Conceal, Don't Feel (A Twisted Tale) (also known as Let it Go in the UK) is a novel based on Frozen, and the seventh entry of the A Twisted Tale series.
Summary[]
What if Anna and Elsa never knew each other?
As the future Queen of Arendelle, Princess Elsa's life is full of expectation and responsibility-not to mention, questions. What type of ruler will she be? When will she have to pick a suitor? And why has she always harbored the feeling that some critical piece of herself is missing? Following the unexpected death of her parents, Elsa is forced to answer those questions sooner than she'd hoped, becoming the sole ruler of her kingdom and growing lonelier than ever.
But when mysterious powers begin to reveal themselves, Elsa starts to remember fragments of her childhood that seem to have been erased-pieces that include a very familiar-looking girl. Determined to fill the void she has always felt, Elsa must take a harrowing journey across her icy kingdom to undo a terrible curse . . . and find the missing Princess of Arendelle.
Plot[]
Beginning[]
Princess Elsa accompanied her mother and father at the unveiling of a sculpture of Arendelle's royal family made by sculptor Axel Ludenburg. As the sculpture was revealed, Elsa noticed how her parents seem saddened at the sight of the statue depicting the three of them. At the following royal banquet, Elsa met the Duke of Weselton for the first time, who discusses with the queen and king about Elsa's future as the next queen of Arendelle.
A few days after, Agnarr and Iduna planned for a two-week voyage and Agnarr instructed his daughter on what to do while they are absent. Wanting Elsa to have something before they left, he gave Elsa a private lockbox and told her to seek comfort from it if she ever faced tragedy. Elsa decided she didn't need her lockbox at the moment, so she stored it away in her hope chest. Later that day, Elsa eavesdropped on an argument between Iduna and Agnarr. Iduna insisted on visiting a "she", but Agnarr pleaded for her to stop visiting out of safety concerns. Elsa wondered what her parents were discussing and the "she" Iduna visits.
In a tiny village outside of Arendelle named Harmon, Anna lived with her adoptive parents Tomally and Johan, who own a bakery called Tomally's Baked Goods. Anna dreamed of moving to Arendelle after turning eighteen and opening her own bakery there. Johan managed to wake a sleepy Anna by telling her that Freya, a seamstress from Arendelle who is Tomally's best friend and Anna's aunt figure, will come for one of her bimonthly visits. While on a shopping trip, Anna encountered Kristoff and Sven for the first time but lost her chance to greet them. She returned home as Freya arrived by her house. Tomally and Anna greeted Freya, and they spent the day baking and chatting together. Freya expressed she would love for Anna to finally come and visit Arendelle; while Anna felt eager to go, Tomally was hesitant. Freya promised to arrange a trip to Arendelle for Anna the next time she visited.
One morning at breakfast a week after the king and queen left for their journey, the castle chef Olina told Elsa that she spent too much time alone and advised her to find a friend or hobby. After Kai entered with a box from the attic, Elsa decided to explore the castle attic out of boredom. There, she found a mysterious hope chest marked with the letter A. Elsa tried to figure out the chest's owner, theorizing that the "she" mentioned in her parents' argument and the letter A on the hope chest were linked in some way. Elsa suddenly heard people urgently calling her downstairs; she left the attic to find a commotion of grieving castle workers expecting her. The king's best friend Lord Peterssen regretfully revealed to Elsa that her parents' ship never made it to port, the ship lost at sea and her parents presumed dead. Devastated, Elsa rushed to her room where she broke down in despair. Her emotional distress triggered her once dormant icy powers, reactivating them. Ice bursted out from Elsa, much to her shock and horror.
One night, Anna had a nightmare where she desperately tried to find someone amidst a blizzard. After waking, she walked outside to calm herself. At that moment, an official guard arrived at Harmon and left behind a notice, instantly sparking a commotion. The notice was about the king and queen's deaths; after hearing this from the villagers who had gathered to see the news, Anna immediately rushed home to inform her parents. The news devastated both after Anna told them. Tomally then revealed to Anna that Freya traveled on the same ship as the king and queen, meaning Freya passed as well. As Anna and her family mourned, Tomally prepared to reveal another truth to Anna before Johan sternly reminded his wife about their vow to never tell her.
Elsa isolated herself in her room since hearing about her parents' deaths, planning to avoid the public until she could control her new powers. Lord Peterssen tried to persuade her to attend her parents' memorial, but Elsa still refused. The Duke of Weselton also showed up at her door and insisted for her to come out, but Elsa eventually convinced both to leave her be. Alone again, Elsa suddenly recalled a memory of herself as a child playing and building a snowman with another girl. Relishing the love she had felt from her memory, Elsa tried to replicate it, focusing on love instead of fear to conjure the exact snowman she had seen herself and the other girl building. As soon as Elsa finished her snowman, he suddenly came to life and introduced himself as Olaf. Olaf claimed that Elsa made him for Anna, causing Elsa to believe Anna to be the owner of the letter-A chest in the attic. Elsa promised to Olaf to work together and discover Anna's identity and connection with her.
Three Years Later[]
Because Elsa became of age after turning twenty-one, the castle prepared for her coronation to crown her as the new queen. Since his creation, Olaf acted as Elsa's close confidant who Elsa kept hidden from the public. The two occasionally had secret research trips to the castle attic or library, but they couldn't find any further information about Anna. Needing a getaway from her coronation anxieties, Elsa looked forward to the visit of a prince the Duke of Weselton accompanied to Arendelle a few months prior. While Gerda was helping Elsa with a final fitting of her coronation gown, Elsa heard a crash and Olaf's shriek from her room, so she excused herself and checked back on Olaf. She found that Olaf rummaged through her hope chest and had found the lockbox from her father years ago. Elsa thanked Olaf for rediscovering her special box before greeting her prince who had arrived, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Although Elsa and Hans were not officially courting yet, Hans had patiently waited for Elsa to warm up to him. The Duke wanted Hans to propose to Elsa before her coronation, a request which Hans was not sure how to execute yet.
Since Anna had turned eighteen, she planned to ask her parents for permission to move to Arendelle. While out in town, she encountered Kristoff and Sven, who she hadn't seen in three years since the first time they crossed paths. Anna accidentally smacked right into Kristoff, shattering the block of ice he was carrying. The market owner Goran found the ice delivery he ordered ruined, aiming his frustration at Kristoff because of it. Before a fight could escalate, Anna offered to pay for Kristoff's supplies and bring Goran cinnamon rolls to keep him content. As Anna arrived home, she found her parents discussing about telling their daughter the truth, mentioning another family that Anna was not aware of. Tomally decided to continue holding the truth back from her adopted daughter, a choice Anna respected. At that moment, Anna asked if she could move to Arendelle. Johan blurted out that she was too young and needed to be twenty-one to come of age. Tomally told Anna that she and Johan wanted her to follow her dreams when ready, but Anna felt disappointed by their answer.
On her coronation day, Elsa was prepared but her mind not at ease. Hans arrived at her room, ready to escort her to the chapel. Before they could leave, a crash emitted from Elsa's room and Olaf yelled for her just as Hans attempted to propose to her. Worried for Olaf, she rushed to her room while forgetting about Hans' proposal. Back in her room, Olaf found something tucked inside the velvet lining inside Elsa's lockbox. Behind the lining, Elsa found a family painting depicting herself, her parents, and another girl who she realized must be Anna. The sight of Anna triggered a flood of memories so intense that Elsa collapsed and passed out.
Thirteen years earlier, Anna and Elsa made krumkaker in the kitchen with Miss Olina. When Iduna and Olina needed to leave the kitchen for a moment, Iduna warned the sisters not to handle the krumkake griddle unsupervised. Anna disobeyed the warning, using the griddle anyway despite Elsa's protest. Anna accidentally burned her fingers on the griddle, so Elsa froze a pot of water to dip her sister's burned fingers into, soothing the burn. Her mother and Olina returned to the kitchen, Olina confused at how her pot had frozen over so quickly. That night, Elsa apologized to her mother for using her powers where someone could witness it; her powers were supposed to remain as a family secret. In the middle of the night hours later, Anna woke Elsa up and they played with Elsa's magic in the ballroom. When Elsa accidentally struck Anna with her magic while, her parents brought them to the Valley of the Living Rock to consult Grand Pabbie. When Pabbie informed them he must erase Anna's memories of Elsa's magic to heal her, Elsa felt horrified losing someone she loved sharing her magic with. As Grand Pabbie prepared to cast his memory-altering spell upon Anna, Elsa tried to push Pabbie's hand away. The collision of Pabbie and Elsa's magic caused an explosion of magical light, causing Elsa to pass out.
Back in reality, Elsa woke up from her flashback in shock. From what she witnessed in her vision, Elsa realized her parents knew about her powers all along and that Anna was her sister. She feared that her magic killed her that night. Olaf revealed that he also found a letter from Elsa's parents paired with the painting. With Hans and Lord Peterssen calling and worrying for her, Elsa quickly skimmed through the letter, learning that her parents loved both her and her sister but separated them for safety reasons. Before she could properly read the letter, the door unlocked while Olaf immediately hid. The Duke accused Elsa of fleeing Hans' marriage proposal and refused to allow her any more time alone. Hans intervenes on the Duke's pressuring, sparking an argument. With a desperate urge to read her parents' letter, Elsa tried to push past the commotion but accidentally unleashed her powers. Seeing no other options, she fled Arendelle, accidentally casting an eternal winter that spread through Arendelle and struck Harmon. Concerned for the survival of her village, Anna prepared for a trip to Arendelle unbeknownst to her parents to find the cause of the winter. She offered gear for Kristoff in exchange for him to escort her to Arendelle.
Elsa traveled all the way to the North Mountain. She felt safe to freely use her powers where no one watched, so she created her ice dress and palace. Elsa recalled the Valley of the Living Rock from her vision and her parents' letter. She decided to travel there to learn more about Anna.
Anna and Kristoff traveled to Arendelle, resting at a barn once for the night. Arriving at Arendelle, Anna encountered the duke reviling the princess for cursing the kingdom, but Lord Peterssen claimed that Elsa acted out of fright and did not mean harm. Out of a strange urge, Anna entered Arendelle's castle with Kristoff following. Inside, Anna saw visions of her younger self living in the castle, leaving her questioning if she had once lived here. They encountered Olaf, Anna recognizing him as the snowman who frequently appeared in her dreams and inspired her famous snowman cookies. Olaf explained Elsa's desire to meet her, to Anna's surprise. He agreed to join Anna and Kristoff on their mission to restore summer.
Conjuring an ice sleigh to travel in, Elsa descended the mountain and traveled until she came across Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Sauna. Hiding her identity with a magically-created cloak, Elsa purchased a map from Oaken to help guide her. When she arrived at the Valley of the Living Rock and informed Grand Pabbie on all that happened, he offered his condolences to her regarding her passed parents but warned her not to continue searching for Anna. He conjured a magical vision to show Elsa the events after she intervened with Grand Pabbie's spell. Elsa learned how their collided magic cast a curse on both sisters; Elsa lost memory and awareness of her ice powers and Anna would freeze and turn to ice if in proximity with Elsa. The curse would only break when the sisters needed each other more than they ever had; only then would Elsa's powers reactivate and the sisters remember each other again. Iduna and Agnarr eventually agreed to separate the sisters for their own safety. They planned for Elsa to remain in the castle, but move Anna far from Arendelle to live under the care of Iduna's closest friend. Grand Pabbie additionally removed Anna and Elsa's memories of each other along with the kingdom's memory of Anna. These memories would return to everyone after the curse broke. Although Elsa remembered Anna now, the kingdom did not because the curse didn't break completely. These circumstances prevented Elsa from reuniting with her sister.
Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and ventured to the North Mountain. With the weather growing harsher, Kristoff detoured the group to find a particular snowless valley to rest at. Still receiving visions and a strong instinct to find Elsa, Anna passed out despite Kristoff and Olaf's attempts to keep her awake. The group arrived at a barn to stay in for the night, where Anna woke up hours later. Kristoff prepared to bring Anna back home because of the cold weather making her sick, but Anna protested not to turn back. Olaf mentioned the Valley of the Living Rock, the name of which he heard from someone reading Elsa's mother's letter aloud earlier. Kristoff told the group that he knew where to find the Valley, so Anna convinced him to take her there in the morning.
Alone and heartbroken, Elsa left the Valley of the Living Rock and retreated to her ice palace. She planned to hide away there until the curse broke; otherwise, she would remain isolated forever. To her surprise, she found Hans expecting her inside her palace. Hans pleaded for Elsa to return to Arendelle and restore summer; afterward, they could marry and rule the kingdom together. Elsa realized Hans' motives to exploit her and seize the throne, so she rejected Hans' proposal and refused to come back with him. To her shock, Hans revealed that he read the king and queen's letter and knew about Anna. No longer able to marry Elsa, Hans plotted to kill Elsa, prove Anna's royal status via the letter, and marry Anna instead. He called guards to his aid, tricking them into believing Elsa attacked him. Arendellian guards as well as the Duke of Weselton's men assaulted Elsa as she escaped her palace. She created a huge beast made of snow to fight off the guards for her as she fled. Outside, more guards confronted her and shot bolts. At the same moment, Elsa's snow beast stumbled without a leg and crashed into the ice staircase Elsa was standing on. Elsa tried to outrun the collapsing stairs but passed out in the process.
As the group journeyed to the Valley of the Living Rock the next morning, a pack of wolves ambushed their sleigh. They escaped the wolves by leaping across a ravine; Anna, Olaf, and Sven crossed safely, but the sleigh fell in and Kristoff could only cling to the ledge. Anna tried to find a rope to haul Kristoff up, but discovering they lost their supplies in the aftermath. Suddenly, a pickax attached to a rope flied in and pulled Kristoff to safety. The person who saved Kristoff revealed himself as Prince Hans. The group learned that Hans also was trying to find Elsa and cease the winter. Hans recalled how Elsa grew into a monster back on her coronation day. Hearing this, Anna received yet another vision, sensing someone desperately begging to her for help. The vision caused her to collapse, causing Kristoff to insist for her to go home. Anna stubbornly refused, realizing that Elsa was in danger. Hans offered to tag along with Anna to the Valley of the Living Rock to find Elsa. Kristoff still expressed his concerns for Anna's health, but Anna chose to travel with Hans. Kristoff finally decided to go home with Sven since he cannot convince anyone to come with him. Hans, Anna, and Olaf seek shelter for the night at a cabin.
Elsa woke up inside a dungeon cell back in Arendelle, her hands in metal cuffs that blocked her magic. Lord Peterssen visited Elsa's cell revealing how the Duke of Weselton ordered Elsa locked up. Elsa claimed about a second daughter her parents had named Anna, pleading to send a search party for her. Peterssen did not recall Elsa ever having a sister and could not afford sending a search due to the harsh weather. He asked for Elsa to bring back summer, to which Elsa replied that she did not know how, but she knew Anna could help her if she could find her. Before Peterssen reminded her that he could not send a search, guards took him and locked him away on the Duke of Weselton's orders.
As Hans received fresh supplies from the cabin the group stopped by at, he questioned Elsa's morality from her wish for Arendelle to suffer. Hearing this triggered yet another vision in Anna, this time witnessing Elsa locked in a dungeon. Hans suggested to return to Arendelle before the worsening weather rendered them unable to travel, but Anna refused yet again. With Hans continued insistence about Elsa's evil intentions, Anna grew suspicious of the man who was supposedly Elsa's prince. An Arendellian guard arrived at cabin, explaining how they lost sight of Hans after the battle. Anna wondered what battle the guard referred to, but Hans dismissed it as an avalanche at the North Mountain, continuing to fuel Anna's suspicion. She decided to travel back to Arendelle with Hans to wait out the storm and find a missing clue.
As Kristoff traveled with Sven, he ranted about how Anna aggravated him. Thanks to Sven's input, Kristoff admitted to his faithlessness and regretted abandoning Anna. He planned to meet Anna at the Valley of the Living Rock to apologize. Discovering Anna was not there, Kristoff asked Grand Pabbie if Anna arrived at the valley, to which Pabbie responded that Elsa visited instead. He informed Kristoff how Anna and Elsa are sisters and about their curse that may kill Anna. He also revealed that Elsa was in Arendelle and Anna was also headed there. Fearing for Anna's safety, Kristoff and Sven hurried to Arendelle to save her.
Anna, Hans, and Olaf arrived back at Arendelle Castle. The people demanded for Lord Peterssen's release while Anna's returning memories overwhelm her. Unable to bear her stress any longer, Anna fled to the quiet castle portrait gallery. Hans followed her into the gallery, and Anna admitted to him about her bizzare visions. Hans explained her visions as Anna regaining her memories of her past royal identity. He offered for the two to rule Arendelle together after he killed Elsa, a deal which Anna immediately rejected. Hans threatened to burn the queen's letter before a freed Lord Peterssen intervened and ordered guards to take Hans away. Anna took the queen's letter from Hans before running to the dungeons.
Anna found Elsa in her dungeon cell, Elsa immediately recognizing her long-lost sister. To her joy, Elsa assumed the curse broke because both she and her sister can remember each other. Olaf also followed Anna to Elsa's cell, Elsa relieved he was alright. Unfortunately, Hans arrived at the dungeons and incapacitated both Olaf and Anna, the latter of whom he shoved close to Elsa. Anna began freezing up from proximity with Elsa, revealing that the curse did not break after all. Elsa finally shattered her chains and cell with her powers; as she fled, Anna began to thaw out.
Piecing together clues, Anna realized how Freya was simply an alias her mother Iduna used to visit her in secret. Hans chased after Elsa while Anna and Olaf followed into the storm, knowing Hans would kill Elsa if they did not stop him. While Anna struggled to navigate, she thought of reading the queen's letter to remember what had happened, only to sadly discover that she lost it. Soon, she found Elsa despairing and vulnerable while Hans prepared to kill her. All the memories Anna lost returned to her at once, enlightening her to the full story of her past. As Hans swung his sword at Elsa, Anna leapt to Elsa's side, instantly turning to ice and shattering Hans' sword. As Elsa realized the sacrifice Anna made for her and grieved over her frozen body, Anna thawed out of love, the curse separating the two sisters finally broken. Elsa embraced that love to thaw out the kingdom and restore summer. Lord Peterssen found the queen's letter and handed it to the sisters. Anna and Elsa read their parents' letter together.
Ending[]
Elsa ordered for both Prince Hans and the Duke of Weselton to be deported from Arendelle. Kristoff and Anna visited Harmon to share about their adventure. Anna spent quality time with her adoptive parents, who told her the story of how her mother brought her there. After traveling back to Arendelle, Anna gave Kristoff a new sled to replace the one he lost, and the two kissed. The kingdom arranged a new coronation and rejoiced for their new queen and returning princess. Elsa finally felt happy having her sister Anna returned to her.
Barnes & Noble exclusive chapter[]
The Barnes & Noble exclusive edition of the book contains an extra chapter taking place the night Elsa inadvertently cursed her sister. The chapter details how Iduna blamed herself for what happened, wishing she didn't teach Elsa to suppress her powers. After Agnarr gave a final goodbye to his youngest daughter, he rode back to the castle with Elsa while Iduna traveled to Harmon with Anna. When she arrived at Tomally's bakery, Iduna worried if Tomally would turn down her request to raise Anna. When Johan and Tomally answered the door, neither recognized the girl Iduna brought, a sign that Grand Pabbie's amnesia spell worked. Welcomed inside to talk, Iduna explained her current situation and asked them to raise Anna. To Iduna's relief, Tomally and Johan immediately accepted the task, feeling honored to raise their goddaughter. They additionally vowed to always keep Anna's royal identity a secret. Iduna prepared to travel back to Arendelle, knowing others will notice her absence if she does not return quickly. She held on to hope that the curse would break one day, allowing her family to reunite once more.
New characters[]
Arendelle[]
- Lord Peterssen - One of the kingdom's lords who handled the affairs until Elsa came of age to become queen.
- Kai - One of the kingdom's servants.
- Gerda - One of the kingdom's servants.
- Olina - The castle's head chef.
Harmon[]
- Tomally - A long-time friend of Queen Iduna and wife of Johan, who was entrusted to raise Anna when she was cursed.
- Johan - A baker and wife of Tomally, and Anna's adoptive father.
- Mrs. Aagard - a cobbler's wife who lives in Harmon.
- Erik, Elin, & Elise - the names of the three hens in Harmon's chicken coop.
- Erling - a florist who lives in Harmon.
- Mr. Larsen - a Harmon villager who ordered a wedding cake from Anna's family's bakery. Later, he shelters from the eternal winter at Anna's house.
Other[]
- Axel Ludenburg - A sculptor from Weselton who made the bronze statue of Arendelle's royal family.
- Duke of Blakeston - A kind duke Elsa likes because he brought her chocolate.
Trivia[]
- In the UK, the book is titled "Let it Go".
- Lord Peterssen also appears in Frozen II: Dangerous Secrets.
- The Barnes & Noble exclusive edition includes a bonus chapter about Iduna bringing Anna to Tomally's house on the night of the accident.
- The book says that Anna has bright red hair as opposed to her strawberry blonde hair in the film.
- As a feature unique to this book, Elsa describes a tingling sensation in her fingertips whenever she uses her magic.
- Because her powers are closely linked with her emotions, Elsa feels the tingling when she feels anxious or stressed.
- The tingling can spread over her entire body if she feels especially stressed.
- Elsa's fingers feel warm when she embraces love. The first time this happened was when Elsa recalled her younger self happily playing with her sister. By the end of the book, Elsa harnesses her love of her family and Arendelle, and her fingers warm as she restores the kingdom.
- During her coronation ceremony at the end of the book, Elsa does not feel any tingling because she had finally let go of her fears.
- According to this book, Elsa's favorite flower is purple heather. Hans brought bouquets of purple heather to Elsa every week to cheer her up.
- On page 16, Elsa claimed that she has never baked before in her lifetime. However, she later recalled that she baked with Anna when they were kids, a memory she forgot after losing all memory of her sister. Based on this, the curse doesn't alter Elsa's memories to omit Anna, but completely wipes all memories that involve her. This means that Elsa doesn't remember baking at all, with or without her sister.
- As stated on page 57, Elsa's bedroom has pink walls rather than blue like in the film. However, Anna and Elsa's shared room as kids had pink walls, which means that Elsa stayed in the pink room after Anna moved out.
- There are five typos throughout this book.
- On page 72, the word "clearly" is misspelled as "cleary". It is missing an L.
- On page 149, the word "crystallized" is misspelled as "crystalized". It is missing an L.
- On page 169, the word "vision" is misspelled as "vison". It is missing an I.
- On page 246, there is the line "She was hurting". For context, this sentence is used to describe Elsa's helpless state locked in the dungeons. "She was hurt" would fit with the context and make more grammatical sense.
- On page 277, the word "she" is used twice in a row.
- Ironically, Gerda is Queen Iduna's name on ABC's Once Upon a Time.
Gallery[]
.jpg "UK Paperback Let It Go (2019).jpg (483 KB)")
International titles[]
- Finnish: Jäätynyt sydän (Frozen Heart)
- French: Renouveau (Renewal)
- German: Elsas Suche (Elsa's Search)
- Italian: gelo nel cuore (Frozen Heart)
- Japanese: アナと雪の女王 ~ひきさかれた姉妹~ (Frozen ~The Separated Sisters~)
- Spanish: Frozen
- Swedish: Fångad av is (Trapped by Ice)
