"If only I could fly away on the back of some beast like the witch they thought I was. But even if I could, I had nowhere to go."

The Book of Gothel is a Rapunzel retelling. It tells the story of Haelewise, daughter‑of‑Hedda, who after being shunned by the people in her village, runs away to find an old wise woman who lives in a tower in the forest. From there she goes on a journey to find out more about the gift she was born with and the goddess her mother was devoted to.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year but sadly I was disappointing by it. I just didn't connect with any of the characters, they just felt very one dimensional specially the villain. Also I found there to be a lot of plot convenience.

I did enjoy the writing and parts of the romance but in the end, this book just wasn't for me. I'm disappointed, to say the least, as I really wanted to love this. I'm certain many people will like it, I'm just not one of those people.

I think that most of us would have an inkling of Rapunzel but I had absolutely no knowledge of Gothel and found this endearing tale as much a mythical history lesson as I did a intriguing and interesting read, I have to admit I found the pace a bit slow for a lot of the book but that didn’t distract from making me want to finish, the characters are well written and envelop the reader in their life’s, the female characters in particular are very strong individuals, I really enjoyed it despite the initial slow going

I don't think I've read a Mother Gothel backstory book before.
I really enjoyed this.
Seeing part of her childhood. How she was treated. How the loss of her mother played a part in her future.
The reason she took Rapunzel. The incorporation of magic throughout the book.
I liked the side story of her being in love with a boy from her village but they cannot marry. Yet they get to grow old together in their own way.
Haelewise had genuine friendship with a Princess named Rika.

The book is filled with strong women who won't let men push them around.

The writing in this is a little slow paced. Especially around the middle. I struggled a little. But the last 20% really picked up. I couldn't put it down towards the end.