Towers and Tithes (Magicorum #8)
by Christina Bauer
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Pub Date Nov 19 2021 | Archive Date Feb 04 2023
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Description
Rapunzel Meets Jane Eyre in this fairy tale romance!
I’m a Tower Tithe with a Rapunzel problem. That’s not as weird as it sounds.
Ever wonder how Rapunzel survives without leaving her home? After all, someone must stock groceries, buy hair products and fix the plumbing. Witches don’t wield toilet brushes, so “Rapunzel care” becomes the job of Tower Tithes like me. Not that we choose this gig. We’re just unlucky elves who get magically chucked into servitude. Since our kind live for ages, being a Tower Tithe can drag on for thousands of years… and I’m seventeen. Yipes.
That said, it wouldn’t be too awful if I had a cool Rapunzel. No such luck.
I serve none other than Lady R, the social media sensation and sadist who lives in Manhattan’s famous Apex Towers. With the help of her manager—a witch named Jocasta—Lady R releases daily gossip videos while assigning me “torture chores.” Many tasks are designed to remind me how Lady R is the gorgeous variety of elf, while I’m beyond plain. I spend a lot of time scheming my escape. And dreaming about Dex, the hot prince who is Lady R's promised happily ever after.
My name is Grayson Eyre, and this is my story.
Available Editions
EDITION | Ebook |
ISBN | 9781946677624 |
PRICE | $3.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
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 was my first book from Magicorum. Loved it. Fast paced. Though fantasy, one feels for the character and wish well for them. Waiting for the next book to know more on the story of Grayson and Dex. Whether Dex is healed.
WOW! I absolutely loved this book (and I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series now). Although this has fairy tale elements, I'd call it more of a twist than a retelling of sorts. It grabbed me from the start, and I didn't want to put it down. I loved Grayson as a narrator, and couldn't help but like Dex from the start. There were a few moments that made me smile, and some that made me laugh out loud. Lady R is one of those people you love to hate. The only thing I'm upset about is the cliffhanger!
Towers and tithes by Christina Bauer.
Magicorum book 8.
I’m a Tower Tithe with a Rapunzel problem. That’s not as weird as it sounds.My name is Grayson Eyre, and this is my story.
A very good read. I do like this series. Can't wait for next book. 5*.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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