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A review by yazthebookish
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
5.0
5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not all were joyful tales; we needed to acknowledge that love was not just kisses, smiles, and fulfillment, but also sacrifice, compromise, and hard work.
With its fairytale-esque cadence and vivid imagery, Wildwood Dancing was a gift to the little girl in me that once dreamt of traveling to an enchanted forest where she would befriend the Fairy folk and dance with them under the glittering stars.
This Transylvanian story reimagines the beloved tale of the 12 Dancing Princesses and in Juliet Marillier's fashion, she manages to craft with her stunning prose an exhilarating tale of sisterhood and friendship, patience and hope, and the wonders of true love.
Every full moon, five human sisters pass through a secret portal from their castle into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom, and there they join the Fae Folk On the Dancing Glade all through the night. All is well until their Father falls ill and must journey to the South to restore his health.
With the absence of their father, an ambitious cousin begins to meddle in their domestic affairs and is led by a darker motive to take down Piscul Dracului forest—the very same forest that is their tether to the Other Kindgom, if the forest is gone and so will the portal to the realm of the Fae.
The story is narrated mainly through Jenica's point of view, who is the second eldest, but Tatiana, Lulia, Paula and little Stella all became beloved to me. The sisters had such a powerful loving bond and yet with such stark difference in personalities there were times when they could not get along.
Gogu the Frog is often the voice of reason and full of surprises. Do not underestimate the frog.
True love is a prominent theme in fairytales and is woven beautifully into this spell-binding tale, even though it's a subplot (to settle expectations it's not a romance you'd expect in modern Fantasy Romances). Marillier adds a darker layer to the story that may be a little sad and ominous but does not strip away the magic for all journeys have their ups and downs, and it indeed promises a slightly bittersweet happily ever after.
This book reminded me of the magic of fairytales, even as a 30-year-old woman, and will forever be dear to me.
Content warning: includes mention of death, physical assault, non-con/dub-con touching and kiss, gaslighting.
Not all were joyful tales; we needed to acknowledge that love was not just kisses, smiles, and fulfillment, but also sacrifice, compromise, and hard work.
With its fairytale-esque cadence and vivid imagery, Wildwood Dancing was a gift to the little girl in me that once dreamt of traveling to an enchanted forest where she would befriend the Fairy folk and dance with them under the glittering stars.
This Transylvanian story reimagines the beloved tale of the 12 Dancing Princesses and in Juliet Marillier's fashion, she manages to craft with her stunning prose an exhilarating tale of sisterhood and friendship, patience and hope, and the wonders of true love.
Every full moon, five human sisters pass through a secret portal from their castle into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom, and there they join the Fae Folk On the Dancing Glade all through the night. All is well until their Father falls ill and must journey to the South to restore his health.
With the absence of their father, an ambitious cousin begins to meddle in their domestic affairs and is led by a darker motive to take down Piscul Dracului forest—the very same forest that is their tether to the Other Kindgom, if the forest is gone and so will the portal to the realm of the Fae.
The story is narrated mainly through Jenica's point of view, who is the second eldest, but Tatiana, Lulia, Paula and little Stella all became beloved to me. The sisters had such a powerful loving bond and yet with such stark difference in personalities there were times when they could not get along.
Gogu the Frog is often the voice of reason and full of surprises. Do not underestimate the frog.
True love is a prominent theme in fairytales and is woven beautifully into this spell-binding tale, even though it's a subplot (to settle expectations it's not a romance you'd expect in modern Fantasy Romances). Marillier adds a darker layer to the story that may be a little sad and ominous but does not strip away the magic for all journeys have their ups and downs, and it indeed promises a slightly bittersweet happily ever after.
This book reminded me of the magic of fairytales, even as a 30-year-old woman, and will forever be dear to me.
Content warning: includes mention of death, physical assault, non-con/dub-con touching and kiss, gaslighting.