Fairy tales with a twist that only Christina Bauer could dream of. If you are a fan of the twisted fairy tale genre and have not read CB's, you need to schedule a binge read and catch up with the rest of her fan club!!!

I waited to read this one until this part of the series was complete. So far, loving Dex and Grayson. I'm wondering how this will all work out.

I loved the idea of this - Jane Eyre meets Rapunzel, with fairies and werewolves (sort of). But I found the dialogue a bit weak and the writing a bit teenage (or even younger). The romance was a bit cringey. Great idea and I’m intrigued to see what happens next story wise, but I thought the book itself just wasn’t for me. I love YA but I just wanted a bit more sophistication in the writing.

2 1/2 stars

I would like to thank NetGalley for letting me review a copy of this E-ARC.

I actually really liked this book. At first, I was a little unsure if I would. The beginning started a little unknown, but I didn't realize this was number eight in a series, but I did like that I was able to start here into the series and still enjoy the book. Then, to find out it's like a Jane Eyre retelling with a mix of fairytales like Rapunzel.

First, I really enjoyed Grayson and who she is as a character. She's witty and relatable. I love when a character is relatable to the reader. I do love how she's smart and quick to trying different plans and such.

Dex was a little on the flat side for me. I felt he needed a little more of his own character instead of just being about the Brutus and Vita fairytale. He needed more of a personality. It did seem he made Brutus and Vita his whole personality besides caring for shifter pups. But maybe he'll have a bigger development in the second book. I would like to hope so.

I, also, wished there were more solid side characters. Like I loved that there was such a diversity of characters coming in and out of the scene, but we didn't have a real solid one that was there the entire time. The only one that was close was Elle but even she disappeared for a good chunk of the book.

And Lady R was like petty to an extreme amount. I know the whole time she was represented as "psycho" or "crazy like tower tithe murderer", but I only got petty. Like she did make me scowl every time her name came on the page. With her as the main villain, it worked to make me not like her.

But overall, the book was easy and fun to read. I enjoyed it very much and would like the check out other works by this author

I am excited to say that Grayson and Dex have arrived. Their journey through the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum has only just begun. Can you say yes, yes, yes? I was ready and waiting for the new couple of the Magicorum. I find a new and interesting take on well loved stories from the past with the twist that only Christina could provide them. There are something that you just have to see for yourself. I cannot in good conscience tell you those things. You need to read it for yourself. I am an avid fan of the Magicorum. I find no disappointment in any of them. You find new reasons to keep moving forward with each new couple, new installment, and new tale incorporated. Just know this is not the end of Garyson's story.

This is the eighth installment in the fairytale series. This is a retelling of Rapunzel. The characters are fun and lovable! I recommend this for fans of fairytales!

Such a fun fairy tale retelling of Rapunzel in a modernized world. Fantastic magical journey as we learn about Grayson, Dex and the conniving, Lady R.

Thank you to the publisher and author as well as netgalley for allowing me access to this eARC of this book and allowing me to give feedback and read books in exchange for a review.

The tagline rapunzel meets jane eyre kinda drew me into this story.
I have not read any other books in this story but I felt like it still made sense and I kept up with the events and pacing. I really liked this and will go back and read the other 7 books before the conclusion comes out. I read this all in one evening.

Towers And Tithes is the 8th book in the Magicorum series by Christina Bauer. Released 9th Nov 2021, it's 191 pages and is available in ebook and paperback formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

This is an easy to read, very very light cozy paranormal romance novel aimed at YA readers. It's full of wish fulfillment and teenage angst. The book is written in alternating first person perspective and labeled in the chapter headings which character is being written. This time it's a Rapunzel riff, complete with nasty witch and cruel overbearing Rapunzel (aka Lady R) full of snarky sarcastic dialogue and action driven. The main characters' arcs are written throughout the previous 7 books in the series, but they can certainly be read out of order without much confusion (with the codicil that there will be some semi-spoilers if read that way).

The books are full of fractured fairy tale archetypes and riffs on classic fairy tales. The happily-ever-afters are not easy to attain and there's a metric ton of crisis and drama and tortured teenage angst and longing between the start and finish. I'm about 4 decades outside the target audience (older teens and YA), but I am confident that they'll be gobbled up by the readers for whom they're intended. There is a little bit of rough language, but nothing which would raise an eyebrow in the average school hallway.

The dialogue is sometimes eye-wateringly sarcastic, but again, for readers in the target audience, that will likely be a plus and not at all negative. There are many of the expected themes: unreasonable expectations, control from outside (cruel) forces, belittling and punishment from power figures, longing for independence, and longing for love. This would be a good series to binge, since book 9 is on the horizon, so there won't be a long wait. For fans of Twilight, Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles, and similar, these books will fit the bill.

Three and a half stars for this entry, rounded up for quite competent writing and plotting. I would imagine it will likely be higher for the target audience.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This was my first book from Magicorum. Loved it. Fast paced. Though fantasy, one feels for the character and wish well for them. Waiting for the next book to know more on the story of Grayson and Dex. Whether Dex is healed.

I really like the Magicorum Books. They are full of,phantasy and Life. Full of magic. A book for young adults.

This series, for me, has gotten to the point where I'm not sure who the series is about anymore. This series suffers from having too many characters. These stories don't feel as interconnected as I think they're supposed to. I think if these weren't part of the same universe, or not meant to be interconnected, they'd work better. Nothing that has happened in later books seems to have much of an impact on the greater world of the series. It effects the characters that take part in the events in the moment, but things that are implied to have a large impact on the world don't seem to.

I was getting tired of reading about Elle and Alec, so it was nice to have a different character to focus on, but I would have preferred to go back to Agatha and Jacoby. There story felt unfinished, and I would liked to see where their story was headed.

I don't know if it would have made a difference or not had I been familiar with Jane Eyre, I just think adding more characters to a story that already has 6 other main characters, makes the focus of the series unclear.

This series is so much fun! This is a new arc of stories for the Magicorum series and it doesn't lose any of the charm and essence that makes this series so special. I adore that when Bauer is done with a character arc the characters will still pop in from time to time!

Towers And Tithes is a young adult fantasy by Christina Bauer. It is the 8th book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series. I have read all of the books in this series, and I love the overall concept of the series. Each story, told over the course of a couple of books, tells the story of different fairy tale characters. In this world, you may be selected to follow a certain fairy tale’s life template, which means you are destined to carry out their fairy tale story. In earlier books, we meet Elle (cinderella) Alec (prince charming) and Bry (Sleeping Beauty), just to name a few. The books have somewhat of an overarching storyline and they are all set in the same world, with some cool other features of world building with ancient Egypt. I have been intrigued by the past books but most of them have only been ok reads for me. Towers And Tithes tell is a mash up of a Rapunzel life template and Jane Eyre, and it was my favorite book in the series. I am so happy that we got to follow a fresh face as the main character. That was a nice change of pace. For fans of the previous books, don’t worry- you still get to see Elle in Towers and Tithes, but here we are focused on the story of Grayson.

Our main character, Grayson, is an Osmos, which is a half elf half troll hybrid. Grayson is assigned to be a Tower Tithe in Lady R’s Rapunzel tower. I loved Grayson. I think she is my favorite character out of the whole series so far, and her story was a really quick read. I was intrigued by her possession of magical abilities (which she shouldn’t have), and of course Dex also intrigued me. Dex is the alpha at Wulfheim wolf pack, and his life mission is to take in and care for orphaned wolf pups from both the faerie realm and from earth. How can you not love him??

If you are a fan of fairy tale retellings, love the fated mates trope, and a quick read, then Towers and Tithes is one for you to check out. Though it is the 8th book in the series, you can get away with reading this installment without having read the prior books. There is a lot of world building context you learn in the prior books, but you know enough to get by if this is your first peek into the Magicorum series. I enjoyed Towers and Tithes. It was my favorite book of the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series.

Grayson has a Rapunzel life template, but she is not a Rapunzel. She is destined to be a Tower Tithe and be magically assigned to a Rapunzel to clean and do other duties no one else wants to do. Since she is an elf, that means she may have to do this job for hundreds or thousands of years. Enter Dex … he is looking for his one true love. The problem is that it has been generations since someone in his life template has found theirs. When Grayson and Dex suddenly meet, Dex’s wolf is sure that Grayson is the one, but others don’t see it that way. Will Grayson be able to work against her Rapunzel life template to be with Dex? How will this story tie in with the other stories in the series?

Towers and Tithes is the eighth book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series. With that being said, it is the first book in a mini-series about Grayson and Dex. The author’s note at the beginning of the book tells us that she not only is pulling from fairytales for this story, but she is also basing the larger story on the book Jane Eyre. How exciting! There are cameo appearances of some other beloved characters and I noticed the addition of a few others that might be future storylines. I enjoyed this story and am sad I have to wait a few months for the next … but I will!

WOW! I absolutely loved this book (and I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series now). Although this has fairy tale elements, I'd call it more of a twist than a retelling of sorts. It grabbed me from the start, and I didn't want to put it down. I loved Grayson as a narrator, and couldn't help but like Dex from the start. There were a few moments that made me smile, and some that made me laugh out loud. Lady R is one of those people you love to hate. The only thing I'm upset about is the cliffhanger!

Towers and tithes by Christina Bauer.
Magicorum book 8.
I’m a Tower Tithe with a Rapunzel problem. That’s not as weird as it sounds.My name is Grayson Eyre, and this is my story.
A very good read. I do like this series. Can't wait for next book. 5*.

“Towers and Tithes” is the first book in the newest story arc of the “Fairy Tales of the Magicorum” series. It takes Rapunzel and Jane Eyre, two very different tales, and blends them together. This was definitely a unique idea but I thought the author did a wonderful job! I especially enjoyed the way Bauer drew on the fact that both stories involve blindness.

I know that I’ve said the last couple books in this series were decreasing in quality, but perhaps Bauer just needed a break from Elle. Grayson’s story was so refreshing and much needed. I was intrigued from the start, and I wasn’t let down with this one.

I neeeed to know what happens next!!! I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

First, thank you to the author for providing me with this book!

Well, it seems that this month I’m going for retellings. This time, it’s the one of Rapunzel and Jane Eyre. Like any fairytale, it’s a very, very quick read and to be honest it felt a bit rushed. I wish I had more time to discover the world and the system of the fairytales used as patterns for the characters’ lives (which I found very unique). But I think all these elements are present in the other books since this one is part of a series, even if it can be read alone.

I liked the characters with the bad ones being slightly psycho, going beyond the usual bad of fairytales. Grayson is cute even if a bit stupid at times but since she never left her cottage before it’s logical. I wished she had more chapters for herself but there are more things happening on Dex’s side so I understand this narrative choice. My favourite was Elle because she seems a bit crazy but has a network I wish I had! It was also fun to go from a fairytale setting with forests and castles to New York which is a bit revisited to fit in the plot.

In brief: a good fairytale but too short! I want more of it! The copy I received had artwork inside which was very nice even if I would have preferred to have it at the end instead of between the chapters.

I have read every book in this series and not on has disappointed. We get the sassy fun and snarky heroine, in this case it is Grayson. We get the evil one that just has you want to growl. Here we have two, Rapunzel and the Prism Master. We have the fun hero, here it is Dex and we get a mystery. This has a few. We have who is Grayson really. We learn early on this question. She isn’t like other Osmos elves and we also learn a bit about her fairytale template she is supposed to come from, Rapunzel.

We learn about Lady R and how cruel she is. That women is a piece of work and man are there secrets there. The secrets about the Rapunzel template alone is interesting but Lady R takes the cake. You have to wonder what turned her to be so so cruel. And that Prism Master, I know he is greedy but seriously he has some ulterior motives going on and I think Dex is on to something about his Brutus and Vita theory.

Dex he is awesome. He is smart and kind. Funny and can be scary when protecting those he loves. He is fierce for sure and a great leader. He cares. His first encounter with Grayson was magical. those two hit it off and what he does from then on for her has you rooting for them. He is very patient and that draws you to him.

Grayson is sassy, snarky and fun. She is a survivor and you can tell she doesn’t really understand herself but accepts that. I love when she is around Dex how she reacts. I also love that she is friends with Elle. The book draws in characters from previous books and this helps keep the story flowing with the faeries, magic, fairytale template concepts that the series has going on.

A great fun read that has you rooting for Dex and Grayson to win the battle against Lady R and the Prism master, wonder if they can do the quest, hope Dex can beat it all and find out the answers to Rapunzel itself.