Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon: A Tangled Novel

Five stars. Why? Because I love Tangled. And I want to encourage anyone interested in Rapunzel and Eugene’s adventures to delve deeper into their world. So, yes, read this book if you are a Tangled fan. But... As a writer, I have to say that Leila Howland could do better. The first rule of writing is “show, don’t tell,” something Miss Howland didn’t seem able to pull off. The descriptive paragraphs were not captivating and the dialogue was too often interrupted by long sentences describing detail. It’s better to say “Rapunzel said, her eyes widening” than to say “Rapunzel said, allowing her brown eyes to fall upon Cassandra in surprise.” This kind of sentence was overused and often put my interest off. Also, I don’t believe the author is a true fan. She could have done so much better with the characters. For one, she could have used more of them in the plot instead of focusing only on Raps and Cass. What about Eugene, Pascal, Lance, Ariana, Fredrick, Lance, freaking VARIAN?!?! They have the ability to contribute as well. Secondly, even if the plot had to be solely base on Raps and Cass, I think their characters might have been portrayed more accurately. Cassandra craves a challenge and should be challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, everything Cass did just turned out right. Like....? Even when she did something wrong it turned out right. And Rapunzel? Okay, actually Rapunzel was written pretty well: making friends with everyone, never heeding Cass’s advice, being both strong yet venerable. The only thing off about Raps was the way she responded to Ariana and Fredrick...I can’t pinpoint it but something was wrong there. Let me say this, if you have finished with Tangled and Tangled the Series and need more content, you should read this. If you want to know all about Corona and it’s citizens and become a Tangled expert like me, read this.