The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower.
Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.
Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.
The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek—Rapunzel in turn rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to this knight than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?
As Rapunzel acclimates to life in a new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this Rapunzel story unlike any other, a world of secrets and treachery is about to be revealed after seventeen years of lies. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?
Rapunzel was full of action, comedy, romance, and that touch of the classic fairy tale. Keeping with the classic story, Rapunzel is a young woman with an overbearing mother. Her mother doesn’t want her to get married, so she poisons her mind against men… and yet when Rapunzel befriends one, she begins to question the things her mother has taught her. But who can she trust? A handsome stranger? Or her strange mother?
Rating: I’m happily giving this book 5 stars and I have a feeling you would too!
What I Loved: I’m a girl with a fairy tale heart so I’ve always been intrigued by Melanie Dickerson’s Fairy Tale Romance Series. The Golden Braid is book 5 of the series. It’s the only book I’ve read of the series and I was able to follow along without a problem, but we do see couples from the previous books mentioned.
I loved Melanie’s take on the Rapunzel story. There was enough of the classic tale here to KNOW what you were reading and yet there was so much of Melanie’s original creativity brought to the story to make it something original.
But what I loved the most was the message she was able to bring to young women about marriage. While Rapunzel’s mother didn’t want her to marry at all, Rapunzel will eventually learn that marriage isn’t a bad thing. However waiting patiently for the right man is the key to a happily ever after. It was this message that I think was the true golden thread of this fairy tale and the reason why I think it’s a must read for young women.
What I Didn’t Love: Melanie has a writing style that I’m not used to reading… and didn’t exactly care for. The story was very clean and the characters were well developed, but her refusal to use any contractions became distracting to me.
I was also very distracted by the amount of telling vs showing.
Thankfully the plot picked up the slack and was able to make this an enjoyable experience.
Who I’d Recommend It To: The Golden Braid is perfect for the classic fairy tale fan, Christian romance fans, Medieval fiction fans, and fans of young adult fiction.
~ I received a free copy by BookLook in exchange for a review. I was not required to give a positive review.
Christian Author: A.M. Heath 