Book Review | The Book of Gothel

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne tells the "true" account of Gothel, chronically the life of Haelwise, the daughter of a midwife. However, when her mother tragically dies, she sets out to find the legendary tower from her mother’s tales.

I do want to point out that this is a Rapunzel retelling that very much takes a historical approach, and I appreciate the amount of research that the author pouring into portraying medieval Germany.

However, the story itself didn’t grab me. The characters fall flat and the story slowly meanders through Haelewise’s life without a sense of focus.

Typically, I adore origin retellings (i.e. Wicked or Maleficent) where a villain is told through a complex, sympathetic lens, but there is no character complexity here.

Thank you, NetGalley and Redhook, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : July 26, 2022

Publisher : Redhook

IBSN: ‎ 0316393118

Pages : 368

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