Customer Reviews

The Princes of Tangleforest

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Time for another book review - YEAH!!

This time I am reviewing The Princes of Tangleforest, a YA novel by Ms. Dorlana Vann. It's been a LONG time since I read a book that was geared towards young adults but this one was a good one get back on that YA horse.

Here's the synopsis:

"Skater and reformed geek, Tanner Dobbs, soon learns that his new school, Tangleforest High, is ruled by the Princes. This group of brains used the techniques of Neuro Linguistic Programming to "persuade" the student body that intellectuals are cool, with an added bonus suggestion: "The Princes are the smartest and therefore the most popular."

Julia Webster used to be part of the Princes' crowd until they became obsessed and increasingly dangerous to themselves. Now she finds herself an outcast from her former "nerd" friends as well as the students who had ostracized her since elementary school. She's worried when new kid, Tanner, is invited to join the Princes. She figures Tanner hides his smarts in order to fit in and worries that the popular status the Princes offer, even though geeky, might entice him.

When Tanner catches a glimpse of his golden-haired neighbor, Poppi, he thinks perhaps the Tangleforest community isn't so terribly bad. But after climbing up to her window, he discovers she is locked in her bedroom by her wicked witch of a grandmother. Unfortunately, his only chance of saving the princess may be to become a nerd prince."

Ms. Vann is a wonderful writer and crafts a very delightful tale in the vein of Rapunzel (which she sights as an inspiration) but also adds to the story in some pretty nifty ways. Things that you think are one way end up being completely different at the end and I found that to be awesome. Kids of all ages should take delight in this book.

Highly recommended!

For more information on Ms. Vann and her other works please visit [...]

This book really surprised me! I was hoping for a great fairy-tale-esque read when I got this book, but it was nothing like I'd expected.

My favorite thing about The Princes of Tangleforest was the fact that it was different. Most fairy-tale books I've seen are retellings, but this one wasn't. Instead of simply retelling a fairy-tale, the author took some elements of the fairy-tale and meshed them together into a new and exciting read, blending the elements with modern psychology.

Another great thing about the book was its diverse cast of characters. They had backstories, and unlike a lot of YA books, were very heartfelt and realistic for the most part.

My cons for this story are: The ending -- particularly the last few chapters -- seemed a little quick. I would have liked to have had a bit more drawn-out of an ending to really explore how their problem was solved. Also, I wish the author would have spent a little more time with the characters, and how they changed, and added a bit more to the end of their relationships with one another. The first 3/4ths of the book seemed more character in-depth and emotional, but the ending didn't go as in-depth.

Another, smaller con was the "modern" slang used in the book. I didn't think it was necessary, but it was a small annoyance at best.

All in all, this was a great, cute read that I would definitely recommend for younger teens, but that older teens and even adults would enjoy. I give it a 3 ½ star rating (displayed as four stars, because there are no half stars) for a great take on the fairy-tale genre. I would definitely love to read another of these books!

Alexandra Lanc~
Author of: The Foxfire Chronicles: Shadows of Past Memories, Clara Claus, and Lyrics of the Heart (early 2012)