What Once Was Mine
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- Create Date：2021-09-11 08:51:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Liz Braswell
- ISBN：1368063829
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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。
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。
Reviews
Patricia
，
ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review- all reviews， thoughts and opinions are mine alone！Thanks first off to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to get an arc of this one。 While I haven't read ALL of the twisted tales books in this series， I have read a couple （most recently Go the Distance- which I loved。） This one didn't hit the mark fully for me。 There's a bit of in my opinion， unneeded plot points from the story tellers perspective （TW: Childhood cancer）- which， ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review- all reviews， thoughts and opinions are mine alone！Thanks first off to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to get an arc of this one。 While I haven't read ALL of the twisted tales books in this series， I have read a couple （most recently Go the Distance- which I loved。） This one didn't hit the mark fully for me。 There's a bit of in my opinion， unneeded plot points from the story tellers perspective （TW: Childhood cancer）- which， I'm assuming was meant to be cute and drive the story home- but。。。 didn't really resonate correctly I feel like。 at least， not in this setting？ there just seemed to be something off about it。 I also felt like this book was 100 pages or so too *much* which was sort of disappointing as Tangled is one of my favorite disney stories/movies。 I don't think it was the worst of the series but I wasn't big on it personally。 I will probably do a reread and update my review a bit more detailed later but as this is hitting publication date I felt like this needed to get out there！ I'd say its worth a read- but don't stress during your librarys hold times！ 。。。more
Sasha
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Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review。 3/5 stars I am incredibly conflicted about this book。 I half enjoyed it， and I thought it was pretty well written with solid characters （except for Flynn， who felt more like a throwaway side character than anything else）， a decent plot， and an interesting enough premise。 I liked the idea of the moonstone， but it was barely elaborated on。 I thought that the book would touch on aspects Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review。 3/5 stars I am incredibly conflicted about this book。 I half enjoyed it， and I thought it was pretty well written with solid characters （except for Flynn， who felt more like a throwaway side character than anything else）， a decent plot， and an interesting enough premise。 I liked the idea of the moonstone， but it was barely elaborated on。 I thought that the book would touch on aspects of the show， perhaps bringing elements of that into the story。 Even if they had been small tidbits and easter eggs from the show， I think it would have added a great level of depth into the story。 I felt that the abuse depicted in this story was done in an incredibly realistic way， and Rapunzel's slow realization of the true nature of Mother Gothel is sharply contrasted by her inner conflict that stems from Gothel's occasional kind words and the upbringing she had。 Also--this story is 512 pages， and I feel as though it could have been told in 300ish， and it would have been just as impactful。 It is trying VERY hard to be The Princess Bride， but it falls flat in many areas。 The idea of a princess with murderous hair is intriguing， and it would make sense for Rapunzel to be isolated （not saying it is OK， but just that it makes sense and Gothel can easily misconstrue the situation to her）， but it almost。。。 doesn't work。 Overall， this book was ok。 Merely ok。 It didn't satisfy the die-hard Tangled lover in me， and I far enjoyed other iterations of the Twisted Tales。 Read if you want to read them all， but be warned that this book is long。 Almost Crime & Punishment long。 。。。more
Savanna 🌻
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Thank you so much Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for the arc！What Once Was Mine is the next installment in the Twisted Tales series。 Anyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with Tangled so I was extremely excited about this one。 Sadly， it kinda fell flat for me。I went into this book with high hopes but sadly it didn’t live up to my expectations。 Don’t get me wrong， I enjoyed reading it。 There was some dark elements and some graphic details about one of the villains but most of the time， the writi Thank you so much Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for the arc！What Once Was Mine is the next installment in the Twisted Tales series。 Anyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with Tangled so I was extremely excited about this one。 Sadly， it kinda fell flat for me。I went into this book with high hopes but sadly it didn’t live up to my expectations。 Don’t get me wrong， I enjoyed reading it。 There was some dark elements and some graphic details about one of the villains but most of the time， the writing seemed very juvenile。 There was a bunch of laugh out loud moments throughout the story and Liz Braswell did great with the bickering back and forth between Flynn and Rapunzel。 Overall， I enjoyed my time reading this retelling。 It was very fast paced and entertaining。 。。。more
Zanjabeel
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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC！I had been waiting a long time to get my hands on this book and it didn't disappoint！ This absolutely fantastic retelling of Rapunzel is one you shouldn't miss and you could finish it in a day！ Totally adored the friendship， family bonds and found family trope。 I enjoyed the super unique magic Rapunzel had and how she came to embrace her true self。 Also， Flynn was so sweet and cute， I loved him！ A perfect and quick read with lots of adventure for when you're feeli Thank you NetGalley for the ARC！I had been waiting a long time to get my hands on this book and it didn't disappoint！ This absolutely fantastic retelling of Rapunzel is one you shouldn't miss and you could finish it in a day！ Totally adored the friendship， family bonds and found family trope。 I enjoyed the super unique magic Rapunzel had and how she came to embrace her true self。 Also， Flynn was so sweet and cute， I loved him！ A perfect and quick read with lots of adventure for when you're feeling down！ 4 stars！💖 。。。more
Maddie
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ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions expressed are my own。TW: blood （including mentions and descriptions of a woman bathing in young women's blood to maintain her youth）， （minor） body-shaming， cancer， confinement， death， emotional abuse， kidnapping， murder， torture， trafficking。Whoa boy。 Okay。 I don't even know where to start with this one。 I think it's time I give up on Liz Braswell's writing。 After enjoying Unbirthday last year， I was hopeful that maybe I'd ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions expressed are my own。TW: blood （including mentions and descriptions of a woman bathing in young women's blood to maintain her youth）， （minor） body-shaming， cancer， confinement， death， emotional abuse， kidnapping， murder， torture， trafficking。Whoa boy。 Okay。 I don't even know where to start with this one。 I think it's time I give up on Liz Braswell's writing。 After enjoying Unbirthday last year， I was hopeful that maybe I'd enjoy her next books as well， but that was unfortunately not the case。 If anything， this book seemed like a conglomeration of everything that's bothered me about her works in the past - and then some。 I get that these are Twisted Tales and I don't think this series should ever be held to the standard of the movies we love， but my gosh， this felt absolutely nothing like Tangled。 Part of that is because how she chose to age the story up did not work。 Making Rapunzel a glorified witch that spends a huge chunk of the book under the moon， drawing mandalas and trying to get in touch with her true witchy nature didn't work。 Having Flynn be a glorified side-character with dialogue that felt about as real as a cardboard cut-out didn't work。 Having the main villain be Lady Bathory， a woman that bathes in the blood of young girls， didn't work。 Clearly， these are just my opinions and if you loved these changes， I'm happy for you。 But as far as I'm concerned， nearly every change made to this story bored me at best。 There's also the problem I have with Liz Braswell's writing style itself。 Which， again， I'm sure some people love and I'm not lessening that。 It simply doesn't work for me。 I'm paraphrasing her but we constantly get lines like "The world seemed to be waiting for something - like in the moments before a thunderstorm， or the hours before her monthly bleed。" which is just。。。 such an odd comparison？ This is a very personal critique， but gosh it pulls me out of the story every single time。I will say， I appreciated that she acknowledged the realization Rapunzel goes through that Gothel was the villain the whole time and the emotions that come through that。 Her back and forth of comparing Gothel's actions with her （sometimes） kind words was handled pretty well and I appreciated her dealing with it。 All in all， if I hadn't been reading this as an ARC， I 100000% would have DNF-ed it early on。 It's far too long with far too little happening， and characters that I either wanted to throw or just didn't care about at all。 I'll still read the Twisted Tales written by the other authors （obligatory， Elizabeth Lim can do no wrong moment） but I'm giving up on Liz Braswell。 Her writing just doesn't work for me and that's okay。 Just don't go into this book expecting it to be something it isn't。 The characters and places and main plot points of Tangled were all here， but the heart of the story just wasn't。 。。。more
Heather Rochon
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You should know that I came into this book with two biases。 I couldn’t help it。 First， Tangled is in my top two favorite Disney princess movies。 Second， I’ve read two other books in the 12 volume Twisted Tales series and I didn’t like them at all （As Old As Time and Part of Your World， if you want to know）。 But when Netgalley knocks on your door with an Advanced Reader’s Copy of the newest book， you don’t say no。What Once Was Mine tackles the what if’s of Rapunzel’s famous tale in Tangled。 What You should know that I came into this book with two biases。 I couldn’t help it。 First， Tangled is in my top two favorite Disney princess movies。 Second， I’ve read two other books in the 12 volume Twisted Tales series and I didn’t like them at all （As Old As Time and Part of Your World， if you want to know）。 But when Netgalley knocks on your door with an Advanced Reader’s Copy of the newest book， you don’t say no。What Once Was Mine tackles the what if’s of Rapunzel’s famous tale in Tangled。 What if Rapunzel’s mother drank a potion from the wrong flower？ Instead of the famous， golden Sundrop flower， the Queen’s potion is made from the Moondrop flower， causing baby Rapunzel to be born with long， silver hair。 And instead of having healing powers， Rapunzel’s hair murders。 Kind of cool， right？In a roundabout way， Rapunzel still ends up trapped in a tower with Mother Gothel， still naïve to the world， and still longing to see the floating lanterns on her nineteenth birthday。 （But the lanterns are for the dead princess in this tale， as opposed to the lost princess in the movie。） It’s familiar in the build-up to Rapunzel leaving her tower， but once she meets up with Flynn Rider and a new friend， Gina， the story really starts to go off in its own direction。 The princess must discover the secret origin of her murderhair （as she calls it） and learn to control the power from the Moondrop flower， all in order to find out where she really belongs in life。So， back to my biases。 I really expected to not at all like What Once Was Mine。 I’m happy to be wrong for once in my life。 Let’s get into it。What I liked: There were good ideas here and there was a lot of opportunity to create a new-but-familiar story。 Braswell did a good job exploring the theory of the Moondrop flower and how it all relates to the moon cycles。 That was， by far， the most interesting element of the whole book。 Also， as a huge Flynn Rider fan， I thought his characterization was great。 I had Zachary Levi’s voice in my head every time Flynn had something to say。 It was a nice balance of keeping his character true to the original while giving us new content。 I also didn’t expect to like Gina as much as I did， but a new character allowed the story to be freshened up even more。What I didn’t like （because of course there will always be things I didn’t like）: Ohmygod it felt so long。 And half the book was pre-Rapunzel leaving the tower， so the action didn’t pick up until after that。 Also， Mother Gothel was a really flat character– her motives were not too far from her character’s in the movie and that felt like a letdown。 （The real villain of the story was wild y’all。） And there was an extra storyline about a brother telling his sick sister Rapunzel’s tale， which made it a story within a story。 It was really unnecessary and took me right out of the narrative each time it switched， though the author’s note at the end did explain the reasoning。The problem with this book is that it limits itself to a very specific audience。 Readers have to know Tangled and they have to be willing to give up what they know about it to be sold a new story。 Fans of the Twisted Tales series will have a good time。 Die-hard Disney fans may need some convincing。 Me？ I’m ready to go re-watch Tangled。What Once Was Mine is out now。3/5 Stars。I received a free e-ARC of What Once Was Mine from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cassandra
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**Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for giving me a free advanced reader’s copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review。**I loved， loved， loved this story！！ It was well written and I feel very connected to the characters。 I loved how it started out as a bed side story that grew into something more。 Being brought out of the retelling and into the hospital wasn’t jarring at all， it felt natural。 I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves Tangled and fairytales。
megan
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**Book provided by publisher via NetGalley， this in no way impacts my review**If you aren't aware， Disney has released a series of "Twisted Tales" in which they take a classic storyline and ask what would happen if a specific element and/or plotline of the story was twisted - then they use the book to answer that question。In What Once Was Mine we are following a Rapunzel （specifically Disney's version - Tangled） and asking what would happen if instead of the sunflower， Rapunzel's mother drank fr **Book provided by publisher via NetGalley， this in no way impacts my review**If you aren't aware， Disney has released a series of "Twisted Tales" in which they take a classic storyline and ask what would happen if a specific element and/or plotline of the story was twisted - then they use the book to answer that question。In What Once Was Mine we are following a Rapunzel （specifically Disney's version - Tangled） and asking what would happen if instead of the sunflower， Rapunzel's mother drank from a different flower。 This is answered by having her mother drink from the moonflower， causing our beloved blondie to be born with silver hair that seems to be dangerous "murderhair"。 Following the casualty of a handmaiden， Rapunzel is sent off with Gothel where she will remain until she learns to control her powers。I really enjoyed the story behind the story in which a brother is telling his version of rapunzel to his sister with cancer。 Their relationship throughout the book was very endearing。 I also think Braswell did a great job of creating a "voice" for the brother - it was obvious at specific points that this story was being told by a young adult male。 The characters themselves were also （mostly） true to character from the tangled movie。 I love the theming of learning to forgive yourself and discovering your dreams that Rapunzel goes through。 Of course we also got out main theme that a person can be your dream as well。I would say the only thing I didn't like about the book was the Flynn/Rapunzel realtionship felt a bit insta-love to me。 Overall， such a fantastic retelling and I can't wait to read the rest of the twisted tales now！ 。。。more
Jordan Lynch
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I’ve quite enjoyed the books I’ve read in the Twisted Tales series， and What Once Was Mine is no exception。 Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies， and I was very excited to see how Rapunzel’s tale would be twisted。 Having the queen’s life saved by the Moondrop flower rather than the Sundrop is a good start， with the resulting changes in Rapunzel setting the stage。 Although the outcome is the same—Rapunzel locked in a tower for years and cared for by Mother Gothel—the motivation is entirely I’ve quite enjoyed the books I’ve read in the Twisted Tales series， and What Once Was Mine is no exception。 Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies， and I was very excited to see how Rapunzel’s tale would be twisted。 Having the queen’s life saved by the Moondrop flower rather than the Sundrop is a good start， with the resulting changes in Rapunzel setting the stage。 Although the outcome is the same—Rapunzel locked in a tower for years and cared for by Mother Gothel—the motivation is entirely different， and the fear “of” herself rather than “for” herself somewhat changes Rapunzel’s outlook on life。 Yes， she’s still optimistic and energetic; yes， she still loves to paint and she has her daily routine， but being so afraid to hurt anything or anyone has made Rapunzel even more lonely， without even a reptilian friend to keep her company。 That all changes when she dares to venture outside her tower to hunt down the dashing ruffian Flynn Rider to take her to see the glowing lights。 The elements of Rapunzel’s original tale are all there， of course， but Rapunzel does more on her own this time around。 She’s more independent， and although she needs lots of help， she’s not afraid of the world so much as afraid of herself。 Slowly， with the help of Flynn， Pascal， and a new character named Gina， Rapunzel comes to learn the truth about her powers and her past， as well as the dark truth of Mother Gothel。 Flynn is much the same character， just dropped into some different situations， but the addition of Gina to the group is a lot of fun。 I like Gina’s thirst for adventure and how hard she's willing to work to prove she's as tough and capable as the other local ruffians。 Her willingness to help Rapunzel shows her kind heart， and I love her relationship with her mother。 The Goodwitch is another great addition to the cast; her quirkiness makes me laugh， and her powers and her compassion make her great foil for Gothel while also allowing her to help Rapunzel harness her own powers。 I love the scenes of Rapunzel learning about her powers。 Years of studying the heavens pay off， and Rapunzel’s excitement over her new project definitely feels realistic。 It's good to see Rapunzel use her powers for herself and to discover how those powers change day by day。 I also like how different her powers are from the powers bestowed by the Sundrop; the change in her powers in relation to the changing phases of the moon keeps things exciting and helps reassure readers and Rapunzel herself that she's a good person with an unfortunate past。 Of course， much like in the movie， those powers are coveted， leading to the story’s biggest conflict。 Although I like all the different factions chasing after Rapunzel， by the end， I wasn’t sure that I liked the way the various Big Bads were written。 Some of them just seem generic， and I think it might’ve been better to have fewer from the start。 I also think the ending battle felt a bit rushed and a little too neat。 There's just something missing for me that kept me from loving it。 The ‘real’ ending of Rapunzel’s story， however， is super sweet and just as good as that in the movie。 This story also had another sweet element that sets it apart from the other books in this series。 Rather than just being a story， What Once Was Mine is a story being told by Brendan to his sister Daniella。 Daniella is a cancer patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering， and Rapunzel’s story is one of her favorites。 Brendan， growing tired of reading the same story and watching the same movie over and over， decides to tell a different version of the tale。 The interactions between the siblings are very sweet， and I love how Brendan twists the tale to cater to Daniella's requests。 Having a modern-day， out-of-story POV makes this novel unique from the others in the series， and I quite like it。All in all， What Once Was Mine is a great addition to the Twisted Tales series and a great alternate retelling of Rapunzel。 The characters are different but still themselves， the addition of new characters is well done （and reminds me a bit of the characters from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure）， and the storytelling aspect is sweet。 I would highly recommend this one to fans of this series as well as fans of Tangled。 。。。more
Alicia
，
Thank you to Disney Books for sending me an ARC via netgalley for an honest review。5/5 starsI absolutely loved this twist on Tangled！ It was so much fun， and it was filled with all the things that make the movie so good， just in a bit of a different way。 I really enjoyed the format of the story。 Not only is it a story about Rapunzel， but it’s also a story about Brendan and Daniella。 Brendan and Daniella are twins， and Daniella has cancer。 Brendan goes with her to her chemo appointments， and they Thank you to Disney Books for sending me an ARC via netgalley for an honest review。5/5 starsI absolutely loved this twist on Tangled！ It was so much fun， and it was filled with all the things that make the movie so good， just in a bit of a different way。 I really enjoyed the format of the story。 Not only is it a story about Rapunzel， but it’s also a story about Brendan and Daniella。 Brendan and Daniella are twins， and Daniella has cancer。 Brendan goes with her to her chemo appointments， and they often watch Tangled and read Rapunzel’s story because it’s Daniella’s favourite。 One day， Brendan tells Daniella that he wants to tell her his version of the story she loves。 Daniella is hesitant because she doesn’t want her brother to ruin the story by adding Stormtroopers or robots， but Brendan assures her that it will have everything she wants in it。 I really loved this way of presenting the twisted tale， and I loved the little interruptions in Rapunzel’s story to remind us of the characters behind the story。 Rapunzel was such a fun character， and I really liked her energy！ Not only was she super positive throughout most of the book， but she did have doubts and other emotions that made her feel so real。 Her enthusiasm over seeing new things and learning things was really cute， and I was rooting for her the whole book。 I liked the way Mother Gothel was handed， and I also liked the other villains in the story。 Along with the added villains， I also liked the other changes that twist this tale。 Gina was a fun character， and I liked her relationships with Rapunzel and her mother。 Gina’s mother was also a good character， and I liked how she was able to teach Rapunzel about magic。 The magic hair in this tale is the major twist because instead of the Sundrop flower， the Queen consumed the Moondrop flower。 This leads to a scary situation， and Rapunzel ultimately Bringen sent away with Mother Gothel。 Seeing Rapunzel’s relationship with her hair change was really cool， and I thought it was a fun element to add in the experiments with her magic。 The pacing and tone of the book were really good， and I found it flowed easily。 I loved reading it， and I think Disney fans and readers who enjoy magic adventures with princesses， thieves， and villains will really enjoy What Once Was Mine。 。。。more
Abby
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This was an amazing read。 I had such a hard time putting it down。 I love how THIS version takes place。 I love how everyone was incorporated into the story to match the movie。 I do wish there was more of the goodwife in the later chapters but I understand why the author chose to write it the way they did。 The emotions and smiles brought on by this book makes me want to read it again and just relive it all。
Sharon Eastridge
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This book is the first Disney Twisted Tale I've read and I loved it。 It brought to mind some of the darker parts of traditional fairy tales before Disney was a thing。 Most fairy tales were a bit dark and dangerous。 This tale brought some of that back。 As we read the tale， it is told by Brendan to his younger sister， Daniella， while she receives chemotherapy。 He humors her love of Rapunzel by watching Tangled and reading the book to her many times， until one day he offers his version: What if Rap This book is the first Disney Twisted Tale I've read and I loved it。 It brought to mind some of the darker parts of traditional fairy tales before Disney was a thing。 Most fairy tales were a bit dark and dangerous。 This tale brought some of that back。 As we read the tale， it is told by Brendan to his younger sister， Daniella， while she receives chemotherapy。 He humors her love of Rapunzel by watching Tangled and reading the book to her many times， until one day he offers his version: What if Rapunzel's mother drank the wrong potion？ Instead of drinking the Sundrop potion， she drinks the Moondrop potion。 The Queen still lives， Rapunzel is still affected by the potion her mother drank， but with deadly consequences。 Her hair kills。 For the safety of the kingdom and her parents， Rapunzel is sent away with Mother Gothel until she can learn to control her power。All of the main characters make their appearance: Rapunzel， Pascal， Mother Gothel， Flynn Rider， the Snuggly Duckling， and Maximus， even if in a slightly modified way。 There are a few new characters to help Rapzunel along her journey as well。 My favorite addition was Gina， the determined girl who longs for adventure， raised by a Goodwife or good witch in the woods。 In a way， she could represent the life Rapunzel could have had。When I started reading， I wasn't aware it was a story within a story。 Even so， by the end， Brendan and Daniella were just as touching as the story he told his sister。 I highly recommend this book to all lovers of fairy tales， from teens to adults。 I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley and this is my honest review。 。。。more
John Walker
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Not to be "that person。" But wasn't the initial issue all along is that if the hair is cut it loses its magical power。So just cut her hair and her power goes away， no reason for this plot to exist lol。Im sure there is more to it， or its addressed in the book。 But how is this not the majority concern of everyone that reads the synopsis？ Not to be "that person。" But wasn't the initial issue all along is that if the hair is cut it loses its magical power。So just cut her hair and her power goes away， no reason for this plot to exist lol。Im sure there is more to it， or its addressed in the book。 But how is this not the majority concern of everyone that reads the synopsis？ 。。。more
Tiff Wilson
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I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story as I knew it would be a twist on the original but I was very surprised and happy with how it was done。 Even though there was a couple new characters added， I was very glad to see all my favourites made it in and also I very much enjoyed where they ended up。 The only thing I would have like to have seen a little more was the budding relationship between Rapunzel and Flynn。
Alaina
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What Once Was Mine is the 12th installment in Twisted Tales series。 I've been patiently waiting for this book to became a thing because I absolutely adore the movie Tangled。 So instead of having magical hair that heals。。 she sort of has magical hair that kills。 Which， yes， I thought was completely different and made Rapunzel a little bad ass。 Even if her first kill was purely an accident。 She was a baby and honestly she wouldn't really know any better。As for Mother Gothel， well， we always knew s What Once Was Mine is the 12th installment in Twisted Tales series。 I've been patiently waiting for this book to became a thing because I absolutely adore the movie Tangled。 So instead of having magical hair that heals。。 she sort of has magical hair that kills。 Which， yes， I thought was completely different and made Rapunzel a little bad ass。 Even if her first kill was purely an accident。 She was a baby and honestly she wouldn't really know any better。As for Mother Gothel， well， we always knew she was obsessed with Rapunzel's hair。 So it's safe to say that in this one she is still somewhat obsessed with it but she really just wants to auction her off to get lots of money。 It just so happens that her plans get demolished quite easily once Rapunzel leaves her tower。On her little adventure， to go see the floating lights， Rapunzel runs into Gina and Flynn。 I really enjoyed the romance that blossomed between her and Flynn because it just gave me the same movie vibes。 As for Gina？ Well， I was definitely getting some sibling vibes between her and Flynn。 So with the little reveals at the end - it's safe to say that I freaked out a bit。Other than that， I just really enjoyed this twist on Rapunzel。 So much happened on this adventure and the little family reunion was just really cute。 I'm also happy with little HEA between two certain people。 。。。more
Taylere Herrmann
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I ended up having to DNF this book because I couldn't get through it right now。 From what I was able to get through it's basically a mashup of Tangled the series and the movie。 Which don't get me wrong I love the show and the movie but this story just didn't hold my attention the way they did。 It felt really slow and somehow I didn't like Rapunzel and I can't exactly put my finger on why。 I'm hoping I can come back to it another time because I love all things Disney， but this was too painful to I ended up having to DNF this book because I couldn't get through it right now。 From what I was able to get through it's basically a mashup of Tangled the series and the movie。 Which don't get me wrong I love the show and the movie but this story just didn't hold my attention the way they did。 It felt really slow and somehow I didn't like Rapunzel and I can't exactly put my finger on why。 I'm hoping I can come back to it another time because I love all things Disney， but this was too painful to get through right now。 。。。more
Julia
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*** Thank you to Disney Book Group and Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book！ All thoughts are my own。 ****4。5 starsWhat if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower？This is my first Twisted Tale book I have read。 None of the books are connected， so you can start with whichever book you would like。 I rewatched Tangled before starting this book， since I watched it when I was a kid and didn't remember much of the story。 I wanted to see how this book altered the original s *** Thank you to Disney Book Group and Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book！ All thoughts are my own。 ****4。5 starsWhat if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower？This is my first Twisted Tale book I have read。 None of the books are connected， so you can start with whichever book you would like。 I rewatched Tangled before starting this book， since I watched it when I was a kid and didn't remember much of the story。 I wanted to see how this book altered the original story。 I really enjoyed how the story was told （gave me some Princess Bride vibes。） I liked the addition of new characters and how some of the characters were seen in a new light。 I don't think I could have imagined the story going in a different direction， it just felt like it meant to be told in this way。 If you are a fan of Tangled， I think you will be satisfied with this unique take on the story。 I was very entertained overall and entranced with this book。 What Once Was Mine is available now！ 。。。more
Caitlyn DeRouin
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4。5tangled/rapunzel my beloved
Jacqui
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Thank you NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the e-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review！Just a recap， we follow a different storyline for you original story of Tangled！ This storyline follows if the Queen drank from a different flower and instead of Rapunzel having the ability to heal with the use of her hair， we follow if her hair was used for harm and to kill！I will be giving this story 3 stars。 It was a good story but with not enough significant change between the two stories for Thank you NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the e-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review！Just a recap， we follow a different storyline for you original story of Tangled！ This storyline follows if the Queen drank from a different flower and instead of Rapunzel having the ability to heal with the use of her hair， we follow if her hair was used for harm and to kill！I will be giving this story 3 stars。 It was a good story but with not enough significant change between the two stories for me to give it a higher rating。I didn't see a lot of difference between the original movie （story） Tangled v。 this storyline which made it a little difficult for me to read the book because I felt like I could almost predict the little changes in the story to figure out what happened。 Granted， I did enjoy the movie so I did love the small twists but I do wish there was more change to the storyline to see the difference。 After you get through the first 100 pages， the story does pick up。 The use of a big brother telling his sick sister the story was sweet but I felt it did not fit with the story and sometimes took away from how the story could have progressed and been better。Flynn was one of my favorites because regardless of the story， Flynn makes me swoon but I did feel like the relationship was a love at first sight with no building。 The Twisted Tales series is amazing and I will still continue to read the tales as they come out because HELLO it's Disney and I loved some of the other retellings。 。。。more
Gabbie
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I really enjoyed this book！It is a retelling of Rapunzel， and I was not disappointed！ I thought this storyline was so good， and I loved how it was told。 The characters were great， and I was a big fan of Flynn。 The humor was there， and I loved the twist on the original version of Rapunzel。 I recommend this book to anyone interested in it！ It was good！
Samantha Riccio
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I got this from Netgalley to read and leave an honest review， and I was originally very excited about this installment because it was going to be something my sister and I could read together and enjoy as Rapunzel is her favorite and I was excited to see how the story would change with the Moondrop flower in place of the Sundrop。I didn't hate this one， didn't love it。 I appreciated that the story was told like the Princess Bride， a story within a story。 There were a lot of references to other me I got this from Netgalley to read and leave an honest review， and I was originally very excited about this installment because it was going to be something my sister and I could read together and enjoy as Rapunzel is her favorite and I was excited to see how the story would change with the Moondrop flower in place of the Sundrop。I didn't hate this one， didn't love it。 I appreciated that the story was told like the Princess Bride， a story within a story。 There were a lot of references to other media and the original content that were fun to see， the little jabs between the siblings telling the story and how Gina was represented as a sister figure to Flynn。I didn't enjoy the addition of historical fogures in a fairy tale retelling it threw me off quite a bit and I don't think it really added much to the book。 The entire end half of the book was drawn out and was not necessary to the rest of it for me。 It felt clustered but I guess in the sense of it being a story inside of a story it worked。It was trying to as original as it could be while a licensed work for an installment of what is an established series。 It would have worked better if it was standalone。 。。。more
Hailee Meghan
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I would like to start off by saying。 Thank you very much to netgalley and the wonderful pulisher Disney hyperion for allowing me to review this book。 But I am sad to say at this moment in time this books was just not for me。 I think it was because of the way the story was told almost like it's was the movie princess bride where the grandfather read the story to his grandson。 Not only that I found it a bit confusing as I went along in the story。 So for now I am going put this one down and possibl I would like to start off by saying。 Thank you very much to netgalley and the wonderful pulisher Disney hyperion for allowing me to review this book。 But I am sad to say at this moment in time this books was just not for me。 I think it was because of the way the story was told almost like it's was the movie princess bride where the grandfather read the story to his grandson。 Not only that I found it a bit confusing as I went along in the story。 So for now I am going put this one down and possibly come back to in the future to give it another chance。 I will update this review at that time。 。。。more
Cindee
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This is now my favorite of the Twisted Tales it made my favorite Disney film better than it was already I loved the changes and every addition to the story was wonderful it also still had that perfect ending that I loved so much from the original version。 I loved the characters so much especially Rapunzel and Eugene and Gina as well they were such amazing characters。 Rapunzel a lot like she was in the film with a few differences she did more for herself other than that she was that same fun yet This is now my favorite of the Twisted Tales it made my favorite Disney film better than it was already I loved the changes and every addition to the story was wonderful it also still had that perfect ending that I loved so much from the original version。 I loved the characters so much especially Rapunzel and Eugene and Gina as well they were such amazing characters。 Rapunzel a lot like she was in the film with a few differences she did more for herself other than that she was that same fun yet more cautious girl that I still loved so very much。 I loved the quick romance of her and Eugene or Flynn as he was known throughout most of the book it was an instant connection that I just loved so much I loved how that ended。 I loved the changes Gina brought a strong adventurous character that became a sister to Rapunzel by the end and quite possibly an actual sister to Eugene。 I loved the plot it has a similar set up to Tangled yet it has a Princess Bride story telling style that I just loved so much。 （view spoiler）[Rapunzel is given to Gothel to protect others as well as herself she grows up knowing of the dangers of her power Rapunzel loves the lights she sees every year and wants to see them but Gothel will not take her so she decides to leave once she sees Flynn and that way she could see the lights she meets Gina along the way they find Flynn other things happen she falls in love is very confused about many things some other things happen she gets kidnapped she manages to escape after awhile with the help of her friends goes back to the castle meets her parents and there is an happy ever after。 （hide spoiler）] So overall I loved this book so much will read more of these once more is out。 。。。more
Mikayla
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Want to start off this review by saying thank you so much to Disney publishing for sending me an arc of this book！ This is my first arc and I am so excited to review it for you guys！ This book was absolutely incredible and completely surpassed my expectations。 I am a huge fan of all things Disney， especially Tangled， so I was nervous that this book wouldn’t live up to the movie; I was so wrong！ The way that the author chose to frame the story as if it were being told from a brother to his sister Want to start off this review by saying thank you so much to Disney publishing for sending me an arc of this book！ This is my first arc and I am so excited to review it for you guys！ This book was absolutely incredible and completely surpassed my expectations。 I am a huge fan of all things Disney， especially Tangled， so I was nervous that this book wouldn’t live up to the movie; I was so wrong！ The way that the author chose to frame the story as if it were being told from a brother to his sister is truly ingenious and really emphasizes the found family trope which is consistent throughout the story！ It is really great because the plot is different enough from the movie to keep it interesting but there are also many callbacks to the movies that fans can pick up on。 My favorite part about this book is the way that it established Rapunzel’s character and individuality。 The relationship between her and Flynn is told beautifully but there are also many moments when Rapunzel is able to decide things for herself， without Flynn’s input which I really enjoyed。 Additionally， this book introduces a new character， Gina， who becomes close with both Rapunzel and Flynn。 I really loved the addition of a female friendship for Rapunzel and how their dynamic is different and just as rewarding as Flynn and Rapunzel’s dynamic。 Finally， the romance between Flynn and Rapunzel is told amazingly in this book， there were so many moments where I couldn’t help but smile and gush over how cute they are！ If you are a fan of Tangled or Disney， you will absolutely love this twisted retelling！ 。。。more
Jennifer Mullins
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Trigger Warning: the main character is telling the story to his sister， who is undergoing chemo treatmentsI loved this take on Rapunzel！ As with any Disney die-hard， I'm obsessed with all things Disney so have seen all the "classics"， including Rapunzel。 While it kept the key components of the story， it had new characters as well as some unexpected twists to it。 This was my first in the 12 book series， even though I own 6 others in the series lol。 It can be read as a stand-alone。 Thank you NetGa Trigger Warning: the main character is telling the story to his sister， who is undergoing chemo treatmentsI loved this take on Rapunzel！ As with any Disney die-hard， I'm obsessed with all things Disney so have seen all the "classics"， including Rapunzel。 While it kept the key components of the story， it had new characters as well as some unexpected twists to it。 This was my first in the 12 book series， even though I own 6 others in the series lol。 It can be read as a stand-alone。 Thank you NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the advanced copy！ 。。。more
Caitlin
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest reviewRating: 3。5 starsWhat Once Was Mine is the newest installment in the Twisted Tales series， revamping Disney's Tangled。I really liked this darker take on the original story。 It was really interesting to explore Rapunzel's new abilities and follow along with her as she discovers the reality of her circumstances and her powers。 New characters added some new flavor to the original story （I really liked Gina， Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest reviewRating: 3。5 starsWhat Once Was Mine is the newest installment in the Twisted Tales series， revamping Disney's Tangled。I really liked this darker take on the original story。 It was really interesting to explore Rapunzel's new abilities and follow along with her as she discovers the reality of her circumstances and her powers。 New characters added some new flavor to the original story （I really liked Gina， in particular）。 I do think that the story was a bit slow-paced at times and took a little too long to actually start。 But otherwise， What Once Was Mine is a fun book perfect for fans of the original movie。 。。。more
Ivy
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Best Twisted Tale that I've read so far。 I got so sucked into this book that I read it in one weekend。 Brendan accompanies his Tangled-obsessed sister to her chemotherapy sessions。 After watching the movie and reading the book numerous times， Brendan decides to tell her his own version of the story in which Rapunzel's mother drinks a potion from the wrong flower and the ramifications of that。 Great story （that may even be better than Tangled！） and I love the new characters that were introduced！I Best Twisted Tale that I've read so far。 I got so sucked into this book that I read it in one weekend。 Brendan accompanies his Tangled-obsessed sister to her chemotherapy sessions。 After watching the movie and reading the book numerous times， Brendan decides to tell her his own version of the story in which Rapunzel's mother drinks a potion from the wrong flower and the ramifications of that。 Great story （that may even be better than Tangled！） and I love the new characters that were introduced！I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Kendall
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I received this book a few weeks ago early， but since it’s publishing day I finally finished！ Thank you to the publishers at Netgalley！ I really enjoyed this book， especially since Tangled is my favorite disney movie。 If you want to be transported back into the magical world of Rapunzel， I recommend！
Caity
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This is a really cool series overall and the set up for this What if scenario is one of my favorites。 The author's note at the end of the book makes it even more thoughtful， All around its a well executed premise， I enjoyed the way the difference is Rapunzel's powers changed her character while still leaving the most important aspects of her personality unchanged， The other characters similarly had some changes and overall it made the story so interesting and I loved the twists created by their This is a really cool series overall and the set up for this What if scenario is one of my favorites。 The author's note at the end of the book makes it even more thoughtful， All around its a well executed premise， I enjoyed the way the difference is Rapunzel's powers changed her character while still leaving the most important aspects of her personality unchanged， The other characters similarly had some changes and overall it made the story so interesting and I loved the twists created by their change in personality as well as the new character introduced。 It's really fun to read a story where you know how it has to end but can't predict how its gets there。 Overall this is a cool book and I highly recommend it to fans of Rapunzel and fairy tale retellings。。 。。。more
Allison
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Thank you Netgalley and Disney Hyperion for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell is the next installment of Disney's Twisted Tales series。 This book follows an alternate universe of Tangled， asking the question， "What if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower？" Anyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with Tangled。 Like， really obsessed。 That being said， I was expecting something either really good or really b Thank you Netgalley and Disney Hyperion for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell is the next installment of Disney's Twisted Tales series。 This book follows an alternate universe of Tangled， asking the question， "What if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower？" Anyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with Tangled。 Like， really obsessed。 That being said， I was expecting something either really good or really bad。 However， this book fell in the middle ground for me。 There were things I enjoyed， things I really didn't like， and things that were neither good nor bad。 Starting with the good: Rapunzel， Gothel， and Flynn Rider were all in character。 Braswell nailed the banter and dialogue。 Another plus was the modern-day story Braswell wove through the narrative。 It became my favorite part of the novel， and the author's note tied it all together in the end。 As for downsides， I wish this novel had drawn a little bit more on the lore established by the tv show。 Obviously， this is an alternate universe and anything goes。 That being said， it did feel a little counterproductive to have so much established canon to draw from and use very little of it。 My only other large complaint is that this novel meanders。 There's a lot of waiting around， and it has far less action than the movie。 Gina feels underutilized， as well as established characters like Pascal， Maximus， and the thugs。 If a few characters and chapters had been cut， and more action added， I might have rounded this novel up to four out of five stars。 The last thing I have to say about this book is that while it is a young adult book， the tone feels juvenile。 Thematically， it is darker than the original movie with more villainous characters。 But the writing voice was light and Rapunzel didn't quite read like a real 19-year-old。 I would definitely target this book more towards the younger spectrum of YA literature （12-13）。 Overall， I feel very neutral about this book。 I think those who are a little less attached to Rapunzel may find it thoroughly enjoyable， but for me， it was merely a "meh" experience。 。。。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