Rapunzella, Or, Don't Touch My Hair

by Ella McLeod

A genre-bending YA that weaves together inner-city life and a wildly dangerous fairytale universe.

Rapunzella is imprisoned in an enchanted forest made of her own Afro and the might of the evil King Charming seems unstoppable. But is it? Can Rapunzella use her power to change the future?

You're fifteen, you spend your time at school and at Val's hair salon with Baker, Val's son, who has eyes that are like falling off a cliff into space. The salon is a space of safety, but also of possibility and dreams... Dreams of hair so rich and alive that it grow upwards and outwards into a wild landscape, becomes trees and leaves, and houses birds and butterflies and all the secret creatures that belong in such a forest.

Is there a future where such possibility and power is more than just a dream?

Ella McLeod's debut merges poetry and prose in a stunningly lyrical, heart-piercingly honest exploration of a teenager coming into her power as a young woman.

A bold new voice in YA fiction, Ella McLeod is a spoken word poet and performer.
Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Dean Atta and Kalynn Bayron.

A celebration of Black hair and the power of coming into your identity.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Queer, LGBT, Retellings, Fiction, Fairy Tales

384 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2022

Reviews

[Charlotte Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I inhaled this book. Clever and rhythmic, with an incredible writing style that's as unique and gorgeous as the book's now iconic cover art.

[Melanie Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anders als alles, was ich erwartet habe. Definitiv cool durch die ganzen Black Girl Magic Komponenten

[Donal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning exploration of what it means to find one's place in the world. Told through the eyes of a young girl, this book brings you on a gorgeous journey of adolescence, friendship, courage and love

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where was this book when I was a teen? What a beautiful book.

[Book_and_tea_magic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest I bought this book because i saw it on tiktok and because the cover was absolutely beautiful, I love the whole story of Rapunzella and magic the bit I didn't quite like is the was some of it is written on poetry form, I don't really like poetry that much, I loved the feminism and "girl power" in stopping the evil king from taking their magic. I loved how different it was from the original story of Rapunzel and how a prince saved her from the evil witch (I haven't read any fairytales in a long time but I'm sure that's how the original fairytale goes) and they lived happily ever after I loved that it was all down to Rapunzella and having her family/coven around her to stop evil from ruling.

I liked how you didn't know the other protagonist's name until the last minute and how it was written from her point of view so you connected with her and understood what her life was like.

Like I said earlier the only thing I didn't like was the parts written in like a poetry form other than that the book was great.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh, imagery-rich story that upends a lot of fairy tale tropes. Incredible world building, creative writing style, fully-realized characters, and a powerful calling-out of racial and misogynistic micro-aggressions.
And that cover!

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is black girl magic in its truest form. i will be shouting from the rooftops about this book for the rest of my life.

[Clover · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
Alternating chapters of verse and second-person POV as a six year old girl.

Sometimes going into books blind is a blessing. Sometimes I'm the curse. The cover is gorgeous. The blurb was interesting enough. It wasn't until I started reading that I realised it was second-person, and you're six. It was too hard to immerse myself in the world this way. I really did like the verse chapters and this would have been perfect if it was in any other POV than second.

I appreciate the artistry and the efforts of Ella McLeod, so I am happy I tried it out. The writing is very flowery and trying to evoke vivid imagery, so it might not be for everyone.

Super happy to see this in the library! Check your local library and request it!

[insy]

one thing about me is I will eat up any rapunzel adaptation 😩

this was such a joy to read!! the cover is stunning, the prose and poetry interweave in two worlds and flow together perfectly - a human world and a magical world. the protagonist of this story is kind of the side character and is written in second pov which is very interesting and unique. rapunzella herself is the main character however she is written in third pov when it's her perspective. ultimately this is a story about black girl magic and boy did it deliver. I can't believe this is the author's debut!!!! more people need to read this!!!!

[chia · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

Not only do I despise 2nd person POV but I’m a six year old girl. I think I’m good on this. 2 stars bc I didn’t make it far and it wouldn’t be fair to give 1 star

[Jai Niah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever experienced counting the number of pages left in the book you are reading and basically gaslighting yourself into reading a few more chapters so that you could just move on to a new book? That’s basically how I felt throughout reading this book.

LIKES:
First of all, I really like the cover—it’s so pretty. Honestly, it is what made me read this book since it is giving “self-love girly vibes.”
The storyline builds up slowly, but the ending was unpredictable. I was expecting that I am “Rapunzella,” but turns out that I was just more like a companion—helping the REAL main character. I find this interesting and makes it unique compared to other books.

DISLIKES:
Though I love the message, representation, and storyline, I feel like the style of how it is written isn’t—in any way—for me. Maybe because of the way it is narrated with much poetry to the point where it becomes hard to follow. It is confusing—personally.
The story is also a little bit boring at first—starting with the readers’ (my) POV as a six-year-old, which is a little bit awkward for me. The story only gets interesting at the end part, especially when she’s already with Baker. (You can tell that the genre is obviously not for me cuz just 10%ish of the book is romance—even though most of the book is about the main character deeply admiring Baker from afar).

*

Overall, this book is a good story— it just does not suit my taste. If you like poetry and you think that you are imaginative enough to process poetic lines that jump around a lot between scenes, then this book might be for you.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a refreshing take on the Rapunzel story, and I mean EVERY element of this is refreshing, from the prose to the format to the second-person perspective and the story beats themselves.

If you aren’t keen on poetry this may not be the book for you however I adored the fairy-tale nature of the interspersed empowered poetry, creating an inherent sense of fantasy and ‘otherworldliness’.

I hadn’t read a novel written in the second person before and I found in jarring in the best way. I am not black, I did not grow up in a deprived region of London, so by making the perspective so aggressively personal it challenged my assumptions and allowed me to feel the way so many others have felt reading narratives with white middle/upper class protagonists. The protagonist was no longer a self-insert but a very different pair of eyes to my own. However this also reflected the journey of our main character fitting into another world and her own on multiple levels.

This book covers gentrification, feminism and racism through a compelling and refreshing narrative. I would recommend it to anyone regardless of race, class or gender.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always on the hunt for books to add to our cosmetology's reading list and quickly borrowed it to read for myself. While it didn't pull me in, I also question whether teens in my HS will be pulled in either because it's a mix of realistic and fantasy with magical elements and a whimsical ethereal atmosphere that makes it hard to categorize. And this is usually my jam however I didn't know what McLeod's vision was because I know she has a vision for the book and I didn't seem to grasp it. Though it absolutely rings to Black girl magic and power.

Maybe as an audiobook I could immerse myself but I struggle with how to sell it to my high schoolers.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely stunning book! I loved the fairytale world, the essence of growing from girl into young woman, all the beautiful descriptions (the FOOD, yum), the relationships and the incredible magic. If you've been wondering whether or not to pick this up I HIGHLY recommend. The writing alone is stunning, but crafting a world like this whilst still impressing important social commentary is such a fine and impressive balance.

Can't wait for her next book!!

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf


I can't handle the telling of the story from my point of view
You are ethis and that is not working and the poetry just breaks things up and I've got to try and get back into the story.
Had to decide that for the greater good I couldn't be bothered
Nice cover interesting idea but not executed to my taste.

[Agita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not the main target for this book but I do think young black girls should read this story and see how powerful their hair is.

It was enjoyable story and it made me like the main character and be annoyed with her choices but it is real though. Teenagers don’t know any better and will do things to fit in. She did learn in the end and I am glad I read this book.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really know how i honestly feel about this book. The setting of the book is similar as all of my favorite books and it includes an amazing amount of black girl magic but i wasn't as engaged in it as much as other books. maybe it was because i skipped allot of pages but i might read it again and give a second chance in a few months.

[Sonia Haddad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book that combines fantasy and reality, written beautifully with compelling characters and a fascinating storyline that will keep you turning the page. It made me both laugh and cry. I totally recommend it.

[Terry Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fresh take on Rapunzel that blends formats (prose chapters with chapters-in-verse). Sometimes I found the shifts a bit disjointed. For fans of fairy tale retellings, this would be a great choice.

[Kat Delacorte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gorgeous from start to finish. It's a lyrical, genre-bending, feminist reimagining of Rapunzel, packed with stunning imagery and clever twists. I will be waiting (im)patiently for Ella McLeod's next book!!

[Lari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books are fantastic, but you know you'll never read them again. This is one of them. Very powerful, excellent mixing of poetry and prose, but I don't think I can read through those teenage years again.

[Una · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different and interesting take on the fairy tale. Main character felt very like a teenager, saw a lot of my teenage self in her. Really enjoyable read and the prose breaking up some chapters really added to the magical feel of the book.

[Brittany]

dnf @ 5%
This is a case of its me not the book. The language in this one is too flowery for me and it seems to be told in alternating chapters in verse like writing. While the story sounds intriguing the writing style wasn't going to work for me.

[Lovanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent book about black girls hair. I really didn’t know what to expect as I just decided to read it based on the cover. It’s cute but at times the writing is kind of long and it gets kind of confusing in some of the parts. I found the ending to really help tie a lot of things together.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

spectacular, just absolutely wonderful

[Will Adolphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried, I smiled and I couldnt put this down by the last 1/3. A very unique, genre bending, EPIC tale that I very much recommend. It had so much.

[Tina Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous writing weaving fairy tale fantasy with waking world challenges.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Natalia Šupková · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first i thought i wouldn’t really like it cause of the writing but It was amazing, i really loved it