Towering

Book:  Towering

Author:  Alex Flinn

Publisher: Harper Teen

Date:  Available now

Source:  Publisher via Edelweiss

My grade:  C+

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.

Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Alex Flinn knows her fairy tales, and Towering is her most mind-bending interpretation yet. Dark and mysterious, this reimagining of Rapunzel will have readers on the edge of their seats wondering where Alex will take them next! (cover and description from www.goodreads.com)

Initial reaction

I think I’m completely underwhelmed by this book……

Cover Story

I love this cover.  It’s gorgeous.  Too bad the cover was better than the book……

What’s the Story?

I’m not gonna lie.  I was really excited when I saw that Alex Flinn had written a modern re-telling of Rapunzel.  I have a 5 year old daughter, and we may have watched Tangled just a few times.  I probably should never admit this in public, but Flynn Rider is totally my cartoon crush now.  (Sorry Aladdin!)  So I thought it would be really cool to see what she could do with Rapunzel in the modern day.  I mean, I really liked Beastly.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy Towering as much as I enjoyed Beastly.  I had a hard time caring for these characters.  I liked Wyatt more than Rachel, but even so, I didn’t care for him the way I came to care for Kyle in Beastly.  This story felt more superficial and surface level.  One of the things that I loved about Beastly is how Alex Flinn gave the story more depth.  This one just felt like a longer version of the original fairy tale. 

Let’s talk about insta-love.  If you like it, you’ll find it in abundance here.  Both Rachel and her mother seem to fall victim to this insidious disease.  Even Wyatt admits that he has fallen in love instantly.  I think he needs to just admit that his hormones have gotten the best of him!  I can understand instant infatuation, but declaring your love about a day after you meet someone is a bit much.  Even Edward and Bella didn’t do that!

Now, there were parts of the story that I really liked.  Figuring out the mystery of what had happened was pretty fun.  I also like Alex Flinn’s take on the original rampion storyline from the fairy tale.  Her story line regarding that little salad that caused the whole fiasco to begin with was ingenious!  I have to give her kudos for that.  Unfortunately, the supernatural element of that was not fully brought to fruition.  I’m still uncertain exactly what the deal was with that stuff and the people who grew it.

I think this book had a lot of potential, but it fell short.  The supernatural story line needed to be expanded and I would have liked to see Rachel and Wyatt develop a relationship instead of an insta-love bond.  I guess for now, I’ll just watch Tangled again.  At least there it takes Rapunzel and Flynn almost half the movie to decide that they’re in love.  And then there’s that great song that all the thugs sing as well……

The Soundtrack

Towers by Bon Iver

Rapunzel by Dave Matthews Band

Rapunzel by Emilie Autumn

I’m In by Amy Stroup

Rescue Me by Buckcherry

Forget Me Not by The Civil Wars

The Final Grade

My final grade for this one is a C+.  It was about average…..a lackluster interpretation of a story that had some high points and lots of okay ones.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.  I received no compensation, financial or otherwise, for this review.  Not even a tower where I can hide from my kids...drat!