4.5 stars.

What a beautiful debut! In the new tradition of fractured fairy tales, The Book of Gothel is a fabulous retelling of the tale of Rapunzel. There is such incredibly rich detail in the story and the atmosphere and the creativity is off the charts. I loved this.

Set in historical Germany and including great social and religious context appropriate for the time period, The Book of Gothel is a stunner. McMyne's writing flows without a hitch and weaves a tale that is so wholly itself that it leans only gently on the original story, something I have to give serious credit to. There is such gentle detail present and I loved the inclusion of all of the herbal and midwifery background to the story. There something to the feeling of the novel that gave me light Philippa Gregory vibes and I loved that.

The only thing keeping me from a 5-star read was the insertion of the story as a book within a book. Normally that is a trope that I adore, but in this case it was used too lightly and really had no bearing on the overall tale. It felt a little like wasted space and took away from the solidity of the ending for me. I would love for McMyne to take this approach and use it to further the story via a series...using Gothel to reveal the "truth" about oh so many other misunderstood tales.

Other than that minor speed bump, this was a near perfect read for me. McMyne's style is lovely, her imagination is impeccable, and I am already ready to read whatever she decides to put forth next. If you're a lover of fairy tales, this one is not to be missed.