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maddie_orart's review
4.0
Review also posted on Of Reading and Random Things
For some reason, the entire time I was reading Entwined, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake kept playing on repeat in my head. It has now become my theme song for this book. Also, Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Azalea and her eleven sisters are in mourning. Their mother died giving birth to the twelfth princess, Lily, and their father, the King left them to go to war. The princesses are okay –well, not okay, but at least they accept not wearing colorful dresses (only black dresses for mourning), and not going outside. But apparently, they can’t dance either! This is very devastating for the girls because dancing is life. So when they stumbled upon a magical pavilion, with dancers and a charming Mr. Keeper, the princesses were ecstatic! After taking an oath that prevents them from telling their secret to anyone, Azalea and her sisters visit the pavilion every night, until they find out that it and the Keeper aren’t so delightful after all.
So the story isn’t really anything new, it is a retelling after all, but I find myself enjoying it a lot. I think what I love most about Entwined is the relationships between the characters. I don’t have that many siblings (I have one younger brother and two younger sisters), but I could relate to the twelve sisters in this book. Sometimes they argue/quarrel, sometimes they prank each other, and people confuse them with each other (more than once, my mom would call me by my sisters’ names even when I’m sitting right in front of her), but they can always rely on each other, and that makes me so happy while I was reading. Their relationship with the King is more… rocky. People deal with grief in different ways. Azalea and her sisters need to dance, but the King, on the other hand, distances himself from his daughters even when they want to reach out to him.
I felt just as sad as Azalea and her sisters whenever their father rejects them and then left for the war, but like I said, different people, different coping methods. But despite all their talk of not caring for the King, ‘the King is not part of our family anymore’ etc. etc., I could still see the love the girls have for their father through their actions, like checking the newspaper every day to see if he is injured. And when he came back from the war, the way the King tries to win back his daughters is so heartwarming I just smiled the whole time. While this book does have romantic subplots, I love how Entwined focuses more on the family bonds rather than romance. In fact, the romance was just a small part of the story. It was still adorable though:) .
The characters in Entwined are memorable, each with their own unique characteristics. As there are TWELVE sisters in the story, it’s understandable that some of them are not as distinct as the others, but a few of them are quite memorable. Being the eldest sister, Azalea takes on the role of their mother, taking care of the younger sisters, trying to help them cope with their grief while dealing with her own, and I think she’s a wonderful character. Bramble is my favorite. She’s witty, loud and definitely the kind of girl who speaks before she thinks.
While I think that the writing is quite simple and not too elaborate, the story flowed nicely and I didn’t get bored at all. In the end, I think that Entwined is a story of family, how a family can find its way back together after a tragedy. It is a wonderful retelling of the original tale, imbued with humor, wonderful relationships, and a creepy (but not super creepy/scary, don’t worry) villain. This is one of those books that I want my younger sisters to read; it’s easy to read, heartwarming, and it shows us that love and family is the most powerful magic of all.
For some reason, the entire time I was reading Entwined, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake kept playing on repeat in my head. It has now become my theme song for this book. Also, Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Azalea and her eleven sisters are in mourning. Their mother died giving birth to the twelfth princess, Lily, and their father, the King left them to go to war. The princesses are okay –well, not okay, but at least they accept not wearing colorful dresses (only black dresses for mourning), and not going outside. But apparently, they can’t dance either! This is very devastating for the girls because dancing is life. So when they stumbled upon a magical pavilion, with dancers and a charming Mr. Keeper, the princesses were ecstatic! After taking an oath that prevents them from telling their secret to anyone, Azalea and her sisters visit the pavilion every night, until they find out that it and the Keeper aren’t so delightful after all.
So the story isn’t really anything new, it is a retelling after all, but I find myself enjoying it a lot. I think what I love most about Entwined is the relationships between the characters. I don’t have that many siblings (I have one younger brother and two younger sisters), but I could relate to the twelve sisters in this book. Sometimes they argue/quarrel, sometimes they prank each other, and people confuse them with each other (more than once, my mom would call me by my sisters’ names even when I’m sitting right in front of her), but they can always rely on each other, and that makes me so happy while I was reading. Their relationship with the King is more… rocky. People deal with grief in different ways. Azalea and her sisters need to dance, but the King, on the other hand, distances himself from his daughters even when they want to reach out to him.
I felt just as sad as Azalea and her sisters whenever their father rejects them and then left for the war, but like I said, different people, different coping methods. But despite all their talk of not caring for the King, ‘the King is not part of our family anymore’ etc. etc., I could still see the love the girls have for their father through their actions, like checking the newspaper every day to see if he is injured. And when he came back from the war, the way the King tries to win back his daughters is so heartwarming I just smiled the whole time. While this book does have romantic subplots, I love how Entwined focuses more on the family bonds rather than romance. In fact, the romance was just a small part of the story. It was still adorable though:) .
The characters in Entwined are memorable, each with their own unique characteristics. As there are TWELVE sisters in the story, it’s understandable that some of them are not as distinct as the others, but a few of them are quite memorable. Being the eldest sister, Azalea takes on the role of their mother, taking care of the younger sisters, trying to help them cope with their grief while dealing with her own, and I think she’s a wonderful character. Bramble is my favorite. She’s witty, loud and definitely the kind of girl who speaks before she thinks.
While I think that the writing is quite simple and not too elaborate, the story flowed nicely and I didn’t get bored at all. In the end, I think that Entwined is a story of family, how a family can find its way back together after a tragedy. It is a wonderful retelling of the original tale, imbued with humor, wonderful relationships, and a creepy (but not super creepy/scary, don’t worry) villain. This is one of those books that I want my younger sisters to read; it’s easy to read, heartwarming, and it shows us that love and family is the most powerful magic of all.
slpbookdragon's review
5.0
I loved this version of the twelve dancing princesses so much. :) I love reading retold versions of fairy tale stories, and this one had plot twists until the very end. I couldn't put it down. When I recommended it to my friend, she read it in 3 or 4 days. She said it was amazing and she loved it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a twist in fairy tales.
emmad24's review
4.0
This book is so weird and creepy...I love that part :) but the ending was confusing and all over the place so thats why I gave four stars
votesforwomen's review
3.0
This was a good book. I liked the sisters dynamic. And the reconciliation with Dad was great. I didn't really feel like I knew the characters, though. They are very easy to tell apart, but are barely two-dimensional, even Azalea. It did give an interesting new spin to the Twelve Dancing Princesses story, though.
dotreadsbooks's review
2.0
This story had a lot of potential but failed to deliver. The characters reminded me of 1950’s Disney animated movies with their exaggerated movements and facial expressions. The love story was sappy and shallow. It was more on the level of a children’s fairytale.
elvia_a's review against another edition
4.0
My full review: https://markedforgreatreads.wordpress.com/2021/08/16/book-review-entwined/
This book certainly didn't start off as a 4 stars but I can't tell if it was my fault or not because I was unfamiliar with the 12 Dancing Princesses fairytale. Absolutely loved the mystery and overall creepiness (I was actually scared for the characters I couldn't read before I went to bed) in the 2nd half of the book.
This book certainly didn't start off as a 4 stars but I can't tell if it was my fault or not because I was unfamiliar with the 12 Dancing Princesses fairytale. Absolutely loved the mystery and overall creepiness (I was actually scared for the characters I couldn't read before I went to bed) in the 2nd half of the book.
kaeliwolf's review
5.0
Okay, this is my favourite book (one that's not in a series) because it has everything I love all in one book. Romance, magic, thrills, mystery, and loss. It truly changes my life every time I read it!!
chuskeyreads's review
4.0
Once upon a time in a land before Netflix lived a little girl who loved to read stories and dream of being a princess.
When I was a little girl, my mother used to read stories from a big volume of fairy tales to my sister and me at bedtime. I can’t count the number of times we said, “Just one more... Pleeeeease!” And she would read us just one more.
I don’t remember the name of the book, but I do remember my favorite story - “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”
This story reminds me of those sweet stories from my childhood, which is why I enjoyed it so much. It’s just a wholesome retelling without the modern YA spin (sex and language) perfect for some of my younger students.
When I was a little girl, my mother used to read stories from a big volume of fairy tales to my sister and me at bedtime. I can’t count the number of times we said, “Just one more... Pleeeeease!” And she would read us just one more.
I don’t remember the name of the book, but I do remember my favorite story - “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”
This story reminds me of those sweet stories from my childhood, which is why I enjoyed it so much. It’s just a wholesome retelling without the modern YA spin (sex and language) perfect for some of my younger students.