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jesshale 's review for:
Wildwood Dancing
by Juliet Marillier
Wonderful fairytale retelling, which I have read several times over the years.
This is a version of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses", except that there are only five sisters, not twelve, and they aren't princesses. This is a very solid and satisfying version - sometimes I find fairytale retellings very lofty and poetic - no doubt lovely pieces of literature, but not so enjoyable to get lost in.
The main character, Jena, is a great narrator - she's sensible, has great love for her family and her home, and has just enough insight into her flaws that it's not too frustrating for us to watch her when she makes mistakes.
I didn't give the book five stars for mainly one reason: Cezar, the book's antagonist. He is a bully, and it is AGONISING in the middle section of the book as he systematically chips away at the authority that Jena and her sisters are meant to have over their lives. Jena does manage a couple of small victories, but overall the powerlessness is awful to live through and I'm not sure whether it did drag on too long, or if I just felt that way because it was very unpleasant.
I also wish he'd had more of a comeuppance at the end. Jena so often reminds him that his authority is unwanted and temporary as her father is still alive; I would have loved to see him really told off by the girls' father (and his mother!) rather than disappearing in a huff.
Overall, I loved the descriptions of the Other Kingdom and how much the sisters enjoyed it, the relationships they had with the people there, and the romance that grows in the book - it's very sweet.
I'm sad that there's only one sequel - there really needs to be one book for each sister.
This is a version of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses", except that there are only five sisters, not twelve, and they aren't princesses. This is a very solid and satisfying version - sometimes I find fairytale retellings very lofty and poetic - no doubt lovely pieces of literature, but not so enjoyable to get lost in.
The main character, Jena, is a great narrator - she's sensible, has great love for her family and her home, and has just enough insight into her flaws that it's not too frustrating for us to watch her when she makes mistakes.
I didn't give the book five stars for mainly one reason: Cezar, the book's antagonist. He is a bully, and it is AGONISING in the middle section of the book as he systematically chips away at the authority that Jena and her sisters are meant to have over their lives. Jena does manage a couple of small victories, but overall the powerlessness is awful to live through and I'm not sure whether it did drag on too long, or if I just felt that way because it was very unpleasant.
I also wish he'd had more of a comeuppance at the end. Jena so often reminds him that his authority is unwanted and temporary as her father is still alive; I would have loved to see him really told off by the girls' father (and his mother!) rather than disappearing in a huff.
Overall, I loved the descriptions of the Other Kingdom and how much the sisters enjoyed it, the relationships they had with the people there, and the romance that grows in the book - it's very sweet.
I'm sad that there's only one sequel - there really needs to be one book for each sister.