Review: Cute and romantic contemporary Rapunzel
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2014
A contemporary retelling of Rapunzel? Like, you guys should have already known I would be all over that. This was a very cute, romantic story that I enjoyed. I will say, that had I not been told it was Rapunzel, I'm not entirely sure I would have caught on (but then again, sometimes I'm just slow about these things). But since we do know that, I could definitely see the Rapunzel-esque elements that made up this story.Anya lives with her adopted mother out on the edge of town. She isn't allowed to go anywhere, even having a tutor instead of going to school, except for the library. It's here that she meets Zander. Since her mother refuses to let her date (or have any kind of life), Anya can only see him on her library days, and they begin to date in secret.Anya did seem a bit childish at first, but I tried to remember that she has pretty much had no social interaction, her main goal being to try and please her mother. How her mother thought she could get away with hiding her away, especially after she became an adult, I'm not entirely sure. As Anya continues to meet Zander, she becomes more daring, acting out against her mother. She definitely could have made some more mature decisions, but when you've been literally locked away, I guess you can't help it.Zander was cute. He wasn't super swoon-worthy like I was hoping, but he was still plenty cute. He was willing to wait for Anya, and deal with her mother issues and baggage. It was a bit insta-lovey, but it was definitely cute and so sweet.I liked the dual perspective between Anya and Zander. Sometimes it doesn't work, but this time it did. It was nice to see things from both perspectives, especially with the whole crazy mother thing. The writing at times seemed a bit simple and didn't seem to flow well, but otherwise this was an easy read.I did enjoy the reimagining of this story. Even without telling me that it was a contemporary Rapunzel, this was a cute story. It was a light, fluffy read, perfect for a summer day.