This book by Melanie Dickerson is a stand alone book but carries the themes and some characters from the author’s other stand alone fairy tales. Her books with these connections include:

The Merchant’s Daughter (Beauty & the Beast)

The Healer’s Apprentice (Sleeping Beauty)

The Fairest Beauty (Snow White)

The Captive Maiden (Cinderella)

The Princess Spy (Princess & the Frog)

and this book:

The Golden Braid (Rapunzel)

All of the above mentioned books have themes that can be related to the fairy tales that we all know and love. However, the author gives her own unique telling that makes each of these books their own story. In this retelling of Rapunzel, there is the well known story of Mother Gothel raising a child that is not her own and sheltering her from the outside world. When a local farmer asks Rapunzel to marry him, Mother decides to move them to another town again. During the journey they are attacked and one of the Duke’s knights, Sir Gerek, comes to their rescue. Through a series of circumstances, Rapunzel realizes that she needs to explore living away from her Mother so she goes to the castle in search for work. There she makes friends and encounters a mystery that could drastically change her life. When the castle is attacked, Rapunzel does her best to remain strong and help the ladies and staff held hostage. Later, she is kidnapped by her Mother Gothel and held captive in a tower. Sir Gerek sets out on a quest to find the woman he has fallen in love with.

I have read (and own) all of the books listed above. I absolutely love fairy tales. This author does an excellent job of retelling these classic stories in a way that makes them unique. She weaves romance, mystery, and adventure together well. I like how the books can be read on their own but I love that they are connected by characters and themes that make me anticipate the next books! The author also weaves Christian themes throughout her stories but not in an overwhelming way. One of my favorite parts of this book is that Rapunzel wants to learn to read and Sir Gerek starts teaching her to read using his costly Bible.  This book is marketed toward Young Adults but I would recommend this book (and the other books written by this author) to anyone who loves fairytales and the medieval era.

In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission I am required to disclose that Tommy Nelson provided this book for free in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

*****

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The Golden Braid

By Melanie Dickerson / Thomas Nelson