Entwined by Heather Dixon is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, one of the best known and best loved of all the Grimm brother's tales. And what is there not to love? 12 beautiful princesses who may, or may not enjoy and welcome their enchantment, a weary soldier for a hero, a crone who is more than she appears (although, aren't they all), a magical cloak, and an enchanted realm full of dazzling jewels and golden splendor.
This has been my favorite fairy tale since I was very small. There are many retellings of this fairy tale out there, some of which are wonderful, but some of which, are not. I had high hopes for this book, because who doesn't want a book that is as beautiful inside, when the outside looks like that. So, I read it. And my soul rejoices!
Not all fairy tale retellings are created equal. Not ever all really good fairy tale retellings are equal. I won't go into too much detail here, because I will address this in a later post during Fairy Tale Fortnight, but I wanted to briefly mention it, because Entwined manages to do something that a lot of fairy tale retellings, even really good retellings miss. And that is to feel like a fairy tale. There is a certain feeling, or magic and mystery, love and triumph that only comes when reading a fairy tale. I am very, very forgiving of faults when I read a retelling that makes me feel like I'm back in a fairy tale. I'm so busy being swept away in the magic that flaws don't even register on my radar.
With Entwined, I found myself noticing a few annoyances in the beginning of the story, especially with the King and Bramble, the second sister. There were several times when I felt the King was acting like a petulant child and he just felt a little too... unkingly to me. I understood that he was grieving, but still didn't see him getting into shouting matches with his oldest daughter. Bramble also got on my nerves in the beginning of the story and I remember her as being the most obnoxious of the 12 sisters. Also, although I understand why her name is what it is (prickly flower, for a prickly sister) who names a child Bramble?!
However, once we get into the meat and the depth of the story, all of that fell away. I didn't even remember there were things I didn't like about the story until I went back over my notes again to write this review. They are worth mentioning, but they are very, very minor.
Dixon manages to take an oft told story and make it completely her own. For one thing, the sister's welcome their nights of dancing. There is no enchantment here, forcing their compliance in the dance. It is their salvation. After the death of their mother, the King forces the girls into the strictest of mourning, making dance, which had previously been a huge part of their lives, completely forbidden. They can't let go of the dance, so when Azalea finds a hidden passageway in their bedchamber, she follows it, bringing her and her sisters into a cavernous ballroom and meeting Keeper, the mysterious master of the ballroom. Keeper offers to let Azalea and her sisters dance in the ballroom each night. In the beginning, it is perfect. A welcome respite from the toils and pain of daily living. But slowly, Azalea begins to realize that Keeper is more than what he seems, and there is a price for dancing in the ballroom, a price higher than she could have imagined.
Keeper was one of my very favorite characters. He was one of the most fleshed out, skin-crawlingly awful villains I've come across. At first he seems like a normal enchanted being, lonely but mostly harmless. But slowly, he begins to say and do things, often very small things, that make your skin crawl.
There are three love stories mixed in with this story, one for each of the three eldest sisters. Although each of the three had their pros and cons, my favorite, by far, was the love story between Azalea and Lord Bradford. (I'm not spoiling anything here. It's a fairy tale. You see it coming from the first time they meet.:) ) Other than keeper, these two were by far the most developed of the characters in the story, and their scenes together were my favorite. I found myself completely believing in their situation, watching them fall in love and rooting for them.
Entwined is a story that completely captures the magic of what fairy tale retellings should be. I closed this book with that giddy, happy excited that only comes from reading great fairy tales. Dixon understands what it is to be caught up in a fairy tale, and I will definitely be watching and waiting for whatever she writes next. You better believe I'm going to be waiting anxiously for it.