A review by naluisreading
A Dança da Floresta by Juliet Marillier

4.0

“If a man has to say trust me, Gogu conveyed, it's a sure sign you cannot. Trust him, that is. Trust is a thing you know without words.”

This mesmerizing mix of fairytales tells the story of the sisters Jena, Tatiana, Paula, Iulia and Stella. Living in a castle in Transilvania during the late 1500s, they discover a secret passage to the Other Kingdom, a realm of magical creatures including fairies, goblins, vampires, sylphs, and many others.

Jena, the main protagonist, is the second oldest of the five sisters. Since they lost their mother, and she lost her most prized childhood friend (now being accompanied only by her talking frog, Gogu), the fifteen-year-old girl turned into an extremely responsible (sometimes boring and controlling) teen mom. Tatiana, the eldest daughter, is a hopeless romantic with a heart and good intentions who acts first and thinks second. The thirteen-year-old Iulia, with her passion for gowns and balls and interacting with people in general is more of a socialite than her sisters, while Paula (with only twelve years) is the most curious, imaginative and focused one, always looking for smart ways to solve problems. Last, but not least, the little five-year-old Stela, the cutest younger sister.

When I started this reading, I knew absolutely nothing about this book except that there were a few references to the tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. What I didn't know, was that this book would be a perfect mix of Little Women and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The fact that Jena talks to a frog and her sister don't find it weird is quite funny, but later on it makes sense because it's an age in which people still believe in witches, brownies, boogie-men and other myths. The whole atmosphere of the book is whimsical and creepy at the same time, as if the woods could be just as lovely as dangerous (which is fair enough considering the myths about the fair folk, vampires and witches, the main magical creatures the book presents in the spotlight). I felt like a child once again, all excited to know what would happen to the characters and whether they'd have their happy ending or not—best feeling EVER, at least for me, who didn't feel that for ages, practically. I'll reread it someday, certainly.