Somehow Alex Flinn manages to combine Wuthering Heights , Rapunzel, and a mystery about child abduction and a drug ring into one book. Towering is a little darker than some of her other fairytale retellings, but Flinn always incorporates the main elements of the tales into new and unexpected stories. There were a few plot holes and I'm getting tired of the 'love at first sight/destined for one another' idea, but I suppose that is what fairytales are about.
Fleeing from tragedy at home, Wyatt Hill goes to stay in the small town of Slakhill with Mrs. Greenwood, the mother of his mom's childhood friend. He hopes to find peace and healing, but instead encounters an older and unsolved tragedy. Nineteen years ago, Mrs. Greenwood's daughter Danielle disappeared and is presumed dead. When Wyatt finds and reads Danielle's hidden diary, he is curious about the disappearance and starts asking questions.
Wyatt's searching leads him to a hidden tower in the woods. There he finds Rachel, a girl who has lived nearly all her life in the tower and only knows 'Mama,' the woman who comes to take care of her. Working together, Wyatt and Rachel work to overcome the effects of tragedy in both of their lives.
Recommended ages--14 and up