The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: The Golden Braid

Series: Hagenheim #6

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Genre: Young Adult, Clean Romance, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Retelling

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

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? – summary from Goodreads

The Golden Braid is a fantastic medieval retelling of Rapunzel!

I am a complete sucker for Rapunzel retellings, and this is definitely among my top three!

This book kept with the historical aspects, and for this book we got a good look at what it would be like to work in Hagenheim Castle, and what it was like to be raised as a peasant during this time period.

The Christian themes still remain strong with this installment. I loved how much Rapunzel wanted to learn to read the Bible and learn to read in general. I especially enjoyed how much peace she got from reading the Bible.

I loved Rapunzel’s character! She wasn’t as carefree as she usually is depicted, which was an addition I really liked. It made her seem much more realistic. She did love life, but she was serious. Small spoiler: I liked how she left Gothel on her own the first time. I am always for damsel in distress rescues, but I also love it when our damsels realize things aren’t quite right and work to save themselves.

I actually really enjoyed the whole Gothel storyline. At times you could totally believe that Gothel was just overprotective and paranoid, but still loved Rapunzel. Then she would do something very extreme and you would change your mind. It was fascinating! I also loved the reason that Gothel took Rapunzel; it mimics things that have happened in real life, and it added an element of realism that I enjoyed.

Also, Rapunzel’s hair was long, but it wasn’t long enough to lift someone into a tower! I have actually researched how long hair can grow, and I was very disappointed to learn that hair cannot grow as long as Rapunzel’s, so I liked that this resembled the original story but was more realistic. The other aspect of the story that was subtly included was the love interest being blinded. It was a small snippet of the story, but as someone who loves the original story, I loved the inclusion.

Sir Gerek was the best! He was definitely surly at the beginning, which definitely endeared me to him. I really enjoyed his character, and how he grew to change his viewpoints. He also had an interesting backstory, which added a lot of depth to his character. His father was abusive, and some bad things happened, and Gerek was terrified he was just like his father. This colored the entire narrative, and I loved how it was handled.

I really loved the romance between the two! It was a very sweet romance, and they were adorable together! I especially liked how Gerek never gave up on Rapunzel when she was missing. I loved their banter, and just their relationship overall!

The twist for this story was so shocking! I loved how everything came together; it was unique and beautifully fit into this world.

I will say that this book should be read after The Princess Spy. They take place at the same time, so some of the events in The Princess Spy are more explained in this book.

The Golden Braid was a unique Rapunzel retelling, with action, adventure, realistic elements, a surly MMC, and a resilient FMC!

Quotes:

“‘So, you see, a man can love you, but only imperfectly. It is God alone who can be God.’”