Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I really liked this book. It integrated several supernatural things as well as a couple of fairy tales. It was a little "Twelve Dancing Princesses" and a little "Frog Prince". There was even some vampires although they were called Night People. And it was set in Romania, where not many fairy tales are.
The characters were well developed although only Jena and Gogu really monopolized most of the book. The plot was well thought out and integrated. I didn't have questions about anything, except perhaps what may have happened to Cezar.
All in all, I think it was another fabulous book from Juliet Marillier. She has yet to let me down.
The characters were well developed although only Jena and Gogu really monopolized most of the book. The plot was well thought out and integrated. I didn't have questions about anything, except perhaps what may have happened to Cezar.
All in all, I think it was another fabulous book from Juliet Marillier. She has yet to let me down.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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'm not really sure how to rate this one. I very nearly gave up on it numerous times because it got really slow and slogged and I felt like we weren't getting enough of the fantastical magical other world elements that I wanted.
This is a very family relations and family politics heavy so if that's something you don't enjoy you probably shouldn't try this. There are a lot of elements of fantastical magical creatures and other worlds and other worldly politics but they're sort of a side feature until the end.
That being said I really really love the last third of this book which is what makes it hard for me to pinpoint my actual rating. It's slow to get into and it's quite info dumpy so I didn't really enjoy the first quarter very much and then the middle dragged a bit but the ending was so fast and interesting.
There's a twist that I never saw coming and maybe other people will find it obvious but it hit me out of nowhere and was so emotionally twisting. I had no idea how to feel and I didn't even know whose side I was supposed to be on. The romance will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea becauseJena's pet frog Grogu turns out to be her presumed dead older cousin Kosti. She's been living with this frog for 9 years and she takes it everywhere and brings it to every single occasion and sews special pockets into her dresses so that she can take her pet frog everywhere she goes and so that he can hear and experience everything she does because he's a magical talking frog. As the book goes on, Jena begins having visions of an otherworldly creature man that she feels romantically towards which she assumes is the future but it turns out to be Kosti returned to human form. So yes, there is incest in this because Kosti and Jena are first cousins by blood. .
At first, I was a bit taken aback by this but bc this is deeply folkloric and set an undetermined amount of time in this past, it feels accurate to the context of the story.
This is a very family relations and family politics heavy so if that's something you don't enjoy you probably shouldn't try this. There are a lot of elements of fantastical magical creatures and other worlds and other worldly politics but they're sort of a side feature until the end.
That being said I really really love the last third of this book which is what makes it hard for me to pinpoint my actual rating. It's slow to get into and it's quite info dumpy so I didn't really enjoy the first quarter very much and then the middle dragged a bit but the ending was so fast and interesting.
There's a twist that I never saw coming and maybe other people will find it obvious but it hit me out of nowhere and was so emotionally twisting. I had no idea how to feel and I didn't even know whose side I was supposed to be on. The romance will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea because
At first, I was a bit taken aback by this but bc this is deeply folkloric and set an undetermined amount of time in this past, it feels accurate to the context of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
A retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" with a little bit of "The Frog Prince" set in Romania (Transylvania).
When I realized near the beginning that this story involved vampires (sort of--they're actually called "Night people" in the book), I was a little hesitant to keep reading. Especially since there appeared to be a romance between one of them and the oldest sister.
Romance with a creature who drinks blood? Not my thing. At all.
But I decided to continue Wildwood Dancing, and I'm glad I did. First of all, there was no romance between a Night person and a human girl, because he turned out to be human, too! Also, the writing was vivid and engrossing, and I began to feel that I was there in Piscul Dracului with Jena and her sisters. Jena's personality stood out on the page, which is something I don't always see with stories that are told in first person.
I do have a couple nitpicks. I didn't care for the storyline with the witch. Aside from the fact that I believe witchcraft is wrong, it struck me as very unfair for her to disrupt the lives of three children for years...all to teach them a lesson. Also, turning a boy into a frog because that was the closest thing to his wish of being King of the Lake? I don't buy it.
Overall, Wildwood Dancing had the simplicity and charm of a fairytale with deeper moments sprinkled throughout. The ending was bittersweet but satisfying, even if it felt like problems were resolved a little too easily.
Romance with a creature who drinks blood? Not my thing. At all.
But I decided to continue Wildwood Dancing, and I'm glad I did. First of all, there was no romance between a Night person and a human girl, because he turned out to be human, too! Also, the writing was vivid and engrossing, and I began to feel that I was there in Piscul Dracului with Jena and her sisters. Jena's personality stood out on the page, which is something I don't always see with stories that are told in first person.
I do have a couple nitpicks. I didn't care for the storyline with the witch. Aside from the fact that I believe witchcraft is wrong, it struck me as very unfair for her to disrupt the lives of three children for years...all to teach them a lesson. Also, turning a boy into a frog because that was the closest thing to his wish of being King of the Lake? I don't buy it.
Overall, Wildwood Dancing had the simplicity and charm of a fairytale with deeper moments sprinkled throughout. The ending was bittersweet but satisfying, even if it felt like problems were resolved a little too easily.
DNF. I’m only moderately invested in the characters. There’s not much humor or charm, and the often incredibly selfish sisters at the center of the plot spend far more time arguing than supporting each other even during their financial crisis and father’s illness.
Secondly, I anticipated the magical world they’re frequent visitors to and have partially grown up in would be more of a main focus, but it takes a back seat to the protagonist’s managing the household and conflicting with her family. I never felt much individuality from the “other kingdom” characters or a sense of being in said kingdom, in other words, that it was a “real” place.
Also it’s really heavy-handed with demonstrating the main villain is a huge misogynist, as he can’t ever go a single page without saying some exaggerated oafish thing to the female characters and talking about how stupid they all are. I don’t need the point shoved down my throat.
For books about siblings who find an enchanted country, I still gotta go with Narnia. Kind of want to reread it now, actually.
Secondly, I anticipated the magical world they’re frequent visitors to and have partially grown up in would be more of a main focus, but it takes a back seat to the protagonist’s managing the household and conflicting with her family. I never felt much individuality from the “other kingdom” characters or a sense of being in said kingdom, in other words, that it was a “real” place.
Also it’s really heavy-handed with demonstrating the main villain is a huge misogynist, as he can’t ever go a single page without saying some exaggerated oafish thing to the female characters and talking about how stupid they all are. I don’t need the point shoved down my throat.
For books about siblings who find an enchanted country, I still gotta go with Narnia. Kind of want to reread it now, actually.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Pregnancy