Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale Retelling by Anna Sinjin

Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale Retelling Reviews

• 
  Peter Topside

  I honestly don’t go for such short stories. But I am a sucker for Grimms’ Fairy Tales and all sorts of reimaginings. So, most notably, was the quality of the writing. Anna Sinjin is clearly a very talented storyteller and writer. The wording, style, and flow were all crisp as a fresh dollar bill. However, my biggest issue is that as soon as I found myself getting into the story, it was over. Just all happened way too fast, which was a real bummer, because I wanted to take a deep dive into this even darker, gritty retelling of the classic. However, aside from the brevity, this was a really solid short story.
• 
  Emily

  Title: Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale Retelling
  Author: Anna Sinjin
  Format: Kindle (Free)
  
  [ Enjoyed ] Yes.
  [ Last Read ] Last night.
  [ Reread ] No thanks.
  
  [ Cover Lust ] Noooooo.
  [ Intriguing Title ] No.
  [ Interesting Premise/Plot ] Didn't look.
  [ Preview Impressions ] Looks like it'll hold my attention.
  
  [ Kept My Attention ] Yes.
  [ Got Bored / Mind Wandering ] No.
  [ Skimmed/Skipped Scenes/Chapters ] No.
  [ Reread Past Scenes For Fun ] No.
  [ Reread Past Scenes Cause My Memory Sucks To Clear Confusion ] No.
  
  [ Stayed Up Late ] No, well, yes. (Should have gone to sleep instead but decided to read it anyway since it's short.)
  [ Took a Long Break Midway ] Too short to. >_<
  [ Ending Left Me Feeling ] *blank stare* Okay, time to go to sleep for real now. >_<
  
  [ Easy Light Reading ] Yes.
  [ Turn Brain Off ] *shrugs*
  [ Guilty Pleasure ] Not really.
  
  Other thoughts I'm throwing in: (Might contain spoilers; I fail at identifying them.)
  A short Rapunzel retelling with a horror twist. The twist isn't really a twist--I'm not even a horror fan--and the cover art pretty much gives it away. At the start of the story, it begins like any other fantasy / fairy tale before some suspicious arises. It doesn't turn to horror(?) until the very end.
  
  At one point I was probably overthinking. For some reason, I thought maybe the witch that the dumb prince killed was actually Rapunzel, while the singing beauty in the tower was the witch. And like, the witch used her magic to change their appearances and made Rapunzel her servant. But after the dumb prince killed the old hag, I realized that probably isn't the case. Instead, the "witch" was bloody happy to be killed and finally free of "Rapunzel." She was probably an unfortunate mortal girl that got tricked and spent her life playing the witch role.
• 
  Joan

  Review of eBook
  
  “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
  
  So begins the fairytale familiar to most readers. Several have tried to rescue the young maiden, but all have vanished, never seen again. After a while, wise men stop trying to rescue the young maiden.
  
  But Prince Rollin is determined to rescue the fair maiden and make her his wife.
  
  What will happen to Prince Rollin when he finds his way to the tower in which Rapunzel is imprisoned?
  
  A strong sense of place anchors this story, a tale that is sure to be familiar to every reader. The fair maiden, the witch, the prince . . . all appear here, exactly as the reader expects to find them. But as the denouement nears, the familiarity falls away.
  
  Cleverly told, readers are certain to expect a twist at the end . . . and what a surprise awaits them. [Unless the reader has looked at the cover; it pretty much gives away the entire surprise ending.]
  
  A superb retelling of the fairy tale that is sure to leave the reader wishing the story was just a bit longer . . . .
  
  Highly recommended.
  
• 
  Lizzy

  I actually really liked this. I read it as a preview of the type of writer the author is so I can decide if I’ll read her other works and I wasn’t disappointed. It was too short for my liking though, I feel she could have done sooooo much with this short story if she made it longer. Regardless it was free to me and overall very enjoyable
• 
  Shantel (Nixy)

  I didn’t have high hopes for this book when it said that it was 16 pages long even though I’m an avid reader of novellas & short stories. However the idea of this book has a lot of potential. I was very disappointed in how this played out because of the potential that it could have. If this was a full length novel I think it could have been solid.
• 
  Nicole

  Well...that was a super short, quick read but it was a lot of fun. Got the ebook free on Amazon and it was a fun time. Love fairytale retellings with a horror spin.
• 
  Jenny

  Be careful of your heart, when you pledge it blindly.
• 
  C.J

  I'm mad, this book is too interesting to be so brief, wish the author would turn it into a full length book, though I saw the ending coming, it was still a really good read.
• 
  Wanda

  Dark, fast paced and suspenseful. I love dark retellings of fairytales. Ended great for a short story it felt like I read a complete book. Love this author.
• 
  Zen

  3.75 stars
  
  Fun little horror short that features the retelling of Rapunzel. Not a lot of surprise to this one. The twist is what would be expected.
• 
  Brea Lanae

  This had great potential, but was just far too short.
• 
  Becka

  I guessed what the ending would be right when I started reading it, but the overall idea was interesting.
• 
  Brianna Bello

  A retelling of Rapunzel but make it horror.
  Really good short story that takes what you know about Rapunzel and twists it into a horror story. I loved this take and how the ending was super creepy.
• 
  Jheneille

  I actually wished it was longer
  
  I enjoyed this short retelling way more than I expected and I actually wished it was a bit longer. When I got to the end I felt like the horror aspect was JUST starting and I wanted more of it even just one more page. It definitely is well written it felt just like I was reading a classic fairytale
• 
  Kourtney

  Rapunzel by Anna Sinjin had an unexpected ending. I really loved the short story though was definitely not exspecting her to eat his soul though.
• 
  Lennie Grace

  :D
  
  I loved this! The writing, the ending, everything. Oh, those poor dumb sweet princes! "More brawn than gray matter." That's excellent. Highly recommended! This would make an awesome campfire story.
• 
  George

  A chilling retelling.
  
  I enjoyed this immensely and I was sad that it was shorter than I expected. Well worth the read, though.
• 
  Wanda

  Wonderfully dark
• 
  Pauline

  No rating since it’s so short. But enjoyable nonetheless.
• 
  Edie Walls

  This was an okay "dark" retelling. I wish there had been more set up to the twist (or more anything, really), but it was fine.
• 
  Stacey Gomez

  What a retelling of Rapunzel. This is a short scary story. I would recommend this during halloween. Not at all like your typical fairytale. I was shocked and this made me rethink reading fairytales.
• 
  Marcus

  Not What You Think
  
  A very very short story with a different take on a fairy tale everyone knows. Be prepared to be surprise when you say that this is not gonna end well for her rescuers. A good read though.
• 
  TaniaRina

  WHOA!!!! What a twisted...
  
  
  
  twist!
• 
  Chris

  Potential is the word that immediately came to mind as I finished. It’s a short story; so not much room to go really in depth—no character development, no backstory. You basically get a plot-driven narrative: “this is what people used to hear and think and do; and this is what this most recent person did”; quick reveal (you already know what’s coming). The End.
  
  For such a short story, I’d say you get a good feel for what’s going on overall; so that’s good. And, I ended wanting more but mostly because the information was lacking; my craving was more born of filling in the blanks rather than intrigue. Also good—the the unique take. But, I think that the writing felt a little amateurish (which to be fair could be a byproduct of such a short story). And again—you only get the superficial. I’d love to read a fresh take on the witch’s motives as well as her and Rapunzel’s relationship over the years—when did this transition/evolution take place? Or was it like this from the start?
  
  I feel Sinjin was onto something with this story. If she were to ever revisit this, take her time and flesh it out into a novel or even a novella, I would definitely give it a read.
  I’ll be keeping an eye out.
• 
  deidra

  Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale Retelling by Anna Sinjin is a clever take of the Grimm fairy tale we all know and love. surely we know everything there is to know about the story or do we?
  Rapunzel is a quick snack between meals, 14 pages and i gobbled it up in five minutes. very entertaining. while i get what the author was going for, i would've enjoyed a longer tale. but isn't that the mark of a good writer? leave them wanting more? Anna Sinjin certainly did that.
  to sum up:
  very recommended
  4 stars out of 5
• 
  Kristin B *BookarazziBookNook*

  “𝑹𝒂𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒛𝒆𝒍, 𝑹𝒂𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒛𝒆𝒍, 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓!”
  
  Rating:4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
  
  It’s difficult for me to rate short stories because I want so much more substance. With that said, as far as short stories go, this was fun to read and the writing was clear and concise. I think this author would be a good one to read in longer novels and novellas.
  
  I enjoyed this dark retelling of a classic.
  
  I acquired this freebie from Stuff Your Kindle Day.
  
  #rapunzel
• 
  Kirijath

  a prince tries to save rapunzel from the witch and swears his live and love to her. instead of falling in love with him she wants to eat his soul. i wish this novella would have been like 50 pages more to get deeper into the story, like was the witch a real witch or how did she survive rapunzel? why does she want souls? what kind of creature is she? it could have been some interesting book of easily written 300 pages and i would have payed:) also nice writing style.