An assassin in disguise is not meant to fall for their target… but Rapunzel’s life has never gone as planned.
Twenty winters ago, before the Great Famine, Zel’s parents were caught stealing the fabled sorcerer’s rapunzel, the magical lettuce that grows around the base of his tall tower in the wood. He released them under the condition that when their yet unborn babe reaches adulthood, she will stay with him for one month before becoming his bride.
Then Zel was born a boy.
Only Zel’s parents know the truth, but while he was raised to pretend to be a girl, he will be no monster’s bride. He will use his month in the tower to unravel the mystery of the sorcerer’s immortality, so he might slay his would-be bridegroom and claim the tower and its treasures for the Thieves Guild.
What Zel does not know is that the sorcerer, Ulrich, has his own deceptions planned, and their journey of secrets, seduction, and identity might lead to revelations neither expect.
Each book set in the GriMM fairytale world can be read as a standalone and contains its own Happily Ever After story. Though you will definitely want to read each one, as the tales are connected to each other in multiple magical ways, this story features possessive mutual pining from enemies to lovers, secret motives, crossdressing that becomes gender identity discovery, and a guaranteed happy for now ending.
THE FACTS
📕 retelling of Rapunzel
📘 queer romance
📙 wonderful exploration of gender
📗 magical world
THE GOOD BITS
This book was not at all what I expected. Of course I’m familiar with the tale of Rapunzel but I didn’t expect the author to take me on such a unique journey.
The tale begins with a theft… when a married couple are busted while trying to steal from an infamous and mysterious sorcerer, they promise their first born daughter to him in exchange for their lives. The only rule is that Zel must eat their namesake magical lettuce every day.
Fast forward to the child coming of age… the only problem is that Zel (as they prefer to be called) isn’t a woman.
Zel has been trained by assassins to take seduce the sorcerer and assassinate him when the time is right. Zel knows that this is their destiny and has accepted their fate. They will maintain their disguise as a woman as long as possible… after all, they have managed to fool their friends for their entire life.
What makes this story so interesting is that it’s really nothing like the original tale. Zel is such a unique and amazing character. While born male and raised to disguise themself as a woman.. Zel feels they fall somewhere in between. They are comfortable with their strength, with their long and magical locks… and they wonder who they would be if they had an opportunity to be themselves.
Things change considerably once Zel embarks upon their mission. Ulrich isn’t quite as Zel expected him to be. The story becomes part mystery once the sorcerer and the assassin finally meet. Zel learns more about Ulrich and his past, about magic and what the lettuce may have done to them.
I’m being a bit vague because I don’t want to give away many of the details! But this is a solid story! It’s really well written. The characters are wonderfully developed. I have to say that I absolutely fell in love with Zel; their journey to finding their true path was moving and interesting. Zel is one of the most unique characters I have gotten to know in a very long time.
I loved the world that the author has created. The assassins, the thieves, the sorcerer and the evil queen! this tale has everything that a fairy tale needs! There are twists and turns and I was never certain how things were going to end until the very last moments! I love that in a book.
This is a nuanced and engaging tale… once more… much better than the original! I feel as though I’m going to be saying this a lot with respect to this series. This is a stand alone, but I’d encourage you to read the rest of the series! So far, I’m loving them.
THE SERIES
Book 01 – Little Red Riding Hood – my review
Book 03 – Hansel and Gerhardt – my review
Book 04 – The Elves and the Shoemaker – my review
Book 06 – The Frog Prince – my review
Book 07 – Rumpelstilzchen – my review
Book 08 – Snow White and the Seven Little Miners – my review
THE LINKS
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Kinzie Things 
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