Review: Golden by Cameron Dokey

Golden
by Cameron Dokey
Fairy Tale
179 pages
published: 2006
4 of 5 stars

This is a another retelling of Rapunzel that had necessary elements for the fairy tale according to me: girl in tower, throw down your hair, ride off with the prince. :) It has a completely different feel than Zel however. This story is bright and hopeful and good.

I am happy to have read a version where the mother wasn't evil, Rapunzel didn't go insane, and 'happily ever after' didn't come at such a price.

What I loved:

• The beautiful, lyrical language again. (What a treat to read two fin a row!)
  
• The plot twists. There were more people in this version, the 'bad guys' where from unexpected sources, there were 2 'princes.' The ending was unexpected. And I loved the spice of the little Cyrano de Bergerac that was thrown in.
• I enjoyed the characters. I liked Repunzel's spunk and Harry's stubborn, teasing attitude. I liked the prince's sweetness and the daughter's hopeful crankiness. I liked the tinker's dedication and restraint.

I liked it so much, I could have wished for more complexity/length, though I know it's YA and usually don't regret the lesser (if there is lesser) complexity/length. Perhaps in this case, I could see how this book could have a double written for 'adults' with more time spent on relationships and romance, the danger and journey, the difficulty in the tower. But this regret is small and short-lived.

I'll be happy to give this on to my daughter in the next few years and will likely read it again soon.