Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale Retelling

by Anna Sinjin, Ruxandra Tudorica (Illustrator)

A horror retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale
Generations after Rapunzel's original imprisonment in the tower, a prince travels to her rescue. He soon learns, however, that he shouldn't believe everything he hears.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Ebooks, Short Stories, Retellings, Paranormal, Fiction

14 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2021

About the author

Anna Sinjin grew up binging on fantasy and horror. Movies, books, music… And when outside stimuli weren’t available, her imagination took charge and carried the torch. The result? The ability to keep herself entertained at all times. And a healthy fear of what might be lurking under her bed.

Anna lives with her husband and son in a small Nebraska town, surrounded by cows and her own overactive imagination. Her home might be a tad barren of fantasy for her imagination to play with, but when the fog rolls in and erases the outside world, there’s plenty of horror in which to indulge.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly don’t go for such short stories. But I am a sucker for Grimms’ Fairy Tales and all sorts of reimaginings. So, most notably, was the quality of the writing. Anna Sinjin is clearly a very talented storyteller and writer. The wording, style, and flow were all crisp as a fresh dollar bill. However, my biggest issue is that as soon as I found myself getting into the story, it was over. Just all happened way too fast, which was a real bummer, because I wanted to take a deep dive into this even darker, gritty retelling of the classic. However, aside from the brevity, this was a really solid short story.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining horror listening 🎶🔰

This is a free novella e-book from Amazon.

Rapunzel is a beautiful thing about the village then one day she goes missing. People search for her without success until one day when the Prince finds the tower and Rapunzel. He returns home and returns to the tower and is never heard 👂 of again. Years later another Prince finds the tower and Rapunzel. What is surprise.

I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers of fantasy haunting novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😀👑🏰

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale Retelling
Author: Anna Sinjin
Format: Kindle (Free)

[ Enjoyed ] Yes.
[ Last Read ] Last night.
[ Reread ] No thanks.

[ Cover Lust ] Noooooo.
[ Intriguing Title ] No.
[ Interesting Premise/Plot ] Didn't look.
[ Preview Impressions ] Looks like it'll hold my attention.

[ Kept My Attention ] Yes.
[ Got Bored / Mind Wandering ] No.
[ Skimmed/Skipped Scenes/Chapters ] No.
[ Reread Past Scenes For Fun ] No.
[ Reread Past Scenes Cause My Memory Sucks To Clear Confusion ] No.

[ Stayed Up Late ] No, well, yes. (Should have gone to sleep instead but decided to read it anyway since it's short.)
[ Took a Long Break Midway ] Too short to. >_<
[ Ending Left Me Feeling ] *blank stare* Okay, time to go to sleep for real now. >_<

[ Easy Light Reading ] Yes.
[ Turn Brain Off ] *shrugs*
[ Guilty Pleasure ] Not really.

Other thoughts I'm throwing in: (Might contain spoilers; I fail at identifying them.)
A short Rapunzel retelling with a horror twist. The twist isn't really a twist--I'm not even a horror fan--and the cover art pretty much gives it away. At the start of the story, it begins like any other fantasy / fairy tale before some suspicious arises. It doesn't turn to horror(?) until the very end.

At one point I was probably overthinking. For some reason, I thought maybe the witch that the dumb prince killed was actually Rapunzel, while the singing beauty in the tower was the witch. And like, the witch used her magic to change their appearances and made Rapunzel her servant. But after the dumb prince killed the old hag, I realized that probably isn't the case. Instead, the "witch" was bloody happy to be killed and finally free of "Rapunzel." She was probably an unfortunate mortal girl that got tricked and spent her life playing the witch role.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of eBook

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

So begins the fairytale familiar to most readers. Several have tried to rescue the young maiden, but all have vanished, never seen again. After a while, wise men stop trying to rescue the young maiden.

But Prince Rollin is determined to rescue the fair maiden and make her his wife.

What will happen to Prince Rollin when he finds his way to the tower in which Rapunzel is imprisoned?

A strong sense of place anchors this story, a tale that is sure to be familiar to every reader. The fair maiden, the witch, the prince . . . all appear here, exactly as the reader expects to find them. But as the denouement nears, the familiarity falls away.

Cleverly told, readers are certain to expect a twist at the end . . . and what a surprise awaits them. [Unless the reader has looked at the cover; it pretty much gives away the entire surprise ending.]

A superb retelling of the fairy tale that is sure to leave the reader wishing the story was just a bit longer . . . .

Highly recommended.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this. I read it as a preview of the type of writer the author is so I can decide if I’ll read her other works and I wasn’t disappointed. It was too short for my liking though, I feel she could have done sooooo much with this short story if she made it longer. Regardless it was free to me and overall very enjoyable

[Shantel (Nixy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t have high hopes for this book when it said that it was 16 pages long even though I’m an avid reader of novellas & short stories. However the idea of this book has a lot of potential. I was very disappointed in how this played out because of the potential that it could have. If this was a full length novel I think it could have been solid.

[Samuel Feather · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!!!!

I LOVED this book!! I never thought about this fairytale like this and enjoyed the change from the normal three star horror books on the kindle store. I loved this book and am going going to look for more by the author.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well...that was a super short, quick read but it was a lot of fun. Got the ebook free on Amazon and it was a fun time. Love fairytale retellings with a horror spin.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be careful of your heart, when you pledge it blindly.

[C.J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm mad, this book is too interesting to be so brief, wish the author would turn it into a full length book, though I saw the ending coming, it was still a really good read.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Fun little horror short that features the retelling of Rapunzel. Not a lot of surprise to this one. The twist is what would be expected.

[Brea Lanae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had great potential, but was just far too short.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guessed what the ending would be right when I started reading it, but the overall idea was interesting.

[Brianna Bello · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of Rapunzel but make it horror.
Really good short story that takes what you know about Rapunzel and twists it into a horror story. I loved this take and how the ending was super creepy.

[Jheneille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually wished it was longer

I enjoyed this short retelling way more than I expected and I actually wished it was a bit longer. When I got to the end I felt like the horror aspect was JUST starting and I wanted more of it even just one more page. It definitely is well written it felt just like I was reading a classic fairytale

[Kourtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rapunzel by Anna Sinjin had an unexpected ending. I really loved the short story though was definitely not exspecting her to eat his soul though.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mental snack for a dark appetite.

I usually don't go for the short stories side of fairytale retelling, so saying this was a short story was an understatement. Felt like a dark essay written by a juvenile. Just as I find myself getting into the story vibe; it was over. Just like that. End of story.
Nice choice of words used to gain interest, but it just wasn't enough.

[Lennie Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

:D

I loved this! The writing, the ending, everything. Oh, those poor dumb sweet princes! "More brawn than gray matter." That's excellent. Highly recommended! This would make an awesome campfire story.

[Neon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilling retelling.

I enjoyed this immensely and I was sad that it was shorter than I expected. Well worth the read, though.

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully dark

[Pauline]

No rating since it’s so short. But enjoyable nonetheless.

[Edie Walls · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay "dark" retelling. I wish there had been more set up to the twist (or more anything, really), but it was fine.

[Stacey Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a retelling of Rapunzel. This is a short scary story. I would recommend this during halloween. Not at all like your typical fairytale. I was shocked and this made me rethink reading fairytales.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not What You Think

A very very short story with a different take on a fairy tale everyone knows. Be prepared to be surprise when you say that this is not gonna end well for her rescuers. A good read though.

[Larry Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting spin

Interested spin on the fairy tale . Things aren't always what they seem to be or what you heard it to be.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHOA!!!! What a twisted...



twist!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Potential is the word that immediately came to mind as I finished. It’s a short story; so not much room to go really in depth—no character development, no backstory. You basically get a plot-driven narrative: “this is what people used to hear and think and do; and this is what this most recent person did”; quick reveal (you already know what’s coming). The End.

For such a short story, I’d say you get a good feel for what’s going on overall; so that’s good. And, I ended wanting more but mostly because the information was lacking; my craving was more born of filling in the blanks rather than intrigue. Also good—the the unique take. But, I think that the writing felt a little amateurish (which to be fair could be a byproduct of such a short story). And again—you only get the superficial. I’d love to read a fresh take on the witch’s motives as well as her and Rapunzel’s relationship over the years—when did this transition/evolution take place? Or was it like this from the start?

I feel Sinjin was onto something with this story. If she were to ever revisit this, take her time and flesh it out into a novel or even a novella, I would definitely give it a read.
I’ll be keeping an eye out.

[deidra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale Retelling by Anna Sinjin is a clever take of the Grimm fairy tale we all know and love. surely we know everything there is to know about the story or do we?
Rapunzel is a quick snack between meals, 14 pages and i gobbled it up in five minutes. very entertaining. while i get what the author was going for, i would've enjoyed a longer tale. but isn't that the mark of a good writer? leave them wanting more? Anna Sinjin certainly did that.
to sum up:
very recommended
4 stars out of 5

[Adelaide (LiterallyAdele) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moderate: Confinement, Death
Minor: Kidnapping

This is a dark and interesting take on a classic fairy tale. Sinjin is a talented writer, using beautiful language and evocative imagery to bring the story to life. My biggest gripe is that this story is too short. I was just getting into the story, then it abruptly ended. This also led to a lack of depth and development in the characters. I did enjoy the story, though, so I can only hope that a lengthened version is on the cards in the future. The potential is certainly there.

[*BookarazziBookNook* Kristin B · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝑹𝒂𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒛𝒆𝒍, 𝑹𝒂𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒛𝒆𝒍, 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓!”

Rating:4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


It’s difficult for me to rate short stories because I want so much more substance. With that said, as far as short stories go, this was fun to read and the writing was clear and concise. I think this author would be a good one to read in longer novels and novellas.

I enjoyed this dark retelling of a classic.

I acquired this freebie from Stuff Your Kindle Day.

#rapunzel