THE WITCH'S TOWER is the first in an inspired new series of fairy-tale retellings from award-winning fantasy author Tamara Grantham.
Gothel is a witch. Punished for the actions of her mother, her choice is simple: either she stands guard over Princess Rapunzel—or she dies. But just because a choice is easy doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. Protecting Rapunzel means watching as the princess lays trapped in a tower, bedridden by hair that is so long and heavy it’s slowly driving her insane. Gothel’s life has become one of imprisonment and solitude as well—until a prince and his handsome squire appear at the tower.
Only one object can cut Rapunzel’s hair and end the curse: a pair of magical shears. But the shears are guarded by the most terrifying witches in the land, who also happen to be Gothel’s aunts. As Gothel and the prince’s squire, Raj Talmund, work to form a plan, she finds herself more and more drawn to the mysterious young man from the Outerlands. Unfortunately, his destiny is far more dangerous than she wants to admit: to save a princess, he must kill the witch who's been forced to guard her.
"A sparkling Fantasy." ~Kirkus Reviews
"Tamara Grantham, the author of THE WITCH’S TOWER, weaves the loose ends about the well-known character Rapunzel and brings forth a masterpiece." ~Lucia W. (Teen Reads)
Novels in The Twisted Ever After Series by Tamara Grantham:
The Witch’s Tower (Available Now)
The Dragon Swan Princess (March 26, 2019)
Book Three (Summer 2019)
Review
A new "once upon a time" greets audiences in THE WITCH'S TOWER, but will there be a happily ever after? Tamara Grantham, the author of THE WITCH'S TOWER, weaves the loose ends about the well-known character Rapunzel and brings forth a masterpiece. In fact, she rewrites this classic entirely. This is a tale from a different perspective: Gothel's. She is barely recognizable with new and complex characteristics embedded into her character. The plot offers so much more than the original version of this tale.
"Tamara Grantham, the author of THE WITCH'S TOWER, weaves the loose ends about the well-known character Rapunzel and brings forth a masterpiece."
One of royal blood will free the princess and kill the witch --- or so the soothsayers tell. The princess, Rapunzel, is mad from being bedridden with hair so long and heavy. The witch, Gothel, is bound to the tower, tasked with guarding Rapunzel, with a consequence of death if she does not comply, on account of her mother Aethel's past misdeeds. Her mother's actions of casting a petty curse on another's daughter has brought punishment to Gothel's life. The High Sorcerer is responsible for all these misdoings. As for the foretelling, a prince who has found and entered the enchanted tower has not stepped from its walls and his faithful squire looks to free him. The squire's name is Raj, and he needs to cut Rapunzel's hair to rid the kingdom of the High Sorcerer and save the prince from the enchantment he suffers from. He cannot do this without Gothel. Gothel understands the dangers of embarking on this journey with an unlikely partner to retrieve the golden shears to do this. She is as desperate to end the High Sorcerer's reign as Raj is.As they venture, encounters are sure to occur, yet the duo that began the expedition together remain close. Gothel cannot recognize what her feelings for Raj mean. Does she... should she love him? As she fumbles with her emotions, the High Sorcerer dispatches those loyal to him to locate Gothel. Monsters and much more lie just yonder...The setting of THE WITCH'S TOWER is certainly of a new take. Those eager to traverse through a land other than their own should see this realm fit to their expectations. This publication should have an appeal to fantasy enthusiasts as well as adventure lovers. Though some scenes were a tad too gory for my taste, most people would beg to differ.Although I am not one who typically enjoys novels with love interests, I enjoyed this book immensely. Romance danced through the pages as a young woman steps through it unsurely. She had been locked away, nearly isolated for five years after all, so the emotions are unfamiliar. The squire, Raj, was interesting as I explored his patterned dialogue. He is honorable and comforting, but is he accepting of Gothel's traits? Each character is from a completely different background, giving readers as much suspicion of them as Gothel has. I find this to be an intriguing technique because the audience will interact with details in order to form an opinion on a character's trustworthiness.Additionally, female empowerment is a defining trait of THE WITCH'S TOWER as battle calls. With wits, strength and bravery, every word of Grantham's is carefully chosen, yet set in a pleasurable order for readers who love beautiful turns of phrase. Given the cards she is dealt, Gothel fights with internal and external conflicts to bring a better future for everyone whose lives have been touched by the dark magic. ~Lucia W. (Teen Reads)
About the Author
Tamara Grantham is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books and novellas, including the Twisted Ever After trilogy, the Fairy World MD series, and is a contributor to the Shine novellas. Dreamthief, the first book of her Fairy World MD series, won first place for fantasy in INDIEFAB'S Book of the Year Awards and a RONE award for best New Adult Romance. Her book The Witch's Tower is a #1 bestseller on Amazon.
Tamara holds a Bachelor's degree in English. She has been a featured speaker at numerous writing conferences and has been a panelist at Comic Con Wizard World speaking on the topic of female leads. For her first published project, she collaborated with New York-Times bestselling author, William Bernhardt, in writing the Shine series.
Born and raised in Texas, Tamara now lives with her husband and five children in Wichita, Kansas. She rarely has any free time, but when the stars align and she gets a moment to relax, she enjoys reading fantasy novels and watching every Star Wars or Star Trek movie ever made. Views: 637
OUTBACK IN STILETTOS: The most popular soap on television hangs in the balance because Delilah Connors has lost her mojo. Her agent decides she needs a break.Delilah disagrees but when her agent says jump, she jumps! She heads for the outback on a bus tour from hell. The coach smells, her seating partner is an octopus and the road leads nowhere she wants to go. It’s all too much.She grabs her bags and hits the track. The trouble is the track leads to two small children and a widowed farmer. The kids are cute but not cute enough to compensate for an archaic kitchen and the filthy flies. Just when she’s getting the hang of the outback, the flies and that sexy farmer she’s summoned back to the big smoke.Blake makes a last ditch attempt to plead his case but amongst the glitter and glamour of the Sydney film elite, he is way out of his depth.------------FOREVER THIS TIME: Fifteen years ago April Williams left Hope Harbor determined never to return and now she’s back searching for a safe haven for her children. But first she needs a job. And there’s only one—working for the man she walked out on. When it comes to a choice between her feelings and her children’s well-being it’s a no-brainer.April’s return does more than rock Drew Hope’s confidence – it throws everything he’s worked on these last years into chaos.------------RILEY: The last thing Sassie O’Leary needs is a man in her life after the last disastrous affair. She decides to concentrate on building herself a life, and buys a rundown home in the rural town of Cooper's Crossing without looking at it first.Riley Cooper thinks she's bitten off more than she can chew and goes out of his way to prove it to her. What neither of them expect is the chemistry that fires up between them. Sassie makes him a deal. Sex with no strings attached - she’s not looking for a forever relationship and neither is he.------------FOXBOROUGH HALL: Top investigative reporter Billie Stanford believes she is at the pinnacle of her game until her husband dies unexpectedly, leaving her to raise their sixteen-year-old son alone. Intent on a fresh start she returns to Australia only to discover her American experience stands for nothing and she must start from scratch. Finally, she is assigned to uncover the story behind Foxborough Hall, but she isn’t prepared for the backlash from her mother.Hamish Abbott is a psychology professor with a passion for history. Past mistakes have made him cautious around women but he is inexplicably drawn to his American neighbour and her teenage son. He doesn’t expect to find himself dragged into the family’s murky secret.Telling her family what she has uncovered will be hard, but harder still will be explaining why Wilhelmina Wallace died and who killed her.------------MISTRESS FOR MAGNUS: Is Kate prepared to trade six months as Magnus' mistress to save the home and people she loves? The death of Kate's mother sends her father on a gambling spree that he keeps hidden from his family. When the will is read after his death she finds out how bad things are and can see no way out, except one. In a desperate attempt to save her home and the people she loves, Kate offers her neighbor water rights to the largest dam in the area that also happens to be on her land. What follows is an introduction to a world of passionate sex that she doesn't want to give up after the contract ends. Kate also didn't expect to fall in love with him. Magnus is intrigued with Kate after years of having women drop at his feet and granting him his every desire. On a whim, he adds an extra clause to the contract-she is to be his mistress for six months.------------HAWK: Geoff Hawkins job means there are days when he has to leave without notice which can be off putting to say the least. So far he's had to walk out on Cass twice and she's not happy about it. Hawk wants another shot at a relationship but will she be able to look past his mistakes and give him another chance? Views: 637
The second book of Lauren Barnholdt's exiting Moment of Truth series: three books, three girls, one life-changing senior trip.
When the email arrived in Quinn Reynolds's in box on the morning of her flight to Florida, she sent it straight to her trash folder. The last thing Quinn needed was to be reminded of the pact she made with her ex–best friends—the one where she promised she would do something crazy before graduation.
But that was before everything on the trip went wrong.
Now, after a lifetime of playing it safe, Quinn figures that she might as well get a little wild…after all, what does she have to lose? When Abram, a local boy she met on the beach, asks her to hang out, she says yes. But while a vacation romance could be the best way to fulfill the pact, it might be the worst thing for her heart.…
Each book in this trilogy is told from the perspective of a different girl—Lyla, Aven, and Quinn—former best friends who, back in freshman year, wrote emails to their future selves about the one thing they hope to accomplish before they graduate. Over the course of the series, each girl will learn about life, love, and the truth about the fight that ended their perfect friendship. Views: 637
Lately, the pressure's really been on Stacey. She hasn't been feeling well. Her schoolwork and baby-sitting jobs are almost out of control. And Stacey's tired of being in the middle of her parents' fights.
Then it happens: Stacey ends up in the hospital because of her diabetes.
The Baby-sitters are so worried. So is Stacey.
Why does she always have it so hard? Views: 637
In her YA debut, New York Times bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan dives into a world with magic and sacrifice with the Elements of Five. Five hundred years ago, the Maison Realm was shattered, divided into warring kingdoms of elemental Wielders with fate and truth shadowed and uncertain. Now, factions of both the light and dark venture into the human realm in search of the prophesied Spirit Priestess who is said to Wield the Elements of Five to bring the two fractured kingdoms together. Lyric has no idea that there's a realm outside the human one she lives in. When fate and circumstances are pulled from her hands after an accident, she finds out that nothing is as it seems. War is raging around her, and when Lyric realizes that they are searching for her, she must rely on those she once trusted as she trains: a boy who isn't who she thought, and a new realm of warriors who have come to protect her. For the darkness is coming, and the Queen of... Views: 636
Do ghosts really exist, or is "ghostly phenomena" just strange stuff that gets blamed on dead people? Giving you the real story, professional ghostbuster and skeptic Adam Selzer of Weird Chicago Tours delves into a mysterious death at a former funeral parlor, nightly ghost sightings at Hull House, and more. Proving that not all ghost hunters are kooks (some are just geeks gone wild), Selzer showcases true spooky tales worldwide, a history of hauntings, the art of ghost hunting, and cool evidence of paranormal phenomena and the supernatural. These ghost stories will make you want to investigate that cemetery down the road to see if it's haunted—or just dark and creepy. Views: 636
Dorothy Fane lived quite an average life: good grades, great boyfriend, family and friends that care. But when she shares an assignment with Eric Grant, it took a turn unimaginable to her being tied up in his closet. Through a bleak understanding, her sympathy caught the best of her as she slowly falls for him. She knows she's crazy and he knows she's crazy, but that doesn't stop either of them.Seventeen year old Lacey Hannigan knows that she's different from other people. Her ability to move things with her mind has made her an outcast, even in her own home. She hates the power that she has and wants nothing more than to be normal like everyone else. But when she is forced to run away from home or be sent to a hospital to be studied like some kind of science project, she has no choice but to rely on her telekinesis in order to survive on her own. She soon finds herself in more danger than she ever thought possible when she discovers that there are even stranger people than her in the world. Like Cole, a man with a deadly secret who has vowed to stop at nothing until he has her. And Jesse, who seems like the perfect man until she learns that he may not be who she thinks he is.The unbelievable becomes reality when seemingly normal people shed their human skin for that of fur and prowl the streets at night looking for their next victim. Will Lacey's power be her saving grace or her doom? Views: 636
For everyone and everything there is a time to die.
Lirael is no longer a shy Second Assistant Librarian. She is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, with Dead creatures to battle and Free Magic entities to bind. She’s also a Remembrancer, wielder of the Dark Mirror. Lirael lost one of her hands in the binding of Orannis, but now she has a new hand, one of gilded steel and Charter Magic.
When Lirael finds Nicholas Sayre lying unconscious after being attacked by a hideous Free Magic creature, she uses her powers to save him. But Nicholas is deeply tainted with Free Magic. Fearing it will escape the Charter mark that seals it within his flesh and bones, Lirael seeks help for Nick at her childhood home, the Clayr’s Glacier.
But even as Lirael and Nick return to the Clayr, a young woman from the distant North braves the elements and many enemies in a desperate attempt to deliver a message to Lirael from her long-dead mother, Arielle. Ferin brings a dire warning about the Witch With No Face. But who is the Witch, and what is she planning?
Once more a great danger threatens the Old Kingdom, and it must be forestalled not only in the living world but also in the cold, remorseless river of Death. Views: 636
Childhood Friends Reunite to Rendezvous!
All giggles and wiggles, Lisa and Amy sealed their friendship under the pink ruffles of a canopy bed, promising to be friends forever. They remained inseparable until an argument over Lisa’s prom date divides them. In a plan that could only be devised by their heavenly Father, Amy and Lisa end up in the same hospital emergency room years later. With their promise to always be there for each other unexpectedly fulfilled, the two friends grow close again. Amy reminds Lisa of one of their childhood promises yet to be realized—their plan to rendezvous in Paris. Amy and Lisa find a way to make good on their Parisian promise from thirty years ago and pack their bags for the adventure of a lifetime. From becoming unexpected counselors for a rocky marriage to scaling the Eiffel Tower to winking at Mona Lisa in the Louvre, these two Sisterchicks find the treasures of Europe can’t compare with the gems of a friendship renewed for eternity!
Story Behind the Book
“Each of the Sisterchicks books portrays the reality of how a close friendship between two women can draw them closer to God, and reveal clear direction for their futures. In Sisterchicks Say Ooh-La-La!, readers discover the value of rekindling an old friendship and replacing old, incorrect assumptions with new truth. I hope readers will take away a sense of God’s immense plan for His children and His unending grace in every season of life.”
—Robin Jones Gunn
From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 636
Caroline Abbott knows her way around bridezillas. Working at a stationery store means helping engaged couples pick out the perfect save-the-date cards and invitations for their dream weddings—a dream job. Until the bridezilla of the day belongs to her first kiss, Alexander Wilder. He's all grown up now, running his family's luxury hotel chain, and even hotter than she remembers from that scorcher of a smooch. So when Caroline catches his fiancée half-naked with another man, she has to tell him. And Alex has to break it off. And of course, the ex-bridezilla goes completely bonkers. Good thing Caroline has plenty of experience—and friends to help save her. She also has the sudden interest of Alex, who has a proposal of his own for her. Is it just a rebound for him, or does he also feel the same spark that drew them together all those years ago? Views: 636
As if taking what mattered most to me wasn't enough, i was made to waste 11 years of my life. Now, I'd pay back the favor in Kind...it wont be as long as 11 years, just one tiny sharp pain and they would be out of their misery. Bill settled, debt PAID IN FULL.Sentenced a victim, Discharged a Hit man. She's out on the loose and the only thing on her mind is Payback. After years of torture and survival and pain and gain, she'd stop at nothing to make sure the people responsible for making her life hell these past years are out of the picture.Does Valerina succeed in this quest for payback? or does it only lead her to more heartbreaking truth?There's only one way to find out. Views: 636
We all have demons... some are more real than others.
In the fifth book of this bestselling paranormal series, Evalle faces her greatest nightmare - losing Storm - and without his help the Beladors will fall to their most dangerous enemy.
With Treoir Island in shambles after a Medb attack that left the survival of the missing Belador warrior queen in question and Belador powers compromised, there is one hope for her return and their future – Evalle Kincaid, whose recent transformation has turned her into an even more formidable warrior. First she has to locate Storm, the Skinwalker she’s bonded with who she believes can find the Belador queen, but Storm stalks the witch doctor who’s threatening Evalle’s life. When he finally corners the witch doctor, she throws Storm a curve that may cost him everything, including Evalle. The hunter becomes the hunted, and Evalle must face her greatest nightmare to save Storm and the Beladors or watch the future of mankind fall to deadly preternatural predators.
(*DEMON STORM includes bonus short story - Deadly Fixation - from the Belador world)
"So many questions were answered: Why is Evalle so wanted by the Medb? Does Kizira really care about Quinn? What kind of powers does Lanna have? Will Storm and Evalle finally come together? Will we ever stop loving Feenix, our cute lovable gargoyle…….nah forget that, never happen. I want more Feenix. I loved this book so much…If you have not read this series, once again, what are you waiting for?" ~~~~Barb, The Reading Cafe on RISE OF THE GRYPHON
“...Its been a very long time since I've felt this passionate about getting the next installment in a series. Even J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Its a story you don't want to end and when it does, you can't help but scream out "No! NO THEY DID NOT JUST DO THIS TO ME!! NO!!!!"
~~~~Bryonna Nobles, Demons, Dreams and Dragon Wings on RISE OF THE GRYPHON Views: 636
