I loved this retelling of Rapunzel. The premise of this novel is that Rapunzel's mother was cured with the wrong flower, giving Rapunzel the power of death by hair rather than healing. It added some great complications to Rapunzel's journey away from her tower.

Her journey was more realistic as well. The world is more fleshed out with towns and nobility from other kingdoms. Rapunzel doesn't understand much of anything and many things have to be explained to her. The other characters do this, but with a more realistic level of questioning. Mother Gothel is worse as well, but it's addressed in a better way.

Overall, I gave this novel five stars and would most definitely read it again. If you love Tangled or Rapunzel retellings, pick this book up! You won't regret it.

Putting a unique twist on a classic Disney movie (as well as a general classic fairy tale), this novel was very interesting and enjoyable to read.

I love fairytale retellings and love the tale of Rapunzel! I didn't realize this book was written in the perspective of a guy retelling the story of the Rapunzel movie to his sister who is undergoing chemo. It explains a lot about the simplicity of the writing style and how wonky the retelling got at times 😂 I enjoyed this retelling especially the girl power moments and when Rapunzel is learning about her powers. I thought one of the special moments between her and Flynn were a bit rushed, but overall I shipped them. The ending was very satisfying, but I wish there was a little blurb following up about the Snuggly Duckling. Overall, a fun retelling!

3.5/5 Stars

It feels like the worst kind of blasphemy to have a Disney-approved retelling of <i>Tangled</i> that <b>doesn't include the floating lanterns at all</b>. But I'm not bitter about that or anything.

<i>What Once Was Mine</i> is one of the latest in the Twisted Tales series currently being put out by Disney, essentially asking a "What if . . .?" question about a classic Disney movie and then writing out the AU that would happen if that question became reality for those characters. Really interesting concept, although there have been some mixed results, in my opinion, on the books I've read from the series. Obviously, though, I had to read this one, because <i>Tangled</i> is my favorite.

Welllllllll.

I did enjoy the story. The "What if . . .?" question here asks, "What if Rapunzel's mother drank a healing potion made from a moonflower, not the flower that came from the sun?" I haven't finished the <i>Tangled</i> TV series, but I thought at first we'd get similar vibes to that. Not really, apart from giving Rapunzel the opportunity to have a female best friend, which I thought was fun.

From the beginning, the story was a little off for me. This is the first from the series, of what I've read, that's involved the real world. The story is framed by a brother sitting in a hospital room with his sister while she undergoes chemotherapy. Her favorite story is <i>Tangled</i>, so to entertain her he decides to come up with a retelling for her. While I like that concept in theory, every other book so far has retold the fairy tale without, you know, physically having someone in the book doing the retelling. It kept knocking me out of the story, didn't do much for the pacing.

Still not nearly as annoying as <b>not going to see the floating lights no really I'm not bitter</b>.

One of my favorite parts of the book was Flynn Rider. He was written so well, with clever quips and heroic actions - it felt very well-translated from movie to book retelling. Rapunzel was well-written too, but there was so much time spent on her moondrop magic versus her actually getting to explore the world she's literally dreamed about seeing for her entire life.

Overall, not my favorite of the series, and not one I'd plan to reread, but I'd probably lend it out to give Disney fans a chance to read and decide for themselves. (Except I'd also warn them about the floating lanterns).

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. I like these twisted changed tales based off Disney movies. Rapunzel is my favorite Disney Princess. It was fun and interesting seeing a different version of her backstory and Rapunzel not being too different personality wise, but a little different. I enjoy the darker elements of this story, and the new characters. The writing style had a nice flow and was easy to read. A quick read. It was easy to tell what was going to happen in the story, except for a couple magical parts. A good read for any Disney fan. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #Disney-Hyperion #LizBraswell
We all know the story of Tangled. Well, what if it didn’t turn out the way we are used to? What if, due to one different decision, Rapunzel’s hair became a weapon and not a tool?
This was different. This is the first of the Twisted Tales books that I’ve read. Now I can’t wait to read the rest of them. I loved the way she turned the familiar characters on their heads and added a different perspective. Apparently, Rapunzel’s hair was silver and not blond and Mother Gothel was asked to take her to live in that tower. Who knew? I did feel that some of the characters could have been a little nearer to the characters in the Disney movie. I also didn’t love what went on with Maximus. I would have made a different choice but I do appreciate the creativity involved. This was number 12 in the series and I can’t wait to read the others.

Listen, I’m biased because I LOVE Tangled, but I was in love with this book from beginning to end. It felt like fanfiction, but in the best possible way? Flynn and Rapunzel and Mother Gothel still felt like their original characters, but the new characters were all so amazing! It was actually a pretty dark story… and I really enjoyed that, coming from Disney. I highly highly recommend this if you loved Tangled and want another fix of it.

Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies, I never pass up the opportunity to watch the film. I also love retellings, so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. This is my first book in the Twisted Tales series, and it did not disappoint. The way the story “came to be” did throw me a little bit but I think that it was because I wasn’t expecting to happen the way it did. I was happy that plot point only had a small part in the overall story. I loved how my favorite characters were all present and how the author included their personality traits. It made the twists that happen even more unexpected, but I loved the parts that were added to the story, especially towards the second half of the book. Looking forward to reading the rest in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had never read a Twisted Tale before and this was a treat! If possible, I would have rated this 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this darker take on Rapunzel! I wish the villain had connected with me a little more, otherwise this would have been a four-star read. Can't wait to read more of these tales in the future!

This was my first Twisted Tale and boy, was it a wild ride!

I am not sure what I was expecting going into this novel. I love Tangled and it is my favourite Disney movie of all time, so I had high expectations. I really love the concept of this series, it gives an opportunity for us to see our favourite characters in a new light,

I liked the darker twist to this story. It gave a new range to the original story. I loved that most of our favourite characters from the movie make an appearance in the novel. I wish that the character of Flynn (Eugene) was more utilized in the story because he is so vital to the movie adaptation that I wanted to see more of his character. I like the addition of the character Gina, she added lots to the plot and storytelling.

I wasn't in love with the choice of villain with the story, but it didn't ruin the book for me.

If you are a Tangled or Rapunzel fan, you will most likely really enjoy this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the e-Arc in exchange for a honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book! Unfortunately it's taken FOREVER for me to get to this book and it's been published for months.

I would give this more of a 3.5 star rating than just a three. I don't think there was anything particularly WRONG with this book, it just wasn't that memorable or different because the story of Rapunzel already has adventure, a strong female lead, and a super great plot.

What Once was Mine is the story of nineteen year old Rapunzel who has been trapped in a tower as long as she can remember with her only visitor being her mother, Gothel. She has always kept to a routine and while not completely happy, at least content, living in her tall tower mostly alone. Until one day, the yearly lights in the sky spark a desire in her to go see them in person and experience the outside world. Much to her dismay, of course her mother disagrees. Then one day, Rapunzel notices Flynn Rider hide something in a tree near her home and an idea for a quest takes root in her mind.

This is a super cute story, that instead of magic of the Sundrop Flower uses moon magic, and some details are minority different from the original, but the story itself is still very similar. So while I didn't HATE it, I think I would have preferred a bit more of a spin on the classic tale. And maybe that's the way all 0f the books in this series are, I'm not sure since this is the first Liz Braswell book that I have read. I do plan on giving another book in this series a try, since I did already purchase the first three.

Thank you to Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for the gifted ebook of What Once Was Mine! All opinions in this review are my own.

What Once Was Mine is the third in the Twisted Tale series that I have read. I read the ones based on Aladdin and Hercules first because those are two of my favorite movies. I don't like Tangled so it was a different experience reading this one. I think it left more room for me to enjoy the novel because What Once Was Mine is my favorite out of the three.

What Once Was Mine was also slightly different from the other two Twisted Tales I read because of the frame story around it. While the frame story was sweet, I found that it interrupted the flow of the novel in the middle. It should have been more contained to the beginning and the end of the book because Rapunzel's adventures were so exciting!

Tangled is my favorite Disney Princess movie and when I heard about this book I was so excited! I think that it was executed so well and still kept the feeling of the original story while changing it up a little. I think that they characters were really well developed, and it was just such a fun experience to see my favorite story portrayed in a different way. Overall I really enjoyed this book! This is one of my favorite series and I will continue to read the books as they come out!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really love these books! They are such a fun twist on the original tales that we all know. Tangled was my daughters favorite movie so I have seen it A TON.

This particular twist was well done. I love that it was the Queen and King that had to lock Rapunzel away due to the dangerous nature of her SILVER hair. Its absolutely a recreation of the movie with a twist. I loved the book but the one thing I didnt like was Flynn. He was no where near as good of a character as his movie counterpart.

I've read other books in the Twisted Tales series and have loved them; unfortunately, this one didn't work for me.
I think my biggest problem with this one is how slow it was. I felt like I had been reading forever by the time I got to the 25% mark and nothing had really happened yet. Rapunzel hadn't met anyone yet and we are just getting around to Mother Gothel showing us the plot and driving factor of the book. Since this is a YA story I would have thought these driving factors would have been introduced sooner so the reader will want to keep reading. Overall, just a bit disappointing.

This book is a retelling of Disney's Tangled, if instead of the sun flower, Rapunzel's powers come from a moon flower. This flower gives her different abilities that she learns how to deal with throughout the book.

Overall, I thought this book was good, but it did feel it dragged at points. Although some characters from the movie are in the book, there are new characters and the storyline is different for the most part. It was difficult at times to ignore the movie and take this book as a separate entitiy, but after a few chapters it was very clear that this book would be different in many ways.

The author did a great job of creating a new story while still allowing it to feel Disney and keep the essence of what Tangled is about.

I would reccommend this book to anyone who loves Tangled and want to see the same main characters in new situations.

Great addition to the series, I love these books. I really like how each book stands on its own and gives a completely different look at the old tales.

A book that's perfect for people who love Tangled, or fairytales in general!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. WOW! This was my FAVORITE twisted tale that I have read so far!! I like the Rapunzel story, this took it to a whole new level!! I will definitely recommend to others looking for a twist on the original stories!!

Rapunzel wants so desperately to see the floating lights, but Mother Gothel forbids it. What happens when Rapunzel goes against Mother Gothel's demands and sneaks out to journey on her own?
When the queen and her unborn child's lives are at stake, the people of Corona set out on a search for the Sundrop flower. Nobody seems to realize they acquired the Moondrop flower instead, as it heals the queen anyways. When Rapunzel is born with hair as silver as the moon, it's a shock to everyone involved that dangerous powers have surfaced. For the safety of herself and the kingdom, Rapunzel is sent away to live in isolation with goodwife, Mother Gothel. Rapunzel has spent all 18 years of her life locked away, keeping her magical hair away from everyone, but she has finally had enough. She so desperately wants to see the mysterious floating lights that appear on her birthday every year. When Mother Gothel forbids it, Rapunzel comes up with a plan to make it happen. Not only does Rapunzel run into two thieves, Gina and Flynn, but she also learns that there may be more to her story than she was ever told. Will she make it to see the floating lights she has always dreamed of seeing or will a series of unfortunate events prevent her dream from coming true?
I absolutely loved this twisted tale! I couldn't get enough of it, not wanting to put it down. It was such a beautiful story and fun take on Tangled. Liz Braswell did an outstanding job! I also bought the audiobook to listen to and it was the first one that's ever been able to keep my attention. The narrator, Rachel Kimsey, reads the story beautifully. It's everything I'd want in an audiobook! I highly recommend this Disney Twisted Tale to anyone who loves Tangled, a creative retelling, or Disney in general!

***The audiobook is missing the end of Chapter 19 and Chapter 37. It also skipped twice at the end. This wasn't an issue for me since I had the ebook as well and bounced between the two.***

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.