Review: Towering by Alex Flinn

Towering

By: Alex Flinn

Pub. Date: May 14, 2013

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 304

Source: ARC

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 really enjoy classic fairytale retellings and I was really interested in reading Alex Flinn's version of Rapunzle. We have three different stories going on but they are all connected, and eventually we see why.

In the first story we have Rachel. Her mother died when she was a baby and the women who has raised her has locked her in a tower to protect her from the people who are supposedly out to get her. We have no idea if Rachel is in danger, or if her mama is just insane.  Rachel is a very likable character. She is innocent and naive, and you can't help but feel for her since her entire life was taken from her. The second story is about a boy named Wyatt. Having just lost his best friend not too long ago and feeling guilty over his death, Wyatt goes to live with the mother of his mom's best friend, Dani, who disappeared almost 17 years ago. Which brings us to the third story. Nobody knows what actually happened to Dani, but now that Wyatt is living in her house, he finds her diary and he is hoping that he will be able to figure out what actually happened to her.

I knew Towering wasn't going to be the most realistic book I've ever read, and for the most part, I was happy with the story, but I couldn't get past the way Wyatt and Rachel met, and how fast they fell in love. I would have liked a little bit more of a buildup into their love, instead of an insta-love.

I really enjoyed the story. I couldn't wait to find out how all of these different characters fit together and the mystery surrounding Dani's disappearance and Rachel's "kidnapping". This is only the second book I have read from Flinn, but I plan on reading all of them!