About the Book – From Goodreads:
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.
~*~*~*~
Entwined is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale. After their mother dies, Azalea and her eleven sisters find themselves stuck in strict mourning; no open curtains, no colourful clothes, no visits from suitors, and absolutely worst all, no dancing. They are miserable, so when a seemingly perfect escape presents itself in the form of a magic forest where there is dancing every evening, Azalea allows her sisters and herself to enjoy the nightly ritual. But when things start to turn ugly, and Azalea learns that the mysteriously dark and handsome Keeper is hiding a devastating secret, she knows it is up to her to save her family, and her home.
This is a great read for the summer. Each of the twelve sisters has her own unique personality and voice in this story, and the scenes with all the sisters were a lot of fun to read. There are glamorous dances, cute boys, and some dark and creepy scenes in Entwined as well, though the story never strays too far from scenes of lighthearted fun.
My favourite thing about the book? Azalea’s kingdom used to be magic, but isn’t anymore…well, mostly. There are a few leftover pieces of magic in the house, like a rather bitter tea set, with rather bite-y sugar tongs. And when Azalea’s sweet-minded sister Clover has had enough of the tea set? Awesome.
My least favourite thing about the book? It would have been interesting to see a darker take on this tale, as I know the story can be quite creepy. I think there was potential for the ending to be quite a bit more gruesome than it was, but the author decided to take the story in a lighter direction instead.
So, if you are looking for a good summer read, like stories with romance, dancing, and princesses, or just enjoy fairy-tale retellings, you might want to give this book a go.
Looking for similar titles? Try these!
Ella Enchanted – Gail Carson Levine
Princess of the Midnight Ball – Jessica Day George
Spindle’s End – Robin McKinley
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