by Heather Dixon
Genre: YA Fantasy / Fairytale / Re-telling
Ages: 12 and up
Publisher Description:
Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.
But there is a cost.
The Keeper likes to keep things.
Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.
My Review:
This is one of my favorite Twelve Dancing Princesses re-tellings ever and that is saying a lot, considering how many I have read and loved. (It is one of my favorite fairytales.) This book is absolutely lovely. In fact, the first thing I noticed was the gorgeous cover. This book is well-written with an original take on an old story. There were moments of sweetness, darkness and beauty that made me smile, laugh and lean in closer.
The characters are wonderful. Azalea was easy to sympathize, as were her sisters and even her father. I loved that the younger girls actually acted their age, unlike so many books where children are precocious or, occasionally, exaggeratedly baby-ish. Lord Bradford was a very likable love interest, though I wish he had a bigger role in the story. As it was, he was the strong and friendly type. :)
Another great thing about this book is that it is nice and thick, a rare thing when it comes to fairytale re-tellings. It is 472 pages long, so I was able to sink into it for hours before it sadly came to an end. Heather Dixon is a new author on the scene, and I really hope she writes more.
Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality, and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).
Profanity:
There was no profanity in this book.
Sexuality:
There was no sexuality in this book, only some kissing. :)
Violence:
I give this a 4.10 for some fighting, threats and attempted murder.
Lieder Madchen
Yes, the cover caught my eye right away. It's such a clique, but I do tend to judge books by their covers. I don't know why, but I do. I wouldn't mind checking this book out in the future, sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI do have this one on my want list. It sounds like a fun read. :) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite book of all time is Ella Enchanted. I've read it about 40 times over the past ten years. Nothing has ever come close to it... until now. This is one of the best books I've ever read, ranking among the greats like Hunger Games, for me. It's definitely a book worth reading.
ReplyDeleteThis book was very different than I thought it would be, it was better! And I highly recommend it, it has the perfect mix of romance, action, drama, and magic.
ReplyDelete