Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Ugh, I instantly fell in love with this book the second I started reading it.
It was just like everything that I love in books came together into one: whimsical worlds; fantastical creatures; 1800s-esque setting; strong female characters; beautiful writing; a proper antagonist; and overall just a good story, like an adult version of a fairytale.
Oh and, there's a talking frog. Extraordinary.
Jenica lives with her four sisters and their father in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Dracul. Ever since they were children, the sisters would sneak away every full moon through a magical portal into the Other Kingdom, where they would dance and celebrate with fantastical creatures.
No one else can know about this, however, as the Other Kingdom is just a whispered fear among the townsfolk - if they ever found out it was real and how to access it, they would do anything in their power to destroy this beautiful world the sisters love so dearly.
When the sisters' father gets sick and has to leave town to seek medical attention, it relies on Jenica to handle the family business and affairs. However, her busybody ass cousin Cezar doesn't think that a girl is fit for such a role, and is slowly but surely inserting himself into the household. The longer his stay, the more controlling and suspicious he grows.
When a creature from the Other Kingdom is found within the Transylvanian woods, Cezar sets out on a mission to find this world and destroy it - and once his mind is set on something, there's no convincing him otherwise.
How can five teenage girls and a talking frog prevent the Other Kingdom from being destroyed? Will they ever regain claim over their own house, or are they destined to be prisoners under Cezar's rule indefinitely? Will their father ever return home, or has his illness gotten the best of him?
Oh, and there's some sweet forbidden love in their, but I didn't know how to work that into the summary ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This book was just so fun and magical. There are so many mysteries interwoven throughout the story, and I loved the way everything unfolded and resolved.
The writing was wonderful; as I said before, it reads so much like a fairytale, but for adults. I was never bored, never felt like the story was dragging, and I just really enjoyed every moment of it - I was sad to see it end!
Gnomes. Vampires. Witches. Fairies. Enchanted frog. Promises. Spells. Curses. Prophecies. Oh yeah boy, this books got it all
It was just like everything that I love in books came together into one: whimsical worlds; fantastical creatures; 1800s-esque setting; strong female characters; beautiful writing; a proper antagonist; and overall just a good story, like an adult version of a fairytale.
Oh and, there's a talking frog. Extraordinary.
Jenica lives with her four sisters and their father in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Dracul. Ever since they were children, the sisters would sneak away every full moon through a magical portal into the Other Kingdom, where they would dance and celebrate with fantastical creatures.
No one else can know about this, however, as the Other Kingdom is just a whispered fear among the townsfolk - if they ever found out it was real and how to access it, they would do anything in their power to destroy this beautiful world the sisters love so dearly.
When the sisters' father gets sick and has to leave town to seek medical attention, it relies on Jenica to handle the family business and affairs. However, her busybody ass cousin Cezar doesn't think that a girl is fit for such a role, and is slowly but surely inserting himself into the household. The longer his stay, the more controlling and suspicious he grows.
When a creature from the Other Kingdom is found within the Transylvanian woods, Cezar sets out on a mission to find this world and destroy it - and once his mind is set on something, there's no convincing him otherwise.
How can five teenage girls and a talking frog prevent the Other Kingdom from being destroyed? Will they ever regain claim over their own house, or are they destined to be prisoners under Cezar's rule indefinitely? Will their father ever return home, or has his illness gotten the best of him?
Oh, and there's some sweet forbidden love in their, but I didn't know how to work that into the summary ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This book was just so fun and magical. There are so many mysteries interwoven throughout the story, and I loved the way everything unfolded and resolved.
The writing was wonderful; as I said before, it reads so much like a fairytale, but for adults. I was never bored, never felt like the story was dragging, and I just really enjoyed every moment of it - I was sad to see it end!
Gnomes. Vampires. Witches. Fairies. Enchanted frog. Promises. Spells. Curses. Prophecies. Oh yeah boy, this books got it all
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
As always, I love Marillier’s work! This was a delightful YA fantasy based on Romanian legends of Transylvania. The only reason it’s not five stars from me is that the big reveal was pretty obvious from early on—though that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book at all! I’ll chalk it up to this being YA and also my just being familiar with how the author writes. Still a great book and I look forward to the sequel.
Okay, so call me a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings (because I am one) but I really liked this book. The plot parallels the Twelve Dancing Princesses story, but in this case there are only five girls...and they aren't princesses, but the daughters of a merchant. The setting is richly developed, with the elements of old Transylvania supporting and enhancing the plot. The back story (in other words, the reason the girls are able to pass into the Other Kingdom in the first place) is probably the best explanation I've seen for this particular tale.
The characters are well developed too, even though we only follow Jena as the protagonist. I think it was wise of the author to have five sisters with distinct personalities (and different needs that are met by their excursions into the Other Kingdom) because in a full compliment of twelve sisters most of them end up being unimportant to the overall plot. The other characters were well done too...I particularly appreciated Gogu, Jena's frog, and the different men (and trolls, and dwarfs...) from the Other Kingdom. It's nice that the girls' dancing partners have names, personalities, and lives outside of the one night a month when the protagonists encounter them.
I really liked the back story, as I've said. I could tell from the beginning that what Cezar gave up as his most precious possession was his brother, and that that sacrifice probably had something to do with his power-hungry tendencies. I also figured that Costi's choice of King of the Lake meant that he was alive in the lake somewhere instead of drowned, but I had no idea until he got his voice back that he had actually been transformed into Gogu. I didn't see how Jena's wish to be Queen of the Fairies had translated into the sisters being able to enter the Other Kingdom until it was spelled out either, but it does make sense.
I am also ridiculously pleased with the way things came together for Costi and Jena at the end. While Tati's romance with Sorrow seems very contrived (Love at first sight that basically makes you waste away? Overly dramatic) the relationship between Jena and Costi (who has been her companion for years as Gogu the frog) seems completely logical. I called the frog prince connection early on in the book, especially once Jena saw the vision of the young man with green eyes. The fact that he is also her lost cousin Costi was unexpected, but fits neatly in with his King of the Lake arc. It also effectively foils Cezar, whose power came from being the eldest son.
The characters are well developed too, even though we only follow Jena as the protagonist. I think it was wise of the author to have five sisters with distinct personalities (and different needs that are met by their excursions into the Other Kingdom) because in a full compliment of twelve sisters most of them end up being unimportant to the overall plot. The other characters were well done too...I particularly appreciated Gogu, Jena's frog, and the different men (and trolls, and dwarfs...) from the Other Kingdom. It's nice that the girls' dancing partners have names, personalities, and lives outside of the one night a month when the protagonists encounter them.
I am also ridiculously pleased with the way things came together for Costi and Jena at the end. While Tati's romance with Sorrow seems very contrived (Love at first sight that basically makes you waste away? Overly dramatic) the relationship between Jena and Costi (who has been her companion for years as Gogu the frog) seems completely logical. I called the frog prince connection early on in the book, especially once Jena saw the vision of the young man with green eyes. The fact that he is also her lost cousin Costi was unexpected, but fits neatly in with his King of the Lake arc. It also effectively foils Cezar, whose power came from being the eldest son.
Wildwood Dancing strongly emphasizes the importance of love and trust. The plot of this story revolves around five sisters, the second-oldest of which is Jena, the main character, as well as her unusual frog, Gogu, whom she found as a girl and is very close to, as she can hear his thoughts. The girls live in a remote, forested area of Transylvania, in an old, mysterious castle that contains a portal to an alternative realm, which exists alongside their own world. On the night of every full moon, the sisters are able to go through this portal and enter a magical aspect of the forest that they live in, known as the “Other Kingdom,” where they spend the night speaking and dancing with those who live there. On one such night, untrusted visitors known as the Night People come, and begin a complex series of events that start when Jena's older sister, Tati, falls in love with one of the Night People. As Jena tries to protect her sisters from the influences of what she believes to be evil, she discovers secrets that permanently change her, learning much about life that she never would have known otherwise.
My favorite character in this book was Jena, the central protagonist. I feel that my reaction to her was intended by the author, as main characters are generally supposed to be easy to connect to, or at least understand. Jena had many various qualities that could be similar to a lot of other qualities people have, including a sense of responsibility. After describing how her sisters had been unafraid of the mystical world for a long time, Jena explains, “It was curious: from the first I had felt that without me, my sisters would not be safe in the Other Kingdom” (10). This feeling of being responsible is something I and many other people can relate to, especially when one has younger siblings. Even though I am an only child, I still have a strong sense of responsibility and leadership, and so I understand what Jena is experiencing. Jena's strong feelings of responsibility also lead her to feel guilt for mistakes she has made. In the Other Kingdom, Jena became distracted when one of the Night People spoke with her, and she lost track of where Gogu, her frog, had gone. When she realized she would have to leave him behind because it was time for her and her sisters to go home and she couldn't search for him, she imagined that horrible things would happen to him “because [she] had allowed [her]self to lose sight of common sense. [She]'d never felt so miserable or so guilty in [her] life” (128). I feel unhappy with myself when I make mistakes that I feel I should not have done, and being able to relate to Jena in this respect brought me closer to her character and to the whole book.
I really loved reading this story, and I feel that anyone else who enjoys fantasy would love it, too. However, people who don't like fantasy as much would probably benefit from reading it, as well. Wildwood Dancing contains positive ideas that are important to learn, like the concepts of love and trust, which are central to many people's lives. By reading this book, I feel that I gained a better understanding of these ideas, and because of this, I am very glad to have read it. It is a very well-written, satisfying story that invokes powerful thoughts and leaves the reader content with the ending.
My favorite character in this book was Jena, the central protagonist. I feel that my reaction to her was intended by the author, as main characters are generally supposed to be easy to connect to, or at least understand. Jena had many various qualities that could be similar to a lot of other qualities people have, including a sense of responsibility. After describing how her sisters had been unafraid of the mystical world for a long time, Jena explains, “It was curious: from the first I had felt that without me, my sisters would not be safe in the Other Kingdom” (10). This feeling of being responsible is something I and many other people can relate to, especially when one has younger siblings. Even though I am an only child, I still have a strong sense of responsibility and leadership, and so I understand what Jena is experiencing. Jena's strong feelings of responsibility also lead her to feel guilt for mistakes she has made. In the Other Kingdom, Jena became distracted when one of the Night People spoke with her, and she lost track of where Gogu, her frog, had gone. When she realized she would have to leave him behind because it was time for her and her sisters to go home and she couldn't search for him, she imagined that horrible things would happen to him “because [she] had allowed [her]self to lose sight of common sense. [She]'d never felt so miserable or so guilty in [her] life” (128). I feel unhappy with myself when I make mistakes that I feel I should not have done, and being able to relate to Jena in this respect brought me closer to her character and to the whole book.
I really loved reading this story, and I feel that anyone else who enjoys fantasy would love it, too. However, people who don't like fantasy as much would probably benefit from reading it, as well. Wildwood Dancing contains positive ideas that are important to learn, like the concepts of love and trust, which are central to many people's lives. By reading this book, I feel that I gained a better understanding of these ideas, and because of this, I am very glad to have read it. It is a very well-written, satisfying story that invokes powerful thoughts and leaves the reader content with the ending.
lighthearted
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
This book was awesome. It was a great fairy tale story with a strong protagonist and an interesting plot. I loved the ambiance of the setting. I also thought it was really helpful how the author included a glossary and pronunciation guide to the names. I would recommend this book to all fairy tale lovers or to people looking for a sweet, exciting love story.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Torture
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
No