Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood Dancing Series)

I first read Wildwood Dancing in 2009 and have it countless times since then; it was the first book I ever read by Juliet Marillier. Originally, I bought the book simply because it had a pretty cover; it sat on my bookshelf collecting dust for a long time, until I found myself bed-ridden after having my wisdom teeth surgically removed and with very little to occupy myself with. At first, I was reluctant to read Wildwood Dancing because back then I wasn't a huge fan of the fantasy genre. I was instantly assuaged by Marillier's practical and realistic approach to fantasy. The setting of Romania is also fascinating, and Marillier gives the reader a taste of Romanian folklore, culture, and geography. That is one thing I love about this author: she is well-researched and is curious about areas of the world that other YA authors haven't widely explored. The Plot: Wildwood Dancing is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy-tale. The main character, Jenica, is responsible for looking out for her four sisters while their father is away from the castle for health reasons. Jena struggles to maintain control with her domineering cousin, Cezar, attempting to seize control. Cezar is deeply troubled by the loss of his elder brother, Costin, who is believed to have been taken by the folk that dwell in the mysterious forest. Cezar is determined to hunt down and kill all of the folk of the Wildwood to avenge his brother's death. This is problematic for Jenica and her sisters because they have visited the realm of the Other Kingdom for years, since they were children, and have come to regard the Wildwood folk as an extension of their family. What I love about this book: First of all, Marillier understands that a heroine can be strong without wielding a sword and marching off to war. Her female characters are strong of heart and conviction. Jenica is strong in that she would do anything to protect her family, sometimes to a fault. She is flawed like a human being, and throughout the story she learns how to overcome these faults. Second, I love the location, descriptions, and atmosphere. The fairy-tale creatures and festivities of the Other Kingdom are imagined in a way that makes your heart ache for it to be real. The atmosphere is soft, romantic, ethereal, and somewhat mysterious. Third, I love the love stories, plain and simple. There are two love stories in Wildwood Dancing; they are tell a different kind of story, and I think Marillier did a good job of balancing the two out. One is eloquent and somber, whereas the other sweet and light-heated. The first love story is apparent from the beginning and remains rather constant throughout the book, whereas the latter is revealed toward the end. SPOILERS... I have to say in defense of Tatiana and Sorrow... Even though I don't agree with Tati giving up on life and becoming so consumed by her love for Sorrow, I think it was realistic for her character to react the way she did because that was just the sort of person she was, whether you disagree with her actions or not. Personally, I don't think she had an easy choice to make and if you go on to read Cybele's Secret, you'll find that she is continuing to seek a solution for her predicament. Juliet Marillier has even mentioned in interviews that Tati's story has a few loose ends that need to be tired up in the third installment of the Wildwood trilogy (even though I wonder if she will actually ever get around to writing it.) Also, I thought Tati's and Sorrow's romance was a little more satisfying than Jena and Costi's because their love story is developed throughout the course of the entire book, whereas Jena and Costi don't become a thing until the last possible moment. END SPOILERS... Anyway, Wildwood Dancing, for me, is the type of book that is worth staying up all night to finish (which I did, against the influence of some pretty heavy medications...) My first time reading, there were parts that caught me so off guard that I literally screamed. Wildwood Dancing will certainly not collect dust on my bookshelf, and I recommend it to anyone, young and old, looking for a dreamy romantic fairy-tale. And I would also rec commend reading other books by Juliet Marillier, especially Daughter of the Forest.

This book was fun. I love this kind of delicate, romantic fantasy. The way the Other Kingdom was described was absolutely delicious I just couldn't get enough. I suppose that might be a small complaint, I really wish the magic was a bigger part of this story. Honestly the bones of this novel were great; a talking frog, dangerous lovers, a smart little witch riding a white fox. I just wish things folded out more...organically. I felt like instead of getting to know characters I was simply told who they were. But this was enjoyable and I'll most likely pick up the next book in the series, if only to get my hands on the lovely cover art!

In Wildwood Dancing, Juliet Marillier takes the Grimms' fairy tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, subtracts the father/king figure and a few princesses, adds personalities and several plot threads, stirs it up with a healthy dash of magic and drama, and serves up a truly wonderful fairy tale that children and adults will thoroughly enjoy. Jena and her four sisters live in Transylvania with their loving but ill merchant father and two kind servants. As the sisters wait for their father to journey abroad possibly never to return again, they take solace in their eventful trips to the Otherworld every Full Moon to dance their shoes to scraps and their bodies halfway to exhaustion. They've traveled to Dancing Glade for years together, but soon choices must be made... Jena tries with all her might to keep the sisters together, watching while one falls into a star-crossed love affair with an other-kin, and the others crack under the pressure of growing up in a world without their father, who may soon be replaced by their tyrant of a cousin, Cezar. Cezar and Jena share a dark past that binds them together, a little too close for comfort. Will he succeed in taking away all that Jena holds dear to her and her beloved sisters? Will they have to give up their forays from this into the Otherworld, and possibly send both to their doom? This terrific little bargain book(!) has been an absolute delight to read. The five sisters are real, distinct personalities (yay feminist fairy tales!), the plot threads that weave in and out of each other throughout the story are involving, and the villains are truly terrible! I was up a few late nights pouring through the pages, relishing Marillier's lyrical prose describing the Otherworld and its kith and kin, and the enchanting story of Jena's ups and downs in dark, mysterious Transylvania. Fantasy-lovers and other readers of all shapes and sizes, don't hesitate on this one, even if you don't particularly consider yourself an enthusiast... because a couple chapters in, you will most definitely become one.

Es un libro romántico, entretenido, emocionante y hermoso, con un lenguaje bonito y escogido y con fragmentos poéticos. En ocasiones se hace un poco largo. Lo que menos me convence de Juliet Marillier es que sus personajes son planos, los malos son malísimos y parecen salirse con la suya con relativa facilidad y a los buenos les falta fuerza. Recomendable para los aficionados a los cuentos algo románticos.

This is Juliet's first book for "young adults". I didn't realise that until I actually got it. I was hoping Wildwood Dancing would be something along the lines of her "Daughter of the Forest" itself a fantastic, magical, Natureworld-filled "read". It's similar, in that it involves the lives of a family of young girls (between 5 - 17 years) and their experiences in the Fairy realms of the Forest. At first I was a bit doubtful, but I was quickly drawn into it, and although I have left my "young adulthood" a few decades(!) behind, am enjoying it very much. Young adults will love it - and so will we "olds" if we open our imaginations to the magic!

It's a great read - imaginative, well written and excellent character descriptions, with a mystery, danger, romance and excitement.

This proved a disappointment after reading her “Blackthorn & Grimm” series. While Jena is supposedly smart and reasonable enough to be left in charge of the family business while her father is away, she is not really able to display those smarts and reasonableness as she is made helpless in multiple scenes. I didn’t feel that she had any deep bond with her sisters – at best she just nagged Tati and the others? – if there was ever meant to be one. Her sisters are also not all fully fleshed out, just mere caricatures: a scholar or studious one, a flirty one, and one who’s too young to have a personality apparently? The main antagonist was a patronizing man with tiny genitals who appeared in too many scenes, and the source of all this goings-on (a witch) had this crazy crazy reason why she allowed it to happen.

Paperback básico, sem orelha, capa molinha e folhas mais cinzas.