First, thank you to the author for providing me with this book!

Well, it seems that this month I’m going for retellings. This time, it’s the one of Rapunzel and Jane Eyre. Like any fairytale, it’s a very, very quick read and to be honest it felt a bit rushed. I wish I had more time to discover the world and the system of the fairytales used as patterns for the characters’ lives (which I found very unique). But I think all these elements are present in the other books since this one is part of a series, even if it can be read alone.

I liked the characters with the bad ones being slightly psycho, going beyond the usual bad of fairytales. Grayson is cute even if a bit stupid at times but since she never left her cottage before it’s logical. I wished she had more chapters for herself but there are more things happening on Dex’s side so I understand this narrative choice. My favourite was Elle because she seems a bit crazy but has a network I wish I had! It was also fun to go from a fairytale setting with forests and castles to New York which is a bit revisited to fit in the plot.

In brief: a good fairytale but too short! I want more of it! The copy I received had artwork inside which was very nice even if I would have preferred to have it at the end instead of between the chapters.

I have read every book in this series and not on has disappointed. We get the sassy fun and snarky heroine, in this case it is Grayson. We get the evil one that just has you want to growl. Here we have two, Rapunzel and the Prism Master. We have the fun hero, here it is Dex and we get a mystery. This has a few. We have who is Grayson really. We learn early on this question. She isn’t like other Osmos elves and we also learn a bit about her fairytale template she is supposed to come from, Rapunzel.

We learn about Lady R and how cruel she is. That women is a piece of work and man are there secrets there. The secrets about the Rapunzel template alone is interesting but Lady R takes the cake. You have to wonder what turned her to be so so cruel. And that Prism Master, I know he is greedy but seriously he has some ulterior motives going on and I think Dex is on to something about his Brutus and Vita theory.

Dex he is awesome. He is smart and kind. Funny and can be scary when protecting those he loves. He is fierce for sure and a great leader. He cares. His first encounter with Grayson was magical. those two hit it off and what he does from then on for her has you rooting for them. He is very patient and that draws you to him.

Grayson is sassy, snarky and fun. She is a survivor and you can tell she doesn’t really understand herself but accepts that. I love when she is around Dex how she reacts. I also love that she is friends with Elle. The book draws in characters from previous books and this helps keep the story flowing with the faeries, magic, fairytale template concepts that the series has going on.

A great fun read that has you rooting for Dex and Grayson to win the battle against Lady R and the Prism master, wonder if they can do the quest, hope Dex can beat it all and find out the answers to Rapunzel itself.

This is one of my favorite series by this author (I have a hard time choosing between Angelbound, Magicorum, and the Dimension Drift series). But I like the characters, the ones that get together always work together to solve the issue, being true partners not just the MC and sidekick. I like the retelling of the classic fairy tales. I also like that former characters will show up in later books so that we get more of their story as well.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Towers And Tithes is the eighth book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum Series and was just as wonderful as the first seven books. I love the fairy tale retellings in the world of the Magicorum.

Each book is just as good as the one before it. I don’t know which one I like the best as they are all so good. I love the different takes on each fairy tale character in each book. The world created for each fairy tale is just awesome I really like each and every one.

Each book is unique in its own way just like its characters. I can’t wait to read more in this awesome universe. The more of the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum Series I read the more I would love to see each book on the big screen with its own TV show.

Each story/book tells the tale of different fairy tale characters. Each character follows a different fairy tale life template. Towers And Tithes tell the tale of the Rapunzel life template. Towers And Tithes is Grayson Eyre's fairy tale story.

Grayson is being held captive in a place called Bartlebee in a wooden cottage on stilts as an enchanted river runs underneath the house. Outside there is a long wooden gangplank that connects Grayson’s home to the shore but she can’t cross over the threshold as she is being held prisoner by magic.

But Grayson has visitors on occasion as she is a healer of wolf pups. Harpies bring wounded wolf pups to Grayson to heal. Grayson has magic but she has to keep it hidden as she is not supposed to have magic. Grayson needs to keep her magic hidden if she ever hopes to be free from her prison.

Grayson is granted her freedom from the wooden cottage on stilts when she is assigned a job in the Tower Tithes with an evil elf Lady R. Tower Tithe jobs can last for thousands of years which is a very long time for someone as young as Grayson. So that is why she doesn’t hesitate when she is offered a job working with Dex.

Dex is the leader of the Wulfhelm pack. Dex takes in orphan pups from all over. He takes in wolf pups from Faerie and Earth both. Dex loves taking care of the wolf pups.

As always I highly recommend Towers And Tithes to all fans of faeries, magic, love, and fairy tale retellings. I do recommend reading each book in order as I’m sure you don’t want to miss one enchanting moment from the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum world! One-click your copy of all eight of the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum Series books today for a great magical adventure in the faerie world!

I received a free copy from Netgalley and am offering a free review.

The good- The plot. I love the idea of Jane Eyre mixed with A Rapunzel tale and the mix just seems to work. The plot moves along quite steadily and you are quite involved with what's going on. I especially liked that the POV flicked between two different people with different agendas and knowledge, which kept it fresh.
Grayson is an adorable character with a mix of self-doubt and fortitude that made her really likeable. She knows she has a bad situation but, instead of being whiny, is quite proactive.
Dex is also quite sweet. I love his silly side as he plays with the pups.

Now the reason I only gave it 3 Stars.
This desperately needed an editor. The author couldn't decide whether to use capitalization for Prism Master or not, sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't and there seemed to be no rule either way.
Several sentences had weird word order which threw you out of the story and really didn't make sense. Things like "What's up your magic?"
I think she meant what's up WITH your magic.
"No one wants a warm like you."
I think she meant worm.
"This is a woman men that built their lives for."
What?
Again magic web was sometimes put together as MAGICWEB and sometimes as two separate words when it was clearly supposed to be one.
Grayson talks about cartoons and lasers at one point but has no idea what an elevator is.

If I hadn't been enjoying the story so much I would have stopped reading because all of these errors really put me off. It is a testament to how good the plot was that I could ignore the errors and get to the ending.

Christina Bauer’s Towers and Tithes takes readers into a retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale crossed with Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Our main character, Grayson, is an Osmos (half-elf half-troll hybrid). She is locked in her cottage until the day she becomes a “Tower Tithe” and serves a Rapunzel for the rest of her life, but she manages to get some visitors and stave off loneliness by healing the wolf pups brought to her by harpies. Dex is in charge of all the wolf pups at Wulfheim. As the Alpha or “Brutus”, he is constantly searching for his mate (also known as “Vita”). If he is unable to find her in time, the sanctuary that Wulfheim offers will be threatened. Will the two be able to find their happily ever after by the end of the story?

I loved the artwork that was featured in this book. I’m such a visual person, so the inclusion of the artwork definitely added to my enjoyment of the story. Lady R’s portrait was particularly interesting - the idea of a Rapunzel whose hair has to be contained under a cap was interesting. She and the Prism Master definitely fit the picture of “villains” and “bad guys”. After seeing all this artwork (and seeing Elle’s relationship with Grayson), I’m planning on going back to read Elle’s story to see her artwork.

The biggest issue I had with the book was the “fairy tale life template”. It took away some of the fun in the story. Sure, it can be implied that there are only a couple of paths available to a certain character. But if they quite literally know that they have to follow a fairytale blueprint? The story automatically loses surprise and mystery points. I now have laid out options for what will happen, and I prefer stories that keep me guessing.

Grayson and Dex's story continues in the next book of the series, Mirrors and Mysteries. This book covered more of the Rapunzel aspect, so I’m thinking that the next book will include more references to the Jane Eyre story. I’m crossing my fingers that there will be more time at Wulfheim with the pups and the other shifters. I would recommend this book to fantasy readers who love fairy tale retellings and stories filled with lots of magical elements. While this is part of a series, you don’t have to read the previous books to understand what’s going on with this one (your experience will be more impactful having read the previous books, given that a lot of the side characters from this book were introduced in previous stories).

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Monster House Books for allowing me to read an early copy of the book. I received a review copy of this book as part of my participation in the Xpresso Book Tours promotion.

Our story is a twist on the retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale. Grayson is an Osmos, half troll, half elf. She is bound to her lonely cottage on stilts, Bartlebee, until a Rapunzel chooses her to be a tower tithe. Till that happens, she will help any wolf pup that are brought to her by harpies.

Dex is the alpha at Wulfheim, and looks after the orphaned shifter pups. His main concern is the welfare of his charges and finding his Vita, his mate, who when they are joined will ensure the safety of his pups and the castle castle they call home.

Grayson is given over to the fearsome Lady R as her tower tithe, and Lady R is determined to make life as difficult and unbearable for Grayson as she can. Luckily Grayson has her friend, Elle to count on for help.

As the same time Grayson is trapped in Lady R's tower, Dex has realised that Grayson is his Vita and will do whatever he can to save her.

This book culminates with Grayson escaping the clutches of Lady R and transporting to none other than Dex's home. As always, we end on the best kind of cliffhanger and in anticipation of the next book.

Another winning title from Christina Bauer!

Grayson is a half-troll, half-elf - an Osmos and lives in a cottage in Faery that she can't escape. She is held there by the Prism Master until some Rapunzel chooses her as her tower tithe. What he doesn't know is that she has magic, she keeps that very well hidden. The only thing that helps her pass the time, is healing pups, and talking to Elle.

One day the opportunity arrives for escape, but she ends up at the palace of her captor and is soon chosen to be the Tower Tithe to the most horrible Rapunzel ever, lady R, who has a nasty habit of killing her tithes.

Dex is an alpha a Wulfheim. His home is filled with orphaned shifter pups, but his home will not be safe for that much longer if he does find his Vita, his soulmate.

When he first sees Grayson, he knows that she is his Vita. So he does all that he can, to protect her and help her escape from Lady R.

It's a fast-paced, intense story, that you have to read in one sitting - it's impossible to put down. :) It ends on a cliffhanger, so I hope that the next book in the series will be out very soon! :)

I love the romance in this book, it's still in very early stages, but the chemistry just jumps from the pages. :) It's great to see a bit more of the world with each new book in the series, and there was even a Jacoby cameo (love him<3). :)
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This is the first Christina Bauer book I've read, but it won't be my last! Grayson was such a fun character that it was easy for me to route for her. Her spunk was highlighted with her crazy pj pants and classic teen attitude. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read Jane Eyre, and I only vaguely remember the tale of Rapunzel, but I love the many other fairy tale references found in Towers and Tithes. I need to go and read the other books in the series now!

Christina starts the book with a warning about the cliffhanger ending, which I thought was really nice of her since many readers are annoyed by those. The cliffhanger here didn't bother me though. Grayson and Dex are left in a nice place even though their story isn't complete. It wasn't the kind of cliffhanger that made me want to throw the book across the room. I'm looking forward to the next instalment though! If you enjoy fairy tales and stories of hardship and fated mates, you'll love Towers and Tithes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the digital ARC.

In the 8th installment of the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series by @christina_cb_bauer we are introduced to some new characters, and still see some of the ones we know. Grayson is an Osmos troll, and being kept prisoner by the Prism Master for reasons she doesn't know. Because of her Rapunzel fairy tale template, she knows she is to one day serve a Rapunzel. But she will do anything to be free and live her life doing what she loves, healing wolf pups.

Dex needs to keep his territory safe, but the magic is weakening and the only way to save the area is to find his Vita, his fated mate. Together they can heal the barrier keeping the wolf shifters safe.

With the dual points of view we see the story unfold. For every win they get, there is a loophole that sets them back again. This is a fast-paced rollercoaster ride that was over way to quickly, but you won't want to put it down either. Even if you know there is a cliffhanger ending...

This is my favorite installment thus far!

Thanks to @xpressotours for the early copy.

I was granted eARC access to Towers And Tithes by Christina Bauer via NetGalley as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with XPresso Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Towers And Tithes is the first half of a reimagining of Jane Eyre x Rapunzel, starring brand new characters to the Magicorum series but featuring familiar faces like Elle. In a world where your life must follow a prescribed path based on the fairytale archetype you fit best, 18-year-old Grayson is doomed to live the Rapunzel life, but what about that inborn talent for magic she's not supposed to have? What's that prison guard guy not telling her? Who is that sexy shifter named Dex who ends up apparently romantically involved with Grayson's mistress?

Throughout the last two years that I've been doing book tours and reviews on my blog, Christina Bauer and her impressively quickly growing collection of fantasy novels has become a clear favourite for me. I've come to associate Bauer's work with the genuinely young, naive, and optimistic characters like Elle was back in Fairies and Frosting or like Calla in the Pixieland Diaries series. Grayson is much more mature and much more of a realist than those characters, much more down to Earth (err, well, she has her metaphorical feet on the ground even when it isn't Earth.) At first I wasn't sure if this was going to work for me because this meant my favourite aspect of other Bauer titles I've read wasn't going to be there, but I shouldn't have worried at all. Towers And Tithes reminds me of the Elemental Masters and Tales of the 500 Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey, the author I credit with bringing my interest back around to modern fantasy in my 20s after sticking so hard and fast to science fiction in my teens. Towers And Tithes is smart, unique, full of intrigue and mystery, and boasts a cast full of complex and believable characters I'd love to have a conversation with in the real world.

Similar to the 500 Kingdoms series, these characters are completely aware of the magical nature of their world that forces them into their roles, and while that may annoy some readers, I love it. This annoys some people because of how meta it is, like stage play actors who constantly break the fourth wall, but I love it because it presents the easy potential for an environmental antagonist that can throw a wrench in plans or lead characters astray without feeling like the book is full of plot holes or deus ex machina events. It allows the story to follow a predictable (or unpredictable) path in a way that's excusably and ignorably forced and makes way for the characters to make interesting choices or to handwave away minor issues without filling three pages with world-building to support it because the reader already knows why it had to be that way.

I am absolutely loving Grayson and Dex as characters and I can't wait to read the second half of their story as soon as it comes out!

Another enjoyable novel in the Magicorum universe! Of course Elle makes an appearance and we see more of the Lady R. The story revolves around Dex and Grayson. Grayson should not have magical abilities, but she does. However as tower tithe in training, she cannot leave her prison. The Prism Master makes sure of it. Dex is a wolf shifter and the alpha, who protects his lands and takes in orphaned wolves. The Prism Master is after his lands and Dex is trying to avoid a war, but Dex cannot help but wonder if the Prism Master is responsible for the magic depletion in his lands. The Prism Master and Lady R work hard to keep Dex and Grayson apart, for they know something neither of the other two know. But Grayson and Dex have a connection, one that cannot easily be broken and only together can they discover the truth behind it all. I received this novel as an ARC from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Christina Bauer's world building was well thought out. the character development was Ok, but could have been a bit better. Each characters personality was real. The action scene seemed more like a cheesy action film with a low budget and poor acting. Even though Bauer felt like the book would have been too long with the combination of Jane Eyre and Rapunzel; I felt that everything could have been done in one book. It seemed like the whole story was cut off without going into the major climax of the story. I am interested to find out what's going to happen between Grayson and Dex.

Grayson is an elf troll mix and she has spent her life locked in a cottage by the Prism Master. Her life template is to be a tower tithe for a Rapunzel life template. When Grayson’s destiny arrives it is with one of the worst Rapunzels out there.
This is the story Grayson has been told but she really has an entirely different destiny with a wolf shifter named Dex.
The book follows Grayson as she starts on her path toward Dex. The author warns the reader of a cliffhanger ending. We’ll all have to wait and see if Dex and Grayson can make it to their happy ending.
I enjoyed reading Towers & Tithes. It is a bit of a sad story because so many bad things befall Grayson. Just have to remember that the fairy tale isn’t over yet, we’re building up to the good stuff.
Thanks to the author for providing an opportunity to review the book.

Love the Magicorum series. Each book gets better and better! Great story line. Interesting characters! I definitely will be reading the next one. Thanks #netgalley and #MonsterHouseBooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Really enjoyed reading this book, I've been a fan of Ms. Bauer since reading the first book in the Magicorum series Wolves And Roses. It's been a joy to read each book after and see the improvement from Ms. Bauer. This book is no different, it had the fairy tale elements that I enjoyed from her writing and had a great story. I can't wait to read what comes next.

I love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings , but I don't enjoy the meta type where characters know they're in a fairy tale and therefore do things because they have to follow a fairy tale framework. I also don't like insta-soulmates. And unfortunately, this was a meta fairy tale retelling with a fated love-at-first-sight, so this was not my cup of tea.

The half-faerie, half-modern world setting was very intriguing, though I felt like many workings of the world were never fully explained. I realized after I started reading that this was actually a part of a larger series set in the same world, which was probably why. I may read another story in the series if there's one without instalove.

Also, this is a two book story. There wasn't much of Jane Eyre in this book, other than the main character's name, but book 2 looks like it will focus more on Jane Eyre.

2.5