Golden Curse: Book Review

Title: Golden Curse
Series: The True Story of Rapunzel : Book 1
Author: M. Lynn
ISBN: 9781983371813          Language: English

Classification: Fiction
Themes: fairytales, curses, conflict

What's it about?
Etta has a destiny, no a curse forced upon her that she refuses to enjoy and will do anything to break. She follows the rules of her curse and becomes the protector of the name she means to despise. But she struggles to hate Alexandre - the boy she once knew as a child, the boy she once played with as a child. And the ties that bind the two through the magic of the curse pull strong. But still, Etta knows her has a destiny that is beyond that curse and will do what is necessary to get there.

Embrace
Fast paced, clear world building, characters you immediately invest in. A plot that is original and well planned based loosely on the Rapunzel tale.

Beware
I want more and I want it NOW! Okay, just for disclosure this book does contain violence (including killing so expect blood), implied sexual intercourse, and I remember seeing one F-word towards the end.

My Thoughts
I've never been a huge fan of fairytale retellings. They seem to either be especially good or don't quite cut it. My last foray into this genre was A Tale Dark As Gold which was great save for the incredibly rushed ending that still annoys me today for ruining the book. This YA novel though is quite different.

I found Etta a fantastic character. She is a strong protagonist who is willing to do as she must but in her own way. Despite blood and fighting not normally something I read about I found it refreshing I was cheering Etta from the sidelines all the way.

Her relationship with Alexandre - which is slowly revealed in memories throughout the book - is incredibly well balanced. This isn't an insta-love situation but there is a strong connection that makes it a compelling situation for the reader to be reading - it's difficult to explain without giving it away so just trust me - it's awesome.

This book I feel has appropriate themes that it could be used in the classroom. Conflicts throughout history have occurred in real life and this book exemplifies the issues around old scores and vengeance. Strong story writing and plot again make this ideal to use as an example or model in the classroom (I truly wish this book existed when I was in school because I would have enjoyed reading a school assigned text!).

This book is released October 2018. My only issue with the book is this...book 2 isn't out yet...and then I have to wait for book 3 - How inconsiderate of the author to make her readers sit on the edge of their seats! This is definitely one for the bookshelf at home, for maturing YA readers who want actions, adventure, and characters with depth. Bring on book 2, Golden Chains.

Thank you to the author, Michelle, for the ARC.