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amandasbookreview's review
5.0
One of my favorite fairytales is the 12 Dancing Princesses. So when I found out that Pirouette by Kenley Davidson is a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses, I was ecstatic! It is the 3rd book in the Andari Chronicles and we FINALLY get Kyril’s story!!! Kyril and a few other spies are on a mission to find out more about the country of Caelan. One of his fellow spies, Brenna seems to have some sort of vendetta against him. It could be that he has quite the reputation at court. But that is the least of his worries. The Caelan palace is massive, magic is forbidden, and they have arrived right in the midst of the scandal. The King seems to be losing his mind, and his 12 daughters refuse to dance. Dancing is an important part of their culture. The only thing is, there are 13 daughters. The king refuses to acknowledge Ilani. Ilani was beaten when she was 7, causing her leg to be damaged for the rest of her life, so she can’t dance. Kyril is bewitched by Ilani’s beauty, wit, and strength. He has a mission but now will stop at nothing to help her.
I think this book has to be my favorite book in the series so far! We have a main heroine that has a disability, we visit a land that is not similar to English culture but to Middle-Eastern culture. I am loving all the diversity represented. I thought Kyril would be the highlight of this book because I have been looking forward to his story, but I was wrong. First, let’s discuss Ilani. She can no longer dance, walks with a cane, and is condemned by her family. She uses her invisibility to investigate what is happening in the palace. I love how the author discusses Ilani’s disability, but not making it the focus of the novel and she also doesn’t create some magical cure. Ilani accepts her disability, exudes strength, and has incredible smarts and wit! I want to see more characters like her.
Second, most fairytale retellings take place in a European-like setting. We get a different culture, different beliefs, and different rituals and our spies need to navigate this world. While there is something sinister behind the scenes, it is actually the work of a single villain. No spoilers. But the country itself isn’t sinister. It is a beautiful country with a fascinating heritage, that is ready for progress.
Overall, the pace is outstanding from beginning to end. I was desperate to figure out the mystery. The author does like to keep the readers guessing. I highly recommend this fairytale-fantasy-mystery-romance. It is delightful from beginning to end. 5 out of 5 stars!
I think this book has to be my favorite book in the series so far! We have a main heroine that has a disability, we visit a land that is not similar to English culture but to Middle-Eastern culture. I am loving all the diversity represented. I thought Kyril would be the highlight of this book because I have been looking forward to his story, but I was wrong. First, let’s discuss Ilani. She can no longer dance, walks with a cane, and is condemned by her family. She uses her invisibility to investigate what is happening in the palace. I love how the author discusses Ilani’s disability, but not making it the focus of the novel and she also doesn’t create some magical cure. Ilani accepts her disability, exudes strength, and has incredible smarts and wit! I want to see more characters like her.
Second, most fairytale retellings take place in a European-like setting. We get a different culture, different beliefs, and different rituals and our spies need to navigate this world. While there is something sinister behind the scenes, it is actually the work of a single villain. No spoilers. But the country itself isn’t sinister. It is a beautiful country with a fascinating heritage, that is ready for progress.
Overall, the pace is outstanding from beginning to end. I was desperate to figure out the mystery. The author does like to keep the readers guessing. I highly recommend this fairytale-fantasy-mystery-romance. It is delightful from beginning to end. 5 out of 5 stars!
delightful_reading's review
5.0
This is my favorite in this series. I loved Ilani and Kyril's relationship. I loved the camaraderie between Kyril, Alexei, Quinn, and Brenna. The story of the 12 dancing princess was perfectly twisted for this story. Also, I loved how the author handled the language barrier between Ilani and Kai. Using a talisman instead of having the characters randomly be fluent was neat. (Everyone else had valid or mysterious reasons to be fluent while Kai and Ilani really didn't.) Additionally, Rowan makes another appearance to keep things interesting.
helenmckinzi's review
3.0
I hate not finishing series when I start them, but these books are something I would have enjoyed as an eleven to sixteen-year-old. Adult me just isn't into these in a way I had hoped I would be. There's too much innocence and goodness here, and I really need something with a little more grey or darkness to it. These books are really sweet though, and I might come back and finish the last few books one of these days, but for now I'm going to focus on books that really captivate current me and not fantasy me.
fictionadventurer's review
5.0
After browsing through the self-published fairy tale retellings available on Kindle Unlimited, I'd started to get a bit depressed. It seems as though anyone with a word processor and a copy of Grimm's can pound out a retelling, filling the world with hundreds of half-baked versions of the same stories.
This book restored my faith in the genre.
"Pirouette" is a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". That's pretty much all I knew before starting. I love this fairy tale, but didn't have high hopes for the book, due to the "prom dress" look of the girl on the cover. When I started the first chapter, my expectations were blown away. This wasn't a generic, fluffy fairy tale kingdom, and this wasn't a half-baked retelling.
"Pirouette" takes place in a Middle-Eastern style kingdom, with a rich culture and harsh realities. In the prologue, our main character, Ilani, encounters these harsh realities at the age of seven, when she goes to dance for her father the malek (the king of Caelan) and accidentally reveals a forbidden magical talent. Due to this, her father orders the death of Ilani's mother and baby brother, and orders that Ilani never dance again. Ilani's leg is badly broken, and she grows up alone and outcast, with no hope for a future, since her culture has no place for a woman who cannot dance.
Meanwhile, a small group of spies from the more British-flavored country of Andar are traveling to learn more about Ilani's mysterious, powerful homeland of Caelan, and to keep tabs on the exiled Andari Prince Rowan, who might be planning further villainy. Lord Kyril Seagrave has a reputation as the court flirt, but as the best friend of the prince, he was placed in charge of this mission, much to the disapproval of Brenna, a fiery lady spy who already hates him due to his reputation. They're joined by the mysterious, magical Alexei (a man with his own agenda for the mission), and the taciturn bodyguard, Quinn. The latter three all have some experience with diplomatic intrigue, but Kyril feels out of his depth, especially since he doesn't know the language of Caelan. Instead of serving as leader, he's barely respected, as has to follow the rest of the group in disguise as the soldier and bodyguard to their identities as foreign merchants.
Soon after their arrival at the Caelani palace, scandal erupts, when the malek's twelve daughters (thirteen, actually, but no one counts the crippled Ilani) refuse to dance the traditional dance that allows their father's chosen heir to choose a wife. The malek orders that anyone who discovers why the princesses do not dance will be able to marry one of his daughters and choose the fates of the rest. The spies suspect this strange contest is part of Prince Rowan's evil plans, and Ilani worries that this contest will only cause her doom. Soon, Ilani and Kyril meet, and work together to investigate the many mysteries behind this strange contest and untangle the political intrigues of the two kingdoms.
This book has a highly complex plot, full of spies and political intrigue and conflicting personal agendas and plans within plans within plans, and takes place within a unique and well-thought-out world. It also has vivid, layered and likeable characters, and is full of sharp wit and humor and just a touch of romance. It leaves out or vastly alters many of my favorite parts of the original fairy tale, but the ways in which it twists the original story are so creative and fun that I can't complain about the differences.
There are some flaws. The characters tend to ruminate repetitively on their insecurities or parts of their history, especially in the first few chapters. I don't find it quite believable that Andar would know so little about Caelan, since the two countries share a border, and I find it strange (though the author does a pretty decent job of justifying it) that an important point of the magic system is largely unknown to the Caelanis who have lived with it for centuries. Plus, the interlocking intrigues get a bit too complicated near the climax, when setbacks for side characters distract from the buildup of the main plot. But these are small points that barely detract from a rich and enjoyable book.
"Pirouette" is not just a retelling. It's a novel, with a well-built world and three-dimensional characters. It has more depth and scope and a better plot and characters than most of the traditionally published fairy tale retellings that I've read. Though it's the third in a series, I was able to follow the plot just fine without reading the first two. But I immediately rushed to pick up the other books.
This book restored my faith in the genre.
"Pirouette" is a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". That's pretty much all I knew before starting. I love this fairy tale, but didn't have high hopes for the book, due to the "prom dress" look of the girl on the cover. When I started the first chapter, my expectations were blown away. This wasn't a generic, fluffy fairy tale kingdom, and this wasn't a half-baked retelling.
"Pirouette" takes place in a Middle-Eastern style kingdom, with a rich culture and harsh realities. In the prologue, our main character, Ilani, encounters these harsh realities at the age of seven, when she goes to dance for her father the malek (the king of Caelan) and accidentally reveals a forbidden magical talent. Due to this, her father orders the death of Ilani's mother and baby brother, and orders that Ilani never dance again. Ilani's leg is badly broken, and she grows up alone and outcast, with no hope for a future, since her culture has no place for a woman who cannot dance.
Meanwhile, a small group of spies from the more British-flavored country of Andar are traveling to learn more about Ilani's mysterious, powerful homeland of Caelan, and to keep tabs on the exiled Andari Prince Rowan, who might be planning further villainy. Lord Kyril Seagrave has a reputation as the court flirt, but as the best friend of the prince, he was placed in charge of this mission, much to the disapproval of Brenna, a fiery lady spy who already hates him due to his reputation. They're joined by the mysterious, magical Alexei (a man with his own agenda for the mission), and the taciturn bodyguard, Quinn. The latter three all have some experience with diplomatic intrigue, but Kyril feels out of his depth, especially since he doesn't know the language of Caelan. Instead of serving as leader, he's barely respected, as has to follow the rest of the group in disguise as the soldier and bodyguard to their identities as foreign merchants.
Soon after their arrival at the Caelani palace, scandal erupts, when the malek's twelve daughters (thirteen, actually, but no one counts the crippled Ilani) refuse to dance the traditional dance that allows their father's chosen heir to choose a wife. The malek orders that anyone who discovers why the princesses do not dance will be able to marry one of his daughters and choose the fates of the rest. The spies suspect this strange contest is part of Prince Rowan's evil plans, and Ilani worries that this contest will only cause her doom. Soon, Ilani and Kyril meet, and work together to investigate the many mysteries behind this strange contest and untangle the political intrigues of the two kingdoms.
This book has a highly complex plot, full of spies and political intrigue and conflicting personal agendas and plans within plans within plans, and takes place within a unique and well-thought-out world. It also has vivid, layered and likeable characters, and is full of sharp wit and humor and just a touch of romance. It leaves out or vastly alters many of my favorite parts of the original fairy tale, but the ways in which it twists the original story are so creative and fun that I can't complain about the differences.
There are some flaws. The characters tend to ruminate repetitively on their insecurities or parts of their history, especially in the first few chapters. I don't find it quite believable that Andar would know so little about Caelan, since the two countries share a border, and I find it strange (though the author does a pretty decent job of justifying it) that an important point of the magic system is largely unknown to the Caelanis who have lived with it for centuries. Plus, the interlocking intrigues get a bit too complicated near the climax, when setbacks for side characters distract from the buildup of the main plot. But these are small points that barely detract from a rich and enjoyable book.
"Pirouette" is not just a retelling. It's a novel, with a well-built world and three-dimensional characters. It has more depth and scope and a better plot and characters than most of the traditionally published fairy tale retellings that I've read. Though it's the third in a series, I was able to follow the plot just fine without reading the first two. But I immediately rushed to pick up the other books.
lynn_give_em_hel_vetica's review
4.0
It was quite enjoyable to see Caelan and it's people as it's been mentioned previously but we haven't had cause to journey there. I wasn't sure what to expect considering we start out on this voyage with a very seasick Kyril and an exceedingly disagreeable group of colleagues consisting of Brenna (Mrs. Delaney), Alexei (Mr. Delaney) and Quinn (the reticent assassin).
Kyril (Kai) was such a lovable doofus in The Traitor's Masque and I'm delighted he got his own adventure. It's nice to know he can be more serious when the need arises; though he certainly didn't believe in himself for the majority of the time. By the end his confidence is real rather than faked and he shines like the gem he is. It doesn't hurt that he also gained a plethora of new family members that will have his back.
Ilani is a character I feel deserves more page time than she got. I know she has magic, like her sisters do, but she never really gets to explore it. I would have liked to see what precisely her magic does. As far as I could tell, it doesn't seem to do much more than make gold butterflies when dancing which feels like a bit of a letdown considering her other sister's powers.
Alexei, Janard and Brenna are all such fascinating characters and I would love to learn more about them. I hope they all get to have their own stories at some point. Rowan on the other hand is a duplicitous traitor and he really needs the day of reckoning he so sorely deserves
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Kenley Davidson has a way with words. Every time I read one of her books I find myself highlighting large swaths of text that delight me so that I can go back and read them again and again.
Though the dance was for the malek and his heir and a chosen few others to view, the celebration would include everyone who could be reasonably crammed into the extensive palace grounds. Opulence and extravagance were but poor cousins to the display planned for that remarkable occasion.
Kyril (Kai) was such a lovable doofus in The Traitor's Masque and I'm delighted he got his own adventure. It's nice to know he can be more serious when the need arises; though he certainly didn't believe in himself for the majority of the time. By the end his confidence is real rather than faked and he shines like the gem he is. It doesn't hurt that he also gained a plethora of new family members that will have his back.
“That was a hand woven tapestry,” he informed Kyril. “A carefully crafted piece of art that probably took months to create.” “And I,” Kyril reminded him, “am an unshaven, uneducated mercenary. An unwashed barbarian. A foreign idiot and”—he shot a look at Brenna—“a lout. I wouldn’t know art if you smothered me with it. I am merely protecting you as you have hired me to do.”
Ilani is a character I feel deserves more page time than she got. I know she has magic, like her sisters do, but she never really gets to explore it. I would have liked to see what precisely her magic does. As far as I could tell, it doesn't seem to do much more than make gold butterflies when dancing which feels like a bit of a letdown considering her other sister's powers.
“I am a princess,” she told him loftily, “and I decree that you are to call me Lani. And as you are merely a subject, you will obey. Also,” she continued, “because I am a princess, I can have your head cut off whenever I choose, no matter what you call me.” It was not true, but it amused her to pretend.
Alexei, Janard and Brenna are all such fascinating characters and I would love to learn more about them. I hope they all get to have their own stories at some point. Rowan on the other hand is a duplicitous traitor and he really needs the day of reckoning he so sorely deserves
It was Janard’s turn to smile. A very small smile. Kyril suspected the man did not smile, or laugh, very often, except when serving deadly drinks to unsuspecting visitors. Being right-hand man to a dictator who had run mad was probably not a very amusing job.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Kenley Davidson has a way with words. Every time I read one of her books I find myself highlighting large swaths of text that delight me so that I can go back and read them again and again.
A roving vendor with a deep tray of jewels, naked to the waist and dripping with his own wares, called out in another [language], guttural consonants rasping out of a throat wrapped in a king’s ransom.
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