The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson

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?

Available @ Amazon, CBD, Deeper Shopping and B&N

Biography

Melanie Dickerson is the author of Historical Romances, and her favorite time periods are Medieval, which she has combined with her love of fairy tales, and Regency, which shows her love for Jane Austen and the fact that she has memorized the Pride and Prejudice movie--the one with Colin Firth, of course. She is a 2-time Christy Award finalist, a 2-time Maggie Award winner, winner of The National Reader's Choice Award for 2010's Best First Book, and winner of the 2012 Carol Award in Young Adult fiction. She earned her bachelor's degree in special education from The University of Alabama and has taught children with special needs in Georgia and Tennessee, and English to adults in Germany and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing, hanging out on facebook, and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama. Visit her on the web at http://www.MelanieDickerson.com.

My Thoughts

Be ready to be wrapped back up in your childhood. Reading this reminded me of being a kid and listening to fairytales. Such a page turner and an awesome retelling of one of my favorite fairytales.

I was so excited when I received this in the mail! The cover most certainly drew me in first. It is beautiful and makes you want to read it. I must admit I don't normally read YA fiction because it is most always fantasy/dystopian/sci-fi which I don't enjoy at all. This however was very different from that. Melanie takes you on a journey in a story you think you already know and then all of the sudden it's a brand new story that you don't want to stop reading. I loved how she took a well loved story and added her own spin to it without taking away from the original feel of it. My favorite part of this book is the spiritual element that was added. It makes me want to share these fairytales with my daughters because I can show them how even their favorite princesses could have loved God and served him!

I feel like this book is great for most ages starting around 11 or 12, I plan on sharing it with my 10 year old who is mature for her age. The romance element is sweet and not very strong. There are no inappropriate scenes or scenes that take the romance too far. It is mentioned that men are evil and only want certain things and will then leave you alone, but those things are not discussed in great detail. I very much enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by Melanie.

Thank you to the Fiction Guild for the opportunity to review this book. A positive review was not required.