Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair!

Yesterday, after a rediculously looooong, busy weekend, I decided to give myself the afternoon off to relax. I did this by ... what else? Reading. I finally grabbed the chance to read a book I've had on my TBR list since I first heard about it. Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett.

This is not your average fairytale.

I am a huge Rapunzel fan. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one. Before I could begin reading, I had tospend a good twenty minutes wrestling this book from my daughter’s grasp. She’s only four and can’t read yet, but that didn’t matter one bit. As soon as she realized it was a book about Rapunzel, it was war. In the end, I won and it was completely worth the battle. Rapunzel Untangled was a wonderful read that I also finished yesterday because (even with three kids home from school) I couldn’t put it down until the very last page.

I loved the characters. Rapunzel is a sweet, though naive girl, but who can blame her having been trapped in only a couple thousand square feet of space for most of her life and never having any human contact with anyone outside of her mother. And Fane, he’s almost as fab as he thinks he is. I love, love, loved the witty banter between these two. Whether it was on Facebook, Skype, or in person they had me smiling away.

What really kept the pages turning for me, though, was the intrigue. Something was just . . . off about Rapunzel’s mother and her whole situation. Doors locked from the outside, stairways to nowhere, and a room of sixes kept me wondering and slightly worried.

Though Fane seemed pretty laid back through most of the story, I was glad to see him step up when everything started coming together. But, Rapunzel was no slouch herself. Damsel in distress, my foot. When the time came she started asking the tough questions, getting answers, and standing up for herself against everything she’s ever been taught to believe. I was very proud of both of them by the end of the story. And though I stayed up pretty late and am currently typing away in half-zombie mode with my second cup of coffee, I can honestly say it was totally worth it.

Now, I guess it’s time to add it to the hand-me-down shelf that I will pass on to my daughter someday, so that this wonderful story can go on to entertain another generation in the future. Just like the classic tale of Rapunzel, I’m guessing this one will stick around a while.