The first 15% was really well written and set up to be an amazing twisted tale and the book absolutely deserves all 5 stars if it continues on that trajectory.

I decided to stop reading because I just can't ever think of Rapunzel as a murderer. Tangled is one of my very favorite stories, and my love for Rapunzel runs deep. I'd rather keep the happy image I have of her story.

WOW. So I have been a longtime reader of the "Twisted Tales" series from the start as well as other books by Liz Braswell, and have enjoyed her work before. "What Once Was Mine" blows everything else away. I had no idea what to expect when the story took a left turn into reality but was immediately touched, especially as someone who lost someone to cancer. The retelling of "Tangled" in such a fun, unique, and deep way kept me from putting it down and wanting to not only find out how the story ends, but what exactly each character is struggling with.
Rapunzel, specifically, having to face all the lies she has been told and still being the bright wonderful character she is will never not be inspiring. The realization that mothers are complicated, and that there is a difference between taking care of someone vs loving someone was one of the big anchors in the fairytale narrative of this book.
The real-world portion was genuine, touching, and kept the story moving in a way reminiscent of "Princess Bride" but with 10x the heart. The afterward form the author wrapped up everything is the best- with a beautiful, heartfelt, and happy ending to a true story. In the long line of "Twisted Tales" novels, "What Once Was Mine" stands above the rest.

This latest installment in the twisted tales series is probably the best one so far. The characters are recognizable from Tangled and in character, and the what-if senario worked very well with the preexisting story. I also liked how the author took some elements from the TV show, the whole Moondrop storyline was great in the show and is just as interesting here. There's a good balance of familiar aspects and new content, though I wish more had been done with Gina's character. The story wrapped up a bit quick, but that's forgivable for something based on a Disney movie that was as fun to read as this book was.

This book reignited my love of Tangled! I loved it so very much! It was such a simple change, but one that had a ripple effect on the entire remainder of the movie. Fantastic! Trigger warning: cancer.

Every book in the Twisted Tale series is a hit. Retellings of familiar stories from my childhood are always a joy to discover, and What Once Was Mine continues the tradition of retellings with a darker twist. There are enough familiar elements to immediately draw me in while still offering enough new characters and plotlines to make it a worthwhile read.

This book was received as an ARC from Disney Publishing Worldwide - Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love this series and I was anticipating Liz Braswell would have a Tangled inspired one and I am so glad there is one on the way and everyone I know that loves this series will be dying to read it . The Twisted Tale series does very well in our library and all of our teen readers love the alternate versions and endings which is why they are always on our request list for teen book club. I loved the storyline to What Once Was Mine in how Rapunzel's hair was silver instead of Gold and when it's touched people/things die instead of growing young. I know our teen book club will go crazy for this and there will be some intense and insightful conversations that arise from it.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I loved the Nine Lives of Chloe King and I’ve been meaning to read the Twisted Tales for a while now. Glad I received a copy of this book because it’s definitely inspired me to go read the other books in the series.

This is the first twisted tale that I have read and it was honestly so different than I expected. It was interesting the twists that it took away from the original story and it kept my attention more then most books retelling a known story, but it felt kind of dark for being Disney. I know it’s meant to be a twisted tale but it just may not be my kind of book even though I’m a huge disney fan. I did purchase a few of these twisted tales for our YA section of the library.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Disney-Hyperion's line of Twisted Tales is a series not to be missed by the avid Disney fan! What if your favorite Disney movie had something one very important detail turned on its head? That's what each Twisted Tale asks, and in Liz Braswell's What Once Was Mine, she questions what if Rapunzel's mother "ate" the wrong flower? And that is exactly what this story will dive into!

Firstly, I have to say that I was a bit thrown when the story opened up to a hospital scene, after reading the author's note at the end of the book, it makes sense, but having read a few Twisted Tales already and seeing them basically play out in the way of its movie but with its added twist...this one threw me a bit. We see a teenage boy reading to his sister who is in the hospital doing chemo treatments. Though she is far from being "little" she's still a fan of Disney movies, Tangled in particular, so after watching the movie for the upteenth time, she asks her brother to read the book version to her. He does, but decides he's going to mix things up a bit for her, just to give her a new version of her favorite movie.

Then the story actually begins from there, with the occasional reminder that the story is being "read to us" by a narrator of sorts. It was very The Princess Bride (movie version, where the grandfather reads to the grandson and there's the occasional interruption) and I have to say, once I got used to, I rather liked thinking of it that way.

Anyway, when the story begins we see that once Rapunzel is born, she has silvery hair that resembles the moon. But instead of her hair having the power to heal, it's the opposite. Rapunzel unknowingly kills her wet nurse as a baby and it's with a heavy heart that her parents agree to set her up in a tower, to be cared for by the goodwife, Gothel. Gothel is much of the same character as before, she has her secret Sun Flower hidden away that she uses to keep herself eternally young and she's incredibly vain and selfish and just plans to use Rapunzel for her own gains. Like literally selling her to the highest bidder of a bunch of evil villains...among them the Countess of Bathory! Yeah, the brother gets a little extravagant here!

Rapunzel is turning 19 and wants nothing more than to see the floating lights. So one day she decides to leave her tower and see them. She decides to track down the young man she saw hide something outside her tower recently and use the object he stashed away as a bargaining trip. Along the way, she meets Gina, a young girl who longs to see the world just like Rapunzel and to be a rich and famous thief as she does it. It's not long before the trio is on the road to see the lights to suddenly be on the run from all the villains who are out to get Rapunzel. Along the way, Rapunzel is making her usual friends and learning more about the powers her hair has and we the reader learn just how different they are from her "movie" powers.

I have to say, one thing that truly upset me in this one was the lack of Maximus. Maximus was my favorite character from the movie. He had such personality! The sister even questions her brother on this, as Max is briefly mentioned early on in such a way, but then he's not seen again. We eventually see the Pascal we all know and love, but it will be pages more until we get the answer of Maximus, as the brother promises his sister. So yes, utter disappointment that Max wasn't in the majority of the story, but the answer to his whereabouts was an interesting one, I will give Liz that!

Despite being pretty different from the previous Twisted Tales I've read in its presentation, I have to say it was still rather enjoyable! Though I do wish we could've known more about Mother Gothel's outcome. It's merely told and not seen, so it wasn't as satisfying as it was in the movie. And since the dramatic change happens at the beginning of the story, you really don't know what's going to happen at any point. Being a Disney tale, you know a Happily Ever After is pretty much guaranteed and this one does not disappoint.

I honestly loved the inclusion of Bathory! It was an odd choice in some sense, because you know, a real historical character popping up in a Disney story was a little odd. Especially the vampire queen herself...or so the rumors say! And this was the true Bathory of history as well, her story was much the same as we know it.

Watching Rapunzel and Flynn aka Eugene as I prefer to call him, fall in love again was just sweet. Though with the third party, Gina, involved, you wonder how things will go. There's definitely no love triangle possibilities, so that was nice. Gina was kind of like a human version of Maximus as she and Eugene were usually at odds more than being friendly with one another! Lol. Rapunzel and Eugene slowly--albeit, quickly in normal terms--fall in love just as always and it was just as sweet as before.

The ending of course was happy! It was a nice sweet ending to a beloved favorite. There were certainly some interesting twists along the way, but most were happy and enjoyable ones. The author's note at the end definitely explained the sudden departure from the usual way of Twisted Tale storytelling and was nice in essence, but I wonder if the note should've gone at the beginning to perhaps better prepare readers for the new "twist." It threw me a little, but I was eventually able to move past it. That and the lack of my favorite horse were perhaps the only things that were off-putting about this story. Other than that, I positively adore it! Tangled was such a good movie and I was eager to see how Twisted Tales would handle it. It doesn't disappoint that's for sure! Every Disney movie fan should be reading this series, because it's pretty much full of awesomeness!

What Once Was Mine presents a very imposing question, what if Rapunzel's mother ate the wrong flower...how different would the Rapunzel we all know and love be? Rapunzel is still written true to heart and is the same girl we all love, just with a different hair color! Fans of Tangled will be enchanted by this Twisted Tale and be swept back away to the kingdom of Corona and all its magnificent adventures!



Overall Rating 4/5 stars





What Once Was Mine releases September 7, 2021

ARC recieved from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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.

My Summary:
15%: So far in the story, we learn that Rapunzel wasn’t stolen by Mother Gothel, but her parents were scared of her magical hair, so they gave away their baby. She was raised in the tower, and the Queen could only see her once. Her hair is a deadly weapon and can kill anyone when she is made or sings a certain song. (think of it as the opposite of her hair from the Disney movie). Mother Gothel has plans to sell her for marriage to make money. There is a secret way into the tower through a trapdoor.

45%: so now everythings gone awry. Rapunzel made some new friends. Flynn obviously. And then there is this new girl, Gina. They take Rapunzel into the city. She gets into the city, and is attacked by large men. Mother Gothel has realized Rapunzel has escaped, so she tells the people she is going to sell her to, about it. All the people in this inner circle are out to get Rapunzel.

77%: Alright. So A LOT HAS HAPPENED! Gina takes Rapunzel to her mother’s place. She is a real witch, unlike Gothel. Rapunzel learns some shocking things about her past that would change her life forever. She has a deep spiritual awakening, and learns about her hair, and is working on controlling it. She gets kidnapped! By Bathroy’s guard.

My Review:
15%: Ok. love the story. For starters BEFORE YOU READ, you need to know that this doesn’t start like the other books in the series. It starts off in a hospital, with a 16 year old girl, on chemo who loves Tangled, and her brother is “retelling” the story. Reading the first chapter made me sad because I thought this was going to start off in the fairytale, but I didn’t like the whole cancer thing. Whenever the story gets good, Daniella (the cancer girl) has to interrupt, ruining the vibe.

60%: So after Rapunzel is at the Snuggly Duckling, and meets a lovely lady named Gina, who is one somewhat a “thug”. She agreed to help Flynn and Rapunzel on her journey, for a price. She takes them to her mothers house and is a REAL WITCH. She teaches Rapunzel how to use her hair, and about the past.

77%: ok this book has gotten way more action packed, and more romance involved! Rapunzel and Flynn have been kissing, and being all cushie with one another. There is now a kidnapping. I am sweating with worry and anticipation!
98%: this took a massive turn. There is an all out war going on for Rapunzel, and she is with her new friends, and is watching out for them. She stands up to someone, and uses her magic hair to help fight.

End of Book: So I just finished this book, and I have my final thoughts. I will start on character development. Rapunzel was sad and angry about being in a tower, locked away from the world. When she finally leaves the tower, she is a frightful girl, always on edge, worrying Mother Gothel would find her. She was clueless and didn’t know what to do. Then once Rapunzel learned she was the heir to the throne of Corona. Once she finds true love, and understands herself, she is confident. Rapunzel now is able to stand up for herself, and not take orders. She is a free woman now. She stands up to all the thugs, Bathroy, and even her “mother”.

I never was interested in Tangled and Rapunzel’s story, but this has changed my mind completely. The author changed the narrative, which I loved. I never know when Disney movies really take place, but I could imagine being there, next to Rapunzel. I love anything Liz Braswell writes, but this takes the cake!. There were more female characters, with bigger roles and encouraged female empowerment which I liked. The new characters each had a story, and were all well fleshed out. This book There was a whole new aspect of Rapunzel (which we never saw in the movie). Rapunzel is a BADASS! She uses her magic to escape, and hurt people, who try to capture her.

The tension between Rapunzel and Flynn when they first meet is painful. I was waiting for them to get together, and when they did, I was so happy.
PLEASE GO BUY THIS BOOK WHEN IT COMES OUT! IT WAS AWESOME!

Oh, my beloved readers. I wanted to love this book so much. Tangled is my favorite Disney movie ever, and I literally subscribed to Disney+ to watch the Tangled animated series. When I saw that this book was available as an ARC, I requested it immediately.

And from page 1, I was disappointed. And it really didn't get better as the 500+ page story continued. I don't think this wanted to be a Twisted Tale; I think it wanted to be The Princess Bride. It starts off with two children in a cancer ward and for a few pages, I seriously thought I had received the wrong book. It then turns out that the brother (Brendan? Brian? I don't know) is talking with his sister (who has cancer). Tangled is her favorite movie, so the brother decides to create a new "version" of the story to amuse his sister.

And from there we get this weird hybrid story, which, yes, retells Rapunzel's story. But the tone of the whole story is just... off. It's evident that the author was trying to write this book as if it's the brother's actual story, so she uses terms that the brother would use (like murderhair). And, while I can appreciate the attempt, it just made it so hard for me to respect/stay invested in the story. Granted, I've only read one other Twisted Tale (I have 3 more waiting to be read), but the tone of that one was much more serious.

I'm glad the book addressed some of the serious topics in Tangled (like Mother Gothel's abuse of Rapunzel), but because of the tone of the story, it's hard to truly appreciate it. We also a new character named Gina, who may be Eugene's sister (since their names are so similar? Which is how siblings work now?), but who knows because they were orphans? I don't even know. There were some random plot points (wars? Gothel trying to sell Rapunzel off like cattle?) but I just wasn't invested anymore and didn't care. I just wanted it all to end.

If you want to enjoy more Tangled watch the animated series. This book doesn't do the characters justice.

Twisted Tales are a fun read! I recommend the books to my higher readers and they always have fun! I will be adding this to my collection when released.