Thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

5/5

This was incredibly fun! I enjoyed “A Tangled Magic” from the very first page, the prologue being extremely addictive. The story is truly a blend of “Rapunzel” and “Six of Crows” with our twenty year old heroine, Netta, having lived all her life in a Tower with her Mother.

I will start by noting that Netta’s character is extremely well executed — she is a young woman who has spent all her life alone, away from society, her only other companion being her Mother. The first friend she makes is her familiar, Baldbeak, a fiercely loyal and sometimes mischievous raven, and her eternal companion is her Hair, a form of quintessential magic connected to our heroine, who is both extremely rebellious and protective of our heroine. Upon escaping from the Tower, Netta’s horizon suddenly becomes vast — she meets other people for the first time, she finds out others don’t have the same opinions as Mother, and she learns the hard truth of having to always doubt her trust in others. As our heroine grows, so does her perception of Magic and Magic itself becomes a beautiful, protective, nurturing element of our heroine’s story. The lore and the heroine are so beautifully entwined, and it becomes more so as the story progresses.

There are several characters Netta meets on her journey, some of whom become her friends, her found family, her enemies, and well… naturally something even more. The love interest is mostly shrouded in mystery for the vast majority of the novel, that being his appeal, but it’s also his strength. Just like Netta, his own being is entwined with Magic itself, that his Magic is a reflection of his past struggles. It is a great execution. For the “Six of Crows” reference mentioned before, our romantic hero is quite reminiscent of Kaz Brekker, but that is all I shall say for I do not want to spoil.

The plot follows Netta’s journey, as I alluded to before, in search of Mother and her stolen spellbook. It’s quite direct truthfully speaking, but the twists and turns of it all, the entertainment, is found in Netta’s own reactions to the external world she’s placed into for the first time in her life. Her experience is bittersweet, and she truthfully does her best considering herself.

The prose is rather lovely; it’s blended between Netta’s own perspective and the more objective storytelling of previous events, and the author’s talent shines through. The exposition/world building is well executed and paced neatly throughout the entirety of the novel, which offers the somewhat direct storyline even more appeal.

Despite this novel having an adult character as a heroine, I would easily place this in the category of middle grade fantasy — and I mean it as a praise. In the end, Netta has no experience outside the Tower and her evolution is the spotlight of the novel.

Lastly, a special shout out to Baldbeak and him being a good boy indoors.

A beautifully written Rapunzel retelling with a sweet telepathic raven and sentient hair. The author has a talent for creating imagery that will stay with me, I find myself often thinking of the Bayeux like tapestry with skeletons and rainbow magic. Baldbeak the raven was the perfect companion, his constant curious “For why?” was adorable, I would join his flock for sure! With no romance or cursing, I feel my 12 year old daughter would enjoy this as much as I.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you so much for the eARC, I had a blast reading this!

Admittedly, I did not realize it was a Rapunzel retelling going in, but I took my time to savour the world building all the same. Dark and whimsy, different from the usual "pretty princess" trope. The magic system/sacrifice structure is a treat, and the politics, oh my!! Raven was a great reimagining of Pascal as a sidekick.

Mistakes are made, lessons are learned, and the ending leaves you well saturated. Would definitely recommend, great read overall.