Mundie Moms

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Book Review: Towering by Alex Flinn


Published by: Harper Teen
Released on: May 14th, 2013
Source: arc from publisher to review
3.5 Stars: I Liked It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.
Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.


Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her. 

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now. 

A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Alex Flinn knows her fairy tales, and Towering is her most mind-bending interpretation yet. Dark and mysterious, this reimagining of Rapunzel will have readers on the edge of their seats wondering where Alex will take them next!


I am a huge fan of fairytale retellings. Alex Flinn is an author who I feel has done a fabulous job at giving beloved childhood fairytales an awesome YA spin. I have always loved the story of Rapunzel, and liked what Alex did with this classic tale. She not only modernized the story, she also made it so YA readers who enjoy fairytales would enjoy reading this one, complete with a romance, danger, and mystery.

There's a lot of weird things that have been happening in the quant little town Wyatt has come to stay in. Visitors and teens have disappeared over the years, there's a voice he hears signing deep in the middle of the wood, a story about a tower where a young girl is locked, and the journal of a dead girl he's found. Did I mention he's seen the ghost of the girl who's journal he's reading? That's not all, there's something going on, and he has to figure out what it is in order to save Rachel, himself and the town. Now there are things that if this hadn't been a fairytale would not have worked for this story, but because it is, it's one I sat and read and didn't for once thing what was going on didn't work. 

Wyatt is a character who surprised me. He's not the type of hero I'm normally drawn to, and maybe that's part of his appeal. What he is, is an all around nice guy who is on a mission to solve a mystery, and in the process help Rachel. Given this is a fairytale retelling, he does make a great fairytale boyfriend. Rachel, who like Rapunzel, has been locked in a tower for most of her life and because of that is extremely naive, has an old school way to her talk, and doesn't understand  a lot about modern day way of life, but she's not a stupid girl by any means. She's been sheltered, and yet she still makes choices that prove she's a strong girl who will stop at nothing to fulfill her destiny, and I admired that about her.

Normally things within Rachel and Wyatt's relationship would have bugged me, but again, it worked and made sense with this fairytale retelling. I even like how Alex wrote both of the characters. Rachel and Wyatt together make a great team. I like how they both helped each other. I really loved that the story is told from both their points of views. The setting was great too. The small, middle of the woods, no where town was the perfect setting for this story. Let me just say, the twist that Alex threw into the story with Rachel and her Mama was fabulous! I love it when an author throws me for a loop with their characters. 

When Mama is first introduced into the story, I wasn't a fan of her's what so ever at all. As the story starts to wrap toward the end, I got to see why she did what she did, and I saw her in a different light, and even respected her. I loved how Alex was able to throw in the twist with Mama's character. Oh how I loved the little details. Yes, these two play a role in helping Wyatt solve the mystery. 

I really enjoyed the mystery that fueled this plot line. From the characters, to the town itself and the motive behind character's decision making, everything was in question, and it's not until towards the end of the book does everything make sense. The love, relationships, choices that are and were made both good and bad, etc. I loved not having everything explained to me. I enjoyed feeling like I was trying to uncover what the heck was going on and what happened to some of the characters in this story right along with Wyatt. 

This was a fun, fast paced read for me. I enjoyed it, and can I say how much I love the cover. It's a perfect fit for this story. If you love fairytale retellings I'd recommend picking this one up!

2 comments:

  1. I love Alex Flinn's books, great review! I especially have been enjoying Rapunzel retellings ever since the movie Tangled came out:)
    Esty @ Boarding with Books

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! I love Alex Flinn's fairytale retellings. I love Entangled too. :)

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