This past January, I read Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon. I thought it was so lovely and beautiful, yet dark and twisted also.
The Fairest of Them All is a fairy tale mashup about the lives of Rapunzel and Snow White.
Deep in the forest, tucked away in the ruins of an old castle, Rapunzel lives with her guardian, Mathena—a beautiful witch who “cures” women of unwanted pregnancies and other illnesses.
One day when Rapunzel is 17 years old, her voice manages to enchant and lure the most handsome man she has ever seen right to her doorstep. Rapunzel falls hopelessly in love with him, then learns he is Josef—Prince of the nearby kingdom.
Mathena locks Rapunzel in the tower to prevent her from running away with the beguiling young prince. But as you may guess, being locked in a tower doesn’t stop Rapunzel from letting her hair down and helping the prince gain entry to her room.
Rapunzel is heartbroken when the prince returns to his kingdom. Soon, she learns Josef has married another and produced an heir to the throne. His daughter’s name…Snow White.
As years go by, Rapunzel continues to mourn her beloved sweet prince. When the queen dies a mysterious death, Josef heads out once again to look for Rapunzel with hopes of making her his new wife. But the two probably won’t live happily ever after like Rapunzel hoped, because Snow White is the fairest of them all, remember?
Carolyn Turgeon has a simple and elegant writing style. Her stories are dark, and you can sense impending doom from the get-go.
The Fairest of Them All is very gloomy, but glitters at the same time. You can tell all along that Rapunzel’s on the verge of becoming dark and ugly. She has absolutely no clue of her impending demise.
This Rapunzel-Snow White mashup is very original. Compared to Godmother, The Fairest of Them All is far less intense and emotional. All in all, it’s a beautiful classic tale.
Other books by Carolyn Turgeon include:
- Rain Village (2006)
- Mermaid (2011)
- The Next Full Moon (2012)
Have you read anything by Carolyn Turgeon?
Last Updated on November 25, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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