Book Nerds Across America

MARY'S REVIEW

First, I love the cover of this book.  I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but I did with this one.  When I began reading it seemed very interesting.  I did not know that this was based off of a fairy tale; however, after reading the whole book I could see the fairy tale in it.

Azalea is the oldest of twelve girls and loves to dance.  After their mother dies it come to light, while they are in mourning for a year, that their house is magical.  It is through a secret passage they meet Keeper. 

As all the girls mourn their loss they also rejoice in this new found place where they can dance all the time.  But, everything comes with a price and Azalea needs to pay that price.

Even though the story was very interesting, there were some parts that lagged and could have been summed up better.  However, Heather Dixon did a wonderful job telling the story of Azalea and her sisters.


Jacque's Review:

Entwined is a story about a Victorian Era royal family that is struggling financially.  The Queen, who has been suffering from a long term illness, passes away shortly into the story leaving behind the King and 12 princesses.  The mother was a gifted dancer who shared her love and talent with her daughters, but the King lacked the same emotional connection with his family.  The girls were never truly happy unless they were dancing, but the King imposed a one year period of morning that prohibited dancing and all socializing outside of royal business.  Throughout the book, we learn that the palace has a long history of magic associated with it.  The princesses discover this magic and a place in which they can dance and express their love for their mother, but not without a cost.

Overall, I enjoyed the story which is based on the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses.  Heather Dixon did a great job of providing a unique personality for each of the characters.  I also enjoyed how their relationship with the King progressed and developed throughout the story.  There were portions, however, in which I felt like it was dragging.  The plot could have moved quicker and there could have been more to the love story.


Flo's Review:

Like Mary, I love this cover! It's gorgeous. So, I wanted to read the book without even knowing what it was about....and maybe knowing would have better prepared me. I was so confused by the first several chapters, that I did go back and read up on it. Turns out it is based on the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, which I'd never heard before. Once I discovered that, it put the story in better perspective for me...however, I still found it lacking. For being a fairy tale, it did not present a fairy tale feel. And for being a story about magic, I did not feel at all magical. I think these elements were lost in trying to make it read as a regular story, and that is unfortunate. But I think my biggest qualm with the book is that it was very long. I felt it stretched out and dragged on when it could have been made tighter. I did, however, enjoy several of the characters, such as Mr. Bradford with his tousled hair and sweet Clover. In the end, it was the distinct personalities of the characters and not really the story that kept me reading to the conclusion.

Teri's Review
I love a good fairytale . Perhaps it was being surrounded by Kings, Queens and Castles as I grew up-okay maybe just one Queen, and maybe he is just the DOE, but I did have the castles! My parents often read The 12 Dancing Princesses to me, so I went into Entwined knowing the background, Azalea and her sisters find a magical ballroom in their castle, where they are able to fulfill their love of dancing with the help of Keeper while they are suppose to be mourning the loss of their mother. But Heather Dixon went further with the story, expanding it into a readable book.  Azalea was likable enough but lets face it Bramble stole the show. I kept turning pages to see what would come out of her mouth next-Oh no she did not just say that! Bramble provided me the humor this sometimes somber book needed.. And Keeper-Creepy- a lot more creepy than I remember him being in my fairytale book. I started out kinda liking him, that went down hill real fast.Most of my fellow booknerds liked Mr Bradford, and he is quite charming and dashing, but me? I loved Lord Teddie. His mannerisms and speech were spot on for a Eaton boy, but mostly he reminded me of probably my very first fictional crush, the adorable Bertie Wooster.
I did enjoy this book, tho sometimes all the detailed dancing rather bored me, actually come to think about it, I think it was the trip back to my childhood that I enjoy the most.