A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

ENTWINED

Author: Heather Dixon ISBN: 9780062001030 4/2011 HISTORICAL FANTASY Publisher: GREENWILLOW

Entwined by Heather Dixon
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.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: Top Pick

The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces, or better known as The Twelve Dancing Princesses, is an old Grimm's fairytale. ENTWINED is a charming retelling of the old tale. One of the things that I liked best about ENTWINED is that while it kept faithful to most of the original story, it also differed and added an even more magical twist. As you may have guessed, there are twelve princesses in this book. They are sisters who have each been named after a flower, in alphabetical order. The author manages to pull off something you definitely don't read every day in a book.

Even though the story is told from the eldest sister Azalea's perspective, you are able to get such a feel for each of the twelve girls that they all shine. It's hard to make three or four characters shine in a story, but this author managed twelve. Even baby Lily manages to shine in this story, and that brought the book to an instant Top Pick read for me. Something that made the story even better for me was the bond the sisters shared. It was a very realistic bond, and one that reminded me of the bond my sister and I share so it tugged more than one of my heartstrings.

There is more than one romance in this book, and each one is magnificent. The three eldest sisters get their romance, and each one has you cheering for the couples. There is also massive amounts of humor in ENTWINED. I found myself laughing so hard that tears would start rolling down my cheeks at many points in the story. The ending was a perfect fit that left me only wishing that the book could have been even longer. I was sad to see it end.

As a debut book, ENTWINED is very impressive. I have high hopes for this author, and she's definitely one I'll be keeping an eye out for. I recommend this novel to fans of fairy tales, romance, and just overall great reads.

Caitlin Turner

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