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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't initially give this 5 stars, but I can't stop thinking about it after I finished.
The atmosphere was so well written, you could just feel the silky green gowns, hear the music and see the shadows creeping in. The overall message was also lovely - how you can’t always control everything, even if it’s for the best. Sometimes all you can do is support and love someone as they continue along their journey.
If you liked Cruel Prince, the Frog Princess, or the Emily Wilde series, I think that you will really enjoy this!
The atmosphere was so well written, you could just feel the silky green gowns, hear the music and see the shadows creeping in. The overall message was also lovely - how you can’t always control everything, even if it’s for the best. Sometimes all you can do is support and love someone as they continue along their journey.
If you liked Cruel Prince, the Frog Princess, or the Emily Wilde series, I think that you will really enjoy this!
5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not all were joyful tales; we needed to acknowledge that love was not just kisses, smiles, and fulfillment, but also sacrifice, compromise, and hard work.
With its fairytale-esque cadence and vivid imagery, Wildwood Dancing was a gift to the little girl in me that once dreamt of traveling to an enchanted forest where she would befriend the Fairy folk and dance with them under the glittering stars.
This Transylvanian story reimagines the beloved tale of the 12 Dancing Princesses and in Juliet Marillier's fashion, she manages to craft with her stunning prose an exhilarating tale of sisterhood and friendship, patience and hope, and the wonders of true love.
Every full moon, five human sisters pass through a secret portal from their castle into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom, and there they join the Fae Folk On the Dancing Glade all through the night. All is well until their Father falls ill and must journey to the South to restore his health.
With the absence of their father, an ambitious cousin begins to meddle in their domestic affairs and is led by a darker motive to take down Piscul Dracului forest—the very same forest that is their tether to the Other Kindgom, if the forest is gone and so will the portal to the realm of the Fae.
The story is narrated mainly through Jenica's point of view, who is the second eldest, but Tatiana, Lulia, Paula and little Stella all became beloved to me. The sisters had such a powerful loving bond and yet with such stark difference in personalities there were times when they could not get along.
Gogu the Frog is often the voice of reason and full of surprises. Do not underestimate the frog.
True love is a prominent theme in fairytales and is woven beautifully into this spell-binding tale, even though it's a subplot (to settle expectations it's not a romance you'd expect in modern Fantasy Romances). Marillier adds a darker layer to the story that may be a little sad and ominous but does not strip away the magic for all journeys have their ups and downs, and it indeed promises a slightly bittersweet happily ever after.
This book reminded me of the magic of fairytales, even as a 30-year-old woman, and will forever be dear to me.
Content warning: includes mention of death, physical assault, non-con/dub-con touching and kiss, gaslighting.
Not all were joyful tales; we needed to acknowledge that love was not just kisses, smiles, and fulfillment, but also sacrifice, compromise, and hard work.
With its fairytale-esque cadence and vivid imagery, Wildwood Dancing was a gift to the little girl in me that once dreamt of traveling to an enchanted forest where she would befriend the Fairy folk and dance with them under the glittering stars.
This Transylvanian story reimagines the beloved tale of the 12 Dancing Princesses and in Juliet Marillier's fashion, she manages to craft with her stunning prose an exhilarating tale of sisterhood and friendship, patience and hope, and the wonders of true love.
Every full moon, five human sisters pass through a secret portal from their castle into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom, and there they join the Fae Folk On the Dancing Glade all through the night. All is well until their Father falls ill and must journey to the South to restore his health.
With the absence of their father, an ambitious cousin begins to meddle in their domestic affairs and is led by a darker motive to take down Piscul Dracului forest—the very same forest that is their tether to the Other Kindgom, if the forest is gone and so will the portal to the realm of the Fae.
The story is narrated mainly through Jenica's point of view, who is the second eldest, but Tatiana, Lulia, Paula and little Stella all became beloved to me. The sisters had such a powerful loving bond and yet with such stark difference in personalities there were times when they could not get along.
Gogu the Frog is often the voice of reason and full of surprises. Do not underestimate the frog.
True love is a prominent theme in fairytales and is woven beautifully into this spell-binding tale, even though it's a subplot (to settle expectations it's not a romance you'd expect in modern Fantasy Romances). Marillier adds a darker layer to the story that may be a little sad and ominous but does not strip away the magic for all journeys have their ups and downs, and it indeed promises a slightly bittersweet happily ever after.
This book reminded me of the magic of fairytales, even as a 30-year-old woman, and will forever be dear to me.
Content warning: includes mention of death, physical assault, non-con/dub-con touching and kiss, gaslighting.
Moved slowly and was very predictable. Good to have on the shelf, but not Rosie worthy.
I'm always up for a good fairytale retelling, and "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is one of my favorite fairytales in the world. So when I saw Wildwood Dancing reviewed on a friend's site, I knew I had to read it. Sadly, it languished in my library stack for several months before I got around to picking it up!
I really enjoyed Wildwood Dancing for a great many reasons. However, there were also some things that I wasn't really fond of. For your convenience (and my ease of reviewing), I'll make two lists: one good, one bad.
The Good:
1. Sisterly love. Fairy-tale retellings can generally be counted on to have a great emphasis on family, and Wildwood Dancing is no exception. I loved the sisters' relationships with each other, how they supported each other throughout all the mess they get into. And while some of the sisters do get wrapped up in their own problems after a certain point, those sisters also get called out on it and try to make things right in the end.
2. The Dancing Glade. Kudos to the author for doing something different in Wildwood Dancing than in most Twelve Dancing Princesses retellings by making the Dancing Glade somewhere I'd actually like to visit, with non-evil rulers and a generally nice populace. (With the exception of the Night People, obviously, who are as thoroughly nasty and evil as they ought to be- whatever the author may say to the contrary.)
3. Transylvania. Well, not Transylvania specifically, but I appreciate the fact that the book isn't set in the usual psuedo-England (or occasionally psuedo-Germany) of most fairytale retellings. Don't get me wrong, I love England and Germany- they're in my top five places I want to visit- but it's nice to see something different.
4. Surprises. About halfway (or maybe two-thirds, I'm not exactly sure) of the way through the book, I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen. Guess what? I was wrong about most of it, but in a good way. (I did, however, guess some things. For example,
The Bad:
1. Cezar. For most of the book, he seemed a bit flat to me. Certain events at the end of the book went some way towards explaining why he was the way he was, but I still feel he could've been given a little more depth.
2. Tatiana and Sorrow. Well, not entirely, but in some ways.At first I thought that Sorrow had somehow enchanted Tatiana, since she was practically head-over-heels for him after the first night. But no, no enchantments- and while that means Sorrow is a good guy, not the dangerous rogue I took him for at first, it also means there's no explanation for how they fell in love so fast. Also, Tatiana's love sickness. *facepalm* Get a grip, girl! I can understand that you're worried and you want to be with your "true love" and he's in danger- but refusing to eat and being listless and doing stupid things isn't going to help either of you. Even so, they did truly love each other and sacrificed for each other, so their romance isn't totally bad. Just some aspects annoy me. Speaking of which . . .
3. Jenica (at times). And by "times" I mean when she trusts a dubious vision that came from a very dark place over what she knows. *facepalm* I liked her for most of the book, but that annoyed me a lot.
4. The cover. The saying is true, and this book is much better than its cover implies, but still . . . it's weird-looking, that's all I'm saying. (Also, the girl on the front looks nothing like Jenica, in my opinion.)
Overall, Wildwood Dancing is an unique retelling of one of my favorite fairytales. Though it does have its not-so-awesome points, I would say its good points far outweigh them. I would recommend this to any teen who enjoys retold fairy tales.
I really enjoyed Wildwood Dancing for a great many reasons. However, there were also some things that I wasn't really fond of. For your convenience (and my ease of reviewing), I'll make two lists: one good, one bad.
The Good:
1. Sisterly love. Fairy-tale retellings can generally be counted on to have a great emphasis on family, and Wildwood Dancing is no exception. I loved the sisters' relationships with each other, how they supported each other throughout all the mess they get into. And while some of the sisters do get wrapped up in their own problems after a certain point, those sisters also get called out on it and try to make things right in the end.
2. The Dancing Glade. Kudos to the author for doing something different in Wildwood Dancing than in most Twelve Dancing Princesses retellings by making the Dancing Glade somewhere I'd actually like to visit, with non-evil rulers and a generally nice populace. (With the exception of the Night People, obviously, who are as thoroughly nasty and evil as they ought to be- whatever the author may say to the contrary.)
3. Transylvania. Well, not Transylvania specifically, but I appreciate the fact that the book isn't set in the usual psuedo-England (or occasionally psuedo-Germany) of most fairytale retellings. Don't get me wrong, I love England and Germany- they're in my top five places I want to visit- but it's nice to see something different.
4. Surprises. About halfway (or maybe two-thirds, I'm not exactly sure) of the way through the book, I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen. Guess what? I was wrong about most of it, but in a good way. (I did, however, guess some things. For example,
Spoiler
that Gogu was a person changed into a frog. I also guessed that Costi hadn't been killed as everyone suspected- though at first I thought he was Sorrow, and it wasn't until after I was proved wrong that I started to put two and two together to guess who he really was.The Bad:
1. Cezar. For most of the book, he seemed a bit flat to me. Certain events at the end of the book went some way towards explaining why he was the way he was, but I still feel he could've been given a little more depth.
2. Tatiana and Sorrow. Well, not entirely, but in some ways.
3. Jenica (at times). And by "times" I mean when she trusts a dubious vision that came from a very dark place over what she knows. *facepalm* I liked her for most of the book, but that annoyed me a lot.
4. The cover. The saying is true, and this book is much better than its cover implies, but still . . . it's weird-looking, that's all I'm saying. (Also, the girl on the front looks nothing like Jenica, in my opinion.)
Overall, Wildwood Dancing is an unique retelling of one of my favorite fairytales. Though it does have its not-so-awesome points, I would say its good points far outweigh them. I would recommend this to any teen who enjoys retold fairy tales.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
I enjoyed this one.
A few things irritated me, but since I really liked the writing style, I decided not to downgrade it.
I like Jena as the main character. Although only 16 years old, she is strong, sensible and determined. And I liked Gogu! He was such an unexpected element of this story.
I loved (hated!) Cezar as a villain. Some parts about him were a bit heavy-handed, but I didn't feel I needed more of his story. His motives and madness made sense to me even with these sparse descriptions.
The main issue I had (and that was also the case for Shadowfell series) is the romance part. The book didn't focus on romance, and yet we get a HEA ending. It felt rushed, and I didn't really like the man she chose. Like... we all know the case of the Habsburg family, right?!
A few things irritated me, but since I really liked the writing style, I decided not to downgrade it.
I like Jena as the main character. Although only 16 years old, she is strong, sensible and determined. And I liked Gogu! He was such an unexpected element of this story.
I loved (hated!) Cezar as a villain. Some parts about him were a bit heavy-handed, but I didn't feel I needed more of his story. His motives and madness made sense to me even with these sparse descriptions.
The main issue I had (and that was also the case for Shadowfell series) is the romance part. The book didn't focus on romance, and yet we get a HEA ending. It felt rushed, and I didn't really like the man she chose. Like... we all know the case of the Habsburg family, right?!
I had so many strong (STRONG) emotions while reading this! The magic of the Wildwood, the infuriating actions of Cezar, the twists --- such a fun read! Old school and a delight.
I found this book a little slower to start than Marillier's other books but once it got going I couldn't put it down. Loved it loved it loved it seen as I have loved all her other books it is not really a surprise! If you enjoy fantasy novels then I highly recommend her work.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No