{Review/Giveaway} MY NAME IS RAPUNZEL by K.C. Hilton

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Stay tuned after the post for your chance to win

a SIGNED COPY of MY NAME IS RAPUNZEL

and some great swag!!!

Check out this week's interview with K.C. Hilton 

for even more MY NAME IS RAPUNZEL fun!

B O O K   T R A I L E R:

YouTube Link

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

  I PEERED OUT MY WINDOW, WAITING FOR the right moment. There. The sun dropped below the horizon, casting the castle grounds into darkness. 
    Now! 
    I tied the corners of my blanket together into a knot then slung the makeshift sack over my shoulder. I scurried to the door. Looking back was not an option.
    I had thirty minutes, maximum. That's all I had between the setting of the sun and when the dragon would expect to see the candlelight flicker in my window, my daily assurance to him of my presence in the castle. If he didn’t see that glow from my tower…
    I pushed the door open with my shoulder, careful to move slowly enough that it wouldn't squeak. Rousing Gretta's suspicion certainly wouldn't help matters. If I got caught by the dragon, she had as much to lose as I did.
    I placed my tiptoes on one stone step at a time as I skipped down the spiral staircase—light as a feather.
    Hurry. Hurry. I recited my plan. Get as far away as possible. As quickly as possible. Through the gardens, around back past the Cavanaugh’s cabin. Then what?

    Maybe I needed a better plan. Why hadn’t I thought this through? What if he came after me? I’d never tried to escape before. The first time in almost one hundred years. How far would he chase me? To the ends of the earth, no doubt. It would not take that far.

(Page 6, US ebook first edition)

MY NAME IS RAPUNZEL is unique in that it takes place over the course of 250 years. In that way, it reminds me of Sleeping Beauty, which takes place over an entire century. Only...Rapunzel doesn't sleep her life away. She's forced to live each day alongside the witch who cursed her, and spends every night reliving the nightmare of the moment the same witch killed her beloved Henry.

The times have changed, and so has Rapunzel. The majority of the book takes place now, in the modern era. There's modern plumbing, TVs, and laptops. Through the internet, Rapunzel is able to make online friends who never know that she's cursed. They don't have to see that she never grows older. She can also keep up on the news. But what happens when a local reporter decides that fairy tales are just a myth, that girls can't really have such impossibly long hair? Her name is Rapunzel, and it's time for her to tell her story and set the record straight!

There are a few twists and surprises in MY NAME IS RAPUNZEL! There was one "A-ha!" moment about halfway through where I guessed something big, and it really intrigued me because it was such a different, unique idea. It also made me happy and added an extra layer of "fairy tale magic" to the tale. While some parts were drawn-out and verbose, due to the introspective nature of the novel, others are full of fresh ideas that breathe new life into the traditional tale of Rapunzel. I like the fact that her parents are good and kind, that the witch forces young Rapunzel into a promise, not her parents. The way she covets Rapunzel's hair also reminds me of the Disney movie Tangled, which gives it yet another layer of that "fairy tale magic" feeling. I also like the addition of an evil dragon that keeps Rapunzel locked away in her tower, and the fact that her "tower" isn't a traditional prison. Rather, when her father was old and dying, he took her to his family castle (Which...why didn't they live there the entire time? Then she would have been good enough for Prince Henry's family from the very beginning because her father wasn't "just" a merchant, right? One part that didn't make sense, but...!) and made sure that Rapunzel would be comfortable for the rest of her very long life. The only catch? The witch had to come, too, since Rapunzel can never leave her.

A lot of interesting twists and turns that created a new version on a very traditional tale and kept me reading to find out what happens to this poor Rapunzel's story!

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

It's very subtle, but I love the illusion of a dragon resting over Rapunzel's shoulder and protecting her. I didn't even notice it was there until after I finished reading the book! I always thought it was just a swirly pattern. On closer inspection now, however, it's totally a dragon. How cool!!

I also really like Rapunzel's braided hairstyle. She's easily recognizable, which is what you need for any retelling of this tale. She also looks very worn out and done, just like our heroine!

  ~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  MY NAME IS RAPUNZEL
Author: K.C. Hilton

Release Date: Nov. 22, 2013

Publisher: K.C. Hilton
Received: For Review

SUMMARY:

My tale has been told again and again, and I’ve heard each one. Except for my hair, I barely recognize the pitiful renditions. Muddled versions, crafted to entertain laughing children…but the children wouldn’t have laughed if they’d known the real story. It wasn't their fault. They didn't know the truth. Nobody did. 

My name is Rapunzel. I will tell you my story. I will tell you the truth.

~*~
****Giveaway*****

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a SIGNED COPY of
MY NAME IS RAPUNZEL
and some fun mystery swag!!!

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