Review: ENTWINED by Heather Dixon

ENTWINED
by Heather Dixon
Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: March 29th 2011 by Greenwillow Books
Source: ARC from Publisher

Placement in the Pile: Top Picks!

Summary:
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.

Review:
First of all isn't this cover AMAZING! I have total dress envy. Okay, on to the real review...

I adore this book as much as I adore it's author! Entwined is a beautiful fairy tale retelling that will grasp at your heart and send shivers down your spine. Heather Dixon has created her own take on the Twelve Dancing Princesses tale that makes you re-think the story behind the dancing.

The best thing that pulled me into the story were the characters. All twelve sisters have such unique personalities they really felt real to me, and I loved them all. Bramble is perhaps the most hilarious character. Azalea is the perfect oldest sister, all the way down to little baby Lily. I just loved these girls and wanted them to succeed in all of their endeavors.

Now since I personally have met both authors, I have to say my opinion might be a bit skewed, BUT...do not just read one retelling of this amazing fairy tale (which also happends to be a favorite of mine since I was little, adding to my love of both books.) But if you HAVE read PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL by Jessica Day George, don't skip reading ENTWINED and vice versa. Each author brings their own magic, their own insight into this beautiful fairy tale, and I can honestly say- knowing them or not - that I loved each one in their own right.

The only thing about this book that I feel you should know is that the beginning can feel a bit slow. It is certainly still good reading, and very enjoyable, but my word of advice is take the time to get into the story for this one. Because once I did I could NOT put it down. The pacing of slower to faster action was perfect, and I am glad that everything that was in the book was there, because it made for a richer reading experience in the end.

So I know this book is still a long time coming, but I wanted to post about it as soon as I finished reading it. I want you all to know about this amazing book. Stay tuned on Wed. I have a guest post by Heather Dixon that is sure to be amazing, as she is also an illustrator and has included illustrations in her post! Yay! And don't worry, I will definitely be reminding you of this one closer to the release date!