Review WILDWOOD DANICING by Juliet Marillier

WILDWOOD DANCING
by Juliet Marillier
Published January 23rd 2007 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 407 pages
http://www.julietmarillier.com/books/wildwooddancing.html

Placement in the Pile: Reaching New Heights

Summary:
There are many mysteries within the wildwood. Jena and her sisters share the biggest of all, a fantastic secret that enables them to escape the confines of their everyday life in rural Transylvania. They have kept it hidden for nine long years.

When their father falls ill and must leave their forest home over the winter, Jena and her oldest sister Tati are left in charge. All goes well until a tragic accident allows their over bearing cousin Cezar to take control. The appearance of a mysterious young man in a black coat divides sister from sister, and suddenly Jena finds herself fighting to save all she holds dear. With her constant companion Gogu by her side, she must venture to realms dark and perilous in her quest to preserve, not just those she loves, but her own independence as well.

Review:
This book was a delight to read. It was a book club pick because it combined the tales of the twelve dancing princesses and the princess and the frog -- all favorite fairy tales of mine. Throw in the Transylvanian setting and Romanian folklore about the fey of the Transylvanian forest, even some "Night People" and you have the intricate world that is Wildwood!

Juliet Marillier has a way with descriptions and words that make it feel as if you are there. I felt like sometimes the description was too much, and by being a bit more minimalistic the long page count could have been whittled down, but in the end the story and characters were so enchanting it didn't seem to matter.

The chaos of the cover is pretty much the story. So enjoy trying to figure that one out.

Also, there is a sequel involving one of the younger sister's Paula, called CYBELE'S SECRET. But since the summary gives away something in this book, I will just say that it is definitely on my TBR list.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fairy tale re-tellings.