Review by Kirkus Book Review
Thanks to unexpected magic, two princesses swap lives. Rapunzel resides in a tall, secluded tower, unable to leave due to a curse that brings misfortune to anyone she nears. Hana, the youngest mermaid princess, dwells in the Vallian Sea with her shark friend, Leonard, passing time exploring sunken ships. Both girls long for something different. Recently, an ominous Storm has been hanging over the sea, portending catastrophe; humans blame merfolk for it and vice versa, creating tensions between the communities. After Leonard is unexpectedly captured in a net and pulled onto a boat, Hana gets sucked up by the Storm's violent winds. Rapunzel touches an enchanted model ship in the tower's Library, and soon, Hana finds herself in Rapunzel's tower with human legs in place of her tail, while Rapunzel is in the water, confronting the sea witch. When the girls' paths eventually cross, they uncover malevolent schemes by those seeking to exert power and control people through fear and manipulation. Bringing together these and other recognizable figures from European fairy tales, this life-swap story follows characters who are learning how to challenge the things they were always taught to believe. Amid lots of action, Bussing provides enough description of the setting for readers to understand the magic at play--and a little romance even blooms between Hana and the human prince, Oliver. Main characters read white. A fresh, fast-paced fairy-tale retelling that explores themes of agency.(Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
