Thank you Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for allowing me to read and review this book!

This is the 12th installment in the Twisted Tales series where the authors are asked a question and answer with a story. You do not need to read these books in order as they only pertain to the question asked about a specific Disney movie. There has never been a cross-over with any of the characters or films.

The question asked for Tangled/Rapunzel: What if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower?

I was super excited to see a Rapunzel book coming out. Tangled is one of my favorite Disney films. I however was not a fan of the book.

The last Twisted Tale I read was the Cinderella So This Is Love book. I really enjoyed that one and thought the question was answered perfectly.

I wanted to like this book but I couldn't get passed the breaking up of the pace when it'd switch between the brother narrator and the actual story I wanted. I kind of wish they had Flynn tell the story, it would have been so much better. The pacing would have probably flowed better and would have felt a little more "personal" with the character interactions, like maybe him telling their kids etc.

I enjoyed some moments and the darker twists to the story. I was able to get through the book and finish which is nice but it still wasn't an overall great read.

2.5 stars

In this dark and twisty tale of Rapunzel called What Once Was Mine, Rapunzel's mother was saved by a drop of moonlight fallen to Earth. Instead of healing powers, her silvery magical hair can kill! Rapunzel's parents send the child to live with Mother Gothel instead of being stolen. Overall, it was an interesting read, and I could hear Flynn Rider speaking within each piece of dialogue. However, it seemed forced to bring in all the characters of the film and television show. The backdrop of the sister with cancer was license for the author to make mistakes under the guise of the storyteller making mistakes. Every time it cut to the hospital, I would skim until I got back to the actual story.
I think it would have been cooler if Flynn was telling the tale to his children with Rapunzel. Or did it need a narrator? Disney's What If Marvel stories give us an all knowing narrator, maybe the princesses could have one too.

The 12th installment of a series that I absolutely adore. This did not disappoint in the “retelling” realm, and I loved the brand new twist on the very familiar story of Rapunzel. The new characters gave the story new life, and the way that it was told was something that I’ve never seen before.

Desperate to save the life of their queen and her unborn child, the citizens of the kingdom of Corona search 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, and herself, 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.

Overall this book was amazing, and one of the best that I've read this year. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.

**4.5-stars rounded up**

What Once Was Mine is the 12th-installment in Disney's long-running Twisted Tales series. So far, I have read 10 out of the 12 books and definitely have plans to read them all! If you are unfamiliar with this fantastic series, you can read these books in any order. Each one tackles a different Disney story, twisting one major plot point and then examining what would have happened because of that twist.

In this volume, Liz Braswell twists the tale of <i>Rapunzel</i>, or the movie, <i>Tangled</i>, if you prefer to look at it that way. Worried about the life of their ailing Queen, pregnant with her first child, the citizens of Corona search for the infamous Sundrop flower to cure her, but end up picking a Moondrop flower accidentally.

Because of this one tiny error, the baby girl, Rapunzel, has silver hair, the color of the moon, dangerous to the touch. In order to keep everyone safe, the Queen and King make the heartbreaking decision to have Rapunzel locked away in a Tower, far from the kingdom proper, and watched over by a powerful goodwife, Mother Gothel.

Rapunzel dutifully stays put for 18-years. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, but the pull of seeing the floating lights on her birthday is just too strong. She sets out on an adventure of epic proportions with two theives, Flynn and Gina, on a search for her happily ever after.

Y'all, this book is an absolute blast to read. Dare I say, the BEST TWISTED TALE YET!!!

If you love the story of Rapunzel, the cute and quirky characters within it, or you think that the movie Tangled is a true gem to be watched on repeat because of its glorious good humor, you absolutely have to get your hands on this book!

I have never jived with Braswell's writing as much as I did with this one. She really shines here, bringing this story and these characters to life in a whole new ((moon))light!!

A hearty thank you to the publisher, Disney Books and Disney Audio, for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. It absolutely filled my heart!

Another phenomenal twisted tale from Liz Braswell. This time the twist is on the Rapunzel fairy tale. It keeps all of the elements that we love about the original fairy tale (Flynn Ryder-swoon, Mother Gothel-boo, Pasqual-aww) and shakes it up a bit. The characters, both old and new, were so well developed that it didn’t take long to love them. The pacing was quick and on point. I look forward to reading the next book in the Twisted Tales series.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exxhcnage for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for making that possible.

This is not my first foray into thr Twisted Tales series. I have read several others in the collection, so I was excited to get my hands on this one.

What a ride! While I love Tangled, this story really made things interesting. Think of the story where everything is in reverse. Rapunzel's hair harms instead of heals. She wasn't stolen but given away. She comes into her own in a completely different way. What a fun and engaging read! I love seeing different sides to fairy tales, which is why I devour these books as they're published. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
3/5 stars
I went into this with high hopes but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. The fact that the author broke up Rapunzel’s story with a story of a brother telling his sister Rapunzel’s story while she went through chemo made it to where as soon as I was sucked into Rapunzel’s story I was violently sucked out of it and back into the chemo room. Sadly the author didn’t do anything with this part of the book- there was no happy ending of the sister beating cancer, the author just left us hanging with the girl still sitting in the chemo room.
Also, was it really necessary to make one of the villains a woman who murdered young women and bathed in their blood? I felt like this was too graphic and gory for a young audience. I would absolutely not recommend this book for anyone younger than middle school.

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought the characters were well developed and the plot moved at a pace that felt appropriate. I would like to read other books by this author in the future.

Thanks to Disney Publishing Worldwide & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

"What Once Was Mine" is a twisted tale in which Rapunzel's hair has the power to kill rather than heal. Things are changed around in small ways, while minor details from the film are largely expanded on throughout this novel.

A fantastic book!

I love the idea that Rapunzel would feel like she "belongs" in the tower because of her murder hair, it really puts more of a twist on her leaving and feeling guilt about possibly killing people on accident. Dark, but works well. I also appreciate how her thoughts are really fleshed out in regards to Gothel, she's so conflicted about how this "Mother" apparently loved her for 19 years....but also didn't *really* love her. It's great writing overall!

I was worried about Gina being an odd one out, but she fit in the story pretty well, and so did her mother. I really enjoyed Rapunzel discovering her moon powers, it's actually a really creative way of using "moon" magic that I've never seen done in a book before.

As others have said, there is a little bit of a Princess Bride storytelling but honestly, it's barely there, it's so short, I largely ignored it. It's not really bad per se, I just wanted to get back to Rapunzel, ha. I can't say it's that entertaining when I tried reading it, it's just a downer to an overall optimistic/hopeful book, so I skipped those short chapters and they had no bearing on the story in the long run.

Tangled fans will certainly enjoy this new addition to the Twisted Tales series!

I loved the atmosphere of this book. From the first page it was so magical in such a delightful way. While “twisted” from the original, it still holds tight to what makes Tangled so special. The story was captivating and alluring. So well done.

In this latest installment of the Twisted Tales series, Liz Braswell answers the question "What if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower?" Unlike other installments, this is framed as brother telling this story to his sister while in the hospital, very similar to the format of "The Princess Bride".

For those who are big fans of the Disney movie and fairy tales, they will definitely find that this adds a fun twist to the Rapunzel story. Mother Gothel has a different sinister motive in this story, as tries to sell Rapunzel to the highest bidder. Rapunzel now has hair that can kill instead of heal. This was a great twist on the story and was an engaging and fun read. Although it was slow in parts, it did have the characters and settings the fans will recognize from the movie, such as Flynn Rider and the floating lanterns. This is a great choice for those teens who loved Disney movies as kids but want something a little different.

All of Liz Braswell’s books are enjoyable and tell excellent stories for the Disney villains that expand their characters for everyone.

It’s been great watching Liz Braswell evolve while contributing to this twisted tales titles as each one that she writes becomes better. This is one of my favorites of the twisted tales so far next to the Mulan one that was done by a different author. You feel as if you are watching Tangled again for the first time except with our twist of using a different flower. It did feel a little long in parts like her learning some of her powers at the cottage but overall another job well done! I would love to see this animated version even a fan made one. If you love Tangled this is for you!!

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for the ARC!

I did really enjoy reading this book so much. Tangled is literally my favourite Disney movie, and I have been wanting to see it become a Twisted Tale for so long. I loved seeing how Rapunzel and Flynn’s relationship went in this alternate version, it was really nice. I also liked seeing how Rapunzels powers were different having the powers of the moon drop flower instead of the sunflower, I thought the changes were done really well. Though I loved the story, there are a few things in the book that kept drawing me out of it. There tangled plot that makes up most of the book is shown to be a brother telling his very sick sister a story as she goes through treatments, and they are shown every few chapters for a few pages discussing the story. I don’t mind the addition, but do feel it maybe could have been a prologue/epilogue thing and not throughout the whole book, because I did find it distracting. There was also a historical figure who makes an appearance in the second half of the novel, and I felt somebody who was a real person just appearing in the Tangled universe also kind of distracted me a tiny bit. Overall, I really did enjoy this book and would still recommend it for other Disney fans.

This was a really unique take on the Rapunzel story, which--I totally get was the whole point--but I really enjoyed all the twists and turns the story took. I have never read one of Liz Braswell's Twisted Tales and actually enjoyed this one and felt the female characters were very empowering. I didn't really understand the cancer ward storyline, it felt like a story within a story and a little forced, but all in all, I enjoyed the book and think it was a pleasant and unexpected take on a story we have all come to love.

This is the 12th book in the Disney Twisted Tales series. What if, Rapunzel's mother drank the potion from the moondrop flower instead of the sundrop flower. So full disclosure I have not completely finished this book, but I have read enough I feel confident reviewing it. I read traditional books very slowly and 20 pages into this new edition I have already set up reminders to keep checking back so I can preorder it.

Unlike the other books I've read in this series, What Once Was Mine begins Prince Bride style. It is a boy reading to his sick sister. I love that added touch. The story was fun, sweet, and exciting. I cannot wait to get my hands on the audiobook!

i’d like to start this off my saying this was my favorite book in the twisted tales series. my favorite disney princess is rapunzel, so i was very excited to read this. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

the person who tells the story is the brother of a girl with cancer who’s obsessed with tangled and i think that’s so cute

i also loved the feminist topics throughout it.

Oh boy...I did not love this book. Let me explain why!!!

This book is 512 pages long and tries to take a page out of the The Princess Bride movie (not to be confused with the book version) by having a kid telling this story to their sibling in a cancer ward. Only you get no warning about that so there I was, sitting in the waiting area of my chiropractor office with this horribly confused look on my face as I stared down at my phone in confusion.. I had to double check to make sure I opened the right book on my phone. I scrolled forward in the book to make sure I had the right book. Yeah, it was that confusing.

This book is extremely slow to start for teen/YA book from Disney. I'm an adult and I struggled to get through the first 100 some odd pages. Which is really sad because Tangled is my favorite Disney movie. I thought a twisted retelling would be awesome! Hair that kills? Way cool. Right? In theory yes. In execution, no.

Now this is where the Princess Bride movie thing really kicks in. It's the brother telling the story, so aside from the jarring interruptions where we flip back to the 'reality' of the brother and sister talking to each other, we have young teenage boy language like 'murderhair' dropped in there. Obviously, I did not enjoy this aspect of the book

Where this book makes up some of its lost points is with Mother Gothel, who is portrayed as being even more horrible in this book than the original movie. The movie is a bit subtle about certain things she does (like petting her hair, while signing about keeping 'her' safe and sound). This book clubs you over the head with it. Her abuse of power is VERY obvious. No holds barred. 'Let's sell off Rapunzel as a weapon/assassin to the highest bidder!' ummm excuse me, what now? Yeah. That happened! She also had her kill a chicken with her hair just to show off to a potential buyer what Rapunzel could do. Rapunzel, of course, did not realize the real reason Gothel was having her do this.

Once Rapunzel starts going out of the tower (to basically kidnap Pascal from the ground), things start moving along at a faster pace and improve a bit. Just a bit. Probably because at this point I was pretty un-invested in the story.

Conclusion

This book would be so much better (and shorter) if they would just rip out all the 'real reality' sections out of this book and change the language a teeny tiny bit to sound like a more mature narrator was telling it. Trying to make it sound like the Princess Bride movie was a mistake. Even the best of authors would be hard pressed to pull off that level of awesome. That movie is a phenomenon that is best left to itself.

The book has a slow start. I would NOT recommend it to reluctant readers as a result. Die heard Tangled fans may be disappointed....Or not, because all I this is just my personal opinion!

When I swiped the cover of "What Once Was Mine" and got to the first page, I was completely transported to the world of Tangled but in a different story. The way Liz Braswell presents this retailing is very sweet and got me pretty emotional as I have been through a similar situation with someone close to me. In this story, you still get ALL of the characters that you know and love from the "Tangled" feature film. The story is shocking and reading a retelling that could ultimately change everything is amazing. I am afraid to give too much away by writing this review but let me say this, the movie you know and love takes a whole new twist unlike any other. Liz Braswell has done yet another amazing job with "What Once Was Mine".

This book was slow at times, but it is an interesting take on the Rapunzel story and I really enjoyed it in the end. I do think the frame story slowed everything down, and I would have loved more of Rapunzel exploring and discovering her powers.