The prince, who is desperate to locate the mysterious girl he met in the market at any costs. Donna Jo Napoli's version of the story is told from each of the main character's viewpoints and really gets into their heads. Since reading Zel, I can no longer think of the story of Rapunzel as anything but cruel and barbaric. Zel's mother feels threatened by the prince and plans to hide Zel away in order to keep Zel safe and tied to her. Zel and her mother visit a distant town to gather some supplies and there meets a prince.

The first part of the story, in which Zel is still quite innocent and believes her mother to be a good was my favourite. A prince falls in love with her and together they hatch a plan for escape.

Her mother visits her by day calling for Rapunzel to let down her hair. Zel, is of course, a retelling of the fairy tale Rapunzel where a young girl is locked away in a tower with no access but a window. And for the most part, I liked it, though it is a little bleak. The atmosphere of the book and some of the heavy emotions that are evoked made Zel a pretty dense read in parts. Second, I thought that because this is quite the slim book, I'd zip right through it. Zel is most definitely young adult as there are themes and topics covered in this book which are a little disturbing. First, from that cover, I believed the book to be aimed at a much younger audience. Zel by Donna Jo Napoli is not at all what I'd expected. Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the nobleman who pursues her, and delves into the psychological motivations of each of the characters.

Zel by donna jo napoli