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A review by sarah_taleweaver
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
3.0
I'm always up for a good fairytale retelling, and "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is one of my favorite fairytales in the world. So when I saw Wildwood Dancing reviewed on a friend's site, I knew I had to read it. Sadly, it languished in my library stack for several months before I got around to picking it up!
I really enjoyed Wildwood Dancing for a great many reasons. However, there were also some things that I wasn't really fond of. For your convenience (and my ease of reviewing), I'll make two lists: one good, one bad.
The Good:
1. Sisterly love. Fairy-tale retellings can generally be counted on to have a great emphasis on family, and Wildwood Dancing is no exception. I loved the sisters' relationships with each other, how they supported each other throughout all the mess they get into. And while some of the sisters do get wrapped up in their own problems after a certain point, those sisters also get called out on it and try to make things right in the end.
2. The Dancing Glade. Kudos to the author for doing something different in Wildwood Dancing than in most Twelve Dancing Princesses retellings by making the Dancing Glade somewhere I'd actually like to visit, with non-evil rulers and a generally nice populace. (With the exception of the Night People, obviously, who are as thoroughly nasty and evil as they ought to be- whatever the author may say to the contrary.)
3. Transylvania. Well, not Transylvania specifically, but I appreciate the fact that the book isn't set in the usual psuedo-England (or occasionally psuedo-Germany) of most fairytale retellings. Don't get me wrong, I love England and Germany- they're in my top five places I want to visit- but it's nice to see something different.
4. Surprises. About halfway (or maybe two-thirds, I'm not exactly sure) of the way through the book, I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen. Guess what? I was wrong about most of it, but in a good way. (I did, however, guess some things. For example,
The Bad:
1. Cezar. For most of the book, he seemed a bit flat to me. Certain events at the end of the book went some way towards explaining why he was the way he was, but I still feel he could've been given a little more depth.
2. Tatiana and Sorrow. Well, not entirely, but in some ways.At first I thought that Sorrow had somehow enchanted Tatiana, since she was practically head-over-heels for him after the first night. But no, no enchantments- and while that means Sorrow is a good guy, not the dangerous rogue I took him for at first, it also means there's no explanation for how they fell in love so fast. Also, Tatiana's love sickness. *facepalm* Get a grip, girl! I can understand that you're worried and you want to be with your "true love" and he's in danger- but refusing to eat and being listless and doing stupid things isn't going to help either of you. Even so, they did truly love each other and sacrificed for each other, so their romance isn't totally bad. Just some aspects annoy me. Speaking of which . . .
3. Jenica (at times). And by "times" I mean when she trusts a dubious vision that came from a very dark place over what she knows. *facepalm* I liked her for most of the book, but that annoyed me a lot.
4. The cover. The saying is true, and this book is much better than its cover implies, but still . . . it's weird-looking, that's all I'm saying. (Also, the girl on the front looks nothing like Jenica, in my opinion.)
Overall, Wildwood Dancing is an unique retelling of one of my favorite fairytales. Though it does have its not-so-awesome points, I would say its good points far outweigh them. I would recommend this to any teen who enjoys retold fairy tales.
I really enjoyed Wildwood Dancing for a great many reasons. However, there were also some things that I wasn't really fond of. For your convenience (and my ease of reviewing), I'll make two lists: one good, one bad.
The Good:
1. Sisterly love. Fairy-tale retellings can generally be counted on to have a great emphasis on family, and Wildwood Dancing is no exception. I loved the sisters' relationships with each other, how they supported each other throughout all the mess they get into. And while some of the sisters do get wrapped up in their own problems after a certain point, those sisters also get called out on it and try to make things right in the end.
2. The Dancing Glade. Kudos to the author for doing something different in Wildwood Dancing than in most Twelve Dancing Princesses retellings by making the Dancing Glade somewhere I'd actually like to visit, with non-evil rulers and a generally nice populace. (With the exception of the Night People, obviously, who are as thoroughly nasty and evil as they ought to be- whatever the author may say to the contrary.)
3. Transylvania. Well, not Transylvania specifically, but I appreciate the fact that the book isn't set in the usual psuedo-England (or occasionally psuedo-Germany) of most fairytale retellings. Don't get me wrong, I love England and Germany- they're in my top five places I want to visit- but it's nice to see something different.
4. Surprises. About halfway (or maybe two-thirds, I'm not exactly sure) of the way through the book, I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen. Guess what? I was wrong about most of it, but in a good way. (I did, however, guess some things. For example,
Spoiler
that Gogu was a person changed into a frog. I also guessed that Costi hadn't been killed as everyone suspected- though at first I thought he was Sorrow, and it wasn't until after I was proved wrong that I started to put two and two together to guess who he really was.The Bad:
1. Cezar. For most of the book, he seemed a bit flat to me. Certain events at the end of the book went some way towards explaining why he was the way he was, but I still feel he could've been given a little more depth.
2. Tatiana and Sorrow. Well, not entirely, but in some ways.
3. Jenica (at times). And by "times" I mean when she trusts a dubious vision that came from a very dark place over what she knows. *facepalm* I liked her for most of the book, but that annoyed me a lot.
4. The cover. The saying is true, and this book is much better than its cover implies, but still . . . it's weird-looking, that's all I'm saying. (Also, the girl on the front looks nothing like Jenica, in my opinion.)
Overall, Wildwood Dancing is an unique retelling of one of my favorite fairytales. Though it does have its not-so-awesome points, I would say its good points far outweigh them. I would recommend this to any teen who enjoys retold fairy tales.