Heather Dixon Wallwork

When Azalea’s mother dies the castle goes into mourning. Everyone has to wear black, the windows are covered and dancing is strictly prohibited. Desperate to dance, the girls discover a secret passage that leads them to an enchanted forest. It is here they meet The Keeper. The girls are so desperate to escape the depressing castle they are blinded to The Keeper’s motives, and the dangers closing in on them.

Entwined is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I adore fairy tales and show more never hesitate to snatch up a new retelling when it hits the shelves. I thought Entwined was perfectly executed. It had all the elements I desire in a fairy tale. Azalea was a wonderful narrator and main character. Her sisters were well developed even though they were more like secondary characters to the plot. The Keeper was a despicably perfect villain. There were also a few romantic interests for the girls that added a nice romantic element to the plot. I also like that the boys didn’t have to be the heroes in this one. Azalea and her sisters are strong and smart girls who could kick butt when necessary.

Entwined summoned a continuous sense of nostalgia for this long time lover of fairy tales and princesses. It was a book that just made me feel good. It isn’t a book I devoured in one sitting, but one I looked forward to cuddling up with while drinking a cup of tea each evening before bed. This is a very big book, but it doesn’t seem that way when you’re reading. I was completely and totally enchanted by the author’s writing and the story she told. I couldn’t believe how quickly the pages flew by. I can see myself reading this with my daughters when they are a little older. I will most definitely add a finished copy of Entwined to my shelf of favorites very soon.

Cover Thoughts: Gorgeous and a perfect fit for the story on the pages! show less

I'm always up for re-told tales of lesser known fairy tales. ENTWINED happens to be a re-telling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", which seems to have picked up in favor in the last few years (I do believe this is the third or fourth novel I've read based on it!), which pleases me since its one of my favorites.

There's a charm to the novel that I found entrancing as Dixon weaves not just a story about 12 Princesses forced to dance night after night, but 12 Princesses who find peace in the show more dancing. Who at first welcome it because its a means of staying close to their deceased mother who taught them to love it. Grief plays a large part in the book as it blinds their father (the King) and blinds the Princesses to the danger they so willingly embrace.

Azalea, the oldest, is nominally what the book focuses on, but in truth Dixon tries to give the girls as a collective center stage. They are a tightly knit group despite their large number, given to petty childish grievances and sibling slights, but dependent on one and other just the same. I liked that there was a unity to their characters, but also a spark of individualism as well. Bramble with her quick smiles and quicker wit, Clover with her serious nature and Azalea who strives to be just like her mother.

The romance is understated and treated with modesty; the plot concerns itself more with detailing how the girls respond to their mother's death, the change in their lives and how Azalea's Faustian bargain effects them. I admit I wanted more romance, but therein is the catch--Azalea begins the book concerned with dancing, parties and worry over her future husband. Its not that she's flighty or immature, she takes on the responsibilities of her being her father's hostess and role model to her sisters while her mother wastes away from sickness. She is however a young woman, with only one certainty in her future--she'll marry whoever the Council decides to be King. Dancing gives her a joy and parties mean dancing.

There are amusing moments, sad moments and grim moments, but the book ends itself on a happier note. A happily ever after is achieved for a fair amount of the girls, despite some eye-brow raising (like Clover's suitor) and I was satisfied that the girls were not just pretty pieces of fluff waiting to be rescued. show less

Twelve dancing princesses! I read this first during high school and absolutely loved it. Then while I was reading House of Salt and Sorrows, I kept thinking about the Barbie movie and trying to remember all those princesses’ names which were in alphabetical order from oldest to youngest. And that reminded me of this other twelve dancing princesses story I had read that also had alphabetical names, but these were all named after flowers. I couldn’t remember the title, but I googled it and show more managed to find this very familiar cover, so I immediately got it out of the library and read it again and I still love it!

Princess Azalea and her sisters all love to dance! It is a trait and skill instilled in them by their mother, but when she dies giving birth to her twelfth daughter, the King orders the household into strict mourning – which means no dancing for a whole year! Azalea is crushed: how can she grieve her mother when she isn’t allowed to do the one thing that makes her feel connected to her?

Then, miraculously, she discovers a secret passage in the castle that leads to a magical pavilion where she and her sisters can dance as much as they want every night! But it just might be too good to be true… The Keeper of the pavilion does not want to let them go without paying his price.

This book is my aesthetic exactly! I don’t know how else to describe it. The magic, the beauty of their enchanted dancing pavilion, but also that dark, sinister edge to it. The three oldest girls all have love interests, which are all adorable in their own ways, but none of it overshadows the main story and the most important relationship development is between the girls and their father.

Absolutely gorgeous in every way! show less

I have a lot of REALLY good things to say about this book. I absolutely love fairy tale re-tellings, and have read my fair share. This book has bumped a lot of other books down the list. It's definitely in my top 5 in that category. I can't even begin to comprehend how challenging having 12 main characters would be. I have read reviews in which they said all of the younger sisters blended into one. I didn't feel that way at all!
I wanted to keep them straight, and kept a list of the sisters show more and wrote a bit about their personalities and ages as I went along. There were definitely 12 different characters in this book. They all played a part. I was blown away by how well Heather Dixon pulled this off! I loved them all!
I loved how much of the story revolved around the dancing. There was a kind of magic in the dancing itself. I have never been a dancer, but I really got swept up in their excitement for it.
I felt the plot was solid, the pacing was perfect, the characters were well developed, the villain truly terrifying, and the relationships believable and charming.
The only thing that bothered me about this book was there were two phrases that were WAY overused. I would be all caught up in the story until either Azelea's father "sucked his cheeks in" or she -something to the effect of "squeezed her hands until her nails cut her palms " all I could think was "Where was the editor?!"
Having said that though, I am officially a Heather Dixon fan! I am excited for the new book that is coming out! show less