Review ~ "Zel" by Donna Jo Napoli

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Source: Purchased by me
Genre: Rapunzel retelling

 Book Description: High in the mountains, Zel lives with her mother, who insists they have all they need -- for they have each other. Zel's life is peaceful and protected -- until a chance encounter changes everything. When she meets a beautiful young prince at the market one day, she is profoundly moved by new emotions. But Zel's mother sees the future unfolding -- and she will do the unspeakable to prevent Zel from leaving her... 

My thoughts: I started this book not realizing that this was a retelling of Rapunzel.

This book is told from the point of view of three characters. The first is the girl, Zel. She is named after her favorite lettuce, Rapunzel. The second character is simply known as mother. She who would sell her soul to be a mother. The third character is Konrad. He would give anything for the girl he meets in the market. The girl who captured his attention by her giving nature.

This book follows the tradition of a fairy tale, it has a dark quality. I was hooked by Napoli's writing. She knows how to enchant through the written word. She doesn't hold back on describing the anguish of the characters. Each of them fight inner demons that make the story more interesting.

Because of some of the subject matter, I would only recommend to readers 16+.

This completes my February read for the Just For Fun challenge!