#62 Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Jena and her four sisters have a secret. Every full moon, they open up a portal to the Other Kingdom, a parallel world filled with magical 
creatures, where they dance the night away and return before dawn. One night, Jena’s eldest sister, the beautiful Tati attracts the attention of one of the Night People. Jena knows that these creatures are said to feed on the blood of humans, and fears for her sister’s life. Tati will hear none of her sister’s protests, claiming that she is in love. Meanwhile, their home life is turned upside down with their father is sent away from their cold Transylvanian home for the winter season. Jena and her sister plan on managing the castle by themselves until his return, but their cousin Cezar has other plans. They watch in shock as he bullies his way into taking over the household and their father’s business. He even threatens to fell the forest that surrounds their castle, a decision that will destroy the Other Kingdom that they have come to love.
Wildwood Dancing is a unique twist on The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale, told from the point of view of one of the “princesses” (although here, she’s not nobility). The setting is in Transylvania, a unique choice for a fantasy book, and Marillier does a great job in immersing the reader in the culture. There’s even a pronunciation guide in the back for the names and words found in the original language. When it comes to characterization, I found that Marillier succeeds here as well as in her popular Severwaters books. Jena is a strong heroine, a sensible, yet flawed young girl that wants nothing more than what’s best for her family. Sometimes, this leads her to make poor choices, but she always has the best intentions. Wildwood Dancing also has a very well crafted villain in Cezar. His condescending and bullying nature made me want to reach through the pages and strangle him on many occasions. His controlling, sexist attitude is not idealized, but neither is he just evil for the sake of being evil. He honestly believes that the choices he are making as the best for the town, and for the five sisters, seeing himself as a benevolent force instead or something damaging. In a way, he’s a lot like Jena. Unlike Jena, he’s so blinded by his own prejudices that he doesn’t know when he needs to stop. This makes for an interesting parallel.
Wildwood Dancing is a beautifully written fantasy great for people who love fairy tale retellings. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is not the only fairy tale referenced here, but I don’t want to spoil the others. There is also a strong romantic storyline, not just for Tati, but for Jena as well, which a great added bonus. Perhaps it's biggest flaw is it is a bit predictable. If you're looking for a twisty turny thriller, this may not be for you. If you like lyrical fantasy books filled with drama, romance, and magic, then this is for you.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 407 pages
Source: Borders Book Sale (I got this sexy hardcover for $3!)
TBR Pile: 144 books
Similar Books: The initial set up with the five sisters (and in a way, their personalities) reminded me a lot of Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps it's the cover artists, but the beautiful prose style and romantic subplot also reminded me of Patricia McKillip ( my review of Alphabet of Thorn). Fans of Shannon Hale's Bayern books will probably enjoy this as well.
Other books I've read by this book: Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, Child of the Prophecy
I just finished with an audiobook today- Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong. A review should be posted soon
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds
creatures, where they dance the night away and return before dawn. One night, Jena’s eldest sister, the beautiful Tati attracts the attention of one of the Night People. Jena knows that these creatures are said to feed on the blood of humans, and fears for her sister’s life. Tati will hear none of her sister’s protests, claiming that she is in love. Meanwhile, their home life is turned upside down with their father is sent away from their cold Transylvanian home for the winter season. Jena and her sister plan on managing the castle by themselves until his return, but their cousin Cezar has other plans. They watch in shock as he bullies his way into taking over the household and their father’s business. He even threatens to fell the forest that surrounds their castle, a decision that will destroy the Other Kingdom that they have come to love.
Wildwood Dancing is a unique twist on The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale, told from the point of view of one of the “princesses” (although here, she’s not nobility). The setting is in Transylvania, a unique choice for a fantasy book, and Marillier does a great job in immersing the reader in the culture. There’s even a pronunciation guide in the back for the names and words found in the original language. When it comes to characterization, I found that Marillier succeeds here as well as in her popular Severwaters books. Jena is a strong heroine, a sensible, yet flawed young girl that wants nothing more than what’s best for her family. Sometimes, this leads her to make poor choices, but she always has the best intentions. Wildwood Dancing also has a very well crafted villain in Cezar. His condescending and bullying nature made me want to reach through the pages and strangle him on many occasions. His controlling, sexist attitude is not idealized, but neither is he just evil for the sake of being evil. He honestly believes that the choices he are making as the best for the town, and for the five sisters, seeing himself as a benevolent force instead or something damaging. In a way, he’s a lot like Jena. Unlike Jena, he’s so blinded by his own prejudices that he doesn’t know when he needs to stop. This makes for an interesting parallel.
Wildwood Dancing is a beautifully written fantasy great for people who love fairy tale retellings. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is not the only fairy tale referenced here, but I don’t want to spoil the others. There is also a strong romantic storyline, not just for Tati, but for Jena as well, which a great added bonus. Perhaps it's biggest flaw is it is a bit predictable. If you're looking for a twisty turny thriller, this may not be for you. If you like lyrical fantasy books filled with drama, romance, and magic, then this is for you.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 407 pages
Source: Borders Book Sale (I got this sexy hardcover for $3!)
TBR Pile: 144 books
Similar Books: The initial set up with the five sisters (and in a way, their personalities) reminded me a lot of Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps it's the cover artists, but the beautiful prose style and romantic subplot also reminded me of Patricia McKillip ( my review of Alphabet of Thorn). Fans of Shannon Hale's Bayern books will probably enjoy this as well.
Other books I've read by this book: Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, Child of the Prophecy
I just finished with an audiobook today- Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong. A review should be posted soon
xposted to bookish and temporaryworlds