limbs she felt, but his love as he wrapped his arms around her." - Luuuuuuuv
“The little man is my very angry son.” -I can't believe that is an actual line I read, please end this book.
“And when she saw the tear glistening at the corner of his eye, Aoife knew what he wanted.” -He wants luuuuuuuuv.
Overall, if you're obsessed with fairytales like I am- I would give this book a very cautious read. If you're not, I wouldn't touch it unless you like whiny man babies, cringing, and "strong" female characters. The writing was very good in some places and I did highlight some nice quotes throughout it, but they plot is just not there. I though Aoife would end up going on the adventure as the synopsis said, but she never even left the castle. The book was very predictable and nothing that happened really surprised me, it was just chockfull of cliches and nonsense.
First off, there are no characters in this book to care about. Aoife is in typical YA fashion, not like other girls. She goes into brothels to get her father out, does math, hates girly things, and *gasp* wears pants later in the book. The Rumpelstiltskin character is awful, when the book first started I wasn't sure if I was supposed to like him or not- he reminds me a bit of Quasimodo from Hunchback (Disney), with his angst and annoying behavior towards Aoife. The Duke is the same way but in reverse, he starts out an asshole then becomes the 'nice' guy. Yep, this is one of those books.
I literally could not stop rolling my eyes throughout this book, "R" turns out to have been protecting Aoife her entire life, because luv. The Duke manipulates Aoife into marriage and when she agrees R throws a fit like a toddler, even though they had never formally met until basically that day. Oh, and of course Aoife kissed him- even though they had never met before that day. Because luv.
Speaking of love. The duke is a total asshole, who manipulates Aoife into marriage- to the point of threatening to burn her family alive unless she does so. What a charmer. So she marries him to protect her family, and magically he's not like that anymore, he's a nice dude! And Aoife falls in love with him, yep the man who abused her. R isn't happy with that so he starts abusing her and her unborn child too, yay for luv!
The minor characters in this novel aren't any better. Both of Aoifes parents are abusive. The father runs his family dry through his gambling habits, and her mother doesn't have many defining characteristics besides she likes embroidery (Aoife of course hates all things girly from the time), her sister is too sick to be a fully developed character apparently, and the Madam of the brothel ends up being the best character in this book.
As if all this isn't enough, this book has to have more witches, more magic, and more conniving women- because that's apparently what women did all day. R's problems with women are apparently caused by Mommy issues as he explains through one of his rampages later, but wait! It can all be cured through luuuuuuuv. Oh yeah, then R dies at the end- because what are resolutions.
I will now share some of my favorite quotes from the book with my commentary.
"It was not the gnarled limbs she felt, but his love as he wrapped his arms around her." - Luuuuuuuv
“The little man is my very angry son.” -I can't believe that is an actual line I read, please end this book.
“And when she saw the tear glistening at the corner of his eye, Aoife knew what he wanted.” -He wants luuuuuuuuv.
Overall, if you're obsessed with fairytales like I am- I would give this book a very cautious read. If you're not, I wouldn't touch it unless you like whiny man babies, cringing, and "strong" female characters. The writing was very good in some places and I did highlight some nice quotes throughout it, but they plot is just not there. I though Aoife would end up going on the adventure as the synopsis said, but she never even left the castle. The book was very predictable and nothing that happened really surprised me, it was just chockfull of cliches and nonsense.
June 12, 2017
I struggled to like this book. At first I felt sorry for the miller's dughter, whose name I can't pronounce. But after seeing her reject Rumpel, who adored her and saved her life, for parents who used her and a man who was abusive and nasty and who would have burned her for a witch, I no longet did so. I was pissed off because Rumple was the freaking solution to all her problems and all he wanted was to be loved and for all of her so-called seeing the truth she was as hypocritical as everyone else in the end. She could have easily asked Rumpel to either give her parents enough gold to help her sick sister or to cure her with magic, yet the ONLY solution she comes up with is to go back and use Rumpel's powers to spin straw into gold and marry the usurper Duke who has abused her?
It ticked me off that after using Rumple and his magic to save herself, she wasn't even grateful to him. Then she goes and somehow falls in love with the asshole who stole Rumple's birthright, and even after said dick admits he KNEW all along he was an imposter who didn't deserve anything and he'd been living a lie and he tried to murder his legitimate brother and ends up killing his real mom, she acts like oh well, no big deal cause ya know I tortured an old woman for nothing so I understand.
Umm where's your compassion for the life your lying bastard husband destroyed? Granted the mothers screwed him over first, but Ronan or whatever his name was ought to have been a man of honor enough to give his title,estate,and his money back to the TRUE heir--Rumple, because hell Rumple was Owed that. And his wife, the oh so good woman,whose life was saved multiple times by Rumpel,should have insisted on it because that would be the right thing to do, and she wasn't supposed to care about money. If that were so she could go back to the family farm with the bastard husband and live like regular people like she wanted, and the true heir could live on his estate and perhaps find another woman who would be willing to love him because many people could be willing to overlook appearance if said appearance also came with title and lands and was kind to them. Rumpel's magic could also have helped with his appearance.
By the end of the story I wanted Rumpel to win and keep the baby because at least then he'd have one person who loved him besides his dead mother and foster mother. The ending itself also made little sense, saying now Rumpel was dead he could love freely, so he was better off that way. What a cop out!
I much preferred the Crimson Thread by Cameron Dokay and Rumplestiltskin by Jenni james, both of which offered a better twist and a different ending for Rumpel, a much happier one.
It ticked me off that after using Rumple and his magic to save herself, she wasn't even grateful to him. Then she goes and somehow falls in love with the asshole who stole Rumple's birthright, and even after said dick admits he KNEW all along he was an imposter who didn't deserve anything and he'd been living a lie and he tried to murder his legitimate brother and ends up killing his real mom, she acts like oh well, no big deal cause ya know I tortured an old woman for nothing so I understand.
Umm where's your compassion for the life your lying bastard husband destroyed? Granted the mothers screwed him over first, but Ronan or whatever his name was ought to have been a man of honor enough to give his title,estate,and his money back to the TRUE heir--Rumple, because hell Rumple was Owed that. And his wife, the oh so good woman,whose life was saved multiple times by Rumpel,should have insisted on it because that would be the right thing to do, and she wasn't supposed to care about money. If that were so she could go back to the family farm with the bastard husband and live like regular people like she wanted, and the true heir could live on his estate and perhaps find another woman who would be willing to love him because many people could be willing to overlook appearance if said appearance also came with title and lands and was kind to them. Rumpel's magic could also have helped with his appearance.
By the end of the story I wanted Rumpel to win and keep the baby because at least then he'd have one person who loved him besides his dead mother and foster mother. The ending itself also made little sense, saying now Rumpel was dead he could love freely, so he was better off that way. What a cop out!
I much preferred the Crimson Thread by Cameron Dokay and Rumplestiltskin by Jenni james, both of which offered a better twist and a different ending for Rumpel, a much happier one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2017
A lovely, different fairy tale retelling.
With fairy tales being such a big thing in the market now days, I've read my fair share of retellings. This book, however, was absolutely unique. I picked it up months ago and didn't dive in until recently--without having reread the blurb. So, going in blind, I didn't know what story I was getting. That may or may not have added to my enjoyment. Regardless, I figured it out soon enough when gold and straw came into the picture.
So first of all, I LOVED the time period element. Secondly, I liked the way the magical aspects snuck into the plot. Third, I loved how Aoife's desires changed throughout the story. I felt every injustice and wanted to fight back along with her--fists first. At the same time, I had to appreciate how she handled things as the story evolved.
So do I recommend this one? To older audiences, certainly. (14+) It was a wonderful read.
Content warning: Women's oppression, commensurate with the time period.
With fairy tales being such a big thing in the market now days, I've read my fair share of retellings. This book, however, was absolutely unique. I picked it up months ago and didn't dive in until recently--without having reread the blurb. So, going in blind, I didn't know what story I was getting. That may or may not have added to my enjoyment. Regardless, I figured it out soon enough when gold and straw came into the picture.
So first of all, I LOVED the time period element. Secondly, I liked the way the magical aspects snuck into the plot. Third, I loved how Aoife's desires changed throughout the story. I felt every injustice and wanted to fight back along with her--fists first. At the same time, I had to appreciate how she handled things as the story evolved.
So do I recommend this one? To older audiences, certainly. (14+) It was a wonderful read.
Content warning: Women's oppression, commensurate with the time period.
February 8, 2017
Full Review at: What's Beyond Forks?
Twisted was a dark and creative re-telling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale. You know how so many fairy tales in their original form are tragic and scary? This felt original and authentic like those stories. It definitely wasn't Disney.
None of the characters are great people. Not even the main characters. They all have made some pretty bad life choices. That was part of the story's intrigue though. As the story unfolds, many other stories come together in a pretty brilliant way. I hope this new author writes some more, because I would love to read more of her work.
Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumplestilskin's Name by Bonnie M. Hennessy was kindly provided to me by Tribute Books Blog Tours for review. The opinions are my own.
Twisted was a dark and creative re-telling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale. You know how so many fairy tales in their original form are tragic and scary? This felt original and authentic like those stories. It definitely wasn't Disney.
None of the characters are great people. Not even the main characters. They all have made some pretty bad life choices. That was part of the story's intrigue though. As the story unfolds, many other stories come together in a pretty brilliant way. I hope this new author writes some more, because I would love to read more of her work.
Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumplestilskin's Name by Bonnie M. Hennessy was kindly provided to me by Tribute Books Blog Tours for review. The opinions are my own.
December 18, 2016
Not your mother's Rumplestiltskin
Well written with interesting characters you sometimes aren't sure whether you like or loathe. The plot is intricate and never lets you catch your breath. The ending left me spooked.
Well written with interesting characters you sometimes aren't sure whether you like or loathe. The plot is intricate and never lets you catch your breath. The ending left me spooked.
April 3, 2018
DNF after 2nd chapter. Was very uncomfortable with the very prominent references to the brothel, and how bad Aoife's parents were.
November 23, 2021
Ok this book wasn’t badly written but a lot of it was forgettable, I was thinking it was around 3 stars, an ok read but then large parts of the plot made no sense at all. So she sees rumple for the first time and recoils in horror, the next night she tries to make amends for her reaction but then declares her love for him and kisses him? Wth? Towards the end it’s suggested that she pretended to love him, which makes more sense but it leads you to believe that these feelings are real, and like seriously just came out of nowhere over a cup of tea. Then his reaction made even less sense, he demands she stay with him, when she says she needs to return for her family but will come back to him he demands she choose between him or her family, like what? She’s known you 2 days! When she chooses her family he forces her to marry the duke and will only release her (from the marriage maybe I don’t know I gave up trying to make sense of it) when she gives him the dukes greatest treasure. The duke was horrid at first, he becomes more likeable as the book goes on so can see why she ends up loving him, but it’s hard to get past the fact he tried to force her into marriage even threatening to burn her as a witch, like come on, there’s no coming back from that really. Then it turns out that rumple wants to learn his name as proof that his mother loved him and named him but when she’s showing him proof he acts like a petulant child, i’m sure you are meant to feel sad at the end but I didn’t, not even a little bit
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2018
Rumpelstiltskin is my favorite fairytale from childhood which I’m sure says much about me lol. Still I’ve been obsessed lately with getting retellings because Rumple deserves the love that beauty and the beast and Snow White get.
This story was insanely magical and it really felt like I was reading an actual fairytale made for me. The hero being so self sufficient and capable and never wanting to have anyone take care of her made me love her instantly. Ronan being able to grow and show so much character development was amazing and the little man going from a saving grace to the villain you still feel for was amazing. All the stars.
This story was insanely magical and it really felt like I was reading an actual fairytale made for me. The hero being so self sufficient and capable and never wanting to have anyone take care of her made me love her instantly. Ronan being able to grow and show so much character development was amazing and the little man going from a saving grace to the villain you still feel for was amazing. All the stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2023
A great retelling
As someone who truly enjoys a fairytale retelling, I was not disappointed with this beautifully reimagined retelling of Rumplestiltskin.
I loved how the author grabbed a fairytale where the main character is mostly passive throughout her misfortune and turned her into a brave and resilient heroine. Throw I wish I could have felt more for her love interest.
I absolutely recommend this read to anyone looking to get lost in a imaginative reinterpretation of this classic tale.
As someone who truly enjoys a fairytale retelling, I was not disappointed with this beautifully reimagined retelling of Rumplestiltskin.
I loved how the author grabbed a fairytale where the main character is mostly passive throughout her misfortune and turned her into a brave and resilient heroine. Throw I wish I could have felt more for her love interest.
I absolutely recommend this read to anyone looking to get lost in a imaginative reinterpretation of this classic tale.
February 2, 2019
A high 2.5, almost 3. It was such a short story that I almost classify it as a short story. I enjoyed the tale but the end seemed to rushed, even though it was meant to be rushed considering the circumstances, but there could have been more put in the end instead of the beginning and middle. I almost wish this was expanded and I'm now interested in reading more books based of this fairy tale. But I did enjoy the actual reasoning for how R got his name and why he was the way he was. That added to the story.
March 3, 2019
I very much enjoyed this book. It had a great story line and was very captivating to read. The characters were very well written, even though all the men in the book seemed to be sexist and misunderstood. I would love for the author to write more of these fairy tale books as they were definitely one of my favorites.
June 8, 2023
A decent twist on a classic tale. I enjoyed the journey along the way and it was a nice quick read. I am always a sucker for a retelling and this one is rarely done. While it still had some of the original story elements but the author made it their own. May have to see what other books they may have written.
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February 5, 2018As the name proclaims, this was an incredibly twisted version of Rumplestiltskin. Although I enjoyed the first part, the second part became far too dark for me. As such, I don't feel right rating the book or recommending it.
July 21, 2020
This was.fantastic from start to finish. I'm off to see what else the author has written!
September 7, 2017
Surprisingly good
I usually don't expect a lot out of a debut author, but this one I couldn't put down. Very well written and captivating!
I usually don't expect a lot out of a debut author, but this one I couldn't put down. Very well written and captivating!
February 6, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I never cared much for the original fairy tale, but this retelling was absolutely amazing. It made Rumpelstiltskin seem so human, so real. The main characters are quite well developed, and the storytelling is solid. I really liked this book
July 7, 2017
Wasn't my favorite for several reasons, but I finished it. I was not a fan of the writing style, there was no detail or explanation and the dialogue wasn't great. I didn't really get into the story until more than half way through, and the first half almost made me stop so many times. But the end redeemed it enough that I'm not entirely disappointed in wasting time reading this.
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