The familiar fairy tales of Rapunzel and Snow White are skillfully intertwined in Carolyn Turgeon's The Fairest of Them All. It opens with a young Rapunzel luring a prince to her tower with the magical wiles taught to her by her adoptive mother, Mathena. After an afternoon of passion, Prince Josef must return to his castle and his betrothed, although he never forgets the beauty of Rapunzel.
Seven years later, Josef is king. When his beautiful queen dies mysteriously, leaving his daughter, Snow White, motherless, he quickly travels back to the forest to find Rapunzel and make her his queen. Rapunzel, accustomed to living in isolation, has a hard time adapting to life in the castle. People scorn her as a witch; many are upset by Josef's rapid remarriage. But she finds consolation in connecting with her stepdaughter, Snow White--and in her mirror's constant confirmation that she is the fairest of them all.
One day the inevitable happens, and the mirror informs Rapunzel that Snow White has surpassed her in beauty. Josef has also become unfaithful, too. The combination of events enrages Rapunzel, causing her to make some irretrievable errors in judgment. The connection Turgeon makes between the two familiar fairy tales brings out the humanity in the "wicked queen" of the Snow White story, making the reader see how she came to be who she was. Fans of fairy tales and paranormal romances will both enjoy this magical little tale. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm