Entwined by Heather Dixon
Azalea and her sisters are living their dream: dancing every night, for hours, as long as they want. After their mother died, they were in mourning; they couldn’t dance. When the King seems to never lift the mourning, Azalea gets desperate. She knows her mother would never want this for them. When she finds a secret passage to a place where they can dance, she’s thrilled. It’s so magical she can hardly believe it’s true. Along with the place, she discovers the magic hidden in the castle...and something hidden that no one was ever supposed to find...
Okay, I’m not sure if what I’m about to say is a spoiler or not, so it’s getting tagged as a spoiler. SPOILER Do you know the story of The 12 Dancing Princesses? Well, this is a retelling of that. (I didn’t figure that out until Tessa read it and pointed it out to me...I’m a little slow sometimes.) END SPOILER I loved the plot of this book. The whole book actually centers around a dance: the Entwine. In the front of the book, it describes the dance and the steps. Here’s the quote from the book:
“The Entwine, also known as the Gentleman’s Catch, is an amusing and challenging redowa suitable for accomplished partners. Of Eathesburian origin, it dates to circa 1635, when Chevalier De Eathe (also known as the High King D’Eathe) reigned. As magic was common in this time period, the High King would catch and “entwine” people’s souls after they had died, and subject them to the darkest of magics.
“Over the years, the Entwine has evolved to a simple charade of this concept. Similar to a trois-temps waltz, it is danced in open position with a long sash. The lady and gentleman each take ends of the sash, which their hands must not leave. In a series of quick steps (see below) the gentleman either twists the sash around the lady’s wrists, pinning them (also known as the Catch), or the lady eludes capture within three minutes’ time.
“STEPS. Twist (35), Needle’s Eye (35), Dip and Turn (36), Lady’s Feint (36), Bridge Arc (36), Under-Arm Swoop (37), Thread (37), Beading the Sash (38), the Catch (38).”
(This quote was obtained from Entwined by Heather Dixon, from amazon.com’s preview of the ebook at http://www.amazon.com/Entwined-ebook/dp/B004CFA9X2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1376498522&sr=1-1&keywords=entwined+heather+dixon#reader_B004CFA9X2)
From the first paragraph of the quote, you can tell that the book gets kind of creepy. But it’s sooo good.
Azalea has 11 sisters. That is a lot of characters, but they’re all minor except for a few that are more important than others, like Bramble. I really do like Azalea. The King isn’t helping much, so she’s forced to take care of all her sisters. She doesn’t mind it, but it can get hard sometimes. She’s curious, brave, and nurturing. And she definitely doesn’t back down from dancing the Entwine. The catch to dancing at a secret place hidden in a castle? There is none, but there is someone there. Azalea, out of respect, refers to him as Mr. Keeper, or just Keeper, as he doesn’t give them any other name. For spoiler reasons, I won’t say anything about him. As for her sisters, I think the one I like best after Azalea is Bramble. She’s just so sarcastic and such a troublemaker. I really like the King, too. He’s one of those characters that is complex: cold facade on the outside, someone tender on the inside.
Dixon creates a wonderful world full of magic and mystery, and a breathtaking climax that will sweep you off your feet.
Five stars!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia
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