My Name is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton
Paperback, First, 302 pages
Published November 22nd 2013 by Createspace
Age Group:Young Adult
Source: ecopy from Author
Summary:
My tale has been told again and again, and I’ve heard each one. Except for my hair, I barely recognize the pitiful renditions. Muddled versions, crafted to entertain laughing children…but the children wouldn’t have laughed if they’d known the real story. It wasn’t their fault. They didn’t know the truth. Nobody did.
My name is Rapunzel. I will tell you my story. I will tell you the truth.
My Name is Rapunzel is a very magical and nicely told re-telling of Rapunzel. I have not read too many fairy tale re-tellings, but funnily enough most of the re-tellings that I have read and seen have been about Rapunzel. I am not really sure why. Tangled for instance is a super cute disney movie about Rapunzel, and in that version she was the long lost daughter of a king and queen. In My Name is Rapunzel, the opposite is true. Rapunzel is in love with the son of the king, and just as they were about to start their lives together, a witch cursed them. All over that golden hair of hers. The witch cursed Rapunzel with immortality so that she would always have access to her hair and she made henry, Rapunzel’s love, disappear.
The book alternates between the past and present. It starts out in the past when she is going to run away and start a life with Henry and after a few chapters it switches to the present day. It continues to alternate between Rapunzel telling her past and the present until the two times merge into one. Rapunzel is telling her story to a newspaper writer that doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Rapunzel has been kept away from the rest of society for so long that when she read an article about fairytales from him she finally snapped. I felt really bad for Rapunzel, throughout the whole story you could really feel her isolation and how sad it made her. Every time she got close to someone or had some sort of friend or family, they were taken from her. It must be such a lonely existence. But at least she had her dragon looking over her. Yep, I said a dragon. My Name is Rapunzel has all the classic makings of a good fairy tale- magic, a crazy old witch, a curse, and even a dragon.
I loved the detail in My Name is Rapunzel. K.C. Hilton did a great job filling in the gaps in Rapunzels story and telling everything about her life. I loved her version of the tale. And I loved the vivid detail that the castle was described in. Rapunzel spent a lot of time inside, since she was banned from going into the village for so long, so she explored every inch of the castle. One of my favorite things was the secret underground garden that she discovered. It was extra little scenes like this that made me really enjoy My Name is Rapunzel. There were plenty of twists and turns too. Some of them were predictable, but more than a few took me by complete surprise. If you are a fan of re-tellings, you should really check out My Name is Rapunzel. It’s a magical and fun story.
Born and raised in Aurora, Illinois I spent my childhood climbing trees and playing street games with the neighborhood kids. I was a proud tomboy, until the day I didn’t want to hike the land to an old graveyard. From that point forward I was considered a “girl”.
At the age of seventeen I moved to Kentucky and eventually began to raise a family of my own. Having worn several “hats” my life has been an adventure all on its own. Still, to this day, I yearns to be a mechanic and own a pink toolbox with pink tools.
I can usually be found updating my website, reading great books, watching awesome movies or creating videos for my YouTube channel. Most days I craves Diet Coke, pizza and chocolate, in no particular order.
I don’t read scary books or watch horror movies… I’m way too scared! Lol.Author Links:
I really want to get my hand on a copy of My Name is Rapunzel for my feature coming up in March. I’m glad you enjoyed the novel. I think the cover looks amazing and the idea sounds super original. Tangled is my favorite Disney movie and I love the story of Rapunzel. Rapunzel Untangled and Towering are two other Rapunzel retellings that are good.
Thank you for joining the tour! =)
Well done, making a new story out of an old tale is not easy. Making one that works is even harder. Yet Hilton’s tale of Rapunzel manages to satisfy tradition while giving the story New life!
Recommended Angela Addiego – Bristol Bay Fishing Lodge
I love retellings and Rapunzel is one of my favorites. I will check this one out. Thanks for introducing me to this book.