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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This book is wonderful, and I cannot wait to talk about it as an adaptation.
3.75 stars!
A great read that kept me up till 3 am.
I had forgotten how entrancing Marilliers books are, the last book of hers that I read was [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725] and I remember that one being a wild ride as well. And though a few of the main plot points were easy to guess almost straight off, I still very much enjoyed the journey there.
I thought the villain character(s?) were so well done, not evil for evils sake. A slow bleed into madness. Just so chilling at times. 10/10. I honestly felt just as trapped as Jena and the girls. Normally while reading characters problems I'll have those "well if you just asserted your self, or did this in this way then things might be fixed." but not in this book, Jena stands up for herself, she tries her best to do right by her family and is under so much stress. My heart was aching for the poor thing almost the entire book. For some reason I really didn't like Gogu at the start, but his constant little comments in defense of Jena made me quickly grow fond.
There were many great parts of the story, but I do have to say, I hated a large part of it as well. which part you ask? I hate Tati with a burning passion. I mean it felt at times that because we were locked to Jena's perspective that this story was one about a side character of another romance book about a dumb ass girl who falls in love with the first person she finds interesting. She meets this dude 3 times and is ready to give up everything for him, even her own sisters in their time of grieving. She is the eldest, and her sisters are struggling so much and shes just off staring into nothing thinking of a boy. so now her poor sisters have to pick up her slack along with everything else they are dealing with. and THEN she starts not freaking eating and wasting away because he might be dead? what the hell? The amount of times I wished she would just die or get punished some how was staggering. her and Sorrow are just do dumb, and make so much needless trouble for the rest of her family. I wished so badly that Sorrow was evil and that she would learn her lesson and fucking grow up to actually focus on helping her poor family. but nope. and the thing that REALLY busts my chops is the entire time her sisters are all just worried about her, and hoping for the best for her and I just want to STAB THE BITCH. Jena is ready to sacrifice everything for her family, and fucking Tati is over here like "no, I've fallen in love, nothing else is important, not money, not my family, not my sisters, not even food. Only this man I've met 4 times in the span of 4 months." the entire book she can't see past this dumb ass dude to ANY OTHER problems around her. and I just- augh!
Okay, rant over. Its still a good book... but it could have been better without the Tati plot line. I just REALLY hate Tati.
A great read that kept me up till 3 am.
I had forgotten how entrancing Marilliers books are, the last book of hers that I read was [b:Daughter of the Forest|13928|Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343589988l/13928._SY75_.jpg|1897725] and I remember that one being a wild ride as well. And though a few of the main plot points were easy to guess almost straight off, I still very much enjoyed the journey there.
I thought the villain character(s?) were so well done, not evil for evils sake. A slow bleed into madness. Just so chilling at times. 10/10. I honestly felt just as trapped as Jena and the girls. Normally while reading characters problems I'll have those "well if you just asserted your self, or did this in this way then things might be fixed." but not in this book, Jena stands up for herself, she tries her best to do right by her family and is under so much stress. My heart was aching for the poor thing almost the entire book. For some reason I really didn't like Gogu at the start, but his constant little comments in defense of Jena made me quickly grow fond.
There were many great parts of the story, but I do have to say, I hated a large part of it as well. which part you ask? I hate Tati with a burning passion.
Okay, rant over. Its still a good book... but it could have been better without the Tati plot line. I just REALLY hate Tati.
I had a hard time getting into this book, after the first 50 pages, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue reading it, but I am sure glad I did! I absolutely loved this book. It was the perfect fairy tale.
This books is one of my favorites, but it didn't start out that way. I would have given up on it if I didn't bring it with me to school everyday. It doesn't pick up till about half way through. But it is totally worth the read.
Wildwood Dancing is a fairytale lover's dream: familiar tales, retold and mixed with folklore, creating a new and entrancing story. In this combination of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Frog Prince, and various eastern European folktales, 15 year old Jenica finds herself trying to manage her father's estate as he goes to the shore to recover from grave illness. Her cousin Cezar quickly appoints himself master of the estate, and sets about restricting the activities of Jena and her four sisters, as well as seeking his revenge on the folk of the wildwood, whom he blames for his brother's death ten years ago.
The use of familiar stories in Wildwood Dancing is refreshing: Marillier takes care to make the stories recognizable but not predictable. At several points I thought I saw where the story was going and every time I was a little right and a little wrong. This is how a book should be: we get the thrill of having figured it out, without the boredom that comes with a more predictable story. Wildwood Dancing is not only strong in its use of traditional tales, but also in its creation of characters. The five sisters of Piscul Dracului are five different girls, each with her own whole personality. At the same time, while Jena is "the sensible one" and Tati is "the pretty one" and Paula is "the smart one," these girls are not pigeonholed by these roles.
Wildwood Dancing reminded me of Holly Black's Tithe, which is odd because the moods of the two books have nothing in common. I think it was just the notion of teenaged girls interacting with faeries that made the connection in my mind. Still, there is a spiritual connection between them, somehow, and I feel that fans of one would certainly enjoy the other.
The use of familiar stories in Wildwood Dancing is refreshing: Marillier takes care to make the stories recognizable but not predictable. At several points I thought I saw where the story was going and every time I was a little right and a little wrong. This is how a book should be: we get the thrill of having figured it out, without the boredom that comes with a more predictable story. Wildwood Dancing is not only strong in its use of traditional tales, but also in its creation of characters. The five sisters of Piscul Dracului are five different girls, each with her own whole personality. At the same time, while Jena is "the sensible one" and Tati is "the pretty one" and Paula is "the smart one," these girls are not pigeonholed by these roles.
Wildwood Dancing reminded me of Holly Black's Tithe, which is odd because the moods of the two books have nothing in common. I think it was just the notion of teenaged girls interacting with faeries that made the connection in my mind. Still, there is a spiritual connection between them, somehow, and I feel that fans of one would certainly enjoy the other.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
There are too many characters to keep track of in just the first chapter of the book and I didn't realize it was a vampire story when I was told about it. That is what put me off though. It was that the characters do not stand out in any way for me. That said, this may be a book I return to when I am more in the mood for it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Every book in my "favourites" shelf taught me something and left me changed, a subtly different person from when I first picked it up. Wildwood Dancing, after much consideration, is my favourite book up until now. Maybe my opinion will change in time, but this story of a girl, striving to keep her family up when their world seems to be crumbling down around them, will always be carved into my heart. I was first introduced to Juliet Marillier by another author's recommendation, and loved her works ever since. Her writing evokes a gentle stirring of the heart that remains long after the book is finished.