What Once Was Mine

This retelling of Disney's Tangled follows a Rapunzel with mysterious lunar powers instead of the healing powers of the sun.

The Twisted Tale series has always intrigued me, as each novel takes a fundamental part of a familiar Disney story and turns it on its head. Many of the novels are written from the villain's perspective. In this book, Rapunzel's mother was given a Moondrop flower instead of the Sundrop that gave Rapunzel healing powers in the movie Tangled. The Moondrop also grants her supernatural powers, but this time to harm.

Rapunzel's journey is similar to her story in Tangled, except she decides to leave the tower on her own. She meets Flynn Rider and Gina, two ruffians who she hopes will help lead her to see the annual lantern release. Along the way, she discovers her true identity and wonders about Mother Gothel's motives for keeping her prisoner.

Rachel Kimsey is a fantastic narrator and perfectly captures Rapunzel's joyous spirit (and giggles). Her voice for Mother Gothel is practically movie-accurate. Her performance makes the story even more enjoyable.

This is my first Twisted Tales book and I will be seeking out more titles in the series.

Recommended for fans of Disney, fairy tales, and YA fantasy looking for a fun, enjoyable read.

Liz Braswell is a former video game producer with a degree in Egyptology. She lives in Brooklyn.

Series: A Twisted Tale, #12

Publisher: Disney Hyperion (print), Disney Audiobooks

Narrator: Rachel Kimsey

Running Time: 10 hours, 31 minutes

Length: 512 pages

Release Date: September 7, 2021

I received an electronic audio recording of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.