“Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother.
Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall.
And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally climbed to the top of the wall and looked over into the mines and desert beyond.”
Before there was Disney’s Tangled, with Rapunzel using her long locks, there was Rapunzel’s Revenge! Despite it’s dark-sounding title, it’s quite the lighthearted adventure. It’s a fantastic twist on the old tale with plenty of swashbuckling action. You heard me right, swashbuckling. Rapunzel gets to venture out into a wild west style world where she teams up with Jack (from the Beanstalk) to try to free her kingdom from evil.
The story starts out a little slow as the buildup of the characters and the world is established, but it’s a very nice introduction. One of the things I really liked about the beginning is when Mother Gothel puts her in the tree tower. Everything in the tree grows at an excellerated rate, so it grows fruits for her every day… and makes her hair grow as well. I just felt like it was a neat way to show the magic that creates her long hair! Rapunzel proves to be a strong female lead. She doesn’t wait to be saved from the tower. Instead, she frees herself and begins her quest. She even uses her long braids as rope and lariats in sticky situations. Once she joins up with Jack, the fun really picks up pace and their adventures are a great treat. He’s not quite a strait-laced guy, so it seems like he gets into trouble a bit too often. Luckily, Rapunzel is there to help him out.
Overall, I think the western theme works really well in some strange way. The graphic novel is a great read for pre-teens and adults alike. You can pick up a copy of Rapunzel’s Revenge
I loved this book a lot when it first came out it also got me to read Shannon Hale’s other books too
This is a great book. The whole idea behind it is clever. Rapunzel has always been a fairy tale dear to my heart, and this western retelling really does it justice.
Oh gosh I love this book and own it! I also like how they use and hint at other fairy tales in it and it’s said there’s a sequel in the making as well.
I STARTED READING IT, THEN BORDERS WENT OUT OF BUSINESS, AND I’VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND IT EVER SINCE!!!!!!!!!!
Phew.
http://www.jimchines.com/novels/princess/
Might I recommend these books to anyone who love the old tales but with a serious twist to them. I love the fact that they keep the original tales in mind but they put a completely new spin on them. Check them out. ^^
Oh, I read this book! Seems like forever ago, but it was massively good. Ah, the memories~. <3
It’s such a good book. I read it because it was written by the author of the Goose Girl books. I had very high expectations and it didn’t disappoint!
Shannon Hale’s books are wonderful! Much as I love Tangled, I couldn’t help but regret that the use of a hair-slinging Rapunzel removes the possibility of Rapunzel’s Revenge being made into a movie…at least for a long while.
The sequel, Calamity Jack, is pretty awesome, too.