Golden Curse by M. Lynn

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌓 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A curse. A hidden identity. A dangerous love.
Ten year old Persinette Basile was forced to flee the palace of Gaule for her life.
Now at eighteen, she must find a way to return in order to obey a curse on her family line.
The prince won’t know who she is. Not anymore. But she knows him and what he will do if he discovers her true name.
Made to fight for her life to earn her place, she vows to find a way to break the curse no matter the cost.
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To. The. Death. 
The words describing the tournament turn Prince Alexandre Durand’s blood to ice.
The last warrior standing will win a spot at his side.
As he's thrust onto the throne, forbidden magic, dangerous betrayals, and a complicated love could tear his reign apart. 
When the secrets begin to unravel, will Alex stay true to the laws and traditions of Gaule or will he give it all up for a woman who deceived him?
Inspired by the Rapunzel story, this is the golden-haired princess as you’ve never seen her before.

*Copy of the book provided in exchange for an honest review*

I have read quite a few fairy-tale inspired books but I haven't read any that are based off of Rapunzel. It was exciting to get to read this book just for that reason...well and the fact that the main character having to fight for her place. I can't resist a strong female lead.

I really enjoyed this first novel of the series from M. Lynn. It was a strong start! I loved the characters. They were each individuals and the author managed to give each of them some amount of depth. I feel like secondary characters can get lost in the fray but it wasn't the case in this book. I commend the author for this as well as the subtly that she used to accomplish it.
I loved the changes to the original story. It made for a more complex and interesting story. Rather than simply having a princess in a tower that is a damsel in distress needing to be saved by a man, M. Lynn takes things a few steps further with a strong female and a more complex curse. I loved all of the action scenes and the secrecy. The secrets kept me questioning everyone's motives and whether or not the main character could trust them. I'm excited to see what happens next especially with where things were left with Etta. What a cliffhanger!