The Golden Braid

Loved this book! Melanie Dickerson continues to amaze me with her talent and her ability!! I love what she has done with these classic tales of my childhood. I fell in love with her prince and I love how she rewrites the stories and makes them come alive. I cannot wait until her next book!

his probably my favorite of the Melanie Dickerson's books I have read. I love fairy tale re-tailing. Her character does remind me of the Disney character from Tangled.in some places For one Rapunzel mentions that see loved it when her mother would brush her long hair. Her mother was also wicked and thought that all men are wicked and that her daughter needs to stay away from them. She is also very free spirited . She lives in a male dominate world but she is not going to let that from full filling her dreams. I loved Rapunzel's character. She has courage while overcoming her past. I recommend this book because this book is a clean book with faith elements, adventure, romance and is entertaining.

"The Golden Braid" by Melanie Dickerson is the latest fairy tale retelling that is loosely connected to her other novels, but works as a stand-alone. I was excited for this plot, as I love Rapunzal, but I felt it this followed the Disney version "Tangled" more than it did my memory of the original story. When a story is adverstised to be a spin-off, I tend to assume it's a spin-off of the original, not a spin-off of a spin-off. Of course, that could just be my error.

Rapunzel has learned many things over her years: painting, distrust of men, and knife throwing. But the one skill she desires most, she can't find anyone to teach her: how to read. When a local village boy asks for Rapunzel's hand in marriage, Rapunzel's Mother Gothel decides it is time to leave and go to another village. On the way, they are attacked by bandits, but thankfully a knight comes to their rescue. A very arrogant knight that Mother Gothel refuses to trust.

Sir Gerrick, whom some readers may recognize as one of the knights from "An Uncertain Choice", stopped along the road to help some women who had been robbed. For some reason, even after he rescued the poor damsels in distress, they will not talk to him, much less even look at him. What he doesn't know if he has a skill that Rapunzel desperately wants.

I have enjoyed other fairy tale retellings by Melanie Dickerson; ones I've read have been creative and captivating. This one did not hold my interest; in fact, it never caught my interest. I couldn't stand Sir Gerrick; he was arrogant and rude. Rapunzel's character had two interesting aspects to hook a reader in: she could throw a knife but couldn't read. Being set in a medival time period, I'd guess that could've been said about a lot of people. The plot picked up a little around three fourths of the way through, but quite frankly, this just wasn't Melanie Dickerson's best book. I'd still recommend her works, and this one tied in fairly well with her others, it just didn't seem to be held to the same standard as her previous novels.

Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.. All opinions are my own and were not required to be positive.

Melanie Dickerson did it again. With the publication of her newest novel, The Golden Braid, I returned to Hagenheim and immersed myself in the once familiar fairy tale of Rapunzel. Read my review of The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest here. This time around I got to hang out with Rapunzel and learn the back story of why she was taken from her parents and raised by Gothel. The Golden Braid had everything I have come to know and love about Dickerson’s writing.
First, the setting. I love how Dickerson stays true to the time period with the clothes everyone wears and the horses and carts to carry things. As in some of her other fairy tale stories, Dickerson shows the importance of education and how sad that in the past education wasn’t valued or shared. Only the wealthy were taught to read and write and do math. I really liked returning to Hagenheim and meeting some of the characters from the previous books.
As for the characters Rapunzel and Gerek, I enjoyed getting to know them. Rapunzel is a trapped young lady, wanting to be loved because she felt like her first round parents didn’t want her. Gothel filled her mind with lies by stating her birth parents abandoned her when she was three years old. Rapunzel had a hole in her heart that she wanted filled. Luckily, she found God and realized his love and helped close the gap in her heart. However, Gerek believed he would abuse his wife just because that is what his father did. I’m glad that he realized he was sent away when he was six to be a page and he watched how Duke Wilhelm and Lady Rose showed love for each other.
The conflict was interesting and kept me on the edge of my toes. I did have a problem about fifty-six percent into the book (according to my Kindle). Duke Wilhelm went away while another King came to visit with all his guards. The guards overtook the castle and stored Lady Rose and the remaining children in the solar. Then the King tried to force the oldest daughter to marry him. If you have read any of Dickerson’s other fairy tales novels, this should sound really familiar. It does. It happened in another book practically the same way. The story does change course after the conflict is fixed, then it moves into Dickerson’s imagination. Even though I kept flipping the pages thinking to myself that I have already read this scene, it didn’t stop me from reading the rest of the story to completion.
In true fairy tale fashion, Melanie Dickerson’s The Golden Braid captured my love with the description setting and memorable characters. I loved Dickerson’s ability to bring familiar fairy tales to life.
I received a complimentary copy of Melanie Dickerson’s The Golden Braid from Thomas Nelson and the opinions stated are all my own.

This novel was enjoyable, but not great. I've never been a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, but recently I've read a few and really enjoyed them. An interesting spin can be put on things. That's what this one sounded like, so I decided to give it a read.

The idea of Rapunzel wanting to become educated and being forbidden (basically) by her mother (Gothel) was interesting and different. It's a tale set in an old time, so it's not been modernized and it has an interesting story line. Rapunzel wants to learn to read, but has never had the opportunity because her mother is controlling and prevents her from doing so. She has several other useful skills, however, such as knife throwing.

After being rescued by Sir Gerek and then rescuing him in turn, Rapunzel seeks out a way to learn to read. Gerek becomes her teacher (although no willingly) and the two start to develop a friendship. But boy does her mother have problems with that.

At first I was not at all into Rapunzel and Gerek's relationship. They were both annoying and I didn't like how they fit together. Later on in the story they grew on me, however. I would have liked more building in their relationship, but we did get some toward the end.

I've never read any of Dickerson's other works, so I don't know how this compares. I did find the writing style somewhat stilted and difficult to follow at times. Too much was left open about the characters in the beginning.

This wasn't the best fairy tale story I've read, but I do think it would appeal to fans of the genre. There's also a strong Christian presence throughout the novel which would appeal to many.

The Golden Braid is based on Rapunzel- but told in an entirely new way, that will keep you enthralled to the very last page. I love how believable the characters are, and that you never quite knew what to expect. I love the richness of the characters in this sweet tale. Trust me friends, you will love it!

My only regret with this book was that it was finished, I had to stop myself from going to the beginning and starting it all over again. This book has found a close tie with 'The Healer's Apprentice' as my favorite book by her.

Received this book free for my honest review

It's sometimes hard to remember that the fairy tale retellings Melanie Dickerson has written, including The Golden Braid, are Young Adult novels...because I enjoy them so much! This is Dickerson's 6th fairy tale retelling and I have read each one. I love the concept as well as the way Dickerson has taken these stories and woven in elements of faith, adventure, and clean romance. While this novel could be read as a stand alone, it does have connections with some of the characters and events in the previous novels. I would especially recommend reading The Princess Spy as there are some neat connections from that story to this one.

From the beginning of The Golden Braid, there were moments of action, mystery, and some romantic tension. Rapunzel herself has a pure, innocent nature, but she is also driven to learn. When she's unable to learn to read in her early life, she spends her time learning all that she can....knife throwing, painting, and whatever else anyone can teach her. The combination of these aspects of her character make her interesting and fun to read. The trials she goes through, the tests of her character, also make her stand out as well-rounded character. Rapunzel also tries to honor her "mother" and respect her even as she is betrayed and mistreated by her. As a mom of a young daughter, this is the type of character I want her reading: young women who are creative, have compassion for others, yet stand strong in their faith and convictions. I wish I would've had books like this as a young person.

Sir Gerek is a knight. He's brave and handsome, but could also be prideful, arrogant, and greedy. In many ways your typical male hero, but as the story went on, he experienced growth and transformation. He had to face some of the struggles he had in his past and was humbled through dealing with an injury. He most certainly had his flaws and clung to the idea that he had to control his circumstances instead of letting God have control, but by the end of the novel Sir Gerek truly became an admirable hero.

This novel had a satisfying balance. There was a clean romance element, but some psychological tension, suspense, and adventure. I also liked that I saw a background perspective of some of the events that happened in The Princess Spy. Overall, I think this is a great novel for all readers. I would definitely recommend it and enjoyed it as one of my favorites from Melanie Dickerson!

I have really enjoyed reading all of Melanie Dickerson's books. Some more than others, of course, but this one has got me debating which one is actually my favorite!!! I have always loved The Merchant's Daughter more than all her other stories (though I love her other books as well!), but now that I've read The Golden Braid, I can't decide which book is my favorite!!!

The plot to this story is amazing. I don't want to ruin anything so I won't say why, but I really loved it. That's why I loved the story so much. The plot had interesting twists and an awesome secret!!!

Another reason I loved the story so much was the characters. I could relate to Sir Gerek and Rapunzel and their stories really stuck out to me. The times when they turned to God and thought about why they were or thought they weren't of worth, it really sent a wonderful message to me. When I read how evil Gothel, Rapunzel's "foster" mother, was, I wondered how Rapunzel couldn't have seen it before. But don't we all wonder that? When we figure out that friend/neighbor/acquaintance did this or that and that's their character?

I would be careful reading it as a new teen, but it is clean! It just has some mature topics that, while presented in the way they should be, might affect a younger teen.

This is another masterpiece! Thanks so much, Mrs. Dickerson, for writing this story! I definitely recommend reading this book.

This was a good fairytale. While not my favorite of Melanie Dickerson's novels, I did still really enjoy it. I liked the characters and thought the ending was sweet. While the story is a retelling of Rapunzel, except for the MC's name, hair, and one scene in the book, I wouldn't have guessed it. I liked the twists and connections to the author's previous books.

All in all, a good read!

*I received a complimentary e-book copy of this for my honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own."

I definitely enjoyed reading Melanie Dickerson's The Golden Braid. I really should treat myself and reread all of her fairy tale romances. I think a second reading would help me see all the possible connections between the books. (The books can stand alone, however.)

The Golden Braid is a retelling of Rapunzel. I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. I loved, for example, how Rapunzel does not start off locked away in a tower like you might expect. Rapunzel's "mother" does seem odd from the start, but, her slip into definite madness comes with the passage of time--over the course of half the book. She does not come across as PURE EVIL from page one. Though, of course, one does know it IS coming sooner or later.

Rapunzel's character was nicely done. Readers learn early on that Rapunzel is eager to learn anything and everything. Well, everything perhaps midwifery! Rapunzel, more than anything perhaps, wants to learn to read and write. Unfortunately, Rapunzel and her mother rarely stay in any town or village long enough for Rapunzel to go about seeking a teacher. Her mother knows that Rapunzel's dreams lean towards learning and not towards romance. But that doesn't stop her from lecturing her daughter day and night about the evils of the opposite sex. Rapunzel holds hope that they will eventually travel to a village or town and her mother will consent to her learning to read and write. It hasn't happened yet, but, Rapunzel holds onto her dream.

The novel opens with mother and daughter about to move again. On their journey, the two are attacked. They are "saved" by a knight. Readers can very well guess that this knight will be THE KNIGHT to save Rapunzel from her tower-fate. But predictability can be a great thing in a romance, particularly a fairy tale adaptation. Gerek is his name, I believe. And the two do not fall instantly in love with one another, which is a good thing, in my opinion. Rapunzel has heard a million bad things about guys, and, she's not ready to give her heart away within seconds of meeting a handsome knight. Rapunzel is curious, but, curious for all the right reasons. He seems smart, well-traveled, like he might know how to read and write in multiple languages. Perhaps he can tell her more about where they're heading, and if there is someone that might be willing to teach her. The two remain guarded with each other. He puts up boundaries because he doesn't want temptations. Boundaries are second nature with Rapunzel.

After Rapunzel ends up saving HIM, he ends up with two broken bones, and a long duration in bed; he stays at a monastery to recuperate. She ends up working--cleaning the women's rooms--in exchange for lessons. Her big dream of learning to read and write, well, it gets off to a good start. Good but oh-so-grumpy start.

But the lessons end up being a BIG, BIG, BIG secret from her mother, and, when she does find out--we all knew it was coming--threats are made. Rapunzel has a BIG choice to make. To stay with her mother no matter what, or, to run away from her only family...

I love that so much of the book is spent away from the tower. The book has familiar touches of the Rapunzel story without a doubt, but, it is unique too.

I would definitely recommend this one.

The Golden Braid

Dickerson has taken a traditional fairy tale and put her own twist on it! She beautifully develops each main character so you come to love and know them as your friends. She adds in some great faith building experiences for each character and you have the best Christian fairy tale re-telling out there. What amazed me even more was how she put these characters in the exact same time, place and events as one of her previous books! It was so neat to read things from a completely different perspective! Dickerson truly is a master story teller! If you have Christian beliefs, if you like fairy tales, if you just like good books, then run and pick up a copy of The Golden Braid!

Notice: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic! You have a medieval girl with a love for knowledge, who can throw a knife, and was taught by her mother to distrust men. Dickerson did a great job on Rapunzel's character. Instead of the poor weak princess locked into the tower by an evil witch, Dickerson created a new realistic (and better!) version.

I kept waiting for the usual Rapunzel storyline - as in, when will her mother show some evil magic powers, or lock Rapunzel in the tower, but the story was so realistic. There was no evil magic, other than the great writing and developed characters. The setting was authentic, the plot was excellent, and the romance was slowly built up as Rapunzel came to realize that men (or at least some) are worthy of trust. Not to mention that unlike most medieval girls, she could protect herself most of the time. As for matching the Rapunzel fairy tale, it pretty much did, except for the handsome savior climbing up her hair. But after all, how realistic would that be?

A good strong developed female character, a real romance (not based on a physical relationship), and a great story. I definitely recommend this book!

REVIEW: Rapunzel has always been my favorite fairy tale, so I was super-excited for the chance to review The Golden Braid. Having read three of Dickerson's other fairy tale spin-offs, The Captive Maiden, The Princess Spy, and The Fairest Beauty, I knew what to expect when I started:

It would be addictive.
It would have lots of scripture and praying.
It would be squeaky-clean.
Characters from previous books would make appearances.
I would love it.

I am happy to say that I liked this one better than The Princess Spy, and almost as much as The Fairest Beauty. I always love slow-burning romances, and all four of these books have it. That first kiss takes it's time, but it is so sweet when it finally happens.

The 1400s Germany setting works really well for Dickerson's stories. Knights and lords and castles and fair maidens? Yes!

In the beginning, I thought Gothel might end up being a sympathetic character. She had clearly been very hurt by a man long ago, and at first, she seemed simply to want to be an independent woman and spare Rapunzel that kind of pain. I was disappointed as the story went on that she turned out to be the hag she always is in Rapunzel stories. Though I still enjoyed the Gothel backstory, a sympathetic Gothel would have been a refreshing twist.

Middle school librarians and teachers looking for clean romances with strong heroines will find Ms. Dickerson's books fit the bill nicely. It is Christian fiction, and yes, it does include plenty of quotations from scripture. The characters draw strength from God and pray to God to help them make difficult decisions. While some readers will probably find this off-putting, I will say that I enjoy these books even though I am not a religious person at all. And unlike some YA couples I've read about, I am certain that if Dickerson's characters were real people, their marriages really would be "till death do they part."

THE BOTTOM LINE: Cute, squeaky-clean fun. Give it to middle school girls looking for fairy tale romance.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: I have all of Ms. Dickerson's books in my library, and I plan to get this one as well. I recommend these books to 6th and 7th grade girls all the time.

READALIKES: other titles by Melanie Dickerson; Golden: A Retelling of Rapunzel (Dokey); Towering (Pearce)

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 4/5 Creativity: 4/5--I love the Gothel backstory Characters: 4/5 Engrossing: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Appeal to teens: 4/5 Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:

Language: none Sexuality: very mild; one chaste kiss, snuggling Violence: mild; Gerek's father killed his mother, then himself; knight battles; Rapunzel is skilled with a knife; allusions to rape (very, very mild though--many young readers will miss it)
Drugs/Alcohol: mild; poisoning Other: Rapunzel kills a chicken for dinner. Some sensitive animal lovers will not like that part.

Fantastic, couldn't put it down, read it in a single day, yeah...it's that good. Captivating story and characters. Familiar but new. I really can't wait to read more from this author!!!

There are so many things that make this book a pleasure to read! The setting, the time period, the adventure, the characters, and the light romance all balance together to create an epic story. The author deviated enough from the classic tale to make it interesting and not predictable, but included elements that made it recognizable. Rapunzel's dilemma of submitting to her mother while desiring to stretch her wings puts her in a conflicting position. It was interesting to see her independence develop slowly, which made the transition realistic. Gerek and Rapunzel have a rough start to their friendship with her mistrust and his arrogance, but they learn to value each other even with social class differences. I especially enjoyed her teasing and sassiness which brought a light tone and a few chuckles. I could tell the book was written for a young adult audience and didn't feel like I connected with the emotions of the characters at a higher level, but it was a great adventure to go on.

(Thank you to Litfuse Publicity and Thomas Nelson Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

There are some stories that transport you, to a new time, to a new place, all of Melanie Dickerson’s books have the ability to do just that and her latest, the Golden Braid is no different. The Golden Braid is a new twist on the classic story of Rapunzel.

I’ve always loved fairy tales, but you’ve never seen or read this version of Rapunzel before, I love how Dickerson is able to take a story we all know and turn it on its side to be come a new story that is still true to the heart of the original. Dickerson has also found a way to weave Christ into her stories. I highly recommend all of her books.

Rapunzel and her mother have always wandered about and never really become friends with anyone else but they have always had each other. Her mother is very protective and often warns her of men. When they decide to move to Hagenheim they are attacked by 2 thieves. Fortunately a knight comes to their rescue. That rescue causes Rapunzel to start thinking more about freedom, learning to read, and she begins to questions her mother's protectiveness.

As Rapunzel grows closer to Sir Gerek she discovers the truth about her mother and who she really is.

I enjoyed this retelling of Rapunzel. When I started reading it I did not realize it was a Christian book. I loved how the message of forgiveness was woven in and how the timeperiod played in beautifully. The book is too old for my students but I would recommend it to others.

In keeping with my tradition of reading Melanie Dickerson on Christmas, I sat down, curled up in my pajamas to begin or savor this tale of Rapunzel. I found my eyes closing from utter weariness, yet my mind was alive with the word pictures that fairly flew off the page in my head. I think this was one of her best books yet. I am a fan of all of them, but this was so good. There are parts of the book that are quotable, which I will refrain from mentioning, but you just have to read it for yourself. If you are looking for a book that will enthrall your teens or adult friends alike, yet give you a romantic story without any kind of romance that will make you think it is something you don't want your teens to read, this is the one. It is excellent for discussion with your teens.

Thanks to NetGalley, I got to enjoy this book for free! This novel was fantastic! While it's a little hard to get used to their strange traditions that seem old fashioned, it was so worth it. Don't be scared away by scripture- it's a clean book and not horribly religious. She doesn't need to be saved- or does she? Rapunzel breaks free of the chains her mother has -not literally- put on her. .

The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson is the first book I have read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised! The story she created in her re-telling of Rapunzel is unique, creative and enchanting. In this story, Rapunzel was much more of a realistic person to me than the original fairy tale version. I cheered her on as I read each page. I also enjoyed seeing Rapunzel as a strong woman in her own right.

I enjoyed seeing how Ms. Dickerson weaved in the basics of the original fairy tale with her own version of this story. I found this story to be delightful. I enjoyed The Golden Braid and I am looking forward to reading some more of Ms. Dickerson's other books in this upcoming year!

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.