Live. Love. Read. : A Twist of Rapunzel Blog Tour: Review: Diamond by Kirsten Fichter

Diamond leads a quiet life with the woman she calls Mother. There isn’t much to pass the time save for excursions in the forest and one-sided conversations with her pet rabbit, Hobie. Men are cruel beings who care only for themselves and must be avoided at any cost. After all, Diamond’s own father gambled her away once. What other terrible fates might await her if people knew she existed?

Seth Stendahl is an alchemist with a middling proficiency in the Rohesian tongue. After growing up with and surviving six sisters, there shouldn’t be anything too difficult for him to master – except maybe breaking his leg and being locked in the top of a ruined watchtower.

This is Rapunzel with a twist like you’ve never seen it before.

Guys, you have no clue how much I love these Once Upon a Twist Tales. Details from the original fairy tale, a few Disney nods, and so much Kirsten magic combine to make stories that capture the heart and imagination. In Diamond, there was so much to wonder at... I've only been dying to read it since I read Spindle Dreams (BTW Awesome book! You should read that one too, and it'll help a little with this one since they sorta got intertwined...) I love how Kirsten gave actual plausible explanations for everything that happens to Diamond/Rapunzel and Seth, her tower-bound friend. Kirsten has a way of taking the magic out and replacing it with her own wordy brilliance. The plot was great, of course, and even had a nice little subplot bunny hopping around, but what really gets me are the characters. Every one of them had me asking for more. Motives and desires and just a real-life-person-ness brought Diamond, Seth, Dalv, and even Mother drew me in and trapped me. It was one of those one-sitting reads, and I can't wait to read it with my sisters. (We're currently reading The Rose and the Balloon out loud together, but we hope to read Spindle Dreams and Diamond too before the end of the summer. Julie especially is very invested... who knew 7-year-olds were so ensnarable?) I do hope that I don't speak French like poor Seth speaks Rohesian... Oi! (Although, he didn't do poorly for learning such a difficult language!)
Bottom line: If you're looking for a magically non-magical twist on one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time... Stop looking and start reading! With a cute cover, a great plot, and so many characters to love (or love hating), Diamond has it all!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08838M2YD?searchxofy=true&ref_=dbs_s_aps_series_rwt