Now, Towering might be modern day, but it’s still a fairy tale. So, you do have to suspend your disbelief and go with it.
Rachel has been confined to a tower in the woods since she was very young. The only visitor she has is Mama, who isn’t really her mother. Her mother was killed when Rachel was a baby, and Mama takes care of Rachel. But she won’t let her go anywhere because the people that killed Rachel’s mother want to harm Rachel too.
Wyatt has been sent to the boonies, to live with an old friend of his mother’s, Mrs. Greenwood. He’s had difficulty recently, and I won’t explain why because that’s part of the plot. Suffice it to say, he is used to many more people and much more of a social life. He helps Mrs. Greenwood with some minor chores in exchange for room and board. Wyatt is supposed to finish high school via the internet. Mrs. Greenwood has had a hard life too, since her daughter disappeared many years ago.
It seems there are an unusual number of people disappearing from this small, remote town in the Adirondacks. Wyatt begins to make friends, but there’s something going on under the surface. And Wyatt hears singing coming from the woods.
I’m sure you can see where this story is going. I liked the characters, and the spooky feeling of the setting. I liked the mystery. It made the story more realistic, somehow, even though there are definitely magical things going on. I liked Rachel’s special powers. Of course, she can grow her hair very quickly, but she has another interesting ability. I don’t remember if this is accurate as far as the original fairy tale or not, but I liked it.
I found the ending of Towering to be satisfying. There was a dramatic build up of tension, and life-threatening situations. It all worked out well and tied up nicely.
I really enjoyed Towering for what it was. It was a quick, suspenseful read that kept me very entertained through the entire book. Anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings or just a magical, fun story will enjoy Towering.
Published by HarperTeen, May 14, 2013
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
304 pages (Qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)
Rating: 3.5/5
I enjoyed Beastly, and was curious about this book, though Beastly was not one of my favorite reads. I'll probably have about the same opinion as you on Towering, so I'll save it for a quick light read when I need one some day. :) Great review!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear this one was suspenseful, and that it kept you entertained. I liked Beastly well enough, but I've read some meh reviews on this one, so I haven't picked it up yet. I'll give my ARC a try now. Great review Annette!
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