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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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:
Yes
I read this book the year it came out, I was a depressed teenager hoping for escape. Wildwood Dancing has never left my mind as a comforting escape. I’ve always hoped I could find that spot where the night changes and I can go dance with the forest folk. This book is perfect, no notes.
An excellent intertwining of fairy tales. I was frustrated with the main character at times, but I think I was supposed to be. This is a great addition to the current flood of retellings.
I read the portuguese translation and, at the beginning, I found the writing quite simple. But, as I kept going, I enjoyed it very much. The story keeps us going. interested in the fate of all the characters. The folk traditions of Transilvania are well conveyed and it has that fairy tale mood that is so compelling. I look forward to read more from this author and I recommend this one!
4.5 stars. Wonderful retelling of 2 fairy tales combined ~ The 12 Princesses (tailored down to 5 sisters in this novel) and The Frog Prince. YA books are getting much more complex. Richly,m layered story.
It was good to go back to this, but I have to admit...nothing was quite as good as I remembered it.
Really, I could say that 1/4th of the way through, I would have given this a good five stars. Halfway through, I would've given it four stars. But once completely done with it, I have to say that it's like, a 3.3 for me. I know, I know. There's great writing in here, fine enough descriptions. Jenna though, wasn't quite the heroine that I remembered her being. Certain points in the book definitely brought tears to my eyes, but there were some things that I just didn't get anymore.
Like for example, Tati starving herself over love...uhhmm...
I got it, but then I didn't. Just because she couldn't be with him every waking moment/had to wait for long stretches of time didn't warrant her becoming anorexic (weird how I never saw this before...).
I would get it if Sorrow had been dead, but he wasn't. When Costi asked what was wrong with her to Jenna, Jenna said 'I think she's dying for love', and later she says that her almost-dead state was caused by lack of food and 'creeping despair. She started to lose her faith in true love'.
...
Uhm, I think she more than started to lose her faith in it!!
If there was any sort of hope in her, the girl (only sixteen years old, by the way...) should have kept eating, seeing how completely foolish it was to almost come to the point of dying and....
*Blows out breath*
Then again, maybe I shouldn't judge her. I guess we all handle things differently...
I'm just saying her way of doing so was really not good.
Even before things looked very bad, she hardly ate...I felt like I was watching her just starve herself for pretty much 3/4ths of the book #feltkindasickaboutit.
I also felt like Jenna's total unbelief of Gogu being who he said he was...just leaving him there in the forest alone was sad, but her continued unbelief seemed pretty sad. I kept saying in my head 'Why do you believe that what you saw in the witch's mirror was true?! Why do you think it was all reality?! HE WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND FOR NINE YEARS! Come on, trust your instincts!!"
Have to admit though, I've kinda been like a little at times, in the sense where I won't really listen to my gut/and or intuition...but still, COME ON!!
I was really glad when but I felt like my admiration of Jenna had dropped some. I kinda perceived her differently...everything wasn't quite convincing enough for me, at the end there . Like, ever fiber of her being was begging her to trust him, and she still didn't listen...
Oh, and the ending was annoyingly unsatisfactory!
I really wanted to see any further interactions between Tati and her sisters, but apparently once So that sucked some. But *shrug* I did enjoy this for a good long while. It was just after the halfway point that I think I started liking it less.
I know I have high standards and I should try to bring them down a bit (or maybe a lot!) but I just can't help it! I don't think I'm ever gonna be the type of person who's ever going to give something a five star rating unless I actually thought it was AMAZING, and same with four stars (with me really liking the book). I did like this. Well enough.
Really, I could say that 1/4th of the way through, I would have given this a good five stars. Halfway through, I would've given it four stars. But once completely done with it, I have to say that it's like, a 3.3 for me. I know, I know. There's great writing in here, fine enough descriptions. Jenna though, wasn't quite the heroine that I remembered her being. Certain points in the book definitely brought tears to my eyes, but there were some things that I just didn't get anymore.
Like for example, Tati starving herself over love...uhhmm...
I got it, but then I didn't. Just because she couldn't be with him every waking moment/had to wait for long stretches of time didn't warrant her becoming anorexic (weird how I never saw this before...).
I would get it if Sorrow had been dead, but he wasn't. When Costi asked what was wrong with her to Jenna, Jenna said 'I think she's dying for love', and later she says that her almost-dead state was caused by lack of food and 'creeping despair. She started to lose her faith in true love'.
...
Uhm, I think she more than started to lose her faith in it!!
If there was any sort of hope in her, the girl (only sixteen years old, by the way...) should have kept eating, seeing how completely foolish it was to almost come to the point of dying and....
*Blows out breath*
Then again, maybe I shouldn't judge her. I guess we all handle things differently...
I'm just saying her way of doing so was really not good.
Even before things looked very bad, she hardly ate...I felt like I was watching her just starve herself for pretty much 3/4ths of the book #feltkindasickaboutit.
I also felt like Jenna's total unbelief of Gogu being who he said he was...just leaving him there in the forest alone was sad, but her continued unbelief seemed pretty sad. I kept saying in my head 'Why do you believe that what you saw in the witch's mirror was true?! Why do you think it was all reality?! HE WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND FOR NINE YEARS! Come on, trust your instincts!!"
Have to admit though, I've kinda been like a little at times, in the sense where I won't really listen to my gut/and or intuition...but still, COME ON!!
I was really glad when
Spoiler
they got together at the end of courseSpoiler
with them being reunited, saying they were sorry and all of that...I mean, Costi did nothing to even say sorry for, really...it was all on JennaOh, and the ending was annoyingly unsatisfactory!
I really wanted to see any further interactions between Tati and her sisters, but apparently once
Spoiler
she was off to the Other World with Sorrow, it was completely permanent/there was no way of seeing her...kinda.I know I have high standards and I should try to bring them down a bit (or maybe a lot!) but I just can't help it! I don't think I'm ever gonna be the type of person who's ever going to give something a five star rating unless I actually thought it was AMAZING, and same with four stars (with me really liking the book). I did like this. Well enough.
This is a beautiful retelling of a few different fairy tales woven together.
The tale at the forefront is that of the twelve dancing princesses, which is one of my favorite tales to see reimagined. Rather than the original twelve, there are only five sisters and I think I prefer that. All of the characters, the sisters especially, are distinct and very well fleshed out. When one of the sisters' names was mentioned I knew exactly which sister it was immediately. The romances were also quite sweet and realistic (at least as realistic as possible for a fairy tale).
The writing was also lovely. It helped set up a gorgeous atmosphere and setting for the story. This is probably the best retelling of the twelve dancing princesses I've read yet.
The tale at the forefront is that of the twelve dancing princesses, which is one of my favorite tales to see reimagined. Rather than the original twelve, there are only five sisters and I think I prefer that. All of the characters, the sisters especially, are distinct and very well fleshed out. When one of the sisters' names was mentioned I knew exactly which sister it was immediately. The romances were also quite sweet and realistic (at least as realistic as possible for a fairy tale).
The writing was also lovely. It helped set up a gorgeous atmosphere and setting for the story. This is probably the best retelling of the twelve dancing princesses I've read yet.
Wildwood Dancing reminds me of a collection of fairy tales which includes, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Baba Yaga (in the novel named Dragutsa), The Princess and the Frog and stories of Tatiana and Oberon (in the novel their characters are named Ileana and Marin). The connection of Dragutsa and Baba Yaga is tenuous, the similarity being the nasty side of a trick on humans, such as, allowing a child to believe that his brother is dead.
The setting feels very true to the 1500's with the exception of allowing the daughters to care for themselves in their father's absence. Of course, he is described as being eccentric to account for the freedom given to the girls, and there really wouldn't have been a story if the girls were under lock and key.
I would recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more of this Australian's novels. Even girls in about 5th or 6th grade might enjoy this book. As way of a warning, there is one slightly gruesome scene of a dead man and another known murder.
To read my full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com
The setting feels very true to the 1500's with the exception of allowing the daughters to care for themselves in their father's absence. Of course, he is described as being eccentric to account for the freedom given to the girls, and there really wouldn't have been a story if the girls were under lock and key.
I would recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more of this Australian's novels. Even girls in about 5th or 6th grade might enjoy this book. As way of a warning, there is one slightly gruesome scene of a dead man and another known murder.
To read my full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com
4/5
I really enjoyed Wildwood Dancing. It has beautiful writing, believable characters, heart-warming romance and friendship, and JENA! Finally, a practical, sensible lead who sticks to her principles through thick and thin!
However, it's a little short of perfection because:
- Jena's sisters could have been better developed. There was the beautiful one, the smart one, the flirtatious one, and the young innocent one. They didn't really grow from their stock characters. I hope they are better developed in the second book.
- I loathed Cezar! If I was reading a paper copy, I definitely would have thrown it across the room! *MINOR SPOILERS* But his arguments with Jena were so stagnant. There wasn't much progress on either character's part from the first argument to the last.
Despite all that, I recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy, romance, and fairy-tale retellings.
I really enjoyed Wildwood Dancing. It has beautiful writing, believable characters, heart-warming romance and friendship, and JENA! Finally, a practical, sensible lead who sticks to her principles through thick and thin!
However, it's a little short of perfection because:
- Jena's sisters could have been better developed. There was the beautiful one, the smart one, the flirtatious one, and the young innocent one. They didn't really grow from their stock characters. I hope they are better developed in the second book.
- I loathed Cezar! If I was reading a paper copy, I definitely would have thrown it across the room!
Spoiler
which is a good thing because he's supposed to be the antagonist.Spoiler
There was so much opportunity for redemption on his part but he made no effort to do so. And while I'm not asking for a happily ever after ending, it's sad that choices made by a young naive boy could derail his life so much. He deserved to be punished for his actions but the book would have benefitted from showing some growth in his characterDespite all that, I recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy, romance, and fairy-tale retellings.
Okay my edited proper review of this book. Here we go.
Juliet Marillier has been one of my all time favorite authors since high school. Daughter of the Forest basically changed my life. I had never read a book that I devoured so intensely before, it turned me into a reader and developed my love of books in general. So going off of that and into this, I had high, high, high, HIGH expectations.
In some areas those were met. First, the setting. The world is always explained in perfectly imaginable details. You can see everything exactly how she describes it and it's stunning. The characters are all given their own unique quirks and moments and despite there being a lot of them, you come to know them all individually and for who they are. Also, the magical aspect. It's done perfectly, not over the top but still special and different than any other book.
It took me a long time to realize what I DIDN'T like about this book and that is her sister, Tati, and the whole story line in how she basically ceases to exist for love. It was not only really unrealistic, for me, but also just kind of screamed "really unhealthy relationship" and kind of gave me weird vibes. So that was where the missing star came from.
Still a great read and if you enjoy her other work or fantasy novels in general, I would definitely check it out.
Juliet Marillier has been one of my all time favorite authors since high school. Daughter of the Forest basically changed my life. I had never read a book that I devoured so intensely before, it turned me into a reader and developed my love of books in general. So going off of that and into this, I had high, high, high, HIGH expectations.
In some areas those were met. First, the setting. The world is always explained in perfectly imaginable details. You can see everything exactly how she describes it and it's stunning. The characters are all given their own unique quirks and moments and despite there being a lot of them, you come to know them all individually and for who they are. Also, the magical aspect. It's done perfectly, not over the top but still special and different than any other book.
It took me a long time to realize what I DIDN'T like about this book and that is her sister, Tati, and the whole story line in how she basically ceases to exist for love. It was not only really unrealistic, for me, but also just kind of screamed "really unhealthy relationship" and kind of gave me weird vibes. So that was where the missing star came from.
Still a great read and if you enjoy her other work or fantasy novels in general, I would definitely check it out.