I enjoyed this take on Tangled. It was a good twist to the original movie. I think the author did such a wonderful job with the characters and she added new characters to the story that made it even more interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the ARC to this book!

This book wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the dual narration style because it kept bringing me out of the story. I feel like this would work really well as a movie or TV show but for me it just kept the characters at a distance and I couldn’t get absorbed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This story started slow which made it a bit hard to get into, but after getting into it I did end up enjoying it. I went into this book without having ever read a twisted tale and liked it in the end. I thought it was unique without being overly far removed from the original tale.

I have genuinely never cared less about the plot of a book. I was pretty disappointed because I have read one other Twisted Tale that I at least enjoyed so I thought this would be a fun read. Unfortunately, I almost DNF'd at multiple points because I just did not care what happened.

The frame story was strange, since none of the other books use this device and I really don't think it served a purpose that I could identify. I appreciate the author's personal experience with having a sibling with cancer but it felt really shoehorned into this story.

Also, just saying, this book would have been vastly better if the "love story" was between Gina and Rapunzel. I say "love story" in quotes because Flynn and Rapunzel barely interacted in this story and then somehow are in love...ugh.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the eARC in exchange for a review.

What if the story you knew was different? In What Once Was Mine, Rapunzel is born with silver hair instead of gold. With strange and somewhat dangerous abilities instead of healing ones. This novel took elements from the film Tangled and altered the story to fit a different lens. This story introduced new characters that were a fun addition to the plot along with giving more depth to some of the pre-existing characters. This story is a unique concept of what could’ve been.

What a perfect book to just sit back and enjoy. It reads like a movie; not just the Tangled movie that it obviously based on but it felt like The Princess Bride with the alternate POV of the kids. I could definitely see this being a family read before bedtime.

As someone who has loved the movie Tangled since it came out in 2010, I never thought that anything would be able to hold a candle to its magic. When I picked this book up, I was pretty skeptical, but it proved me wrong and I could not be happier about it.

I absolutely adored all of the "twisted" aspects about the story, and the addition of Gina was amazing. At first, I worried that she would somehow replace Flynn, but instead she gave me what I thought this story needed most: another person for him to trust.

I also loved the small side-story about Brendan and his sister. They made all the downtime in this book worthwhile. Not that there was much downtime as the story was so action-packed that it was impossible to be bored, but I still looked forward to seeing their cute sibling banter.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who comes across it. It will not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A look into an alternate reality where the Rapunzel we all got to know and love from Disney's film Tangled is given a bit of an edge, and a dark side.
The story is told using the framing device of a brother telling a story to his sick sister, think Prince Bride vibes, and the back and forth between the framing device and the story are a little jarring at first but become an enjoyable part of the reading experience.
The characters are similar to those in the original Disney film but have more backstory and more depth, and some even have unexpected side plots and character growth.
A lovely story with a happy ending, it's the middle that's changed, and that's what makes it interesting! Readers who love fairy tales, classic stories, and a little bit of intrigue will fall in love with this dark Rapunzel and a whole new story!

I absolutely adore this series of Disney’s twisted tales, and I was completely intrigued by this book! I thought it was really interesting that the moon drop plant was used on accident instead of the sun drop, and that Rapunzel’s hair becomes dangerous instead of being able to heal! (Also, I’m sure it would’ve looked so beautiful in the movie if her hair had been silver!) Overall I liked the book, it wasn’t my favorite out of the series, but it was good! Can’t wait to see what comes next!

I actually liked this book, I don't know Rapunzel's story as a princess, I just know she was stuck in a tower but I did not know why, but because of this book I actually even watched the movie, Its really cute. Anyway, this retelling was so different and a little boring, but then its a YA book and also a Disney character, which now as an adult I find a little difficult to get into. Not saying that this book was horrible, I actually finished it, it was different to read that her hair is actually killing, instead of healing?? That was pretty different, I will try to get into the other Twisted Tales, maybe its because I am not a HUGE fan of Rapunzel??????? lol. But if you are I would go for it.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

First twisted tales I read and it has all the Disney magic I could ask for. Wonderful not so Disney story but kept true to all the original details and facts. I only gave 4 stars because I did not enjoy the story being told in the form of a made up story by a brother comforting his sister. It wasn't necessary and contributed nothing to the book at all. I had no interest in knowing what the sister thought or why the brother told the story the way he did.

Spoiler Free

Rapunzel was locked away in a tower by Mother Gothel because her parents thought she was cursed. Her hair was not golden, nor was she able to control how it grew. She was filled with magic from the Moondrop flower. Terrible mistake made by the royal family thinking the had found the Sundrop flower.

Growing up knowing that her hair is deadly and not for good she lives in the tower happily. Mostly anyways. Mother Gothel treats her well, makes sure she never goes hungry and decides to auction her off to the highest bidder. Wait what?! That is right; Rapunzel is up for bid highest offer wins. On the night she wishes for nothing more than to see the floating lights is the same night she is supposed to be offered to the winner. Mother Gothel of course thinks she has the perfect plan in place and nothing can go wrong. What she didn't plan on is Rapunzel deciding she will go see the floating lanterns herself without Mother approval.

Along the way Flynn Rider and Gina become Rapunzel's closest friends. Besides Pascal of course. On her adventure into the woods she begins to learn that her hair is not what is seems to be. Not only evil and death comes from it. What she learns is not exactly good either. Things of course go wrong and she is left with nothing but her glowing hair and her own truths that have yet to be told. Rapunzel has to step outside everything Mother Gothel taught her about the world and herself to find her true family again. It will cost her but she doesn't know that yet.

There is humor in this book that I laughed very hard at. Just like the Disney movies, adults can enjoy this story and get a good chuckle from it. Not all happy endings have to be fairytale like either.

This was such a fun retelling of Tangled! The story starts off similar to the original movie, but goes completely off the rails part way through. I've only read one other twisted tale story before and didn't really enjoy the changes made to that one, but this one I had a fun time with Rapunzel and gang. The twisted tales seems to be a bit darker than the movies; Mother Gothel tries to auction off Rapunzel and her magic to the highest bidder, either as a wife or a slave. We encounter another villain this way: Countess Bathory, who in the story remains true to the rumors of her bathing in virgin blood to retain her youth.

Keeping in mind that the target audience is teens, I didn't have a hard time being in Rapunzel's head as we explore the world for the first time outside of her tower. I originally thought that the book would follow most of the movie, but early on we meet Gina, who encourages Rapunzel to control her magic and take on adventures herself. I quite enjoyed the little ending with Gina and Flynn; the author definitely foreshadowed this throughout the book but I didn't catch this until the end.

Overall, this was a touching story. We got to explore more of Rapunzel's relationship with Mother Gothel, and the Snuggly Duckling gang plays a larger role. I would definitely watch this as a movie.

Thank you for the EArc NetGalley & Hyperion. I typically love these stories because I love the twists on the typically fairy tale. This one I could have done without though. The story was slow and I struggled to get through it. Rapunzel has never been a favorite anyway but this was just a snooze fest. Love the author and will still read whatever she puts out but this was a miss.

This was my first Disney retelling and I’m said to say that I did not finish it. I was so incredibly bored. I felt like nothing was progressing and I had to force myself to read it. First I said I would read 30% and if I got bored I would stop but then I read 50% and that was it for me. It took me 4 WHOLE DAYS just to get to 50% and I’m a pretty fast reader. I guess I just don’t like fairy-tail retelling but that wasn’t the only problem of this book. I didn’t form ANY relationships with any of the characters and the plot seemed dry and lifeless. I did though enjoy how I got to read about some my favorite child hood characters again, because that made me very happy. Other than that this book was incredibly slow and basically had no plot, and if I’m being honest it seems like a cash grab. A perfect way to make money when in reality the story was not written out well. Personally I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone unless you REALLY want to read a fairy tale retelling but otherwise no.

Tangled is one of my absolute favorite Disney movies, so I was thrilled to find out Liz Braswell was going to be twisting the tale. And she did not disappoint. The plot is brilliant, the characters are so well-developed, and I loved, loved, loved the magic. The story within a story element too is very touching. If you're a fan of the Twisted Tale series, definitely add this one to your TBR list!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Rapunzel is one of my favourite Disney Princess out there. In this instalment instead of drinking from the sunflower Rapunzel's mother drank from a moonflower.
So instead of getting healing power from her hair Rapunzel got deadly killing power. The story starts where she wanted to see the floating lights but her mother had bigger plans for her.
Flyn and Gina were amazing. And the adventure is what made this book different and more intriguing.
I have some mixed feelings about this. At some point the story seemed quite slow to me. And the moonflower really didn’t made that big difference. The romance could been more developed I guess.
But overall, this was fun a quick. If you're looking for a fun, intriguing and of course full of adventure retelling, definitely give this a try.

2.5/5 stars
This was such a disappointment. I feel like Liz Braswell is such a hit or miss author for me. I loved Unbirthday, and I really didn't like this. The story was plain and boring, and the fact that she drank from the moonflower didn't reeeeally have much to do with the story. She can kill instead of heal, Gothel should have trained her to be an assassin that she then sells to the highest bidder; not keep her locked up and innocent then to sell to the highest bidder. The romance was so rushed and didn't feel like it worked. Her parents were strange and it really felt like here dad couldn't care less about what happened to her. The writing was juvenile and lackluster, and overall just really disappointing.

Tangled is one of my favorites of the 'new' Disney princess movies and I loved the twist to this story! What if, instead of Rapunzel's hair healing, she grew up believing she had 'murderhair'? While the story starts basically the same, the different adventures we go on with Rapunzel as she meets Flynn and Gina (who's amazing!!) were so fun and the pace of the story moves so well! It was fun getting more magic in this story and more history too! I think I particularly loved that this was told as a brother tweaking the story for his little sister while she's getting cancer treatments, it made it more personal in a way, and very Princess Bride-esque! Another solid entry in one of my favorite series and I can't wait for more Twisted Tales!!

A new take on the classic tale of Rapunzel, particularly the newest Disney version with our favorite rogue Flynn. The story asks... what if instead of the sundrop flower that had all healing abilities... Rapunzel was impacted by the moondrop flower that destroys, even kills everything. Rapunzel is now considered a danger to her family and even the kingdom and is sent off to live with a caretaker... aka Mother Gothel. However this Mother Gothel has much more sinister plans than simply using Rapunzel’s hair to maintain her youth. Rapunzel is still determined to see the floating lantern lights on her birthday but as the events went, Mother Gothel is having none of that. Cue a mysterious crown stealing thief who catches Rapunzel’s eye, especially his wanted poster. Now Rapunzel will need to team up with Flynn and her new friend Gina in order to not only see the floating lights but to uncover her identity, her “mother”s intentions, and survive the upcoming journey. This is told from the perspective of a brother retelling the story to his sister who is in the hospital. It was definitely a unique take on the story and had a much darker undertone. I did enjoy Flynn and the sweet moments between them. I did like the addition of Gina as a best friend for Rapunzel. I found the book to be an enjoyable take on the disney version and would definitely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney-Hyperion for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Once upon a time, a princess with magic hair lived in a desolate tower and she was ready to get out and find adventure.

What Once Was Mine is a retelling inspired by the movie Tangled, Tangled is one of my favorites Disney movies ever, I was very excited to read this new story, this version tackles more issues than the original movie and takes a different path. Honestly, I think the story can be a hit or miss for Tangled lovers, but I think that if you love the movie and want an alternative version this is a good and fun option.

What is different and I like:
• Friendship
• Witchcraft
• Strong women
• New characters

Rapunzel has spent her entire life secluded in a tower, her dream is to see the floating lights but her mother does not want to take her, Rapunzel possesses magic, but is very dangerous and can hurt people. Now, Rapunzel is 19th and wants to prove the opposite, she can control her magic. She ventures outside and adopts a small lizard that her magic does not hurt, it is when she sets out on a mission: Find Flynn Rider so that he can take her to see the floating lights.
But finding the thief is not so easy, instead, She will meet Gina, a young petty thief.

What I like about this version is that Rapunzel does not wait for Flynn to arrive, she goes to look for him, she makes friends and finds a way to learn about her powers and how to control them, here, her hair is a little more problematic and is a little more complex than in the movie, moon magic is so interesting and finds it original too.

Also, I like the development of her character, she is a strong woman and soon gains confidence in herself and her powers. The romance was a very cute and slow burn. Flynn will always be one of my favorites.
And Mother Gothel is not the only villain, Rapunzel is in danger.

I found this retelling with an interesting approach, is a good balance between realism and fantasy, there are villains taken from real life and not cute animals that behave like humans, but still magic exists.