To be honest, at the beginning of the book I didn't have a lot of faith in it. It started off a little slow and I found returning to the framing device unnecessary and a little annoying.

I'm so glad it picked up! I would say once it got past the first ~20% the story really hit its stride. Liz worked really hard to take the world of Tangled and lay it over real history, with plenty of references to how the original fairy tale went. She took Disney-brand magic and made it work within a more traditional fairy tale narrative.

I also have to REALLY applaud that narrator! Rachel Kimsey did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. She made Rapunzel and Flynn really sound like their Tangled counterparts. I have no doubt that this book greatly benefitted from her work and her phenomenal job of giving the characters recognizable personalities.

Overall I think this was done well and gets the job done, but I don't think the return to the framing device was necessary. The first scene is sweet and sets up the story, the book doesn't need to justify itself and in doing so it just makes it read a bit weaker.

What Once Was Mine is a wonderful retelling of the classic Rapunzel told by a caring brother wanting to bring joy to his sister as she undergoes cancer treatments. Rapunzel's journey intertwining with Eugene and Gina told a wonderful tale of friendship. The story included lessons on coming of age, taking control of one's destiny, being careful to not judge those who haven't walked the same path in life, gender roles, and the complexity of family. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator's voice and her inflection with Rapunzel and Mother Gothel's voices. The ending, however, did feel somewhat rushed in both the scene with King and Queen and also the brother and sister. Regardless, I enjoyed the story and think it would be a great audiobook for reluctant readers in a middle school setting. Looking forward to recommending it to my students.

I really love Liz Brazwell’s writing. She is an amazing storyteller and exactly who I would choose to write a Disney retelling. Unfortunately, I don’t see myself reading anymore books in this series. I’ve read 3 others, 2 by the author. They really aren’t my style anymore. Being a Disney nerd, I’ll read any kind of fairytale. If you’re 13 and a Disney nerd these books are for you! Definitely adding to my classroom bookcase for my students.

Okay y'all, I am HUGE Disney fan! Give me the chance to experience anything Disney and I'm in. So, of course, I jumped at the chance to not only read this book but listen to the audiobook. There is just something about returning to childhood and reading along while listening to someone else reading. The narrator was spot on with her tone and emotions. Add to her fabulous reading all of the extras like musical interludes and I was in hog heaven.
This story retold Rapunzel's story as put forth by Disney as Tangled. It also had a Princess Bride feel where there was a brother reading this exact story to his sick sister. There is just something about being immersed in the story only to be brought back out and have the story mention the sibling duo. It makes you realize how far in the story your brain went.
This story is absolutely perfect for the young and old alike. Well done!
Many thanks to Net Galley for not only granting me an ARC of the book but the audiobook as well.

The audiobook retelling of Rapunzel is a fun ride. In this twisted version Rapunzel’s hair is a deadly weapon. This is definitely a dark tale, fitting the original Brothers Grimm. At more than 10 hours, I was afraid the audiobook might drag. It never did. I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice. Rachel Kimsey’s nuanced dialogue was perfectly paced. The characters’ voices were unique. I will ask our public library to purchase this audiobook as my middle school library simply does not have the budget.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Twisted Tale series has always intrigued me, as each novel takes a fundamental part of a familiar Disney story and turns it on its head. Many of the novels are written from the villain's perspective. In this book, Rapunzel's mother was given a Moondrop flower instead of the Sundrop that gave Rapunzel healing powers in the movie Tangled. The Moondrop also grants her supernatural powers, but this time to harm.

Rapunzel's journey is similar to her story in Tangled, except she decides to leave the tower on her own. She meets Flynn Rider and Gina, two ruffians who she hopes will help lead her to see the annual lantern release. Along the way, she discovers her true identity and wonders about Mother Gothel's motives for keeping her prisoner.

Rachel Kimsey is a fantastic narrator and perfectly captures Rapunzel's joyous spirit (and giggles). Her voice for Mother Gothel is practically movie-accurate. Her performance makes the story even more enjoyable.

This is my first Twisted Tales book and I will be seeking out more titles in the series.

Recommended for fans of Disney, fairy tales, and YA fantasy looking for a fun, enjoyable read.

Rapunzel's hair is discovered to be lethal when she kills a maid as an infant. To protect the king and queen, she's hidden away to be raised by Mother Gothel. She grows up in the tower but longs to travel to see the floating lanterns she sees in the sky on her birthday.

If you loved the movie as a child, you'll love this movie tie-in, twisted update to Disney's Rapunzel! It's got the adventure and naivety of the animated tale, but it's updated for today's audiences. The narrator, Rachel Kimsey, is fantastic -- she's particularly wonderful at Rapunzel's joyful innocence! I absolutely enjoyed the audiobook and cannot wait to pass it on to my Disney-loving friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for allowing me to review an advance copy of this audiobook.

I first want to start off with saying that I am a sucker for the twisted tales! I think it is so fun to play with storylines in the Disney world! However, this one fell short for me! It was VERY slow, and the characters didn't feel like themselves... if that makes sense... What I did love is that it had many nuances from the movie, and I enjoyed some of the new characters that were introduced!

I also want to add that you should still give it a try if you like Tangled and the twisted tales series! Hopefully you will give it more love than I did!!

I love all things Disney/fairytale and this book delivered! Twisted tales are some of the best stories to read- and this is ranked high on my list. The narrator was PERFECT.

I have always enjoyed the Twisted Tales series and this installment is now, by far, my favorite. I feel that many of the previous books were almost copies of the films with little changes, but this one was so different. Braswell was incredibly clever with her twists and revelations. Although this title did have a lot of references to the original story, it took a completely different path that was immensely enjoyable. The addition of an actual narrator and the side story of the brother and sister were so endearing and pleasant to read. Cannot wait to hand to patrons!

The narration was enjoyable and not distracting although I would have preferred a male voice to go with the book's/story's narrator,

Excellent audibook. This was incredibly well done!

I think the Braswell wrote this one, with the introductory sections of the brother and sister interacting during chemo treatments, flowed really well with the audio format. I absolutely loved how it felt like you were listening to the story right along with her. Very creative and unique! Loved it!

My full review for the story itself is as follows:

**4.5-stars rounded up**

What Once Was Mine is the 12th-installment in Disney's long-running Twisted Tales series. So far, I have read 10 out of the 12 books and definitely have plans to read them all! If you are unfamiliar with this fantastic series, you can read these books in any order. Each one tackles a different Disney story, twisting one major plot point and then examining what would have happened because of that twist.

In this volume, Liz Braswell twists the tale of Rapunzel, or the movie, Tangled, if you prefer to look at it that way. Worried about the life of their ailing Queen, pregnant with her first child, the citizens of Corona search for the infamous Sundrop flower to cure her, but end up picking a Moondrop flower accidentally.

Because of this one tiny error, the baby girl, Rapunzel, has silver hair, the color of the moon, dangerous to the touch. In order to keep everyone safe, the Queen and King make the heartbreaking decision to have Rapunzel locked away in a Tower, far from the kingdom proper, and watched over by a powerful goodwife, Mother Gothel.

Rapunzel dutifully stays put for 18-years. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, but the pull of seeing the floating lights on her birthday is just too strong. She sets out on an adventure of epic proportions with two theives, Flynn and Gina, on a search for her happily ever after.

Y'all, this book is an absolute blast to read. Dare I say, the BEST TWISTED TALE YET!!!

If you love the story of Rapunzel, the cute and quirky characters within it, or you think that the movie Tangled is a true gem to be watched on repeat because of its glorious good humor, you absolutely have to get your hands on this book!

I have never jived with Braswell's writing as much as I did with this one. She really shines here, bringing this story and these characters to life in a whole new ((moon))light!!

A hearty thank you to the publisher, Disney Books and Disney Audio, for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. It absolutely filled my heart!

Another phenomenal twisted tale from Liz Braswell. This time the twist is on the Rapunzel fairy tale. It keeps all of the elements that we love about the original fairy tale (Flynn Ryder-swoon, Mother Gothel-boo, Pasqual-aww) and shakes it up a bit. The characters, both old and new, were so well developed that it didn’t take long to love them. The pacing was quick and on point. I look forward to reading the next book in the Twisted Tales series.

The audiobook was a delight to listen to. The narrator did an awesome job bringing the story to life. The narration was smooth and fluid without random pauses that happen in some audiobooks. I would definitely listen to this narrator again.