Fantasy

What Once Was Mine

What Once Was Mine

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  • Create Date：2022-09-06 04:21:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Liz Braswell
  • ISBN：B091MP725M
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Summary

The 12th installment in the New York Times best-selling series asks: What if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower？

Desperate to save the life of their queen and her unborn child， the good people of Corona search for the all-healing Sundrop flower to cure her—but mistakenly acquire the shimmering Moondrop flower instead。 Nonetheless it heals the queen， and she delivers a healthy baby girl with hair as silver and gray as the moon。 With it comes dangerous magical powers: the power to hurt， not heal。 For her safety and the safety of the kingdom， Rapunzel is locked in a tower and put under the care of powerful goodwife， Mother Gothel。


For eighteen years Rapunzel stays locked away， knowing she must protect others from her magical hair。 But when she leaves the only home she's ever known， wanting only to see the floating lights that appear on her birthday， she gets caught up in an adventure across the kingdom with two thieves—a young woman named Gina， and Flynn Rider， a rogue on the run。 Before she can reach her happy ending， Rapunzel learns that there may be more to her story， and her magical tresses， than she ever knew。

For more twisted adventures， try the other books in the A TWISTED TALE series:
A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell
As Old As Time by Liz Braswell
Reflection by Elizabeth Lim
Part of Your World by Liz Braswell
Mirror， Mirror by Jen Calonita
Conceal， Don't Feel by Jen Calonita
Straight On Till Morning by Liz Braswell
So This is Love by Elizabeth Lim
Unbirthday by Liz Braswell
Go the Distance by Jen Calonita （on sale 4/06/2021）

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Reviews

Sandra ，

3，5⭐️

Sarah Tso ，

♡♡♡

Kristen ，

As a huge tangled fan this just made me way too happy

Airelynn Trask ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Weird weird weird weird WEIRD。 Story: goodish。 Presentation: what is going on？I was absolutely dying to read this one， the premise was so alluring。 But from the first page I could NOT figure out why it had to be a “story within a story” like the frickin Princess Bride。 I’ve only read a few other Twisted Tales and they weren’t like this—so why was this one？ It’s supposed to be sweet， a brother telling his sick sister this story。 But every time a chapter came up I pictured Fred Savage complaining Weird weird weird weird WEIRD。 Story: goodish。 Presentation: what is going on？I was absolutely dying to read this one， the premise was so alluring。 But from the first page I could NOT figure out why it had to be a “story within a story” like the frickin Princess Bride。 I’ve only read a few other Twisted Tales and they weren’t like this—so why was this one？ It’s supposed to be sweet， a brother telling his sick sister this story。 But every time a chapter came up I pictured Fred Savage complaining about Buttercup and Westley kissing。 I dreaded those chapters because they pulled me out of the adventure， and I wasn’t sure if they were included just so Gothel could use words like “roomie。”Some sentences that bothered me: - “Looking at the little stalks poking up between her footy digits。”I don’t have to explain this one。 Why。 - “It was soft springy hard edges tickly。”I believe Braswell also wrote the Beauty and the Beast one。 And this type of descriptor is fine for the Beast’s POV because it is supposed to be him honing into his animalistic tendencies。 But for Rapunzel that was weird。The Epilogue was a cop out。 The story should have had something to do with the sun flower… even just Gothel revealing she had it， sOMEthing。 I found it a little strange that we had a weird antagonist switch to Lady Frickin BATHORY。 She should not have been what the latter half of this book was about！ It strayed soo far from what I was hoping for in this half。 Rapunzel didn’t even get a glimpse of the lanterns。 I liked how Rapunzel was written awkwardly。 Her composure was correct， and as usual I love the visuals Braswell can paint （NOTE: when she isn’t constantly referencing her characters “first/monthly blood” or making paragraph-long run-on similes）。 But this felt stilted and odd to me。 Like too much random stuff all at once， with no grand “goodbye” to Gothel。 She’s supposed to be the villain。 Her character was cared for in the beginning and then not much so in the end。 She threatened Rapunzel and then what？ Never got her back like she so ominously promised。 I think maybe the attempt was to try something new here， but it just left me confused and slightly unsatisfied。 I’m going to pay close attention to the author of these books from now on。 。。。more

Elaina Simpson ，

I’m a Disney Lovin girl， but I didn’t love this one！ It felt like I was reading a childrens book about adult things。 I wish it was better。 ☹️

Braith's Book Thoughts ，

I did not care for this book at all。 The story was。。。okay but the twist wasn't enough to really keep me interested。It also felt like Liz Braswell wrote this book and was told she didn't make her word count。 So she added in this story about a brother creating the tale to his sister whole she was having chemo and it was just。。。。weird。 It completely broke immersion and was unnecessary。 The pace was thrown off everytime it switched back to them and I found myself resenting the story when forced to r I did not care for this book at all。 The story was。。。okay but the twist wasn't enough to really keep me interested。It also felt like Liz Braswell wrote this book and was told she didn't make her word count。 So she added in this story about a brother creating the tale to his sister whole she was having chemo and it was just。。。。weird。 It completely broke immersion and was unnecessary。 The pace was thrown off everytime it switched back to them and I found myself resenting the story when forced to read their perspective。 。。。more

Rebekah ，

An awesome way to flip rapunzells life even more。 This book was incredible with the moon-flower and it was very clever with Pascal and Maximus！😂

Danielle ，

Tangled is my favourite Disney movie， so this had big shoes to fill for me。 And it did 😲 there was far more conflict， drama， morality， growing up。。 it all made for a much richer version of the story that was very entertaining

Elena ，

Ho incominciato a leggere questo libro con la consapevolezza di incominciare una storia rivisitata di uno dei miei film Disney preferiti e con la speranza di innamorarmi ancora una volta della storia nonostante fosse raccontata in maniera diversa。Il libro in sè è scorrevole ma non mi ha dato la stessa sensazione di ciò che invece il film Disney mi trasmette。Ho apprezzato però che in questo libro si sia data importanza alla realtà， anche solo che con pochi accenni， ed è stato molto interessante v Ho incominciato a leggere questo libro con la consapevolezza di incominciare una storia rivisitata di uno dei miei film Disney preferiti e con la speranza di innamorarmi ancora una volta della storia nonostante fosse raccontata in maniera diversa。Il libro in sè è scorrevole ma non mi ha dato la stessa sensazione di ciò che invece il film Disney mi trasmette。Ho apprezzato però che in questo libro si sia data importanza alla realtà， anche solo che con pochi accenni， ed è stato molto interessante vedere come l’autrice abbia reso sua una storia già stata raccontata。Non sarà sicuramente l’unico libro che leggerò di questa collana。 。。。more

Lucía ，

As a devoted Tangled lover I must say this version was gold🫠💕I love how the author kept the essence of Eugene， and Gina and the Goodwife were such good characters🤩

Becca Ascoli ，

Such a good book！ I really enjoyed this twisted tale of my daughter's favorite Disney princess story。 Though often predictable， it kept me interested from the first page to the last page。 Definitely a fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more Liz Braswell's twisted tales。 Such a good book！ I really enjoyed this twisted tale of my daughter's favorite Disney princess story。 Though often predictable， it kept me interested from the first page to the last page。 Definitely a fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more Liz Braswell's twisted tales。 。。。more

Gabriella ，

The book starts off with a teenage boy and his sick sister in the hospital。 She wants to be read a story by her older brother but he is tired of reading the same story over and over again。 So he rewrites the story and tells it differently。 Rapunzel is still with Mother Gothel， there is still Flynn Rider， the king and queen， but the story is rewritten。 Rapunzel no longer has the powers of the sundrop， but rather the moondrop。 She has a journey of self discovery while meeting new friends and uncov The book starts off with a teenage boy and his sick sister in the hospital。 She wants to be read a story by her older brother but he is tired of reading the same story over and over again。 So he rewrites the story and tells it differently。 Rapunzel is still with Mother Gothel， there is still Flynn Rider， the king and queen， but the story is rewritten。 Rapunzel no longer has the powers of the sundrop， but rather the moondrop。 She has a journey of self discovery while meeting new friends and uncovering the truth about powers and so called "Mother。" It still has a happily ever after， but it is concluded differently than some others I've read。 While it has not been my best read， it was still a good and fascinating read。 I would recommend this book to someone looking for something different but still familiar。 。。。more

Meegan ，

I've read a few of the Twisted Tales at this point， but "What Once Was Mine" is my favorite。 The same conflict and characters are there， but the addition of more characters and more conflicts makes for an interesting story。 I loved seeing Rapunzel， Eugene， and Gina grow throughout the story， and I loved the power of Rapunzel's hair。 Don't get me wrong--the healing power that we know from the movie is wonderful--but the moon magic is even more complex and intriguing。 Liz Braswell does a wonderful I've read a few of the Twisted Tales at this point， but "What Once Was Mine" is my favorite。 The same conflict and characters are there， but the addition of more characters and more conflicts makes for an interesting story。 I loved seeing Rapunzel， Eugene， and Gina grow throughout the story， and I loved the power of Rapunzel's hair。 Don't get me wrong--the healing power that we know from the movie is wonderful--but the moon magic is even more complex and intriguing。 Liz Braswell does a wonderful job clearly describing the powers and connecting them with Rapunzel's knowledge。 I 100% recommend this book！ 。。。more

Luzie ，

Liz Braswell has done it again。I already read her Peter Pan Twisted Tale Straight On Till Morning and absolutely loved it and this book contained similar themes to what made me love the previous book。 The Disney whimsy and humor particular for Tangled was reproduced very well and yet she manages to incorporate important， current topics like feminism and healing from trauma。 You are also completely swept up in the story and I'm pretty sure that resulted in me reading the last 300 pages in one sit Liz Braswell has done it again。I already read her Peter Pan Twisted Tale Straight On Till Morning and absolutely loved it and this book contained similar themes to what made me love the previous book。 The Disney whimsy and humor particular for Tangled was reproduced very well and yet she manages to incorporate important， current topics like feminism and healing from trauma。 You are also completely swept up in the story and I'm pretty sure that resulted in me reading the last 300 pages in one sitting。 。。。more

Aisha Manus ，

Absolutely wonderful retelling。 My only issue was the super distracting plot point of a boy telling this story to his sister having chemo。 I know that disney lacks people of color but giving a black girl chemo doesn’t seem like the way to add more poc to their stories。。。。。 that part of the story was wholly unnecessary。 So just skip those chapters for a great story。

H。H。 Miller ，

I personally loved the way that the author chose to tell this story。 The twists in the fairy tale were fun and I didn't know what would happen next。 Braswell once again created something magical out of a story I already loved！ I personally loved the way that the author chose to tell this story。 The twists in the fairy tale were fun and I didn't know what would happen next。 Braswell once again created something magical out of a story I already loved！ 。。。more

May ，

This book was absolutely adorable。 I picked it up because the concept of "What happens if you just change one piece of the story？" intrigues me。 This version of Rapunzel was sweet， fun， funny， and had truly evil villains。 This book was absolutely adorable。 I picked it up because the concept of "What happens if you just change one piece of the story？" intrigues me。 This version of Rapunzel was sweet， fun， funny， and had truly evil villains。 。。。more

Eliza Svihra ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I have been WAITING for this book since it came out… and I have mixed feelings。 The first half was absolutely perfect。 It was everything I could have hoped for… and then she left the tower and things got weird。 There are some key elements left in the story， but a lot of it was taken out。 The lanterns？ She。 Never。 Went。 She missed it。 HER DREAM。 The whole reason for leaving！！！ There was no “you’re my new dream” moment… because her first one never even happened！ I kept hoping at the end they’d “re I have been WAITING for this book since it came out… and I have mixed feelings。 The first half was absolutely perfect。 It was everything I could have hoped for… and then she left the tower and things got weird。 There are some key elements left in the story， but a lot of it was taken out。 The lanterns？ She。 Never。 Went。 She missed it。 HER DREAM。 The whole reason for leaving！！！ There was no “you’re my new dream” moment… because her first one never even happened！ I kept hoping at the end they’d “release lanterns for her return” just so she can have that dream realized… and nothing。 Her and Flynn are cute… but it just “oh he’s cute。 Oh I like him。 Oh I don’t like how close he and Gina are。” Like nnno。 There was no romantic pull like in the movie。 Liz did them dirty。 She also did Maximus and pascal dirty。。 but I won’t go into all of that。 Let’s just say pascal was her only friendly face in her tower and she didn’t even get that。 Maximus went through a weird change。 Can we also talk about how it’s someone ELSE telling a story？ I wanted a “once upon a time” feeling， but I didn’t want slammed into the real world after every spin。 I know why she did it。 But it didn’t need to be like that。 It was also made out to be much more realistic than the Disney version。 Beginning of the Renaissance， Bathory was involved and made to be the big bad instead of Gothel… yep you read that right… Gothel was a MINOR bad。 A side character。 It just got sooo muddy after a while。 I loved the new take on WITCHY Rapunzel… but it was too much。 I liked this book… but I was hoping for so much more。 I had such super high expectations and I was let down in some spots。 Rapunzel will still always be my favorite princess， and I still do like this book， but I wish it had been better！ 。。。more

Sarah ，

Super cute and creative！ Loved this twist， and the new characters introduced。 Overall， enjoyable story

Elisha Oyer ，

Tangled is my favorite Disney movie and I loved the twist of this story。 Watching the movie and series I loved the choice of switching from the sun to the moon。and especially with it being a story being told it was a sweet idea。 I've read it a few times and will probably read it again Tangled is my favorite Disney movie and I loved the twist of this story。 Watching the movie and series I loved the choice of switching from the sun to the moon。and especially with it being a story being told it was a sweet idea。 I've read it a few times and will probably read it again 。。。more

Ashley Reads ，

Thank you to Disney-Hyperion for a review copy of this book。 Unfortunately， as this book came with no content warnings， the last thing I expected， when reading this for a "comfort read" prompt， was for the book to immediately start with the topic of terminal illness。 I was confused， as the names did not match the fairytale， and went to the author's note in the back， only to immediately see more on the same topic。 Please， please， please， authors， put content warnings in your books。 This could be Thank you to Disney-Hyperion for a review copy of this book。 Unfortunately， as this book came with no content warnings， the last thing I expected， when reading this for a "comfort read" prompt， was for the book to immediately start with the topic of terminal illness。 I was confused， as the names did not match the fairytale， and went to the author's note in the back， only to immediately see more on the same topic。 Please， please， please， authors， put content warnings in your books。 This could be a great book， just one that I would not have requested。 。。。more

Juliette ，

Stars: 3。6Possibly *spoilers*？"This is the happily ever afterest ever"Overall opinnion。。。 It was an okay book， not amazing but not horirble。 I imagine I would've enjoyed it more if I was 14-15 years old。I kinda felt like Flynn and Rapunzel's relationship/liking for each other came out of no where。 There was no build up it just happened。 They kind of "flirt" for like 2-3 chapters and then kissed。 I would've like it more had there been more of a build up or more flirting。I liked the alternative st Stars: 3。6Possibly *spoilers*？"This is the happily ever afterest ever"Overall opinnion。。。 It was an okay book， not amazing but not horirble。 I imagine I would've enjoyed it more if I was 14-15 years old。I kinda felt like Flynn and Rapunzel's relationship/liking for each other came out of no where。 There was no build up it just happened。 They kind of "flirt" for like 2-3 chapters and then kissed。 I would've like it more had there been more of a build up or more flirting。I liked the alternative story as a whole though。 I kinda wish there was a bit more of the movie in the book but I guess that would be subject to copyright so fair enough。 I thought some of her powers were a little weird， not a major issue with the story， just a personal opinion。One thing I do have a half issue with is maximus。 I love how the character came around but I also wish the character came into the story SO much earlier。 Maximus is one of my favourite characters。I would've liked to have seen more of him。All in all， an average read。 。。。more

Naomi Fisher ，

Brought this book， as it’s my fave princess！ I enjoyed this read as it’s different to the typical Disney booksI think I’m going to look at reading the rest of the Twisted tail books！

Roma （Taylor's version） ，

A really cute story！🌸

Lori ，

This basis of this re-telling is a boy is making up his own version of Tangled to tell to his sister， and that’s exactly how it reads。 The language felt like it was written by a kid， and I wasn’t that impressed by the changes that were made from the original。 I would recommend this if you are looking for a medium-paced and adventurous read。

Alex Apostol ，

This Twisted Tale was set up a little differently than the others。 It starts with a young girl who has cancer and her brother。 While she gets treatments he reads her Rapunzel， her favorite story。 He's tired of it so he decided to make up a Rapunzel story that's different。 That's how we get the Twisted Tale。 I liked this set up a lot。 Throughout the story we have short two page chapters that go back to these two characters and their thoughts on the story。The twist is that Rapunzel's mom didn't dr This Twisted Tale was set up a little differently than the others。 It starts with a young girl who has cancer and her brother。 While she gets treatments he reads her Rapunzel， her favorite story。 He's tired of it so he decided to make up a Rapunzel story that's different。 That's how we get the Twisted Tale。 I liked this set up a lot。 Throughout the story we have short two page chapters that go back to these two characters and their thoughts on the story。The twist is that Rapunzel's mom didn't drink a tea made of the Sundrop flower to gain healing。 She drank of the moon drop flower。 It gives Rapunzel silver hair。 And they believe instead of healing her hair has the power to kill。 This is why she's locked away。 But she gets out to see the lights and meets Flynn and another rascal named Gina。 They try to take her to the lights but a new adventure unfolds。 Rapunzel learns the true powers of her hair that changes with the phases of the moon。 Another twist is Mother Gothel is trying to sell her off to the highest bidder。 This is where we see the terrifying historical figure， Bathory， who likes to bathe in the blood of virgins。 I won't give it all away， but it was a very interesting and creative twist I really got into。This story was one of the best in the series。 It kept me interested and the characters were familiar and fun。 The author did a good job bringing them to life in a new way。 。。。more

Kaley Jean ，

Despite my 3-star rating， this book wasn’t bad， per se。 The characters weren’t as I imagined they would be， but the plot ended up tying together alright。 The plot lacked fullness and skipped details that would’ve helped make sense of what was going on。 I can attest that it can be read as a stand-alone， as I know there are other books in this Twisted Tale series。 Anyways， as a book， it could have had more detail and explaining。 Some parts dragged when it was time to move on。 Really， I finished th Despite my 3-star rating， this book wasn’t bad， per se。 The characters weren’t as I imagined they would be， but the plot ended up tying together alright。 The plot lacked fullness and skipped details that would’ve helped make sense of what was going on。 I can attest that it can be read as a stand-alone， as I know there are other books in this Twisted Tale series。 Anyways， as a book， it could have had more detail and explaining。 Some parts dragged when it was time to move on。 Really， I finished the book to say I’ve read the book。 。。。more

Stacie （MagicOfBooks） ，

I will also do a video review here at my channel: http://youtube。com/magicofbooks"What Once Was Mine" by Liz Braswell is book 12 in the Disney "Twisted Tales" series。 After the queen falls ill， the kingdom is sent out to search for the Sundrop flower that has magical healing properties。 Instead the Moondrop flower is brought to the queen。 The queen consumes the flower， but when her daughter is born， the child has silver hair that， instead of healing， causes hurt and even death。 Rapunzel is sent I will also do a video review here at my channel: http://youtube。com/magicofbooks"What Once Was Mine" by Liz Braswell is book 12 in the Disney "Twisted Tales" series。 After the queen falls ill， the kingdom is sent out to search for the Sundrop flower that has magical healing properties。 Instead the Moondrop flower is brought to the queen。 The queen consumes the flower， but when her daughter is born， the child has silver hair that， instead of healing， causes hurt and even death。 Rapunzel is sent away for her own safety， and for the safety of the kingdom。 But the woman who is charged to care for her， Mother Gothel， has her own plans for Rapunzel one she comes of age。 Rapunzel is locked away for nineteen years and finally enough is enough。 She escapes from the tower and goes on an unexpected journey with two outlaws， Gina and Flynn Rider。 The trio are constantly on the run as they escape from enemies and attempt to flee from Mother Gothel and try and return Rapunzel to what is rightfully hers。"Tangled" is probably my favorite Disney cartoon from the modern era of Disney。 So I was pretty excited to get around to this installment in the "Twisted Tales" series。 I left the book thinking， "well， that was okay。" I was definitely a little disappointed with this book and I don't think it was everything I was hoping for。 The pace of the story was a bit too slow for me and I felt like it was bogged down by too many brand new characters and uneeded narrative elements。 What appeals to me about "Tangled" is the relationship between Rapunzel and Flynn， and Rapunzel's journey of self-discovery。 Those two things are certainly present in Braswell's story， but I still felt an odd distance from what I loved so much about the animated movie。 I did enjoy the flip in the story。 Instead of the Sundrop flower， it's the Moondrop flower （which if you've seen the animated series is a big deal and I loved how that was incorporated into this novel）。 One flower has the power to heal， the other the power to cause harm and even death。 There's more of a larger narrative that's present， rather than Mother Gothel just kidnapping baby Rapunzel。 The king and queen willingly send their baby away， thinking this is the best course of action to protect Rapunzel and the kingdom。 Rapunzel wanting to see the floating lights on her birthday remains the same。 Her escape from the tower is more proactive on her part。 Maximus is not a horse but a palace guard。 Pascal comes across more as a real chameleon rather than the more flamboyant version in the movie。 The inhabitants of the Snuggly Duckling remain。Now let me finally get to my two personal issues。 I mentioned the narrative being bogged down by new additional characters。 This would have been fine and all， but unfortunately I think these additional characters really took away from the tight close relationship that develops between Flynn and Rapunzel。 Braswell introduces Gina， an outlaw who seeks justice and adventure。 Gina wasn't a horrible character by any stretch of the imagination， but as I said， it took away from Flynn's story in a massive noticeable way which left me frustrated and disappointed。 Another character who plays a huge role is that of the real historical figure Countess Elizabeth of Bathory。 Okay， now， not gonna lie， this was pretty cool。 I liked the historical context that the narrative was plopped into， but as with Flynn， Elizabeth of Bathory is now almost the main villain and it felt like Mother Gothel was pushed to the side。 What I have neglected to mention so far in this review is the frame narrative。 The novel opens in a modern day hospital where we are introduced to a brother and sister， Brendan and Daniella。 Daniella is going through chemotherapy， and as a means of taking her mind off the situation， Brendan says he's going to tell her favorite story "Tangled" in a whole new way， which is how we ultimately get this novel。 The frame narrative， though beautiful and heartwarming， felt entirely unnecessary to me。 And I feel like a terrible person saying that because in her author acknowledgements at the end， Braswell tells her own story having to see her own sister face cancer。 This novel is a very personal story for Braswell and I feel terrible for calling the Brendan and Daniella chapters unnecessary， but they honestly didn't need to be there。 Everytime those chapters popped up， I felt momentarily flung out of the story and often felt odd。 The novel is close to 500 pages and it could have been condensed by about 20 pages or so。Overall， the novel was still fun and I'm glad it exists here in "Twisted Tales" series。 I would have to put it pretty low on the list compared to some of the other books， but it was still fun and I liked some of the twists and turns。 I just think the novel wasn't entirely focused where it needed to be and I didn't like some characters being pushed to the side for others。 The lack of wonderful buildup between Rapunzel/Flynn was a huge deal for me。 It was terribly flat in this， which was a shame。 If you've enjoyed all the other books in this series you should definitely still pick this up， just know there are some differences that may or may not work for you。 。。。more

kim ，

“The truth about you is all tangled， like your braids， Rapunzel。 Bound up unnaturally。 It’s time to let it all down， to let it out， to let it go。 We must free you from the chains of your past。” I was so excited for this Twisted Tale， especially since it’s the highest ranked one and it’s Rapunzel。 I understand why。 I liked the beginning with the whole premise of how it’s a Twisted Tale outside of the book。 It was different to see the Tale itself be a story in the process of being told。 Kinda met “The truth about you is all tangled， like your braids， Rapunzel。 Bound up unnaturally。 It’s time to let it all down， to let it out， to let it go。 We must free you from the chains of your past。” I was so excited for this Twisted Tale， especially since it’s the highest ranked one and it’s Rapunzel。 I understand why。 I liked the beginning with the whole premise of how it’s a Twisted Tale outside of the book。 It was different to see the Tale itself be a story in the process of being told。 Kinda meta with all the interruptions and Daniella’s comments， and I liked it。 I always joked that this series is basically AU fanfiction no hate since I write fics and Brendan literally wrote one in the book。 And just like Daniella， I was waiting for Flynn to show up。 This may be my Rapunzel bias， but this premise of the Tale is one of the most intriguing ones。 It made Rapunzel more of a baddie while still keeping her naive throughout。 My small critique is that I wish we got to see more of her badass hair in this book。 Silver-haired Rapunzel definitely reminded me of those Punk！Rapunzel edits from Tumblr。 I was absolute trash for Flynn here （as always） and how his romance with Rapunzel blossomed here。 Even the addition of Gina was a fun addition to the bunch。 It was interesting to see how they still tied in aspects from the movie。 It felt less forced than the Frozen book。 But this book still felt reminiscent to its movie。 Disney Twisted Tales Ranking （as of Aug 2022）1。 Rapunzel （5⭐️）2。 Cinderella （5⭐️）3。 The Little Mermaid （4⭐️）4。 Frozen （4⭐️）5。 Aladdin （4⭐️）6。 Beauty and the Beast （4⭐️）7。 Sleeping Beauty （3⭐️）8。 Mulan （3⭐️）9。 Alice in Wonderland （2⭐️）10。 Peter Pan （1⭐️- dnf） 。。。more

Miss Sholmes ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 My rating: 2。5 stars rounded up to 3 stars。 Long review ahead。 Trigger warning for sensitive discussions ahead such as: abuse， trauma， and human-trafficking。 This book was the first book in the Twisted Tales series that I actually finished。 I had begun reading Tale as Old As Time， but didn’t get around to finishing it。 I think I can chalk that up to Liz Braswell’s writing style。 There are so。 Many。 Similes。 It’s exhausting to read。 I read tons of Japanese VNs- many of which are known for flowery My rating: 2。5 stars rounded up to 3 stars。 Long review ahead。 Trigger warning for sensitive discussions ahead such as: abuse， trauma， and human-trafficking。 This book was the first book in the Twisted Tales series that I actually finished。 I had begun reading Tale as Old As Time， but didn’t get around to finishing it。 I think I can chalk that up to Liz Braswell’s writing style。 There are so。 Many。 Similes。 It’s exhausting to read。 I read tons of Japanese VNs- many of which are known for flowery language and indirectness。 But this？ This was so tiring to read in a way that made me put the book down on multiple occasions。 Why bother also bringing in the “real life” sections？ They sucked the life and enjoyment out of the scenes so much that I was like “this again？” The cancer thing was very emotional and sad， and Liz mentions her own younger sister had it。 Those sections should have been a story on their own because it was obvious it was deeply personal to Liz。 Why they were placed in a retelling of Rapunzel of all things， I couldn’t tell you。 As I’m sure many pointed out already， the author SEEMS to have taken some liberties with the animated series， but overall throws it out。 Gina is basically Cassandra， the moondrop instead of the moonstone， whatever。 All ample resources to create a great twisted tale that also included things outside the movie。 It could have been very adult。 It could have been so much more。 And that’s what is disappointing about this book， the potential that was wasted。 My biggest gripes were the characters。 Rapunzel and Flynn especially were so different that I failed to connect them to their original counterparts。 Gothel effectively gets nerfed and made into a freaking side villain。 She’s hardly anything worth mentioning cuz she’s just walking around。 Her thoughts were interesting， but I sat back thinking so many times “why the hell is Gothel doing ANY of this？” She’s trying to be big brain but I have to think， why the hell is she bothering when she already has the sun flower。 Gina was fine。 Goodwitch was cool。 Elizabeth Bathory was… （sigh） why was she here？ Why include it？ Why include her horrible acts and make her be the MAIN villain。 Gothel is RIGHT there and instead you made it about ELIZABETH。 FREAKING。 BATHORY。 I think you can hear how loudly my eyes rolled into the back of my skull。 My favorite character though was Magda， my beloved。 I knew her for less than twenty pages， and she hardly spoke any lines。 And I felt her。 I loved her。 I wanted more Magda。 I didn’t care about anything else。 Magda was tired。 I was also tired by that point。 They don’t deserve you， honey。 （Ahem） regardless of my feelings on the characters， I tried my hardest to continue。 Rapunzel was definitely the biggest low in the book， to the point I was like I really couldn’t care less if she was kidnapped or not。 It was a shame， because Rapunzel being someone who chose to be so academically inclined was entertaining。 Her naivety of the world combined with things she read was entertaining but sadly got squandered。 The moon powers were garbage， and I would have rather Liz kept it as “murderhair” （as the others call it）。 Rapunzel was just not a pleasant character in all honesty， because she was so jealous and it took me out every time。I was intrigued by a lot of the premises and potential the book brought up。 Rapunzel herself admits she wasn’t interested in the princesses in stories， and liked to behave like the knights。 She equated being a princess with being weak and helpless， which was a great bit of character。 She debated heavily with herself with just losing her freedom again to be a princess she felt she couldn’t be， or become a sorcerer and use her powers for good。 It would have been nice to followed this conclusion throughout instead of it being mentioned then thrown out， but oh well。 Compared to the beginning of the book， where Rapunzel recognized pretty easily that Gothel was messed up and left， her later counterpart who needs everyone to help her at all times is frustrating to read about。 I don’t want Rapunzel to be an all powerful sorcerer。 I don’t want her to be Gina。 I would have liked for her to use her words and follow it with actions。 All she does is go， “I’m not helpless！ I should help the people！ Oh no！ I can’t marry Flynn！ I can’t use my magic！”Her and Flynn’s “relationship” was so bare bones and a mockery of what made the original so good。 There was little to no chemistry here， and I felt better chemistry with Flynn and Gina （which is weirder knowing they’re siblings in a throwaway line at the end） and Rapunzel/Gina。 I wish to ignore it completely if I’m being honest。 The book was entirely too long， and the beginning was too slow， but I can forgive that in all honesty because the middle was entertaining。 The tone was a serious issue though， especially towards the end， since Liz couldn’t decide between “haha， snarky， comedic slice of life in the woods” or “Rapunzel was literally groomed to be a baby maker for other lords and Bathory might bathe in her blood。” It was like watching a train wreck happen where every character needs to make quips despite a serious situation happening。 Despite my negativity and commentary， I didn’t hate the book。 What Once Was Mine fails spectacularly at being a good Tangled retelling， but it manages to bring some entertainment and even have thought provoking questions。 There are bits and pieces of a wonderful story there that are marred by poor writing and lazy execution。 The payoff wasn’t all too worth it， but it did keep me reading。 This wasn’t a high point but I don’t think it deters me from reading the rest of the series， instead， I wish to read them all to compare how it stands。 I hope the other books manage to capture the magic that What Once Was Mine couldn’t。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=What Once Was Mine

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=What Once Was Mine&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,What Once Was Mine&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0