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A review by lilyevangeline
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
3.0
A retelling of the twelve dancing princesses set in Transylvania, though in this version, they are not princesses (despite living in an old castle) and there are only five sisters. There's also a sort of mash-up with the frog prince story going on here as well. Our MC, Jena, was a standard faery tale heroine, not the prettiest of the sisters, but the most responsible and the one who fixes all the problems. The story opens with their father leaving for the winter for his health, and their rather cruel, hateful cousin slowly beginning to take control of their home, threatening their secret visits to the Other Kingdom and their friends who live there.
This is only the second book I've read by Marillier, but both were retellings of classic fairytales that I've loved for years, and I think in both cases I like her versions the best. In this one, like in Daughter of the Forest, she does an exceptional job creating an atmosphere of tension and sacrifice, where nothing comes without a price. She stays very close to what I think of as the classic fae trademarks and plotlines--mysterious old women who appear to make deals, portals that open in the middle of the night, dreams and visions and spells and magic as both gifts and punishments and instruments of character formation. But she also adds in friendship, sisterhood, and a beautiful winter setting in Romania that adds a lot of depth to the storyline and the mysterious Other Kingdom the girls visit.
This book was exactly what I expected it to be in every way, and I mean that as a compliment. It was not a surprising or really even unique take on the twelve dancing princesses or the frog prince, but it was a well done one, and a satisfying one. 3.5/5 stars because although it didn't exactly blow me away, it made me very happy.
This is only the second book I've read by Marillier, but both were retellings of classic fairytales that I've loved for years, and I think in both cases I like her versions the best. In this one, like in Daughter of the Forest, she does an exceptional job creating an atmosphere of tension and sacrifice, where nothing comes without a price. She stays very close to what I think of as the classic fae trademarks and plotlines--mysterious old women who appear to make deals, portals that open in the middle of the night, dreams and visions and spells and magic as both gifts and punishments and instruments of character formation. But she also adds in friendship, sisterhood, and a beautiful winter setting in Romania that adds a lot of depth to the storyline and the mysterious Other Kingdom the girls visit.
This book was exactly what I expected it to be in every way, and I mean that as a compliment. It was not a surprising or really even unique take on the twelve dancing princesses or the frog prince, but it was a well done one, and a satisfying one. 3.5/5 stars because although it didn't exactly blow me away, it made me very happy.