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Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood #1)

by Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 12,240 ratings · 1,401 reviews

High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass thro...more

Hardcover, 407 pages

Published January 23rd 2007 by Knopf

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Nov 20, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, leaves-awesomeness-behind, books-i-want-for-christmas, favorites, australian-writer

The problem with this book is that it's not real.

Juliet Marillier is my arch-nemesis and main rival. We've been competing against each other for the coveted title of #1 most followed Australian for awhile now. The battle has been vicious. The competition fierce.

oblivious

Okay, maybe she's not as "aware" of this competition as I am... so what if it appears that she's almost never even ON Goodreads and by all accounts may actually have forgotten that she has a GoodReads? It still counts as a competition, r...more

102 likes · like · see review

Sep 27, 2008 Grace rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fairy Tale, Mythic Fiction Lovers

Shelves: favorite-books-ever

I don't recall the last time I've read a fiction book based on classic fairy tales that was this excellent, and I've read many. The tone of this book does indeed feel a lot like the recent works of Patricia McKillip, but Marillier manages to make you care about the characters more (and this is coming from a huge McKillip fan). I don't cry easily at books, but I found myself moved to tears at several points.

The book takes the fairy tale of the 12 Dancing Princesses and sets it in Romania, telling...more

33 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2012 Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, faerie-poop, myths-and-tales, quite-the-romantic, teens-tweens-and-ya

Hm, this one is tough to rate. Higher than three stars, but definitely not round-upable to four. So I guess 3.25 stars?

As always Juliet Marillier's prose is lovely and atmospheric. A retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince, the story is set in Transylvania and told from the perspective of Jena, the second eldest sister out of five, all of whom visit the fairy realm through a secret passageway in their bedroom.

When their ill father leaves Jena and her sisters for the winter...more Hm, this one is tough to rate. Higher than three stars, but definitely not round-upable to four. So I guess 3.25 stars?

As always Juliet Marillier's prose is lovely and atmospheric. A retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince, the story is set in Transylvania and told from the perspective of Jena, the second eldest sister out of five, all of whom visit the fairy realm through a secret passageway in their bedroom.

When their ill father leaves Jena and her sisters for the winter, Jena is left in charge of the holding. However, though capable and independent, Jena and her sisters run into trouble when their cousin attempts to take over the household's affairs in their father's absence. On top of that, the eldest sister Tati falls deeply in love with a man of the fairy realm in the midst of a brewing war between humans and fae.

The plot and setting were very unique. I'm impressed at how Juliet Marillier can weave so many different fairy tales and folklore into one story. The witch of the wood reminded of Baba Yaga, albeit much less antagonistic and without the house on chicken legs. The fairy realm and the cool, immortal fae that inhabit it had a distinct Sevenwaters feel. And the frog, well, while you may not expect it, the revelation of Gogu's past isn’t much as a surprise in hindsight.

But while these different elements were enjoyable, I found the plot unclear and the resolution of conflicts very deus ex machina. Jena, despite her effort to control the situation, is not the main mover of the story. From dealing with her infuriatingly sexist cousin Cezar to trying to pull her sister out of heartsickness, Jena is pulled from one situation to the next by the whims of others. She talks about independence and justice, but she does not seem capable of enacting her beliefs.

A common theme in Juliet Marillier's book, at least the three I've read, is that a strain of feminist independence is always contrasted against masculine dominance. Not surprising, since such political and societal inequalities were ingrained in many historical societies. In Wildwood Dancing, however, this gender inequality isn't a part of society, as it may have been, but is rather starkly illustrated only by Cezar's overbearing and infuriating masculinity. Cezar was a great villain in how he slowly exerted his control over the household, but if that's the case, I would like a strong protagonist who can fight it. Jena seemed too weak to be his foil. She passively allowed such encroachment, which made me skip a few chapters ahead to avoid the domestic drama.

Also, most of the issues in this story were resolved by outside forces, particularly Cezar's encroachment on Jena's holdings and Tati's heartsickness. This just seemed to happen after a period of time, and all Jena had to do was wait and watch.

Overall, a decent read and worth it, though the story falls below that of the Sevenwaters series.

In sum, 3.25 stars.(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2010 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ala-ya-2008, 2010, fairy-tales, ya, series-in-progress-still-like, aus-nz

Not sure how to rate this. Somewhere around 3.5 stars rounded up to generous 4 I guess?

I really do like Juliet Marillier's writing, even though it always takes me a while to get into any of her books. I like how descriptive and atmospheric her stories are. Wildwood Dancing offers an interesting blend of traditional fairy tales (The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince) and Transylvanian vampire lore. The characters are likable - the heroines are strong and resourceful, the heroes valian...more Not sure how to rate this. Somewhere around 3.5 stars rounded up to generous 4 I guess?

I really do like Juliet Marillier's writing, even though it always takes me a while to get into any of her books. I like how descriptive and atmospheric her stories are. Wildwood Dancing offers an interesting blend of traditional fairy tales (The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince) and Transylvanian vampire lore. The characters are likable - the heroines are strong and resourceful, the heroes valiant and loving, the villains sufficiently despicable. And of course, there is always LOVE, a sweet and touching type of love.

I am starting to see a bit of a pattern in Marillier's books though. The story here is basically the same as I've read in her first 2 Sevenwaters books - the same cast of characters - a self-sufficient heroine, a suddenly weakened father, loving siblings, fairies, a family member villain, etc. The main conflict always has something to do with fairy games and the human villain trying to force himself on the heroine.

This particular story is also a little bit convoluted and muddy. I never got the clear picture what happened and why. Jena and her sisters, when her father is absent, start experiencing troubles in both fairy realm and real world. Then these difficulties are all resolves, but interestingly enough, without any kind of effort on the sisters' part. Basically, a witch messed with them all and then all her spells are gone. All that the sisters need to do is endure and wait for changes to come. It's just weird.

And then some actions by the main character - Jena - are strange too. I often didn't understand why exactly she did certain things. For example, her sexist pig cousin tries to take away the authority Jena has over her household and her father's business' finances, and all she does is argue with him without actually exercising the power she has to stop him. And it happens on several occasions. So, you see, she is pretty much all talk no game. It is frustrating. And then the way she reacts to her best friend's transformation doesn't make sense either.

Now, looking over my review, I think I am going to downgrade my rating to 3 stars. I am, however, still very much interested in reading the sequel - Cybele's Secret.(less)

16 likes · like · see review

Aug 11, 2012 Lyn (The Heartless) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fae, youth-lit, teen-lit, fantasy, it-s-my-favorite

"We needed to acknowledge that love was not just kisses, smiles, and fulfillment, but also sacrifice, compromise, and hard work." pg 367

At a glance, it is not difficult to determine that Wildwood Dancing is a tale about the transition between child and adolescence. Marillier weighs in the pros and cons about losing your innocence and the trails and advantages of leaving the safe, magical world of childhood. Ultimately, everyone is torn away from their childhood to enter into a new world. Marilli...more "We needed to acknowledge that love was not just kisses, smiles, and fulfillment, but also sacrifice, compromise, and hard work." pg 367

At a glance, it is not difficult to determine that Wildwood Dancing is a tale about the transition between child and adolescence. Marillier weighs in the pros and cons about losing your innocence and the trails and advantages of leaving the safe, magical world of childhood. Ultimately, everyone is torn away from their childhood to enter into a new world. Marillier points out that growing up is an adventure as well, and that the younger adolescent years can be a time of magic and adventure just as well.

Juliet Marillier brings in the elements of Romanian mythology into the fold of her story. She points out that some of the characters in the book have the same origin as the infamous Dracula, but she dodges the label and substitutes the original name, Night People, for her story. The book overall is a wonderful lesson into the culture and history of Transylvania, and I applaud Marillier for digging deeper, and using her knowledge and insight to portray the settlement into a new light. Wildwood Dancing ha a backdrop that is rich and colorful, and the author performs her job as a writer beautifully as the introduces the magical elements of the world without hitting her audience over the head with in-depth details and explanations.

In the field of characters and main protagonist, this book is a much-needed break from the formulaic players in the story. Jena, as most young adult main characters, lacks charm and exterior glamour of two of her sisters. However, the story does not simply follow Jena's own story, but also forks off into her Tati's, her older sister, love story and winning her own battle of love. Tati was overall a weak character, and at times I often wanted to slap some sense into her. But diverting some of the attention away from Jena onto the other sister developed the story, and worked to strengthen the vivid complexity of the tale. I wish that the other 3 sisters had a larger role to play, and often, the other three girls were used more as story props than actual people.

The villains or antagonist of the story is also an elaborate plot device of the story. Simply pinning Cesar, Jena's one time friend and growing foe of the story, is too simplistic for this tale. Yes, the guy turned into a person I ended up despising, but Marillier always casts a light into the interior of the character's development. Cesar is a twisted, hurting person, who sees himself as the hero of his own story. His own decisions and his thoughts make him the antagonist. The reader is simply not handed this character, then told by the author that "Here, here is your Bad Guy. Now hate him." I cannot say how many times I have read a story and wondered why the adversary THEM. Nothing starts out evil, so why should we accept that this character is a horrible person? Cesar's own internal pain twisted him into a monster, and even though I could go back and point out that, at one time, this character was not simply an evil person. His decisions and actions were evil.

I am very upset that this book is over! Swallowing the lump in my throat was difficult as I finished off this one. Don't expect a clean cut, fairy tale ending. Just like life, Marillier and Jena look for to life and the great undiscovered country of the future that lays like a road at their feet.
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10 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Jess Michaelangelo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, fantasy, favorites, fiction, young-adult, own, re-read, fairy-tale

This, my friends, is how you tell a story!

I've been on a kick of fairytale-related books recently, and this is easily the best of them. I was completely hooked on this book and found it nearly impossible to put down.

This is my first read of Juliet Marillier, but now I know that I definitely want to check out the other books that she's written. She is quite talented as a storyteller. I was completely transported to Piscul Dracului and the surrounding forest as I read.

In a genre of books that i...more

5 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2008 Cristin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, childrens-or-young-adult

This is another pleasant book for young adult readers who are interested in fantasy...(can you sense an impending "however"?)

At times, HOWEVER, I resented the editor, because it seemed like the arguments between Cezar and Jena acted as filler pages that prevented the story from moving forward.

I also disliked the fact that it was nearly impossible to become attached to any of the sisters (besides Jena, who is the main character)though such an attachment or personal investment (on the reader's par...more

12 likes · like · see review

Feb 29, 2008 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-ve-already-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 25, 2008 Pauline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, read-2008, reviews, young-adult-fiction

“Wildwood Dancing” reminds me of "Pride and Prejudice" with a spattering of different fairy tales and a bit of Dracula mixed in.

There are five sisters and the oldest is beautiful and the second oldest is smart and witty. The other three consist of the scholar, the flirt and the youngest is just young.

Their father becomes ill and leaves the girls to run the castle under the watchful eye of an uncle and cousin Cezar. To say the least things go awry and the cousin is power hungry and in love with J...more “Wildwood Dancing” reminds me of "Pride and Prejudice" with a spattering of different fairy tales and a bit of Dracula mixed in.

There are five sisters and the oldest is beautiful and the second oldest is smart and witty. The other three consist of the scholar, the flirt and the youngest is just young.

Their father becomes ill and leaves the girls to run the castle under the watchful eye of an uncle and cousin Cezar. To say the least things go awry and the cousin is power hungry and in love with Jenica the second oldest, but things do not go as planned and the girls are defiant.

These lovely sisters have found a portal into another dimension. The portal takes them to the land of fairies and dwarves and all types of fantastical creatures. In this land they dance to their hearts content, but they have rules they all swear to follow. No one can eat or drink the food from this fantasy land, for it may change them and they would not be able to live a proper life in their own land. They are to stay in each other sight, but Tatiana one night catches the eye of her true love. Her true love is trapped into servitude by creatures of the dark. Sorrow who is Tatiana’s true love changes the purpose of the monthly visits for Tatiana and the ramifications that follow effect everyone even the people of the girls’ village. Tatiana lives for nothing but to be with Sorrow.

Jenica tries to keep everything under control with the help of her trustworthy companion Gogu. Gogu happens to be a frog and Jenica can hear him talk, but no one else can. Jenica found him when she was six years old and they are inseparable companions much to the consternation of cousin Cezar. The frog plays a major part in the story as most frogs do in fairy tales.

The story is a delight to read and even though it is based on other stories, it contains a lot of wonderful surprises that kept me reading about the girls' journeys. In this book true love wins, but the two eldest girls have to fight to win it.
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4 likes · like · see review

Jun 04, 2008 Honor rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: mystery, romance

This is my newest favorite book. Set in Transylvania, it is about a family of 5 daughters who live in a castle next to a wooded area. Each night of full moon, they open a portal to the other world where they dance the night away with fairies, gnomes, dwarfs, and all other kind of mystical creatures. No one knows they go on this adventure every full moon, and they have done it for a long time, 9 years I think. Jenica, the 2nd oldest, is telling this story. When they first started going to the dan...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 02, 2008 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairytales

This was an amazing book. She weaves together several classical stories: the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Transylvanian vampire lore, and others (I wouldn't want to give any twists away by saying which ones), and does so seamlessly and without a feeling that she's cramming it all in. The characters were great, and I truly enjoyed seeing what twists and turns the story took. There were villains both in the "ordinary" world, and in the fairy kingdom, but also champions and sympathizers, often from u...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jan 24, 2013 Elisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, fantasy-paranormal, fairytales, 2013-rereads

It may have taken me awhile to read this book, but that doesn't at all reflect on the quailty, it was pretty much perfect. I loved Jena- she wasn't a tough or bold heroine, but she was loving and loyal and strong in an unconventional way. Tati got on my nerves though, I can't respect a love story that causes you to forget and neglect everyone else who loves you. I really liked that each sister had a personality, though. Considering there were five of them, not one got lost in the shuffle. In fac...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 16, 2008 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, retold-fairy-tales

I found it rather slow to get into, but after I made it through the first 150 pages or so I was pretty engrossed. The prose itself didn't strike me as anything special, and I do think it could have been tightened down in length, but it was an exciting story, with especially strong characters (ooh, that Cezar made me so angry...) and a nice darkly magical feel. I didn't love it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it after I passed about the one-third mark. An interesting redrawing of a - or rather, several...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 23, 2007 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-uns, retellings, ya

This is Marillier's first foray into YA and, I will confess, I did long a little bit for what the book would be like if she'd written the same story for adults. She's just so good at tension and darkness and the otherworldly that this combination Frog Prince/Twelve Dancing Princesses/Vampire story would make a delicious non-YA. That said, it was a wonderful story and I found myself fascinated to see how she tied together the two familiar (though not necessarily similar) fairy tales, set it in Ro...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2009 Allison (The Allure of Books) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, historical-fantasy

Not my favorite. I'm disappointed I didn't like it more, because a couple of my GR friends whose opinions I usually agree with loved this book, but I just never got into it. I actually thought the first half was mildly boring...and I had to flip to the end to see what happened, and when I did that I thought "oh cool! I do wanna read this to see how we get there!" After that point, I enjoyed the book much more. Weird.

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2011 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Ho-ly cow, this is good. This is good good. This is really good good.

I don't know what I really expected when I began this. I had briefly read some reviews, heard it was a fairy tale and decided to pick it up. When they say fairy tale they mean it in the Grimm sense of the term - man, this is DARK. I was spooked and concerned far more than I was laughing.

The characters are fascinating. We see the world through the eyes of Jena; second oldest of five. She's the most sensible, mildly attractive, e...more

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Jun 26, 2008 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

I found this fairy tale retelling a well-written and refreshingly unique take on fairies, dwarves, elves, vampires, and even frogs. While it wasn't a page-turner for me (it was a bit slow and didn't always keep my attention), it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 23, 2012 Aura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-fantasy

Damn. Of course it had to be a foreigner who writes about Romanian folklore.

One thing first. There's often something troubling about first POV stories, something related to the character being too wise and going for elaborate theories in inappropriate moments, you surely know what I mean. First POV should be clear, allowing you to distrust the narrator, to say 'what a blithering fool you are. I see it while you don't'. It was not so bad to put one off, but it felt like a drawback to the story to...more Damn. Of course it had to be a foreigner who writes about Romanian folklore.

One thing first. There's often something troubling about first POV stories, something related to the character being too wise and going for elaborate theories in inappropriate moments, you surely know what I mean. First POV should be clear, allowing you to distrust the narrator, to say 'what a blithering fool you are. I see it while you don't'. It was not so bad to put one off, but it felt like a drawback to the story to me. And a nice one we have here, leaving what I've just said behind.

The power of the story rests in its atmosphere. I had, especially from the first chapters, the same feeling I experienced while visiting medieval castles in northern Romania when I was younger and went in school trips. I recall being bewitched by the architectural details - the balconies, the terraces, designed in whatever style the guide kept rattling on while I was staring like a troll at that or the wells or the embellished windows frames. I recall thinking I would be too afraid to sleep in one of those gloomy chambers and I concentrated on listening the creaks of the ancient wood under our feets. Architectural details are somewhat lacking here as the story develops and that would have improved greatly the evoking of that atmosphere.

I loved when I was little The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I lost the book containing the story long ago, when I temporarily left Romania - what it should have been a permanent move. I think I had the Romanian version of the it, but I don't think it differs too much from The Grimm's one. The story is a mix of other beloved fairy tales as well, but saying which would be a spoiler, and a lot of Romanian mythology, things I longed for. Like when I was little and an adult started threatening that naughty children are taken by Baba Cloanța (some old witch like our Drăguța here, but one who kidnapped children in her bag) or Lupu Sur (the Grey Wolf) or Magaoaia (Maga-sheep?!). The myth of the forrest coming alive with its magical creatures at full moon and fairies ruling there, how I missed that.

All right, 3 stars only because I felt the author's need to impress through Jena's thoughts [by the way, the short from Jenica is Jeni, not Jena, which means Embarassment] and because of the long talk on true love and the tendency to draw two straight lines and finish with the story, but I almost always complain of feeling kicked out in the last pages. A bit simple for commercial purposes maybe? Or I'm just upset my Romanian story was rather plot-driven.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 25, 2008 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars

A creative combination of The Frog Prince and The Twelve Dancing Princesses, set in Transylvania! Magnificent, engrossing writing. Fabulous.

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Chiara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, own

Wildwood Dancing is a loose retelling of the famous fairytale The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
The five sisters of Piscul Draculi venture down into the Other Kingdom, a place of magic and danger, to dance every full moon. The sisters spend the night in blissful happiness, all except Jena. Jena is the second eldest of the sisters, and is the 'responsible' one. She worries about all her sisters, the castle, her father, money, and her frog friend, Gogu. When the girls' father travels away from Piscul...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 07, 2010 Misty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: folklore-myth-fable-fairy-tall-tale, historical, international-multicultural, juvenile-ya, read-in-2009, ya-challenge, retelling, sci_fi-fantasy

Wildwood Dancing is retold fairy tale set in Romania of a century ago. Five sisters (beautiful Tati; sensible Jena, who narrates the story; lively Iulia; smart Paula and young Stela) are left to take care of their estate, Piscul Dracului, when their father travels south for his health. They try to go on with their lives as before: doing chores, watching over his mercantile business, and sneaking out of their bedroom once a month through a secret portal that lead to a fairy realm where they dance...more

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 08, 2011 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairy-tales, want-to-own, blog

Originally reviewed on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marrilier is one of the most unique and beautiful retellings for The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It is primarily Jenica's story, the second of five sisters, although Tatiana, the eldest sister, has an important role in the direction the story goes as well.

As young children, Tatiana (Tati) and Jenica (Jena) discovered a portal that opens each full moon into the Dancing Glade within the Other Kingdom. T...more Originally reviewed on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marrilier is one of the most unique and beautiful retellings for The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It is primarily Jenica's story, the second of five sisters, although Tatiana, the eldest sister, has an important role in the direction the story goes as well.

As young children, Tatiana (Tati) and Jenica (Jena) discovered a portal that opens each full moon into the Dancing Glade within the Other Kingdom. They have gone through the portal each full moon since then (with, I believe, a few absences for illness and the like) and as the younger sisters were born, they brought Iulia, Paula and Stela into Glade with them. And there they dance until dawn, each full moon with the magical and mysterious beings who dwell in the Other Kingdom.

Things are going wonderfully until their father gets fall ill and must move to a warmer climate for the winter. The girls are left behind on their estate, and Jena is left in charge of management. She has been helping her father for years, and it is decided that she can remain in charge, with the understanding that their cousin Cezar, who lives on a neighboring estate with be around to offer whatever assistance is necessary. And then, Tati falls in love with one of the dangerous 'night people', Cezar begins trying to seize power of their estate from Jena, not to mention trying to own Jena herself and everything they love is suddenly in danger.

This is one of those books that I loved, but wasn't really sure I liked all of it.- Does that even make sense?! Probably not... I shall try to explain. As I mentioned above, Wildwood Dancing is one of the most unique and wholly original fairy tale retellings I have read. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is my favorite fairy tale of all time, and I have read a lot of retellings of it. This one reaches a level of beauty, originality and magic that I have never come across before in a book of any kind. But, I had been hearing from so many people how amazing the book was, and when I first read it, it was at a time when I was looking for something just a little bit different. (Incidentally, it turns out that what I was actually wanting to read at the time is something that I got from its sequel, Cybele's Secret, which is not a retelling, but tells us Paula's story.)

Don't get me wrong here. I did genuinely love this story. Marillier's writing is enchanting and completely believable. While reading, you think you are quite clever, and you understand where the twists in the story are going to take you. And, you are right, but oh so wrong as well. The story is so much more complex and interwoven than it would appear at first and there were moments when it stunned me completely and I was left breathless. It is also a story that, as time goes on, I cannot remember any flaws within. I cannot remember what it is that made me give it 4 GR stars instead of 5, and back then my reviews were horrifyingly vague and short.

And now, I'm going to devote an entire paragraph to Gogu, Jena's pet frog. She found Gogu in the woods when she was very young and he has been her constant companion and trusted confidant since then. I know he is a frog, but he is still one of the absolute greatest characters in this book. It is clear that he cares for Jena as much as she loves him, and they have been together so long they are able to communicate through facial expressions, body language and an almost uncanny ability to sense what the other is feeling. Honestly, if I could only pick one, I think Gogu would be my favorite character of the story. I want a pet frog like Gogu!

This is a book that retains it's magic no matter how many times it's been read, that no matter how familiar you think you are with the story will continue to enchant, amaze and surprise you. I highly, highly recommend this book. I have more of Marillier's book on my tbr, and I find myself itching to re-immerse myself in the magic she creates.

(Review Update: I spent some time after I wrote this review rereading my favorite parts of this book (something I do regularly with books I love) and I remembered why I had somewhat mixed feelings the first time I read it- I hated Tatiana. Like, hated her. I don't like or relate to her character, and she really pissed me off. I get it, but I don't have to like it.)(less)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 18, 2008 Sherwood Smith added it

Shelves: fantasy

This combines several fairy tale tropes with a beautifully realized Eastern European setting. The main character is Jena, a strong, sensible heroine who still long for romance and Otherness. She has to balance her own wishes and desires against what's good for her family and land.

The oldest sister is a tad drippy for an adult reader, but I think I would have found her soggy wasting away intensely romantic when I was young. The main fairy tale is also recognizable early on for the adult reader,...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 06, 2008 Izlinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Izlinda by: Bridgett Mahoney

Shelves: fantasy, fantasy-fairy-tales-mythology, young-adult

I saw this book on a friend's to-read list here on Goodreads and when I came upon it in a bookstore, I casually picked it up. I was surprised and happy to see a glossary of Romanian names and terms at the beginning of the book. I used to live in Romania and it made me a little homesick. I started reading it in the bookstore and decided I couldn't let it go.

An interesting mix of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" (down to five) and "The Frog Prince" and probably elements of other tales I'm not famil...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 23, 2007 Merrin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did, especially since I generally refer to Marillier as one of my favorite authors of fantasy. But this is the fourth in a line of lackluster efforts from her, and I’m thinking the two I liked are the flukes, not the other way around.

It’s an interesting enough story, set in Transylvania, five sisters find a portal to the faerie realm in the corner of their bedroom. Once each month, on the full moon, they go through the portal and dance in the moonl...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 29, 2008 Shasta rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found that the first half of the book dragged on. In fact, the argumets between Cezar and Jena and the bleak but slow turn of events surrounding the family only filled me a sense of foreboding that I couldn't shake. It kept me from really getting into the book. The story could have used more from Gogu and more scenes in the Dancing Glade, a fact that became clear to me near the end because that's when the story really grabbed. But it was too little, too late.

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 19, 2007 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007, reviewed, fantasy-sci-fi, fey

I love fairy tales. I particularly love the re-telling in which the otherwise boring princess(es) of the original suddenly become multi-dimensional and intelligent human beings, and not the doe-eyed Disney versions that exist just to teach little girls to wear pink and wait to be rescued.

I've read several of Juliet Marillier's books and this one is definitely my favorite. She can get caught up in creating the place or tracking through the plot to the extent that she forgets about her characters...more

8 likes · like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a lovely read! There's the beguiling quality of a fairy tale, respectfully represented with its riddles, games, choices, and tricky morals. There are plenty of whimsical creatures, secret magic, and forest trickery to appease any fairy story lover. Then there's the substantial stuff- thoughtful, complex characters, their evolution and growth, perhaps most importantly the artful relatability despite this story's fantastic scenery. I think anyone can connect with the struggle of having to dep...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 20, 2013 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, favorites, fairytale, book-club

I just re-read this for book club and again, I loved it!!!

(8/09) I LOVED this book!!! For some unknown reason, I've been putting off reading this book for about a year now. I finally picked it up and didn't want to put it down. It was a very good story loosely based on the fairy tale "The 12 Dancing Princesses." It had a very good mix of fairy tale-type stuff, mysterious unknowns, and budding (and forbidden) romances. I love how Jena (main character) did whatever she had to in order to keep her...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 25, 2009 A rated it 4 of 5 stars

On the night of the Full Moon, 16-year-old Jena and her three sisters dress in their best gowns and go through a hidden portal in an alcove of their castle in Transylvania. From there, they are ferried across a lake in which their cousin Costi was once drowned by a witch, until they come to a forest where they dance with magical creatures until morning. This continues for ten years until their beloved father suddenly falls ill, and must go away for the winter to recover in a warmer climate. The...more

1 like · like · see review

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About Juliet Marillier

Juliet Marillier was born July 27, 1948 in Dunedin, New Zealand and grew up surrounded by Celtic music and stories. Her own Celtic-Gaelic roots inspired her to write her first series, the Sevenwaters Trilogy. Marillier was educated at the University of Otago, where she majored in music and languages, graduating BA and a B Mus (Hons). She has said in an interview that this academic training strengt...more

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Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)

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“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.” — 1,046 people liked it

“If a man has to say trust me it's a sure sign you cannot. Trust him, that is. Trust is a thing you do without words.” — 244 people liked it

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