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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I just love folklore. Especially Slavic folklore. Marillier spins an excellent take of sisterhood, family, romance and, well, mythical characters.
Nothing in this book was a real surprise. There were elements I could see a mile away. But, there is something kind of comforting in keeping with the formula of a good folktale or fairy tale. This tale is very well written and the characters are all fleshed out. The heroine is smart and not a damsel in distress - which I really enjoyed.
I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good fairy tale but still wants a strong female protag.
Nothing in this book was a real surprise. There were elements I could see a mile away. But, there is something kind of comforting in keeping with the formula of a good folktale or fairy tale. This tale is very well written and the characters are all fleshed out. The heroine is smart and not a damsel in distress - which I really enjoyed.
I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good fairy tale but still wants a strong female protag.
http://ginasblogging.blogspot.com/2007/04/wildwood-dancing.html
Upon re-reading this book I’ve bumped my rating down a star.
I still loved the story but I found that I had no pity for Tati or our main character Jena. I had a hard tome reading past the pathetic way Tati felt with her “love” for Sorrow, she became a ridiculous young girl, blinded and made immature by lust. Her behavior towards her disorders and her complete fall into despair at the idea of not being with him after one night was just so unbelievable and cringe worthy. Jena made immature choices and was easily worked into a state of distrust, I wish she had made choices with more thought but then there would be no story... I wanted more of the Night People and more time in the other Kingdom, also Gogu didn’t get nearly as much time on the page as he deserved, just sayin. Still a lovely story, but on the reread I just could NOT stand Tati and it irked me bad.
I still loved the story but I found that I had no pity for Tati or our main character Jena. I had a hard tome reading past the pathetic way Tati felt with her “love” for Sorrow, she became a ridiculous young girl, blinded and made immature by lust. Her behavior towards her disorders and her complete fall into despair at the idea of not being with him after one night was just so unbelievable and cringe worthy. Jena made immature choices and was easily worked into a state of distrust, I wish she had made choices with more thought but then there would be no story... I wanted more of the Night People and more time in the other Kingdom, also Gogu didn’t get nearly as much time on the page as he deserved, just sayin. Still a lovely story, but on the reread I just could NOT stand Tati and it irked me bad.
[book:Wildwood Dancing] by [author:Juliet Mariller] is a retelling of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses" fairy tale, directed at Young Adult readers. The story takes place in Transylvania in Romania, and the author did a lot of reseach to make the story as authentic as possible including visiting Romania. In this story, there are five sisters, and a very complicated story that with the skillful use of flashbacks spans 10 years and will, if not keep you guessing, at least keep you interested. I get tired easily when I am reading and am still getting use to reading glasses so I prefer short chapters making it easy to pause, unlike the long meaty chapters in this book. It was a wonderful magical sort of book though with twists and turns, and in the manner of all fairytales, things were not always as they seemed.
Juliet Marillier does it again. She always does it. Never fails to do it. Even her bad books are good books. How does she do it? I want to know. She can make you fall in love with a frog named Gogu, and think nothing of it because he's such a sweet, dashing frog (of course, you know better, and it IS better!). Every time I pick up anything she's written, it's almost impossible to suction me out from between the covers. I can't stop until I've inhaled the book completely, like the most wonderful addiction conceivable.
I thought for a while that this was going to be like a blend of The Frog Prince and The Twelve Dancing Princesses stories with a hint of Transylvanian vampiric lore, except it was better, more exciting and definitely more romantic (because really, what's so romantic about those stories?).
Wildwood Dancing is set in Transylvania, unlike Marillier's usual Irish tales, but nonetheless the same things that made Sevenwaters and Wolfskin so captivating were beautifully translated to this new setting. Many of Marillier's elements returned -- brave and alternately practical and whimsical heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, devastatingly beautiful yet decidedly ambiguous Fair Folk, villains that you ultimately can't hate (although with Cezar, I came pretty close), sibling rivalry, unrequited love, and vulnerable family members, and endings that are so completely breathtaking that they leave you melancholy and triumphant at the same time.
I think, though, that a bit of my melancholy can be credited to my sadness that the book has to come to an end at one point or another. This is one of those books that you wish could go on forever.
I thought for a while that this was going to be like a blend of The Frog Prince and The Twelve Dancing Princesses stories with a hint of Transylvanian vampiric lore, except it was better, more exciting and definitely more romantic (because really, what's so romantic about those stories?).
Wildwood Dancing is set in Transylvania, unlike Marillier's usual Irish tales, but nonetheless the same things that made Sevenwaters and Wolfskin so captivating were beautifully translated to this new setting. Many of Marillier's elements returned -- brave and alternately practical and whimsical heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, devastatingly beautiful yet decidedly ambiguous Fair Folk, villains that you ultimately can't hate (although with Cezar, I came pretty close), sibling rivalry, unrequited love, and vulnerable family members, and endings that are so completely breathtaking that they leave you melancholy and triumphant at the same time.
I think, though, that a bit of my melancholy can be credited to my sadness that the book has to come to an end at one point or another. This is one of those books that you wish could go on forever.
I love Marillier's ability to take a traditional fairytale and weave a completely believable adult novel from it. This mash-up of 12 Dancing Princess and The Frog Prince was fun from beginning to end.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
There was much to love about this book. Very clever and things wove together well. I loved the main character. However, the oldest sister basically had "anorexia due to love." I found it disturbing.
* Spoiler*
While the "love of her life" (she hardly knows) is off doing quests to win the oldest sister, she's not eating. I would assume he'd pretty disappointed he did all that while she basically did nothing.
* Spoiler*
While the "love of her life" (she hardly knows) is off doing quests to win the oldest sister, she's not eating. I would assume he'd pretty disappointed he did all that while she basically did nothing.
Jenica and her sisters have been going to the Other World to dance during the Full Moon for years. This time, things have changed drastically. Her father is leaving because he is sick, her cousin, Cezar has become a tyrant, and her sister, Tatiana, has fallen in love with a member of the Night People. Jenica is tasked with fixing everyone else's life, but everything is falling apart, and her heart is breaking as things are not going well. This read was surprisingly engaging. I didn't think I would like it, but I became enraptured with the characters and the story line.
All of my reviews (as well as ones by some other awesome chicks) can be found here: http://www.chicksgetlit.com/
Every full moon Jena, her frog, and her sisters all use a portal to enter the other kingdom. They spend the evening dancing with magical beings. Life was good.
Then their father becomes ill and leaves home to recover. He trusts Jena to run the family business but she is a girl and so a cousin, Cezar, will help her. Cezar cannot help but remind Jena that if she or one of her sisters fails to provide a male heir he may just be taking over her family, since her father is very ill, ill enough to he might not make it home and therefore Cezar would be the next in line to be the man in charge. Jena cannot stand this thought but Cezar's hints and flat out bully attempts to run her home have come at a time when Jena’s sister has fallen for a young man in the Other Kingdom who she should not have fallen for. Sure, the fact that he is in the Other Kingdom and therefore only seen by them during the full moon is an issue, but it is worse than that -- he is visiting the Other Kingdom with the Night People, a mysterious group with a horrid reputation for toying with people -- ruining lives even. It’s a lot for Jenna to take on, essentially alone, only her best friend / Frog Gogu can truly help her and she’s not sure that a frog is of much help, no matter how much she loves him. Jenna does send letters to her father but she’s unsure that he is getting them and she cannot bring herself to tell him just how bad things have gotten as she’d not want to further affect his health. How to save her sister and her home?
Overall this an amazing story borrowing classic fairy-tale and gothic horror elements and weaving them into a unique story all its own. The only reason I cannot give it five stars is that it foes seem a wee bit repetitive at time, it drags on at others, and then finally is just rushed here and there. Were it a little more balanced, it’d be perfect.
Every full moon Jena, her frog, and her sisters all use a portal to enter the other kingdom. They spend the evening dancing with magical beings. Life was good.
Then their father becomes ill and leaves home to recover. He trusts Jena to run the family business but she is a girl and so a cousin, Cezar, will help her. Cezar cannot help but remind Jena that if she or one of her sisters fails to provide a male heir he may just be taking over her family, since her father is very ill, ill enough to he might not make it home and therefore Cezar would be the next in line to be the man in charge. Jena cannot stand this thought but Cezar's hints and flat out bully attempts to run her home have come at a time when Jena’s sister has fallen for a young man in the Other Kingdom who she should not have fallen for. Sure, the fact that he is in the Other Kingdom and therefore only seen by them during the full moon is an issue, but it is worse than that -- he is visiting the Other Kingdom with the Night People, a mysterious group with a horrid reputation for toying with people -- ruining lives even. It’s a lot for Jenna to take on, essentially alone, only her best friend / Frog Gogu can truly help her and she’s not sure that a frog is of much help, no matter how much she loves him. Jenna does send letters to her father but she’s unsure that he is getting them and she cannot bring herself to tell him just how bad things have gotten as she’d not want to further affect his health. How to save her sister and her home?
Overall this an amazing story borrowing classic fairy-tale and gothic horror elements and weaving them into a unique story all its own. The only reason I cannot give it five stars is that it foes seem a wee bit repetitive at time, it drags on at others, and then finally is just rushed here and there. Were it a little more balanced, it’d be perfect.