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Entwined Tales #6
An Inconvenient Princess
Penny knows all about expectation. After all, she’s a seventh child and they’re always blessed, especially in a fairy-favored family like Penny’s. But Penny also knows all about disappointment. Because there’s nothing magical about her at all. She’s perfectly ordinary, even outshone by her own twin, Anneliese.But maybe being ordinary is a good thing in this case, since gifts from the family’s fairy godfather, Mortimer, tend to lead to disaster. Which is why Penny is filled with dread when she discovers her twin has called on Mortimer for help. Anneliese ran away to find adventure, but now it sounds like she needs rescuing—if only Penny knew where to find her.But soon Penny has far more problems than the location of her missing sister. When she’s forced to call on Mortimer herself, she’s soon embroiled with a rogue fairy, a tower without doors, a charming prince, and one highly inconvenient princess. With more and more people looking to Penny to secure their happily ever afters, will Penny ever have a chance to find one for herself? Find out in this twist on the classic fairy tale, Rapunzel.An Inconvenient Princess is a romantic fairy tale novella. It can be read on its own, but is more fun when read as a part of the Entwined Tales, a series of interconnected fairy tales by six different authors. Each story follows the adventures of one of seven children from the same family as they seek out their own happily ever afters in spite of their reluctant fairy-godfather.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2018
About the author
Melanie Cellier
93 books2,409 followersMelanie Cellier grew up on a staple diet of books, books and more books. And although she got older, she never stopped loving children’s and young adult novels.
She always wanted to write one herself, but it took three careers and three different continents before she actually managed it.
She now feels incredibly fortunate to spend her time writing from her home in Adelaide, Australia where she keeps an eye out for koalas in her backyard. Her staple diet hasn’t changed much, although she’s added choc mint Rooibos tea and Chicken Crimpies to the list.
She writes young adult fantasy including her Spoken Mage series, and her Four Kingdoms and Beyond the Four Kingdoms series which are made up of linked stand-alone stories that retell classic fairy tales.
She now feels incredibly fortunate to spend her time writing from her home in Adelaide, Australia where she keeps an eye out for koalas in her backyard. Her staple diet hasn’t changed much, although she’s added choc mint Rooibos tea and Chicken Crimpies to the list.
She writes young adult fantasy including her Spoken Mage series, and her Four Kingdoms and Beyond the Four Kingdoms series which are made up of linked stand-alone stories that retell classic fairy tales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
June 3, 2019
Read out of order but these books work fairly well as stand-alone retellings so I don't think I missed much.
Fun, creative retelling that could have used a hint more development with the romance but does a lovely job showing not telling so I'll excuse it.
Fun, creative retelling that could have used a hint more development with the romance but does a lovely job showing not telling so I'll excuse it.
April 19, 2018
An Inconvenient Princess is adventurous and entertaining! It is full of fun, whimsy, and surprising twists! For those who enjoy retellings with unique spins, this one if for you!
As the last book in the Entwined Tales series, this one was bittersweet. It was brilliantly written, and oh so fun, but it was definitely sad to read the end of these exciting tales. An Inconvenient Princess was a whimsical twist on the original tale of Rapunzel, and a happy ending to the story of our siblings, and our beloved grumpy faerie godfather.
Melanie was able to capture the essence and magic of the original Rapunzel while adding her own personality to the tale. I really enjoyed both the original bits, and the new twists. The story definitely matched its title too.
I really loved that this tale wasn't just about Rapunzel, but about those she affected around her. Rapunzel was sweet, innocent, and naive, and definitely needed rescuing, but she was so adorable. I loved the interaction between her and Penny, and how Penny ended up being the main reason that both Rapunzel, and Penny's sister Liesa, were rescued, and I loved how the charming prince fit in to the story.
Melanie's writing was very elegant and captivating. The story really came to life for me and I loved every minute of it. This tale fit so well with the other five, and as far as the series goes, I never really felt any disconnect between any of the books. I could see differences in the authors and their writing styles, of course, but each book easily led in to the next and kept the magic flowing.
An Inconvenient Princess was a beautiful twist on a classic tale. It was vivid and imaginative, and very enjoyable. If you have not started The Entwined Tales series, and you love faerie tale retellings, I highly suggest buying the entire series right now! 4.5 stars!
As the last book in the Entwined Tales series, this one was bittersweet. It was brilliantly written, and oh so fun, but it was definitely sad to read the end of these exciting tales. An Inconvenient Princess was a whimsical twist on the original tale of Rapunzel, and a happy ending to the story of our siblings, and our beloved grumpy faerie godfather.
Melanie was able to capture the essence and magic of the original Rapunzel while adding her own personality to the tale. I really enjoyed both the original bits, and the new twists. The story definitely matched its title too.
I really loved that this tale wasn't just about Rapunzel, but about those she affected around her. Rapunzel was sweet, innocent, and naive, and definitely needed rescuing, but she was so adorable. I loved the interaction between her and Penny, and how Penny ended up being the main reason that both Rapunzel, and Penny's sister Liesa, were rescued, and I loved how the charming prince fit in to the story.
Melanie's writing was very elegant and captivating. The story really came to life for me and I loved every minute of it. This tale fit so well with the other five, and as far as the series goes, I never really felt any disconnect between any of the books. I could see differences in the authors and their writing styles, of course, but each book easily led in to the next and kept the magic flowing.
An Inconvenient Princess was a beautiful twist on a classic tale. It was vivid and imaginative, and very enjoyable. If you have not started The Entwined Tales series, and you love faerie tale retellings, I highly suggest buying the entire series right now! 4.5 stars!
Thank you to the author for sending me this free e-copy in exchange for my honest review and as part of my Faerie Tale Friday post.
March 28, 2018
The final book in the Entwined Tales series! Well, I am already head over heels for Melanie Cellier and have read every one of her books, so this was a special treat for me to begin with. I think she wrapped up the entire series very nicely, tied together loose ends and certainly did justice to the characters who weren't hers in the previous books. I at first wondered how there could be six books for seven children, but fear not, Cellier's book is about the last two, not just the last one.
I love Cellier's writing style and found the book very well-written. There was only one minor grammatical error that I caught and it was pretty easy to miss for those out there who aren't Grammar Nazi's like me. I liked the setting in this one. We roamed the country a little bit and went from place to place, but I never felt confused or out of order. Following the story was easy, but I didn't have it all figured out. The plot kept me intrigued, revealing just enough to make me wonder without guessing the end. I loved that the story was told about Rapunzel rather than from her point of view. She was a doll of a character. Penny was wonderful too! Seeing the world through her pretty eyes was easy to relate to. She was fueled by her sense of duty and love to her sister as well as her loyalty to her friends. She faced some realistic internal conflicts, but I never felt tired or irritated by them. Oh, boy, and Arthur was definitely a favorite. :-) Y'all he made me smile. I loved how genuine he was and I would have loved to get inside of his head!! He may have been my favorite of all the heroes in the series. I'd tie the book as a whole with the fourth one (A Beautiful Curse) for favorite in the series.
I do find there was one thing I wanted to see that wasn't there and that was Mortimer in the epilogue. Other than that, I found this the perfect conclusion to the series. If you haven't read any of Melanie Cellier's books, DO! She spins an enchanting tale, and this is no different.
Sweet, heart-warming romance (clean), no foul language, and very little, mild violence.
I love Cellier's writing style and found the book very well-written. There was only one minor grammatical error that I caught and it was pretty easy to miss for those out there who aren't Grammar Nazi's like me. I liked the setting in this one. We roamed the country a little bit and went from place to place, but I never felt confused or out of order. Following the story was easy, but I didn't have it all figured out. The plot kept me intrigued, revealing just enough to make me wonder without guessing the end. I loved that the story was told about Rapunzel rather than from her point of view. She was a doll of a character. Penny was wonderful too! Seeing the world through her pretty eyes was easy to relate to. She was fueled by her sense of duty and love to her sister as well as her loyalty to her friends. She faced some realistic internal conflicts, but I never felt tired or irritated by them. Oh, boy, and Arthur was definitely a favorite. :-) Y'all he made me smile. I loved how genuine he was and I would have loved to get inside of his head!! He may have been my favorite of all the heroes in the series. I'd tie the book as a whole with the fourth one (A Beautiful Curse) for favorite in the series.
I do find there was one thing I wanted to see that wasn't there and that was Mortimer in the epilogue. Other than that, I found this the perfect conclusion to the series. If you haven't read any of Melanie Cellier's books, DO! She spins an enchanting tale, and this is no different.
Sweet, heart-warming romance (clean), no foul language, and very little, mild violence.
March 3, 2021
This short book is a twist on a fairytale. The characters were fun and so was the adventure as Penny tries to find her missing twin at the same time as she's trying to help Rapunzel find her place outside of her isolated tower. Penny feels that she is unremarkable and a disappointment to her family, but she comes to realize that was more her perception than reality. When her fairy godfather magically transports her into Rapunzel's tower, she's the one who rescues them. Prince Arthur was very kind and supportive of Penny. He quietly let her lead the adventure and supported her decisions, but he also protected the two women if needed. While likable, he wasn't given much of the past compared to Penny and Rapunzel.
Penny and Arthur (and Rapunzel) worked well together and built a strong friendship based on trust. The main characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. The world-building was light, mainly a medieval feel but with fairy magic. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable YA fairytale retelling.
Penny and Arthur (and Rapunzel) worked well together and built a strong friendship based on trust. The main characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. The world-building was light, mainly a medieval feel but with fairy magic. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable YA fairytale retelling.
December 10, 2021
This was the one Melanie Cellier book that I had yet to read. While the books in this series are intertwined (hence the series title) they can be read standalone, and I have been skipping around a bit.
This was is cute. It is a novella, so it isn't going to have the depth of her longer works. I really liked the take on Rapunzel where the main character wasn't Rapunzel but stumbled across her so that Rapunzel was rescued by a random peasant girl instead of the prince (the prince shows up later, of course). The main character, Rapunzel, and the prince set out on a quest, and they stumble across more than they bargained for along the way.
This was is cute. It is a novella, so it isn't going to have the depth of her longer works. I really liked the take on Rapunzel where the main character wasn't Rapunzel but stumbled across her so that Rapunzel was rescued by a random peasant girl instead of the prince (the prince shows up later, of course). The main character, Rapunzel, and the prince set out on a quest, and they stumble across more than they bargained for along the way.
September 21, 2022
This was a complete fluff book. It was a novella and so everything happened conveniently to make the outcome work. If I wasn’t stressed and needed fluff, I might have disliked the book.
December 29, 2023
This book was one of the more boring ones in this series. Or maybe that's just because I don't know who Rapunzel is, and I'm too lazy of a reader to figure it out. I mostly just skimmed through this one.
Romance: CLEAN. No curse words, and no explicit scenes.
Romance: CLEAN. No curse words, and no explicit scenes.
August 20, 2021
This one is tied somewhere between a Bear's Bride and a Beautiful Curse. Penny was awesome and I liked being in her head. Rapunzel was the sweetest most innocent girl ever. Arthur fitted in perfectly but Liesa was annoying. She was okay in the end but still mostly annoying. This was a great end to the series. Especially when all the sisters got together. Good riddance to Mortimer, though. Man, I'm not going to miss him much.
April 10, 2024
Content:
Language: None.
Violence: Mild. Some blood on screen, but not descriptive or gory.
Sexual: Mild. Only chaste kissing.
That was cute! I enjoyed this short novel quite a lot. It's been a while since I've read a book by Melanie Cellier, and I'm reminded why I binged everything she'd written at the time during covid.
This take on Rapunzel was intriguing and new. I had a guess as to what had happened, and it turned out I was dead wrong. Which delights me. I like being wrong, as that means I was surprised. And in a good way in this case!
Having Penny gather a motley crew for her adventure to save her twin sister was great fun. I kept wondering if they'd pick up an animal sidekick as that seemed to be the only missing element to the group (unless you count Arthur's horse). Rapunzel herself was an interesting character and not stereotypical like I was half expecting when we first get introduced to her. I enjoyed Penny's character arc from thinking she's unnoticed and rather unnecessary to the people around her, to seeing her own worth and realizing that she'd been putting her own perceptions of herself onto the people around her. That was a nice arc to read in such a short span.
I've read all but one of this multi-author series now, and while Kenley Davidson's "A Beautiful Curse" is still my favorite, this one along with K.M. Shea's "A Goose Girl" are right up there with being the best of the lot for me.
Language: None.
Violence: Mild. Some blood on screen, but not descriptive or gory.
Sexual: Mild. Only chaste kissing.
That was cute! I enjoyed this short novel quite a lot. It's been a while since I've read a book by Melanie Cellier, and I'm reminded why I binged everything she'd written at the time during covid.
This take on Rapunzel was intriguing and new. I had a guess as to what had happened, and it turned out I was dead wrong. Which delights me. I like being wrong, as that means I was surprised. And in a good way in this case!
Having Penny gather a motley crew for her adventure to save her twin sister was great fun. I kept wondering if they'd pick up an animal sidekick as that seemed to be the only missing element to the group (unless you count Arthur's horse). Rapunzel herself was an interesting character and not stereotypical like I was half expecting when we first get introduced to her. I enjoyed Penny's character arc from thinking she's unnoticed and rather unnecessary to the people around her, to seeing her own worth and realizing that she'd been putting her own perceptions of herself onto the people around her. That was a nice arc to read in such a short span.
I've read all but one of this multi-author series now, and while Kenley Davidson's "A Beautiful Curse" is still my favorite, this one along with K.M. Shea's "A Goose Girl" are right up there with being the best of the lot for me.
January 19, 2023
Loved this story!
As always this author does not disappoint when it comes to storytelling. From the beginning, I rooted for Penny and loved her bravery, kindness, and intelligence. She is the last of seven children and feels often overlooked and forgotten, so it was wonderful to see her become a leader and take center stage, so to speak. I was surprised at they way the author retold the story of Rapunzel. It was so unique and I loved it. The romance was sweet too, although I wish there was more of it. A wonderful conclusion to a fun fairytale series!
As always this author does not disappoint when it comes to storytelling. From the beginning, I rooted for Penny and loved her bravery, kindness, and intelligence. She is the last of seven children and feels often overlooked and forgotten, so it was wonderful to see her become a leader and take center stage, so to speak. I was surprised at they way the author retold the story of Rapunzel. It was so unique and I loved it. The romance was sweet too, although I wish there was more of it. A wonderful conclusion to a fun fairytale series!
March 11, 2023
There is a Quest, a girl with purple eyes, and a very big Happily Ever After for everyone.
March 16, 2018
Now, this one followed the format of the series! Penny was a great character and I'm so glad that she discovered that she was a strong person. I'm also glad she discovered the things she did about her family too. It's hard to write a review and not give things away!
Princess Rapunzel was so adorable and I'm glad that Penny and Prince Arthur took her under their wing (with fairies in the story, that would not be literal wings).
Leisa wasn't much of a player in the story except that she was the one that Penny, Arthur and Rapunzel were looking for. Her role was mostly in the aftermath of her presence in the places that they went to!
Martin showed up for a moment at the end of this story too. I think that someone should write Martin's story (and please, if someone does write it, leave out cuss words or I won't be able to read it) - even if it's not a part of this series. I hate that he got left out. I loved his character!
Princess Rapunzel was so adorable and I'm glad that Penny and Prince Arthur took her under their wing (with fairies in the story, that would not be literal wings).
Leisa wasn't much of a player in the story except that she was the one that Penny, Arthur and Rapunzel were looking for. Her role was mostly in the aftermath of her presence in the places that they went to!
Martin showed up for a moment at the end of this story too. I think that someone should write Martin's story (and please, if someone does write it, leave out cuss words or I won't be able to read it) - even if it's not a part of this series. I hate that he got left out. I loved his character!
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January 21, 2023An Inconvenient Princess was a very cute and well-written story. I really enjoyed the characters (particularly Rapunzel, who was utterly adorable), the twists to the original Rapunzel fairy tale were fun and clever, Penny’s journey of self-discovery was deep and very well done, and Penny’s romance with Prince Arthur was cute, although I wish we could have seen more of their interactions, which is to be expected in novellas. Overall, this was an enjoyable way to spend the evening.
June 18, 2019
What a charming and creative version of Rapunzel! I had not considered how clueless a girl who had lived her entire life shut in a tower would be. Her delight and confusion juxtapose well against Arthur and Penny's droll humor. And the grumpy godfather was amusing as always (he is a constant throughout the Entwined Tales).
January 18, 2019
May 2018
I loved this book. It was amazing. Another great story by Melanie Cellier.
Jan 2019
I re-read it now finally after having read all the books in the series because I wanted to read the amazing epilogue. And I had so much fun. Loved it !!!
I loved this book. It was amazing. Another great story by Melanie Cellier.
Jan 2019
I re-read it now finally after having read all the books in the series because I wanted to read the amazing epilogue. And I had so much fun. Loved it !!!
October 21, 2021
The epilogue *almost* ruined the story for me. This was a solid 4-star story overall, but the epilogue just dragged so much that it left a bad aftertaste. I still enjoyed the characters and story overall though, and it was a good way to tie up the series.
May 31, 2020
Only 2 or 3 of this series is really worth reading.
June 28, 2018
An Inconvenient Princess tells the story of Penny, the youngest daughter of a family that is "blessed" by Mortimer, the most incompetent fairy godfather anyone can ask for. Penny is the twin sister of Anneliese, and their relationship reminded me of that of Sophie and Lily, two other twins from several of Melanie Cellier's previous books. In this case, though, there was clear contrast between the two sisters. Anneliese is the playful mischievous one while Penny is logical and responsible, constantly getting her sister out of trouble. This time, however, Anneliese got into even more trouble than usual when she disappeared without a trace, forcing Penny to ask for Mortimer's help to find her. Thanks to the fairy godfather's usual blundering, Penny found herself in Rapunzel's tower and had to rescue the fair maiden, ending up with an inconvenient sidekick who knew nothing about the world and was curious about everything. Penny saved Rapunzel just before Prince Arthur could, so he ended up tagging along on the quest to find her sister as well, since he was determined to find damsels in distress to rescue.
At times, this book felt like a bit of a self-insertion fairy tale in the vein of Aya Ling's The Ugly Stepsister. After all, what princess fan wouldn't love to become best friends with Rapunzel and fall in love with the prince? Self insertion fantasies certainly have their guilty pleasures. Though Penny's insight and wisdom make her a great contrast to Anneliese's whimsy and Rapunzel's naivete, she might just be a bit too capable, leaving very little for her sidekicks to do. Of course, that also is what draws Prince Arthur's attention toward her over Rapunzel. There is somewhat of an explanation for her incredible amount of ingenuity in getting out of sticky situations toward the end of the book. Still, everything tends to be a little too easy for Penny, which makes her kind of a Mary Sue and not very interesting as a heroine. Thankfully, her insecurities about being the youngest sibling and having purple eyes do make her seem slightly more human.
As the last book in Entwined Tales, I have to say that An Inconvenient Princess really captures the heart of the series. I'm not sure if it's because the groundwork had already been laid in the first five books or if the premise resonated more with Melanie than the other authors. Either way, of the three books I've read, Mortimer makes the most appearances in this one, and his incompetence as a fairy godfather is by far the most apparent. There are also references made to all five other books throughout Penny's story, and it is double the length of the first book in the series, which allows for a more sufficient epilogue. Another fun parallel between the first and last book is that they both contain hilariously naive princesses that the more level-headed main characters are forced to put up with due to their circumstances. Both Davina from A Goose Girl and Rapunzel from An Inconvenient Princess made poor decisions due to a lack of experience in the outside world but still had the best intentions at heart.
Though I didn't enjoy An Inconvenient Princess quite as much as the books from Melanie Cellier's Four Kingdoms series, it was still a fun read. It is a light-hearted take on the story of "Rapunzel" with a similar tone to Aya Ling's A Little Mermaid. Melanie also did a fantastic job of closing out the entire series by concluding the arc of Mortimer's follies and referencing all of the characters from the previous books. Penny was a little too capable as a heroine, but her love for her sister was admirable, and Rapunzel made for a great comedic sidekick. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the other books in the series and wants to learn how it ends.
At times, this book felt like a bit of a self-insertion fairy tale in the vein of Aya Ling's The Ugly Stepsister. After all, what princess fan wouldn't love to become best friends with Rapunzel and fall in love with the prince? Self insertion fantasies certainly have their guilty pleasures. Though Penny's insight and wisdom make her a great contrast to Anneliese's whimsy and Rapunzel's naivete, she might just be a bit too capable, leaving very little for her sidekicks to do. Of course, that also is what draws Prince Arthur's attention toward her over Rapunzel. There is somewhat of an explanation for her incredible amount of ingenuity in getting out of sticky situations toward the end of the book. Still, everything tends to be a little too easy for Penny, which makes her kind of a Mary Sue and not very interesting as a heroine. Thankfully, her insecurities about being the youngest sibling and having purple eyes do make her seem slightly more human.
As the last book in Entwined Tales, I have to say that An Inconvenient Princess really captures the heart of the series. I'm not sure if it's because the groundwork had already been laid in the first five books or if the premise resonated more with Melanie than the other authors. Either way, of the three books I've read, Mortimer makes the most appearances in this one, and his incompetence as a fairy godfather is by far the most apparent. There are also references made to all five other books throughout Penny's story, and it is double the length of the first book in the series, which allows for a more sufficient epilogue. Another fun parallel between the first and last book is that they both contain hilariously naive princesses that the more level-headed main characters are forced to put up with due to their circumstances. Both Davina from A Goose Girl and Rapunzel from An Inconvenient Princess made poor decisions due to a lack of experience in the outside world but still had the best intentions at heart.
Though I didn't enjoy An Inconvenient Princess quite as much as the books from Melanie Cellier's Four Kingdoms series, it was still a fun read. It is a light-hearted take on the story of "Rapunzel" with a similar tone to Aya Ling's A Little Mermaid. Melanie also did a fantastic job of closing out the entire series by concluding the arc of Mortimer's follies and referencing all of the characters from the previous books. Penny was a little too capable as a heroine, but her love for her sister was admirable, and Rapunzel made for a great comedic sidekick. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the other books in the series and wants to learn how it ends.
December 26, 2021
A cute and fluffy first person POV ending to this series (the others having been written in third), this comedic fantasy road trip tale managed to rework Rapunzel in a way that's completely different: Rapunzel herself is a side character. A cute, fluffy, Tangled-esque one at that, only her innocent naivety in the face of an only slightly more threatening world than Disney's creation feels a bit more played for laughs as well as sympathy.
Our main story is that of Penny, youngest sibling amongst a group left with useless a fairy godfather who has a habit of making things worse. Upon turning 18, the ever responsible Penny leaves home to search for her missing troublemaker twin sister Annaliese who ran away some time ago and, alas, called upon their fairy godfather for help when her sister wasn't there to get her out of whatever mess she'd gotten herself into. Penny travels across the kingdom, ending up with an entourage including a princess rescued from a tower and a prince in hiding, and discovering the trail of upset left in Liese's wake. If only she could find the girl herself...
I'm not usually into something so much towards the twee end of YA, but the hint of knowing humor about "the way these things go" (as in rescued Princess meets Handsome Prince...) and Penny's determined narration really gave it life. Road trips are another tricksy one to get right, so while it could feel a little slow at times it did do a great job of developing the characters. It's also really quite random and unpredictable in how it'll go... Beyond the HEA you know is coming, naturally.
I really did love Rapunzel and her silly, naive antics. The romance was pretty nicely done in a show-not tell sort of way, except maybe a little bit towards the end . Sometimes Penny could seem to be telling us one thing about herself (how she's always the sensible one, never putting herself out there) yet clearly doing the opposite even though it was early on in her character arc. There were also moments I wished could have been a bit more fleshed out, like interactions between many of the secondary characters and basically anything to help understand Mortimer's actions (this is the first book that explained why his wings were small!)
There's an epilogue to tie up all the loose ends of the series, picking up all of the siblings' stories and putting them together in possibly the best all-together-now scene of the series (the characters all had clear and obvious character!) I'll admit to being a tiny bit disappointed in one aspect but it did finish things of well.
It's good for a lite, light-hearted fairy tale inspired read. While some areas felt in need of more development, it was by far one of the stronger novellas in the series.
Our main story is that of Penny, youngest sibling amongst a group left with useless a fairy godfather who has a habit of making things worse. Upon turning 18, the ever responsible Penny leaves home to search for her missing troublemaker twin sister Annaliese who ran away some time ago and, alas, called upon their fairy godfather for help when her sister wasn't there to get her out of whatever mess she'd gotten herself into. Penny travels across the kingdom, ending up with an entourage including a princess rescued from a tower and a prince in hiding, and discovering the trail of upset left in Liese's wake. If only she could find the girl herself...
I'm not usually into something so much towards the twee end of YA, but the hint of knowing humor about "the way these things go" (as in rescued Princess meets Handsome Prince...) and Penny's determined narration really gave it life. Road trips are another tricksy one to get right, so while it could feel a little slow at times it did do a great job of developing the characters. It's also really quite random and unpredictable in how it'll go... Beyond the HEA you know is coming, naturally.
I really did love Rapunzel and her silly, naive antics. The romance was pretty nicely done in a show-not tell sort of way, except maybe a little bit towards the end . Sometimes Penny could seem to be telling us one thing about herself (how she's always the sensible one, never putting herself out there) yet clearly doing the opposite even though it was early on in her character arc. There were also moments I wished could have been a bit more fleshed out, like interactions between many of the secondary characters and basically anything to help understand Mortimer's actions (this is the first book that explained why his wings were small!)
There's an epilogue to tie up all the loose ends of the series, picking up all of the siblings' stories and putting them together in possibly the best all-together-now scene of the series (the characters all had clear and obvious character!) I'll admit to being a tiny bit disappointed in one aspect but it did finish things of well.
It's good for a lite, light-hearted fairy tale inspired read. While some areas felt in need of more development, it was by far one of the stronger novellas in the series.
November 29, 2019
Melanie Cellier is the only author out of the six whose other books I had read, so I started reading this book with some expectations in mind, unlike the others. And she didn't disappoint. Just like her fascinating retellings of various fairytales in her Four Kingdoms and Beyond the Four Kingdoms series, she managed to make the story of Rapunzel much more interesting than the original, or even the newer Disney version!
Rather than a focus on the Princess herself, the story was focused on her rescuer, Penny - the girl in not-so-shining-armour. I loved that the prince Arthur isn't really the one doing the rescuing I also loved that while the book is about Penny, the presence of Annaliese, her twin, is strongly felt throughout the narrative.
We learn about Annaliese through Penny's narration, and Cellier somehow manages to give incredible depth to a character who wasn't even present for most of the book. I always loved Cellier's world-building and character development, and she didn't disappoint in this book. Rapunzel, Penny, Annaliese, Arthur and even the random Duke's daughter who hits on Arthur at some point have depth in this story.
All in all, I'd say it was a great conclusion to the Entwined Tales series, although I am still a bit disappointed that I didn't get to know Martin, the only brother, at all. This book is sort of bittersweet, because I'm really sad to see the siblings and their bumbling fairy godfather go.
After reading this book, I now can't decisively pick a favourite, so here's the ranking according to me:
1) (TIED) A Beautiful Curse and An Inconvenient Princess
2) A Bear's Bride
3) A Goose Girl
4) A Little Mermaid
5) An Unnatural Beanstalk
Rather than a focus on the Princess herself, the story was focused on her rescuer, Penny - the girl in not-so-shining-armour. I loved that the prince Arthur isn't really the one doing the rescuing I also loved that while the book is about Penny, the presence of Annaliese, her twin, is strongly felt throughout the narrative.
We learn about Annaliese through Penny's narration, and Cellier somehow manages to give incredible depth to a character who wasn't even present for most of the book. I always loved Cellier's world-building and character development, and she didn't disappoint in this book. Rapunzel, Penny, Annaliese, Arthur and even the random Duke's daughter who hits on Arthur at some point have depth in this story.
All in all, I'd say it was a great conclusion to the Entwined Tales series, although I am still a bit disappointed that I didn't get to know Martin, the only brother, at all. This book is sort of bittersweet, because I'm really sad to see the siblings and their bumbling fairy godfather go.
After reading this book, I now can't decisively pick a favourite, so here's the ranking according to me:
1) (TIED) A Beautiful Curse and An Inconvenient Princess
2) A Bear's Bride
3) A Goose Girl
4) A Little Mermaid
5) An Unnatural Beanstalk
May 31, 2021
4.5
Reader thoughts: Penny is a refreshing sort of character. She makes plans and carries them out. She doesn't complain or shy away from hard work, even if it means dragging around a useless, inconvenient, Princess for a month. Even if it means spending several months tracking her carefree twin and cleaning up her mistakes. Even if it means running from a tiger and escaping a tower prison. Penny is no nonsense and determined, and I liked that.
Even though this was a Rapunzel retelling, the MC isn't Rapunzel but Penny. She's like the other half of the prince who rescues Rapunzel, although neither fall in love with the princess. Penny is the questor, the guide, the one who gets things done while Rapunzel keeps messing things up.
Writer thoughts: I was so annoyed with Rapunzel for most of the book. It's strong writing that can make a reader have strong emotions about a character, whether that is annoyance, hate, love, or fear. I already admire Cellier for her other books she wrote. I'm glad to say that she is a consistently good writer.
Another character I have felt strongly about is Umbridge. Yes, the one from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. That, to me, shows that Rawling also knows how to write well, since she can control her readers' emotions to make them loathe a character.
Reader thoughts: Penny is a refreshing sort of character. She makes plans and carries them out. She doesn't complain or shy away from hard work, even if it means dragging around a useless, inconvenient, Princess for a month. Even if it means spending several months tracking her carefree twin and cleaning up her mistakes. Even if it means running from a tiger and escaping a tower prison. Penny is no nonsense and determined, and I liked that.
Even though this was a Rapunzel retelling, the MC isn't Rapunzel but Penny. She's like the other half of the prince who rescues Rapunzel, although neither fall in love with the princess. Penny is the questor, the guide, the one who gets things done while Rapunzel keeps messing things up.
Writer thoughts: I was so annoyed with Rapunzel for most of the book. It's strong writing that can make a reader have strong emotions about a character, whether that is annoyance, hate, love, or fear. I already admire Cellier for her other books she wrote. I'm glad to say that she is a consistently good writer.
Another character I have felt strongly about is Umbridge. Yes, the one from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. That, to me, shows that Rawling also knows how to write well, since she can control her readers' emotions to make them loathe a character.
June 3, 2023
Penny is the youngest of seven children and has grown up believing she has no magical gifts unlike
the rest of her siblings. When her twin sister Liesa runs away she is heartbroken because they had always been close. Upon her eighteenth birthday,however, she receives a letter from her brother saying Liesa is in trouble and sets off to find her and bring her home. When she encounters a tiger
she feels she has no choice but to call to her bumbling fairy godfather to help her. Thus begins the story of Penny meeting Rapunzel, a prince, a young boy and a host of people who knew Liesa as she passed through their towns. With what the last couple tells her she calls on Mortimer once again and finds out where he took her sister and has an idea of where she may now be as a result when he reports she is no longer where he left her but that the magic he felt where she was is the same as is found in Rapunzel’s hair.
This is the final book in the series which centers around Penny but also where Liesa has been since she left home to find adventure. I enjoy fairy tales so
I enjoyed these six books and not only recommend this book but the entire Entwined series of six books for your reading enjoyment,
Fairy tales bring back happy memories of hearing them read to me when I was young and then reading them myself as I grew older.
I enjoy the escape they provide me and the happy feelings I have as I read them. I invite you to come back and read them yourself again and experience the magic they still can generate after so long. I believe you’ll be glad you did!
the rest of her siblings. When her twin sister Liesa runs away she is heartbroken because they had always been close. Upon her eighteenth birthday,however, she receives a letter from her brother saying Liesa is in trouble and sets off to find her and bring her home. When she encounters a tiger
she feels she has no choice but to call to her bumbling fairy godfather to help her. Thus begins the story of Penny meeting Rapunzel, a prince, a young boy and a host of people who knew Liesa as she passed through their towns. With what the last couple tells her she calls on Mortimer once again and finds out where he took her sister and has an idea of where she may now be as a result when he reports she is no longer where he left her but that the magic he felt where she was is the same as is found in Rapunzel’s hair.
This is the final book in the series which centers around Penny but also where Liesa has been since she left home to find adventure. I enjoy fairy tales so
I enjoyed these six books and not only recommend this book but the entire Entwined series of six books for your reading enjoyment,
Fairy tales bring back happy memories of hearing them read to me when I was young and then reading them myself as I grew older.
I enjoy the escape they provide me and the happy feelings I have as I read them. I invite you to come back and read them yourself again and experience the magic they still can generate after so long. I believe you’ll be glad you did!
May 10, 2018
As a retelling of Rapunzel, it was an interesting book. It honestly has very little in common with the original fairy tale, but it was still great fun, partly because the Rapunzel part was so minimally involved.
The story was funny and well told. Penny, the protagonist, has great character development. Other characters were not as well developed, most likely due to the short nature of the novella. It was a great end to the collection of novellas.
I’d recommend this book to someone looking for a fun, fairly short novella based on a popular fairy tale. If you’re looking for something very true to the original story, though, look elsewhere. There is not much romance, but there is just enough to make it interesting. You do not have to read the other stories in order, as there are not really any spoilers from the other novellas.
The story was funny and well told. Penny, the protagonist, has great character development. Other characters were not as well developed, most likely due to the short nature of the novella. It was a great end to the collection of novellas.
I’d recommend this book to someone looking for a fun, fairly short novella based on a popular fairy tale. If you’re looking for something very true to the original story, though, look elsewhere. There is not much romance, but there is just enough to make it interesting. You do not have to read the other stories in order, as there are not really any spoilers from the other novellas.
April 30, 2020
Fantastic Conclusion to The Entwined Tales
Having read this author’s other books, I eagerly anticipated her addition to the Entwined Tales. I am pleased to say I was not disappointed. The story’s pacing was perfect. I didn’t feel like the romance was rushed or the journey tedious. The mystery was intriguing with ever-growing stakes. The conclusion surprised me and was more satisfying than I imagined.
Although I loved all of the books in this series, I must say this was my favorite though not by too large a margin as all the authors are great writers.
I highly recommend this book and the entire series, especially to all who love reading fairy tale retellings. This series consists of short books, easy to read in a day, each written by a great author experienced in story telling.
Having read this author’s other books, I eagerly anticipated her addition to the Entwined Tales. I am pleased to say I was not disappointed. The story’s pacing was perfect. I didn’t feel like the romance was rushed or the journey tedious. The mystery was intriguing with ever-growing stakes. The conclusion surprised me and was more satisfying than I imagined.
Although I loved all of the books in this series, I must say this was my favorite though not by too large a margin as all the authors are great writers.
I highly recommend this book and the entire series, especially to all who love reading fairy tale retellings. This series consists of short books, easy to read in a day, each written by a great author experienced in story telling.
June 30, 2020
I loved this book. I read it in no time! I never wanted to put it down. It was so funny. It was definitely more of a comedy than the other fairytale retelling books I read by Melanie Cellier and I loved it. I loved the growth of Penny as well. She became such a strong character and throughout the book came to see herself differently and I just loved it! Rapunzel was hilarious! I just loved how happy and free she was and how she was so surprised by everything because she had never seen it before. And Arthur was just so sweet and a great character. I especially loved the epilogue. It was so great to see all the sisters together talking about their lives and how everything turned out. It was just so great! Definitely the best book of the series and definitely worth reading the rest of the series to get to it! So great!
April 14, 2018
This was sadly my least favourite book in the Entwined Tales series. It was hard to put my finger on why for a while - it just seemed somehow lifeless and boring even when exciting things were happening. Then I realised was the way it was written - in an almost dry, calm narrative style that took the excitement and immediacy away. But it is my first book by Melanie Cellier and I'm still eager to check out her Four Kingdoms series! She excels with gorgeous covers and I'm hopeful that I'll enjoy her main series more. I did like seeing how everything ended with the sisters. I wish though that Martin had more prominence in the series and we could see what happened to Annaliese's ambitions. Maybe one day more in this cute little series will be written! (hint, hint ;) )
June 3, 2019
A clever retelling of Rapunzel. Unlike most books in the Entwined Tales, our protagonist is not a character from the fairy tale being retold.
Penny, the last child in the family the Entwined Tales follows, feels that she's nothing special. But when her twin sister Annaliese is in danger, she sets out to rescue her and winds up stuck in a doorless tower with a pretty girl named Rapunzel instead. Practical Penny quickly organizes their escape, and in the process they drop, quite literally, onto a friendly prince. The three of them set out on a quest to find Annaliese, but Rapunzel's mysterious captor doesn't plan to let them go so easily. Penny may find out she's got some skills that make her stand out after all, even if she initially believes the prince could never favor her over someone like Rapunzel or Annaliese.
A nice wrap-up to the Entwined Tales.
The premise of the Entwined Tales books reminds me of Alethea Kontis's Woodcutter Sisters books, which also has various fairy tales happening to one big family. So if you're liking these books, you should look for those as well
Penny, the last child in the family the Entwined Tales follows, feels that she's nothing special. But when her twin sister Annaliese is in danger, she sets out to rescue her and winds up stuck in a doorless tower with a pretty girl named Rapunzel instead. Practical Penny quickly organizes their escape, and in the process they drop, quite literally, onto a friendly prince. The three of them set out on a quest to find Annaliese, but Rapunzel's mysterious captor doesn't plan to let them go so easily. Penny may find out she's got some skills that make her stand out after all, even if she initially believes the prince could never favor her over someone like Rapunzel or Annaliese.
A nice wrap-up to the Entwined Tales.
The premise of the Entwined Tales books reminds me of Alethea Kontis's Woodcutter Sisters books, which also has various fairy tales happening to one big family. So if you're liking these books, you should look for those as well
June 15, 2021
I can't say I really enjoyed this one. Penny was a little pathetic. Arthur was a super guy yet she made assumptions the entire time about him and Rapunzel. Anneliese was incredibly annoying. She is a terrible person and super selfish. Basically they would have all been nothing without Mortimer. I liked most of the sisters (and Martin even though "his" book had only a speck of him in it) but them as a family was pretty lame. A lot of them recent their siblings and seem happy enough to see them only every few years. The epilogue was a little bleh because of that. The series was cute, but I'm glad it's over. Sorry we had to end on a book I didn't care for.
October 23, 2022
Penelope's gift
The seventh child Penny feels like the forgotten one with no discernable gift beyond her purple eyes. Often overlooked because of the flamboyance of her twin Annelise she's remained at home with her parents as every single one of her siblings has left.
Now 18 and following a letter from her brother Martin, which appears to indicate that Anneliese is in trouble, Penny sets off on her own adventure to track down her twin. She rescues a Princess, makes friends and an enemy too.. but will her tale end in a happy ever after or will she just drift into the background once again??
The seventh child Penny feels like the forgotten one with no discernable gift beyond her purple eyes. Often overlooked because of the flamboyance of her twin Annelise she's remained at home with her parents as every single one of her siblings has left.
Now 18 and following a letter from her brother Martin, which appears to indicate that Anneliese is in trouble, Penny sets off on her own adventure to track down her twin. She rescues a Princess, makes friends and an enemy too.. but will her tale end in a happy ever after or will she just drift into the background once again??
January 5, 2019
Unlike any traditional fairytale
This follows along the story line of Rapunzel, but has several twists to it that you wouldn't expect from a traditional fairytale. This follows the path of Liesa and Penny, the two youngest daughters of the famed woodcuts thrashed Red Riding Hood. When Penny received word that Liesa is possibly in troubke, she takes off on a quest to find her. Throw in a slightly confused princess, a prince on a saving mission, and an orphan boy, you have a story that's hard to put down!
This follows along the story line of Rapunzel, but has several twists to it that you wouldn't expect from a traditional fairytale. This follows the path of Liesa and Penny, the two youngest daughters of the famed woodcuts thrashed Red Riding Hood. When Penny received word that Liesa is possibly in troubke, she takes off on a quest to find her. Throw in a slightly confused princess, a prince on a saving mission, and an orphan boy, you have a story that's hard to put down!
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