The premise was promising but it failed to deliver. Too much was different with no real build up to how we got there. The interjection of the "real world" in the hospital was jarring and unnecessary and nearly made the book unreadable. I liked the addition of the third person but it should have been Cassandra from the television show. Over all, a big disappointment.

Title: What Once Was Mine
Author: Liz Braswell
Pub. Date: September 7, 2021
Rating: 3

I guess I just wanted the feeling, and the magic Tangle gives me, and I didn’t get it from this book. It was long, the formatting kept pulling me out of the story, and too much real history was included. It stopped feeling like a magical fantasy adventure, and now that I think of it, more like Ever After.
And Ever After isn’t a bad movie – in fact, I love it. But the vibes are very different, and I don’t think Tangled is conducive to it.
The formatting is reminiscent of the Princess Bride, the feeling was Ever After and the characters felt like a mix of Tangled and Tangled: Ever After. It was a weird mix, where the magic got lost in the everything else-ness of the book, and I don’t think it worked.

Title: What Once Was Mine
Author: Liz Braswell
Pub. Date: September 7, 2021
Rating: 3

This will be a short spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I’m just kind of “meh” about this book. It wasn’t bad, but really didn’t entice me as much as I expected it to. I ended up listening to the second half of this book on Audible and that made the book go by faster and mildly more interesting. The narrator was pretty good at voicing the characters and making them feel more real. But still, overall, wasn’t that impressed or hooked.

I think I might say this every time I read one of these Twisted Tales books – but they’re really not “twisted”. I guess this one was the most “twisted” in the sense that the story is kind of spun around and flipped on its head, but it lost the magic that is Tangled.

I can’t explain what exactly, but everything I love about Tangled – the magic of it – was lost in this book. Even the formatting was off-putting. I know the formatting and the narrative outside of the Tangled retelling is sentimental to the author, very personal, but I constantly pulled me from the story.

I also wasn’t a fan of how much history was included in the book. I grew bored.

Overall, not a terrible book, but didn't meet my expectations unfortunately.

my biggest issue with this book was that it was kind of a mess. like, i think it was just such a mess and i honestly really hated this so much. like, i feel like it was just kind of a mess that they had so much happening in here and that they had pretty much everything from all of the books in here and threw it all together. and i feel like this twisted tale just didn't work and i feel like this was nothing like the original disney movie. and i feel like how this story was different, just didn't work at all.

and i feel like the biggest issue with this book is the writing, i think. like, i feel like it is something a lot of people can like, and that they can really like if they wanted it. but i feel like everything that she says is just glorifying it all, and she uses way to many words in something that could have been said in five words, is now said in like 20, which doesn't work and is insane. and then there is all of these comparisons, that just don't work at all. and i feel like it was something that just didn't work in the long run.

like, most of this book rapunzel is just wanting to leave and wanting to get out of the tower, which i never understand why she just didn't run since mother gothel was never there. and i feel like she just drew on the walls and that they were just trying to get her become this witch and trying to get all of this in here. and then having flynn become this side character with dialogue, but still not even that much, was just kind of annoying. since, he is a stable character in the movie, but then in here he was just this cardboard cut out, which annoyed the life of me.

i will say though, i did like that they villainized gothel. like, i feel like they could have totally made it look like she came out on top, with taking in this girl that is this witch, could have made her look so much better. but, i liked that they stuck to her being the villain and that they did talk about how mean gothel was to rapunzel and that she was manipulative and that she messed with her mind. and that she was not this good person.

A beautiful retelling, full of the same excitement as the disney movie!

It was familiar enough to enjoy its similarities, and different enough for the new ideas to keep me compelled to read it.

Had the same disney magic as the film, with a touch of extra darkness to make it more exciting as a novel!

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!

I like a good alternate history tale, and I especially appreciated the retelling of one of my favorite Disney princesses!

This was such a fun story! Disney has really done an amazing job with the twisted tales retellings. I especially enjoy Braswell's retellings. I think she has a fun take on where the story could go and poses some really interesting questions that draw the reader into the story. I cannot wait to read more of the retellings in this series/collection.

Another great addition to the Twisted Tales series. In this series we see what would happen if Rapunzel's mom had drank a different flower which gave her very different and much darker powers. A great read where I definitely shed some tears! Can't wait to read more in this series.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I don't usually read and review youth titles but this one caught my eye. It was an interesting alternative telling of the Rapunzel (Tangled) story and I enjoyed it. The characters are similar to those in the movie but slightly different given the premise of the book. All in all a fun read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in alternative versions of the Disney fairytales.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved howLiz Braswell made a twist on Tangled that was unlike anythig else I’ve ever read. This is probably one of my favorite Twisted tales!

We already know I absolutely love fairy tale retellings and What Once was Mine definetly did not disappoint. This is one of my favorite twisted tales so far.
At first I was was a little confused by the Princess Bride style narration (the movie version!!!!) Here we have Brendan telling his twin sister Daniella this new version of Rapunzel’s tale, but the way its written and woven into the story makes it very charming to the point that I kept looking forward to their side comments and Daniella's guesses on the direction of the story.
The story is a little slow, although I think it only felt that way to me because I started the book with the world already clear in my head.
So much of the Tangled version of Rapunzel is used, but there are enough differences to keep the story fun and entertaining, and it was also a little darker than I expected.
Mother Gothel is still insanely selfish and all-around evil, but I still feel like she is a million times more terrible in this book, she tries to auction Rapunzel off for her magical hair, and that wasn’t even the most horrible thing she did!
Rapunzel is also slightly different than how we know her, for one thing she feels like she does belong in the tower because otherwise her magic would hurt others and she wouldn’t be able to control it.
I also loved Gina so much, she’s probably my favorite character after Rapunzel, and she brings excitement and freshness to the story.
Overall a lovely retelling, and I cannot wait for the next Twisted Tale!!
Thank you so much Disney Publishing Worldwide and Netgalley for my copy!

On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve is talking to authors Liz Braswell and Jen Calonita all about their new Disney books, A Twisted Tale: What Once Was Mine and Lost Legends: The Rise of Flynn Rider respectively.

The 12th book in the Twisted Tales series, What Once Was Mine asks the very simple question, what if Rapunzel’s mother drank a potion from the wrong flower? So that instead of healing properties, Rapunzel’s hair could possibly kill you with just simply by touching it? As for Jen’s book, The Rise of Flynn Rider, she kicks off this new Lost Legends middle grade series with adventure and excitement, giving us the origin story for perhaps Disney’s most loveable roguish hero, Flynn Rider, plus a few other notables you’ll surely recognize.

The three of them talk about the Twisted Tales series and the run that it’s having, what a great year it’s been for the Twisted Sister team, what exactly is Lost Legends, their preferred Rapunzel source material, lots of Flynn Rider, and much, much more.

For the full interview, click the link below...

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/shows/everything-is-canon-flynn-rider-rapunzel-special/

Overall I think this is a good addition to the twisted tales series. Not my favorite and I had a hard time getting into it but I ended up enjoying it in the end. Definitely worth the read especially if you like Rapunzel.

First, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Liz Braswell for sending me an eARC for an honest review. I was truly amazed by this retelling of Rapunzel from Tangled and I think if you all read it as well, you'll enjoy it so much.

What Once Was Mine was unique because it was a story told as a story. A brother is narrating the story for his little sister who has cancer. Reading the Author's note at the end made me love the book even more, considering that this story was inspired by Liz's own experience with her sister.

There was so much more magic and detail involved in the story that made me like it more than Tangled. The idea of the Moondrop Flower was genius. It was a much more heartbreaking story than the original. It pulled at my attention and wouldn't let go. At first I didn't think that Pascal and Maximus were going to be in the book, but Liz completely surprised me with how she incorporated them. I loved all the characters. Flynn was adorable. Gina is not an original character but it was so much better with her there. There are new and old villains. The old villains had more backstory which was very intriguing.

The story was really brought together and seemed more believable with all of the historical mentions and the very real Countess Bathory being one of the villains. Countess Bathory is a crazy murderer from the 1600s who liked killing and torturing her female servants.

Over all, such an amazing book. I can't wait to read more from Liz Braswell Thank you for putting your imagination onto paper.

I've only read a couple of the twisted tales series, but this one just didn't catch me. I don't know if it was harder since there is the tangled show out there as well. I just felt the story moved so slowly, there were too many pauses to over explain something, or to focus on Rapunzel's wonder of something new. I also didn't get the point of the framing story of the brother retelling the story, no other twisted tale had this outer story to explain the change. The use of it was clunky and added more unnecessary detail to make the story longer. Overall it was an okay story but just so long and drawn out for no reason. I will still recommend this to patron as I'm sure younger readers may not be as annoyed by random horse descriptions.

This may be one of my favorites in the entire series. Rapunzel may not be one of my favorite Disney properties, but this book just made me fall in love. It was so different from the other books, and had a very good spin to the movie. The fact I got teary eyed is something because I rarely cry over books. Definitely one I’d recommend to any Disney fan or fan of the Twisted Tales.

1.5 stars. rounded to 2.

I love Rapunzel, and I have read some of the other twisted tales, Mind you this is book 12 in the series. I didn't care for this one as much as I had hoped I would. I think it was strange that the villain was essentially Lady Bathory, Like I know that these arent supposed to be the original stories but they should still have the feeling of the original story shouldn't they? I wish that Flynn would have been a stronger character instead of just a mannequin or someone that felt fake as heck. I think that I probably would have dnf'd this if I wasn't reading an early copy, as it was it took me far longer to read a middle grade/ya book than it needed to. On the plus side the stories are all standalones which means that I will give the next one a try.

I don't even know where to start! Although this book took me a month to read, it kept me hooked and constantly thinking about it. I loved how the story is so alike in some aspects, but also so different in others to Tangled. I also really enjoyed how Rapunzel and Flynn's relationship developed. Lastly, Gina being so strong and independent was really the cherry-on-top that made me love this book. I definitely recommend it and am now eager to read more of these "twisted tales"!

Thank you NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Liz Braswell is one of my favorite authors that write retellings. The way that she reimagines these classic Disney tales that everyone grew up with always feels magical and creative. I would recommend the Twisted Tales series to any Disney lover, or someone who is looking for darker retellings of fairytales!

The story follows the same opening of the original movie, Tangled, but those that searched for the Sundrop flower to save the Queen accidentally find a different magical flower--the Moondrop flower. The flower makes Rapunzel untouchable, and the King and Queen make the decision to lock her up in a tower and she is watched over by a powerful goodwife, Mother Gothel. Although Rapunzel knows of the dangers she poses to others, the pull and mystery of the floating lights make it too hard for her to resist leaving her tower, where she sets off on an adventure with two thieves, Gina and Flynn, to find her own version of a happily ever after.

The characters were written incredibly well and were witty and quirky, which is everything you would expect from the Tangled cast. I really loved the addition of Gina, and all the reveals at the end were amazing. I only wish that Flynn felt more like a main character throughout the whole story and not pushed off to being a side character. I also love Braswell's creative mind and the addition of the 'moon powers' that Rapunzel explores and discovers throughout her journey in the book.

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.