i am so obsessed with these disney fairy tale retellings that switch and flip everything on its head! these are so much fun and i want every single thing disney ever. so. maybe i'm biased. but it's excellent!!!!!

I am a Person

Liz Braswell is back with another imaginative Disney retelling of Tangled. What if Rapunzel’s mother was healed by the moondrop flower instead of the sundrop flower? Liz Braswell is content to make her readers cry from the first page to the very end. As this story is narrated by a brother trying to refresh Rapunzel’s story for his sister during her chemo treatment. A brother with an impressive vocabulary, and attention to detail. There are not many ways to improve the original story line, even Daniella insists that certain aspects of the story remain the same. Except this time Rapunzel is cursed with a deadly ability. The fact that her family chooses her miserable childhood this time, makes this a significantly darker tale. This is a slow-paced book, with a sad undertone, and an imaginative but jumbled plot.

Mother Gothel is just as prominent in this story, and doubly wicked since she no longer has to rely on Rapunzel for her youth. More villains become involved, making Rapunzel’s dream to see the lanterns even more dangerous. Rapunzel’s disposition is unchanged in this book as she is cheerful, kind, curious, and ignorant about almost everything in the world. It certainly highlights her loneliness, and how confining her life has been in the tower. A new character Gina helps give her a friend’s perspective, though she often seesaws between pitying Rapunzel and competing with Flynn. Awkwardly leaving Rapunzel as a bit of a third wheel. Flynn is his usual bantering and charming self, if not a little more reluctant to help. The changes to Maximus and Pascal are a bit disappointing, taking a lot of humor out in the process.

This retelling does delve deeper into the problematic issues of the Tangled world. Rapunzel comes to many realizations about the traumatic experiences in her life, the social problems her friends face, and the meaning of forgiveness. Most of which she has to learn on her own, even learning about her magic hair alone. Liz Braswell’s retelling is complicated, with a very long journey of finding what freedom and social responsibility really means to a character who is just learning about herself and the world. Princesses don’t always get happy beginnings, but sometimes the adventure is worth the wait.

3.5 Stars

What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell follows the same outline as most of the other Twisted Tales novels created by Disney Hyperion. In this particular story Rapunzel's mother, Queen Ariana, drinks a tourniquet containing the moon drop flower instead of the sun. This, of course, resulting in Rapunzel's hair now possessing deadly qualities.

I did enjoy this book, don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed really the psychoanalysis of Gothel and Rapunzel, finally getting a peak inside of the tower during the first nineteen years of her life. We go to see Gothel's motives as an 'immortal' being and why she does decide to go on living. (it's a power grab by the way) And also Rapunzel and the lonely nights in the tower even as a small child. That is something Braswell covered really well was Rapunzel dealing with the trauma that had been dealt to her, going back and forth on 'did Gothel ever truly ever love me?'.

There were some parts, of course, that did truly turn me off when it came to this book. I really hate to compare it to the movie but I think it is necessary in this case. Tangled is one of my favorite Disney films because it is filled with so much danger, adventure, and just beautiful storytelling. What Once Was Mine had its moments, of course, but I was never latched in as much as I am with the film. Another thing is the incorporation of historical elements into this story. I am a sucker for stories that tie in real life elements and incorporate them WELL into the story and especially the story of Countess Bathory. By framing her as the 'bad guy' we miss so much of what makes Gothel truly evil.

As someone who has read every single one of these Twisted Tales books I have learned to never take many expectations into the stories because I always find myself being pleasantly surprised by what they hold inside. And Liz Braswell has twisted up many of these stories and this might be the best one she has done yet. Recommended!

I loved the new Rapunzel story. It was very clever and creative. However, I did not like the framing device used to tell the story. It completely pulled me away from the fairy tale and made it feel less like a twisted tale.

The 12th installment of Disney’s Twisted Tales tackles the question: What if Rapunzel’s mom drank a potion made of the moondrop, instead of the sundrop?

Rapunzel is still sequestered away in a tower, but it’s because in a fit of newborn rage she accidentally killed a nurse. Despite the looming danger of her hair, Rapunzel makes the best of her situation, until her nineteenth birthday. She wants to see the lanterns, and after managing to sneak out of her tower, she stumbles into a new adventure- and life- she never could’ve imagined.

I haven’t read many of the twisted tales, I think just three so far. So I’m by no means an expert on the earlier stories or how the writing has changed through the various authors. However, I think Braswell did a great job maintaining the characterization of existing characters, especially Rapunzel and Flynn. Despite being a murderess, Rapunzel is still bubbly and looks for the good in everyone. I thought her moon hair would create more of a somber character, and I don’t think that would’ve been a bad thing for a twisted tale- in fact, I would have loved to see a darker Rapunzel! But even if that’s not the path Braswell wanted to take, I’m happy enough with the consistent characterization.

Many things from the movie are also the same, but different- Pascal stars out as a real lizard before transforming into the cartoon-esque chameleon we all know and love. And Maximus starts off human! I didn’t anticipate how the characters we know and love would be incorporated, but, again, Braswell handled it well, if not a little clunky.

Some things I didn’t particularly care for, like the inclusion of Gina. She was a great character, but I felt she wasn’t really necessary; everything she influences or brings to the table could have easily been discovered by Flynn and Rapunzel; she just makes things happen faster (which isn’t saying much since this book is like 500 pages). I also thought Rapunzel’s new powers were a bit extreme. Cool! But a lot. The sundrop flower only provided healing, but the moondrop does a bit of everything, the power varying with the phases of the moon. It gave her a bit too much power, and I think that would’ve been really interesting for a dark Rapunzel story but alas.

I was also put off by how much of a backseat the lanterns took. That’s a pivotal moment in the movie, but also a huge plot point for the film, and it’s just forgotten in this book. I would’ve loved to have seen it play out in this scenario.

And, finally, my biggest issue with this book: how the story comes into fruition. It’s told as if a brother is reading and creating a story for his sister as she goes through cancer treatments. Now, I think that’s sweet, but not only does it detract from the immersion of the story, it reads like fictionalized editor’s notes. The sister constantly drags the brother out of the story to critique some new plot point or inquire where a certain character is or how he’s going to work certain things into his new story. It’s unnecessary and kind of spoils where the story is going to go; as a reader, I don’t need to know something is going to happen before it does; I trust that the author knows what they’re doing and it’ll get there when it gets there. This inclusion really gives the story a stop and go feel. I will admit that it was neat to see historical inclusions because the brother was into history. Rapunzel is enraptured with the moon and stars, and studies astronomy as much as sgr’s able. There’s also a character inspired by Elizabeth Bathory, or the first female serial killer. These small inclusions were cool, but I didn’t need to be explicitly told about them- Rapunzel’s story would’ve simply shown me her interest in space, and my knowledge of the Countess would let me know who inspired here character.

Overall, it was an okay read. I definitely would’ve preferred a darker retelling, but I was ultimately happy with how the characters remained consistent to their film counterparts. Usually in the twisted tales books I feel disconnected from the characters because they just aren’t right, but that wasn’t the case here and that at least made it easier to get through.

Tangled with a dark twist. Exciting and adventurous. Our story starts modern day in the hospital room of a 16 year old cancer patient. Her and her brother just finished watching tangled and she want him to read her the book now, but her brother decided to add his own twist to the story. What if Rapunzel’s mother drank a potion from the wrong flower. This book gave me all the feels and it was amazing highly recommended if you love the movie tangled!!

I absolutely adored this book! From the very first page I was captivated by the words in the pages! Now I will have to read all of these books!

Excellent read, these twisted tales books are always so much fun and this was no exception. I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to get a hard copy

A twisted, dark retelling of the classic Tangled. I thought the revised plot was more appealing for an adult audience, the book is unevenly paced with the slower pacing taking place at the start of the book. Overall it was a solid fun read that I enjoyed, the romance was a bit lackluster but Rapunzel's character stole the show and kept me invested overall.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

As I think is fairly known by now this is part of the Twisted Tales - a series that takes a key element of the story and twists it and figures out where the story would go from there. Sometimes the twist doesn't always work for me (such as Peter Pan....) but Tangled was such a delight!

What if Rapnuzel's mother had drank the essence of a Moon flower instead of a Sun flower? How would Rapunzels magic have changed?

As is the way with twists - Rapunzel has a very different power and as a baby ends up killing her nurse in a fit of baby rage. The King and Queen decide for the safety of themselves and their kingdom their baby must be raised in secret until such a time she can control her powers. They request the realms witches to come and raise her to help her learn to control the magic within.

unbeknownst to them - Gothel isn't a witch but instead someone very savvy with an opportunity when she sees one.
Rapunzels early life is largely the same - and for that reason we don't see a lot of it. The main difference is Rapunzel is told she killed her parents with her murderhair and is occasionally told by Gothel to kill the chickens she brings home (for dinner) to remind her of how dangerous she is and why she is locked up in the first place.

However when Rapunzel decides to leave the tower on her own her adventure to see the floating lights is where her story really deviates from the original and its an exciting story with new characters and a lot of magic and found family. Watching Rapunzel learn to overcome the abuse she suffered was really refreshing to see. I think it touched nicely on the reality that we can still love our abusers even when we know they're hurting us. The book didn't go too deep into these topics (it is a disney book afterall) but the acknowledgement was there.


Perhaps what i found most interesting about this tale is that it is the first (that i am aware of but i haven't read the whole series yet) one to be self-aware. This is actually a story within a story. We are also following Brendan who is sitting with his sister while she receives chemo treatment. He is sick of reading the same story (Tangled) over and over to her so he decides to twist the story himself to give him more entertainment. We get a few interjections throughout the tale of his sister teasing Brandon for his choices or demanding that we see more of certain characters. It was very on the nose in a cute way.

suffice to say - if you've read and enjoyed any twisted tale I think you'll enjoy this one too :)

I did not finish this book...I found it too predictable Nd it just failed to grab my attention.. It had great bones but I felt that it replied too heavily on the movie

What Once Was Mine is a dark twist on the classic Disney movie, Tangled. It has all the elements we know and love, but some unexpected add-ons that make the tale a touch more appealing to an older audience.

To be quite honest, I would have DNF'd this book around the 30% mark if I did not have to review it, but I am glad I pushed through because the ending was much more enjoyable than the start. I found the story, especially since it's based so heavily off the movie, to be VERY predictable in the beginning. This had me pretty bored, and that's mostly why I wanted to put it down.

After about two thirds into the story, it really does start to deviate from the script, and I was much more interested in these new and unknown characters and plot-lines. I haven't mentioned any of these twists because I don't want to spoil anything, but one involves a bloody intense baroness that really spiced up Rapunzel's story.

Overall, I would recommend this book for teens who are looking for a dark take on a classic story they may have loved when they were younger.

Thanks so much to Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to review!

In Disney's latest Twisted Tale, Rapunzel's mother doesn't drink from the sunflower: instead, she drinks from the moondrop flower. Instead of healing, Rapunzel now has the power to hurt and kill with her silver hair. Taken away by Mother Gothel who convinces the king and queen it's for the safety of the kingdom, Rapunzel is raised alone in a tower, not knowing who she truly is. On her 19th birthday, after Gothel denies her request to see the floating lanterns, Rapunzel sneaks out of the tower herself, on a mission to find a thief she's heard of who can surely get her to the lanterns without anyone being hurt. Along the way, she'll learn more about herself, her powers, and where she really came from.

What I Loved:

-The magic: In the Tangled movie, we only get a glimpse of the magic possible in Rapunzel's world. In WHAT ONCE WAS MINE, we meet a full witch who helps Rapunzel understand her powers. I loved how the mystery around her hair and it's different powers slowly unravels and how scientifically Rapunzel approached it. Likewise, because Rapunzel's powers are so different in this story compared to the movie, Rapunzel has an additional emotional dilemma over what might happen if she leaves the tower (i.e. she could unintentionally hurt someone).

-The deeper insight to secondary characters: WHAT ONCE WAS MINE finally provides an answer to what Rapunzel's mother was doing while Rapunzel was trapped (other than being sad). We see her grieving, but then we see her take action to help the orphanages in the kingdom and create positive reform. Mother Gothel is also fleshed out a bit, so the reader understands just how much an agent of chaos she wants to be.

What Didn't Work for Me:

-The overarching story structure with Rapunzel's world and the real world: I haven't read every Twisted Tale story, but I've read a good chunk of them, and this is the first one I've read that sets the story up beginning in the real world with a brother telling his sister his version of Rapunzel in the hospital. The interruptions in Rapunzel's story weren't too frequent, but they were jarring every time and took me out of Rapunzel's narrative. However, readers who enjoy stories within stories might not find it as jarring.

-Flynn Rider/the romance: In Tangled, Flynn and Rapunzel spend the bulk of the movie in each other's company as a team of two. They have so many touching moments together, getting to know each other, and falling in love. In WHAT ONCE WAS MINE, Flynn and Rapunzel aren't alone. They have an additional friend, Gina, helping them on the quest. While I absolutely loved Gina's character, the new dynamic did make the Flynn x Rapunzel romance a little stilted and awkward.

Final Thoughts:

WHAT ONCE WAS MINE takes an inventive spin on a fun Disney tale and adds rich magic and great insight into several of the characters.

This Rapunzel retelling takes place within the framework of a teenage brother telling his sister a story during her chemotherapy treatments. I loved the banter between Brandon and his sister.

The fun part of the Twisted Tales is that one key element of the story changes, and the plot spirals from there. In this case, the queen drank medicine made from the wrong flower, a moon flower. It saves her, but Rapunzel's powers seem darker. I loved the way Rapunzel learned about her powers. It was more than singing a simple little song.

I loved and hated her relationship with Mother Gothel. In the Disney movie, she was obviously manipulative and emotionally abusive. In the book, they don't tiptoe around that! Flynn was awesome, Maximus was cool and unexpected, and Rapunzel makes a new friend, Gina. I loved the similarities to the original story, and the departures.

Content: The story was a little dark. One character sacrifices the innocent and bathes in their blood, and Mother Gothel tells Rapunzel that her magic is to kill, and makes her kill animals on a regular basis.

What was once one of my favorite Disney movies is now my favorite book! I LOVE love LOVE this retelling of Disney's Tangled.
Basic premise: a brother and sister need to pass the time during Chemo. Sister is OBSESSED with Tangled. Brother is less than enthused about rewatching/rereading Tangled all day, every day; but, he wants to distract his sister from the Chemo. So he comes up with his own alternative version of Tangled. Yes, that is the scene and it's incredibly sweet and incredibly creative and I think Rapunzel would be proud of this retelling.
Now for the twisted part: what if Rapunzel's mother wasn't saved by the sun flower? Instead, she's saved by the mysterious moon flower? After all, the moon is more temperamental and ever changing. So it makes for a fun plot twist. All the favorite characters are in this story: Pascal, Maximus, Flynn Rider, captain of the guard, hook hand, Vlad. There is a new addition of an amazing character: Gina. I love Gina. She's a sassy, female version of Flynn.
The plot is almost the same - except for a few blood lusted villains, some kind heart-ed midwives and the addition of Gina.
If you're looking for some smoldering Flynn Rider and a sweet and determined Rapunzel, you need this novel!
**Frying Pan not included** ;)

What Once Was Mine is a Rapunzel retelling except her magical hair kills! Sounds enticing, doesn't it? I dove into this book with a really high expectation because this is already the 12th book in the series and I believe that it won't reach that way it the storytelling isn't great.

I loved how the story differed with the original story line and decided that I like this one better. Although I find Rapunzel a somewhat weak damsel in this one till the end (SORRY), I liked how they put different touches that would be easy to distinguish this story from the original. Especially, when they introduced that her hair doesn't just kill but also does another beautiful magical things that entirely depends on the moon phases. It was awesome that way, because it feels like Rapunzel was depicted as a superhero with different powers rather than just a magical woman.

All in all, I would be rating this 3.5 as I really still enjoyed it.

A copy of this book was given to me by Disney Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not a bad twist on the Rapunzel story. Having the brother re-tell the story to his sick sister was okay but I felt like you lost the potential 'realness' of the tale. It becomes just a 'story'. Overall, not bad but not enveloping.

I love Tangled, and I was very interested to dive into What Once was Mine and to explore a different version of Rapunzel’s story. I was nervous as I started the book and realized that, in this story, Rapunzel’s hair has lethal powers rather than the healing ones it has in the movie. I was concerned that the kind, smart, goofy princess from the movie would be transformed into a violent and evil character. I am relieved that the Rapunzel in What Once was Mine remains kind and caring.

What Once was Mine uses a framing device where Brendan is telling his twin sister, Daniella, a story as she goes through cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering. This feels appropriate because fairy tales are based in oral tradition. Daniella is also trapped by her illness just as Rapunzel is trapped in her tower and by the fear of her hair’s power. This framing also allows the reader into Brendan’s thoughts into how he is crafting the story, which I enjoyed.

Tangled is technically told through Flynn Rider’s perspective, but the audience remains very focused on Rapunzel and her point of view throughout the film. I loved that What Once was Mine addressed the points of view of many of the story’s characters. The queen doesn’t speak in Tangled, and it moved me to hear the story of a mother who made the devastating choice to send her daughter away. "Arianna still mourned the loss of her daughter and spent many sleepless nights in the last room where she saw her, one hand on her cradle. But her days were spent building the finest orphanages that anyone in the world had ever seen. She made sure there was enough food, clothes, and nurses to take adequate care of the kingdom’s motherless youngest." I admired Arianna for choosing to turn her grief into an opportunity to help the orphans of her kingdom.

The book format also allows the reader to delve into Rapunzel’s innermost thoughts and feelings. The depth of Rapunzel’s loneliness before she leaves her tower is highlighted for the reader. "Of course humans can weather almost anything with love and companionship…and for the first time, Rapunzel was beginning to realize she might not actually have either." Moments like this made me so happy when Rapunzel is finally able to build connection and relationships with Gina and Flynn because she finally makes the friends she always wanted.

The Rapunzel of Tangled is strong and smart, but I was consistenly struck by the development of the character in What Once was Mine into an independent, confident young woman. "I am not an object to be fought over, whether it’s as a wife or a weapon. I am a person." It is clear that even though Mother Gothel spent Rapunzel’s childhood telling her that she is dangerous and that she can’t go out in the world, Rapunzel is still able to see her own worth.

As a fan of the movie, I enjoyed the little nods to Tangled in What Once was Mine. Mother Gothel makes a comment that “mother knows best,” which is a reference to the iconic song that Donna Murphy sings in the movie. There are also references to Flynn’s “smolder” and other similar references that grounded What Once was Mine in the same world as Tangled.

What Once was Mine has a darker tone than Tangled from Rapunzel’s hair with murderous powers to the bloodhungry villain, Countess Bathory. Even the framing story about a teenager with cancer adds to the book’s somber tone. This version of the story is more adult and feels more in line with the Grimm’s orginal fairy tales.

I highly recommend What Once was Mine especially to fans of Rapunzel and Tangled like me.

Okay, so this book was absolutely adorable. It had tension, it had romance, it had a dark and gothic feel to it. It involved German and Romanian stories within the plot, and it involved a naive main character that grew into herself so well that she became a princess in more than name. She was a princess in actions too. Gina was an interesting addition to the story, in that her quirkiness added to the plot. She drove the plot in potential directions that it wouldn’t have gone in the original movie. It’s well worth having her in the book and along for the ride. Flynn seemed to almost immediately care for Rapunzel to the point it felt insta-love without actually being insta-love. I think that was a genius take on an already developed trope. I liked Gina’s mom, because she showed Rapunzel what a mom could be. The twist that Gina and Eugene are siblings at the end threw me for a loop (a little), but I sorta guessed that early. I loved the interaction between the sibling telling the tale and the sick sibling critiquing the tale, because that’s how siblings are (I know, I have two brothers). This book is definitely worth adding to TBR piles.