What Once Was Mine (A Twisted Tale): A Twisted Tale
Book by Liz Braswell
DETAILS
Publisher : Disney-Hyperion (September 7, 2021) Language : English Hardcover : 512 pages ISBN-10 : 1368063829 ISBN-13 : 978-1368063821 Reading age : 12 - 18 years Grade level : 7 - 12 Item Weight : 1.55 pounds , The 12th installment in the New York Times best-selling series asks: What if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower? Desperate to save the life of their queen and her unborn child, the good citizens of the kingdom comb the land for the all-healing Sundrop flower to cure her . . . but someone mistakenly picks the blossom of the Moondrop instead. This shimmering flower heals the queen and she delivers a healthy baby girl―with hair as silver and gray as the moon. But with her mysterious hair comes dangerous magical powers: the power to hurt, not heal. For the safety of the kingdom, Rapunzel is locked away in a tower and put under the care of the powerful goodwife, Mother Gothel. For eighteen years Rapunzel stays imprisoned in her tower, knowing she must protect everyone from her magical hair. When she finally decides to leave the only home she's ever known―to see the floating lights that appear on her birthday―she gets caught up in an unexpected adventure with two thieves: a would-be outlaw named Gina, and Flynn Rider, a rogue on the run. Before she can reach her happy ending, Rapunzel learns that there is far more to her story, and her magical hair, and her future than she ever knew. For more twisted adventures, try the other books in the A TWISTED TALE series: A Whole New World by Liz Braswell Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell As Old As Time by Liz Braswell Reflection by Elizabeth Lim Part of Your World by Liz Braswell Mirror, Mirror by Jen Calonita Conceal, Don't Feel by Jen Calonita Straight On Till Morning by Liz Braswell So This is Love by Elizabeth Lim Unbirthday by Liz Braswell Go the Distance by Jen Calonita Read more
REVIEW
I've read most of the Twisted Tales series, and knew going in that Braswell is one of my personal favorites. She's done Part of Your World, Straight on Till Morning, and A Whole New World (the first and one of the best). So it's entirely likely that someone picking up this book has already read through most of them. The most clever thing Braswell does with this particular story is adding a framing device. There are several chapters that cut away to a pair of twins: a girl and a boy. The girl has cancer, and is obsessed with Tangled. So the boy, tired of watching the movie again and again as well as reading a novelization/storybook version, decides to retell the story in his way. Braswell uses this to explain why there are various changes, and every few chapters, we go back to the cancer ward and check in on these characters. There's some commentary on the writing process, and a few moments that almost feel like Braswell addressing common complaints of the Twisted Tales series (at one point the girl insists that they still need the magic and the weirdness of Pascal and Maximus; the brother concedes). It's an interesting technique that mostly works. Mostly because it also puts some distance between us and the original characters. Suddenly Rapunzel, Flynn/Eugene, and new character Gina are all once removed from us as readers. The framing makes them a little less real, and it takes a bit more to get into their stories. We already know going in that this is a Disney property and that certain things must happen: good wins, the two hetero leads fall in love, magic abounds. But this frame weakens it even further, which isn't a great move. It's disappointing, as the rest of the book is good. It's well written, and Braswell's wit is on full display. Flynn/Eugene, Rapunzel, and the rest of the already existing cast feel like their original selves, and the various additions blend in well (the Tangled fan in me wishes that Braswell had watched the animated series and worked in some of those elements; Cassandra could have subbed in for Gina without much difficulty. They're almost the same character). The main twist is in the summary: Rapunzel's mom drank a different flower. This makes some interesting changes that more or less work out. The story itself does play slightly differently, a sort of butterfly effect rippling out. I do like the overall feeling of empowering Rapunzel (which isn't hard, she's already a pretty empowered princess unlike some of them; lookin' at you, Aurora), as she has agency and magic of her own, both of which work well. All in all, the book is a very good entry in the series and worth picking up if you're a fan of Tangled or even just looking into a fun YA fantasy. It's not quite perfect, though admittedly that framing might not bother some readers (particularly younger ones) as much as it did me. Personally I'd give it an 8 out of ten; quite good, but with room for improvement. (for more reviews from me, check out my blog: https://fatereviewsstuff.com/ , which focuses primarily on Nintendo Switch games and more).
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