Happy November, my friends! It's blog tour time!
We all know I love a good fairytale retelling, so when this lovely Rapunzel one came across my feed, I knew I needed to read it. You can check out all the other amazing posts from this blog tour at this link right here! (Shout-out to Neverland Book Tours for hosting!)
Let's get into this review.
The Lady of Lanaria
Author: Michaela Bush
Genre: Fantasy retelling
Content: Scenes of physical and emotional abuse, a bit of witchcraft and witchhunts are mentioned, but not glorified.
Main Characters: Evangeline and Gabriel
Synopsis:
A kidnapped princess, a promise, and a kingdom cursed with mysterious plagues.
"Mark my words, Evangeline; if you set foot outside this tower, you will surely die."
Evangeline has spent her entire life hidden in an ancient watchtower, gazing through a window as the world passes her by. She heeds her mother's warning closely, the truth hidden from her always. When a young guard stumbles upon the tower, Evangeline's life is changed forever. As she strikes up a secret friendship with the guard, she learns about the Kingdom of Lanaria and the mysterious plagues that haunt all who live there. But as she delves into the world she barely knows, not everything her mother says adds up. Will they find the truth before it's too late?
Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon
What I Thought:
This was such a pleasant surprise! I've never read anything from Michaela before, though I've had my eye on her books for awhile now. And since I'm always down for a new Rapunzel retelling, this seemed like the perfect place to start.
Evangeline's story was wonderful, heart-wrenching and soul-filling. With a unique storyline that kept me hooked, and a ridiculously soft romance that I fell in love with, it paid perfect homage to the original fairytale, but wove in a story of God's love and deliverance beautifully.
The evil "mother" was awful, which, in a way, makes her a great villain. I haven't seen many Rapunzel retellings truly deal with the abuse that she suffers at the hands of the witch, but this one explored it, and Evangeline's realization of it, in a great way.
The Lady of Lanaria
Author: Michaela Bush
Genre: Fantasy retelling
Content: Scenes of physical and emotional abuse, a bit of witchcraft and witchhunts are mentioned, but not glorified.
Main Characters: Evangeline and Gabriel
Synopsis:
A kidnapped princess, a promise, and a kingdom cursed with mysterious plagues.
"Mark my words, Evangeline; if you set foot outside this tower, you will surely die."
Evangeline has spent her entire life hidden in an ancient watchtower, gazing through a window as the world passes her by. She heeds her mother's warning closely, the truth hidden from her always. When a young guard stumbles upon the tower, Evangeline's life is changed forever. As she strikes up a secret friendship with the guard, she learns about the Kingdom of Lanaria and the mysterious plagues that haunt all who live there. But as she delves into the world she barely knows, not everything her mother says adds up. Will they find the truth before it's too late?
Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon
What I Thought:
This was such a pleasant surprise! I've never read anything from Michaela before, though I've had my eye on her books for awhile now. And since I'm always down for a new Rapunzel retelling, this seemed like the perfect place to start.
Evangeline's story was wonderful, heart-wrenching and soul-filling. With a unique storyline that kept me hooked, and a ridiculously soft romance that I fell in love with, it paid perfect homage to the original fairytale, but wove in a story of God's love and deliverance beautifully.
The evil "mother" was awful, which, in a way, makes her a great villain. I haven't seen many Rapunzel retellings truly deal with the abuse that she suffers at the hands of the witch, but this one explored it, and Evangeline's realization of it, in a great way.
Also I gotta talk about Gabriel because OH man I love him. xD I'm always a sucker for the protective but respectful boy, and he's no exception. The way he cares for Eva is so darn sweet and lovely and I just adore them together. <3 I'd happily read a sequel, even though I don't think there will be one.
Ultimately, I really enjoyed myself while reading, and I'd happily recommend it to anyone who loves Disney's Tangled, soft romances, and girls who learn to stand up for themselves.
Overall Rating: 5 baby birds out of 5
Overall Rating: 5 baby birds out of 5
About the Author:
Michaela Bush is an independent writer of Christian fiction. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 with a degree in English and a minor in Psychology. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and when she isn't writing, freelancing, or building her own editing business, she's out with her horses or playing violin. Writing has been her calling since the age of six and she hopes to touch lives and inspire readers with her clean, thoughtful, and impactful novels. Follow her blog at www.tangledupinwriting.com.
Connect with Michaela: Her blog ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Newsletter
Make sure you check out the other awesome stops on this blog tour (find all the links here!) and check out Neverland Book Tours either as an author or a blogger!
What's a fairytale you always love to see retold?
~ Abby
Thank you so much!! This review made my day 😄
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad! And so glad I could help with this blog tour!! Can't wait for the world to read it! <3
DeleteThank you so much! I loved your review.
ReplyDelete-Neverland Book Tours
Thanks, Rose! So glad I could participate! Thanks again for hosting the blog tour! :D
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