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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jena and her 4 sisters have a secret. Every full moon, they find a portal into the Other World and dance the night away. But things are changing. Their father must leave their home and spend the winter away for his health. He leaves the castle in the care of Jena and her older sister Tati, and reminds them to ask their uncle for any help they need. But after he leaves, their uncle is killed in a hunting accident and their cousin Cezar takes over. And wow, does he take over. Suddenly the girls have little control over anything, because Cezar knows best.
Add to this the twist that Tati falls in love with one of the other visitors to the Other World, one who hangs around with a suspicious crowd. Vampires, anyone? Jena's own companion, a frog, starts acting differently too. It seems like just when things can't get any worse for the family, they do.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a mix of vampire folklore (it's set in Romania), the 12 Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince, but it works surprisingly well. I really liked Jena, despite her flaws, and I loved the ending. Then I found out there's a sequel, Cybele's Secret, which might not be out yet. This one was a lot of fun.
Add to this the twist that Tati falls in love with one of the other visitors to the Other World, one who hangs around with a suspicious crowd. Vampires, anyone? Jena's own companion, a frog, starts acting differently too. It seems like just when things can't get any worse for the family, they do.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a mix of vampire folklore (it's set in Romania), the 12 Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince, but it works surprisingly well. I really liked Jena, despite her flaws, and I loved the ending. Then I found out there's a sequel, Cybele's Secret, which might not be out yet. This one was a lot of fun.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
http://welfycatreads.blogspot.com/2007/09/wildwood-dancing.html
This was probably closer to 4.5 stars for me. This was a beautiful retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses tale, and I liked how there were other tales and folklore woven into the story. The Romanian setting was perfect and it makes you think about the adage "be careful what you wish for."
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did, especially since I generally refer to Marillier as one of my favorite authors of fantasy. But this is the fourth in a line of lackluster efforts from her, and I’m thinking the two I liked are the flukes, not the other way around.
It’s an interesting enough story, set in Transylvania, five sisters find a portal to the faerie realm in the corner of their bedroom. Once each month, on the full moon, they go through the portal and dance in the moonlight with the creatures of the other kingdom. Trouble begins when their father, due to health reasons, must leave them alone for the winter with only their uncle and their uncle’s tyrannical son as guardians.
I loathed the portrayal of the oldest sister, who wastes away almost to death because she loves a man who might not come back for her. I was so frustrated with the evil cousin that I wanted to kick him all the time, and she didn’t even give us a satisfying ending for him. This whole read was particularly frustrating and didn’t make up for it in the end AT ALL.
It’s an interesting enough story, set in Transylvania, five sisters find a portal to the faerie realm in the corner of their bedroom. Once each month, on the full moon, they go through the portal and dance in the moonlight with the creatures of the other kingdom. Trouble begins when their father, due to health reasons, must leave them alone for the winter with only their uncle and their uncle’s tyrannical son as guardians.
I loathed the portrayal of the oldest sister, who wastes away almost to death because she loves a man who might not come back for her. I was so frustrated with the evil cousin that I wanted to kick him all the time, and she didn’t even give us a satisfying ending for him. This whole read was particularly frustrating and didn’t make up for it in the end AT ALL.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This absolutely captivated me and took me away to an enchanted place and time. The story was weaved so beautifully with magic, love, mystery, a frog that is more than meets the eye, and a furious pace for me to read until the very early hours of the morning. I was swept away. I'm going to search out the authors other books and go get them so that I can hopefully loose myself again.
Wonderful retelling of the 12 dancing princesses, set in Transylvania. I was enthralled and it surprised me.
adventurous
hopeful
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