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A review by bashsbooks
What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
What Once Was Mine is a very fun book. As an avid reader of fanfiction, I love the transformative possibilities that come with the question "what if x was different?" and I felt like this book answered that question for Tangled pretty well. And this whole series gives a pretty positive spin to this kind of fanfiction-adjacent transformative property, so that's cool. I don't know that I fully understand the inclusion of the frame story (although it was really sweet! It just felt kind of unnecessary as well). I also don't know why there was repeated Bathory slander (on one hand, I think it's weird as someone who assumes that most of the vampiric tales about her were lies, but on the other, it's very fanfic core). Will probably read a few other Twisted Tales.
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy