THE WITCH’S TOWER is the first in an inspired new series of fairy-tale retellings from award-winning fantasy author Tamara Grantham.Gothel is a witch. Punished for the actions of her mother, her choice is simple: either she stands guard over Princess Rapunzel—or she dies. But just because a choice is easy doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. Protecting Rapunzel means watching as the princess lays trapped … the princess lays trapped in a tower, bedridden by hair that is so long and heavy it’s slowly driving her insane. Gothel’s life has become one of imprisonment and solitude as well—until a prince and his handsome squire appear at the tower.
Only one object can cut Rapunzel’s hair and end the curse: a pair of magical shears. But the shears are guarded by the most terrifying witches in the land, who also happen to be Gothel’s aunts. As Gothel and the prince’s squire, Raj Talmund, work to form a plan, she finds herself more and more drawn to the mysterious young man from the Outerlands. Unfortunately, his destiny is far more dangerous than she wants to admit: to save a princess, he must kill the witch who’s been forced to guard her.
“A sparkling Fantasy.” ~Kirkus Reviews
Novels inThe Twisted Ever After Series by Tamara Grantham:
- The Witch’s Tower (Available Now)
- The Dragon Swan Princess (March 26, 2019)
- Book Three (Summer 2019)
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I love fairy tale retellings, but I’m sick of the same old, same old. This one is a Rapunzel retelling. Now that’s original. Love the surprising twists.
This story is a different take on fairy tale characters, in a very good way. It is a series, so the reader doesn’t have to be sad the story is over. So who really is the character to root for?
A good attempt at a retelling of Rapunzel, but I was disappointed that Rapunzel herself plays no part in her own story. I also disliked the cheesy love-at-first sight between Rapunzel and the prince. Gothel’s adventure was interesting, but lacked real depth. She doesn’t really learn anything, muddles her way through and has a pretty easy time of it. Everything is resolved with too much ease it made the problems less gut-wrenching.
Also, I have a serious issue with the names. People will never refer to themselves as Outlanders (just one example). The romance was cute, but nothing more than that. Grantham had a good idea but failed to implement it so I actually got emotionally involved with the characters or felt invested in the outcome. The set up for the next book failed to capture my attention in the least.
I nice twist on an old fairy tale.
A very unique take on the fairytale classic of Rapunzel. So interesting to have the characters manifest this way, with these backgrounds, and include the story from their points of view.
It was a bit predictable and the language a little simple.
This is a unique twist on the well-known Rapunzel story. In this one, the witch is the heroine and is trying to help Rapunzel. I love it and you will too.
This is a very different take on the traditional Rapunzel story. Instead of being the “bad guy” (or girl, as it were), Gothel is actually the hero of this tale. She sets out – first with the aid of the prince’s squire, and later a rather odd assortment of characters – on a quest in hopes of retreiving the golden shears from her aunts, ending the curse, and setting Rapunzel – as well as herself! – free. Of course, things are never as simple as they should be, and there are a lot of twists and turns to their tale, a lot of hardships to be overcome. But the original pair do eventually make it back to Rapunzel’s tower, where their destiny awaits them.
I quite enjoyed this unusual version of the fairy tale. The characters were all quite interesting, from Gothel and Raj, to Rapunzel and the prince, to their traveling companions and various other characters that they come across, even Jester the cat. (Although I wish he’d had a larger role!) Many of the personalities seem like they have much larger stories to tell, and since this is the first in a series, I’m hopeful that we get to see more of many of them in future volumes.
There were a few items that either didn’t exactly jive with other aspects of the narrative or that weren’t given the attention they seemed to warrant. And much of the dialogue was stilted and felt rather unnatural. But the story itself was quite fun, and the characters delightful. It definitely kept me engaged and wondering what was going to happen next. I’m looking forward to additional tales from this world.
There are a lot of retellings available these days, and that’s not a bad thing. But what made this one stand out was the simple fact that the headlining princess was barely in it.
This isn’t Rapunzel’s story. It’s Gothel’s. And it’s nothing you expected.
This book contains all your favorite fairy tale elements with a varied cast, considerable adventure, and a few twists that are sure to keep you guessing.
I was gifted a copy of this book by the author for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tamara Grantham does it again! It’s no secret that I am a fan of her Fairy World MD series. So when she reached out about this book I couldn’t say no.
Now let’s be honest here I surprisingly love re-tellings. I say this because a year ago I didn’t think they were something I would ever enjoy. Also, to be completely honest going into this I knew nothing of Rapunzel except she has long hair. I mean I still haven’t even seen Tangled before picking up this book.
I really like how this story is focused on Gothel, who is living out a punishment due to her mother’s actions. In this story you see her grow so much. One of my favorite things is how she gains self-respect and self-worth throughout the story. I also love the fact this book points out that you shouldn’t stereotype people. Yes, Gothel is a witch but Raj refuses to judge her based on that. Long story short I adored Gothel and Raj and I really loved how this story ended. The story as a whole wrapped up all of the loose ends wonderfully and I felt satisfied with this being only one book (and that does not happen often).
If you like retellings you really should pick this one up!!
I think Gothel is by far one of my favorite fiction character’s. I love reading about her untold story. She’s brave, resilient, protective, and at times extremely selfless. Her love story is intense. Especially given the fact that the man she’s falling for is also destined to kill her. That’s a huge conundrum. I highly recommend giving this a read. It’s only $.99 and it’s a brand new release from an award-winning author.
One of the best fairytale retellings I’ve read to date. I love the idea of looking at an untold story within the world of a classic fairytale.
The Witches Tower by Tamara Grantham is a Fairytale retelling of Rapunzel, told from the Witch, Gothel’s point of view.
Gothel loves her mother, and knew her mother loved her, but she was so very angry with her. Her mother’s choices and actions cost her so much, five years later she is still paying.
Until she encounters a Prince and his Squire, which catapults her into a quest to rescue Rapunzel and save the Kingdoms.
Along the way she meets interesting characters, as well as life threatening dangers.
This story grabbed me from the beginning, and the characters were so full and colorful, I felt a part of the action. I enjoyed the twists and turns so much, in the end I stayed up all night to finish. An absolute full 5 stars, well deserved.
I loved this story and all the characters!