Towering by Alex Flinn

Towering by Alex Flinn
Series: N/A
Source: Gifted
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 14, 2013

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.

Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

First off, I just want to say that I was really looking forward to Towering. I love fairytale retellings, and I also love Alex Flinn, so I was really expecting to be wowed by this one. And I kind of was... I was wowed at how much I disliked this book. I really wasn't expecting anything like what happened.

To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure what really happened. Because we happen upon this story.. a story about a girl who's been trapped a tower since she was a young girl by a woman she knows only as "Mama". Classic Rapunzel tale... but wait. Apparently, her tears heal people.  And get this? Her hair is a magical growth hormone or something, because when she needs it, it just grows and grows until she's tripping on it and how is that helping when you're running for your life? Someone needs to explain this to me. I mean, I realized that there would be magic, but I was hoping for some kind of explanation for why (and a better one than was actually given).

But. Let's actually start from the true-blue beginning. I was enjoying it in the beginning-- the first few chapters were enchanting and interesting, and the alternating points of view were nice. From this point on, I spent the whole rest of the book trying to get back to the feeling from the beginning. Because as I read on, I realized that our main characters (Rachel and Wyatt) weren't really growing any as characters. They continued being exactly the people we met... which is sad, because I believe that people change every day.

Rachel seemed to absolutely innocent-- having only read a select few classic novels, as well as living her life in a tower probably made her that way. So kudos to the author for that. But I felt like she just didn't know enough of the world, and was existing the way a little kid (before the questioning stage) might live. Just obedient in doing whatever she was told. Also, as I've said before, her hair irked me.

Wyatt was very mysterious at first, but he didn't really behave like a normal teenage boy, in my opinion. He's too... I don't know. Maybe too... something I just can't explain... but I didn't particularly care for him as a character. Or even a love interest, to tell you the truth. He was kind of boring.

Now that I've gone and mentioned it, I might as well tell you a little about the romance. So, here goes! There was none. They met, hey let's kiss and that was the only how-do-you-do that we got out of them as a couple. It was so awkward. They met each other and then they were making out with each other within minutes...I get it, she saved your life. But do you really need to? Eeeewww. There was a serious case of insta-love going on to, because there was quite the confession upon their second meeting. *facepalm*

On top of the insta-love, I feel like the plot was revealed way too early in. Almost everything was completely obvious from the beginning, except *SPOILER* the part where her hair is magical because of a crazy drug that her mother (and her mother before her) was doing...and the fact that all of the town's missing are being housed in a magical harvesting plant (location unknown) where this highly addictive drug grows. Oh, and they're apparently mindless freaks when they're on the drugs and the only way to stop it from growing is Rachel's magical hair (according to prophecy!) And it gives them freakishly inhuman strength, as well as hallucinations. And they're all still young (and kind of immortal), except for Rachel's mom who died for an unknown reason. *SPOILER END* And weirdly, all of that happened sometime within the last fifty pages. So, WEIRD.

The ending was okay... but how good of an ending could you hope for when you didn't enjoy the book? One point five stars for the beginning.