The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Rapunzel’s Gambit

Series: All That Glitters #4 (standalone within the series)

Author: Mary Mecham

Genre: Young Adult, Retelling, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 4.75 stars

Review:

Some princesses would rather be the villain than a damsel in distress. In an effort to rid his kingdom of a troublesome dragon, King Harrigan offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to any man who can slay the beast, but Rapunzel refuses to be pawned off. Deciding that a life of crime is better than marrying a power hungry suitor, she fakes her own kidnapping and joins forces with the dragon plaguing her kingdom. Together they plot a scheme that would amass them both riches beyond their wildest dreams. As the lure of the reward for the return of the princess attracts men ensnared by greed and Rapunzel’s flirtations, the would-be-rescuers need to be saved themselves when they’re trapped in a tower only accessible by dragon back. But as her alliance with the dragon becomes more precarious and dangerous, Rapunzel questions if she chose the right side. Amidst the chaos, Griffin, a humble but brilliant squire, becomes her ally. His quick wit and resourcefulness is in stark contrast to the men he serves, and Rapunzel can’t help but take notice.

Oh my gosh! This book was amazing! I am so grateful I was able to read this book and get this wonderful twist on a classic.

Rapunzel is my favorite Disney princess and my favorite fairytale, so this was automatically pretty high on my list. But it just blew me away!

As many know I am a spoiler; I can’t handle not knowing where a story is going. It was a great thing I read this book on my tablet because I couldn’t skip ahead and I was genuinely shocked. The twists were amazing and you never knew what was going to happen next.

Rapunzel really was a damsel distressing others but for the best of reasons, which I shan’t share as it will give it away.

Many other reviews I have come across for this book talk about Griffin. I thought he was just okay. I primarily loved the dragon ( but how could you not?)

The dragon, Pollux, was sarcastic and a lot of fun to read! I love a good dragon character and this was one of the best. As the story goes on you learn that he also has a soft side, which I really enjoyed.

That magic system was also very interesting. I loved that the tower itself was magic and how it helped accomplish Rapunzel’s goals. I definitely want one of the magic tables, too!

My absolute favorite scene was one of the rescues. It was just really funny!

There is one small part of this book that I am not sure how I feel about it. I won’t share because it will spoil it, but that is why I can’t give it 5 stars.

I also wish that there was a part where the main love interest went blind. I love the original story, and this part is left out of so many retellings.

Mary Mecham wrote an intriguing, humorous, and twisty retelling of Rapunzel, with a clean romance and a devious main character. Rapunzel’s Gambit is definitely one of my favorite retellings!

*I received an ARC copy from the author and all opinions are my own.