Entwined: Heather Dixon Paperback – 30 Dec. 2013

This book I discovered through my love of names and their meanings. I am an unashamed name-lover and adore unusual and interesting names, even if I would never use them. The names of the princesses in this book peaked my interest so I bought a copy and sat down to read the first page… and didn’t stop until three hours later by which point I was 150 pages in!Based on the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Heather Dixon tells the story of Azalea and her eleven sisters. After their mother dies shortly after the birth of twelfth daughter Lily, the palace goes into mourning. The princesses love nothing better than to dance, but dancing is forbidden during mourning! Upon discovering a secret pavilion through a tunnel in the fireplace, the girls go there every night to dance at the Keeper’s pleasure. However, Keeper is a mysterious man and it is not too long until his sinister side shows itself.Full of everything a good fairy-tale should have (magic, royalty, magic and romance) Entwined certainly exceeded my expectations of it. Although the premise is familiar there are bits that will surprise the reader and the plot is actually quite dark at times. You become absorbed by the many aspects of the girls’ story and their lives.I loved this book and all it had to offer. However, I can see how this wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It is certainly quite a feminine book and I would think it would be more appealing to those with an interest in fantasy, fairy-tales and romance. That said, I would think it’s worth reading and very rewarding once you reach the end.

This was a really sweet book, one I'll definitely try and re-read in the future. It had this charm to it I can't really put my finger on. I felt the start was a little slow, but about a third of the way in, I was really engrossed and found myself either smiling at the sweetness or absorbed in the darker moments of the story. I have never read the original story. My only knowledge comes from the Barbie movie (which I should not have in my dvd collection as a 20 year old, please don't judge me) but who knows how accurate that is? Regardless of how faithful or original this retelling is, to me it was like reading a fresh story and I really enjoyed it. I loved the 'fairy tale' of it all, with the magic and the dashing men and the beautiful locations.Characters wise, there were quite a lot. In the beginning, I admit I got a little confused with all the sisters and how old they were meant to be. They were all lovely though. I've read mixed reactions on Azalea, the lead character, but I liked her for the most part. I think her heart was in the right place and she was very sweet. Special mentions go to Bramble for her great sense of humour and Eve for being a bespectacled book worm like myself :3 Then there's the King who was one of my favourite aspects of the story. I loved watching him go from a cold, distant figure that the sisters (and I) hated to a warm, gentle father trying his best. Just thinking about it now makes me feel all toasty inside. Then there are the love interests! I don't want to spoil who they are (even though they're all pretty obvious as soon as they meet). They were all so so lovely and adorable and I only wished there'd been more scenes with them because they made my heart do little leaps.One of the downsides to this book I feel is the writing. It was a little too simplistic? I'm not actually a big fan of superfluous description or overly dressed up narration in books, but I think with magical stories like this, it would have fit well. Instead, the writing was very stiff and basic. It was also quite repetitive. Every time I saw 'skirts' or 'crinolines' I sad faced. The combination of this and not enough romance to satisfy my cravings means I give this book a 4/5

This is one of my two favourite retellings of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. (The other is the Princess of the Midnight Ball series.) Dark and truly magical with a villain both enchanting and terrifying, attractive and repulsive. It may be a bit too dark for children rather than young adults. The character development is excellent and fully developed. On the strength of this I bought both her other two books which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

One of my favorite fairytales as a child was that of the dancing princesses, Heather Dixon does not only do justice to the magic of that story, she brings it to a whole different level.The pictures this paints in your mind as you read it are stunning, the characters ( especially that of the sisters and their relationship to each other ) are simply wonderful!I read it and loved it and had to get a copy for my mother as well.Will most certainly read it again and again!

My daughter 13, finds it hard to get into books without getting distracted by modern day technologies. This is by far the quickest book she has ever read and it was a delight to see her getting caught up in the story and with the characters.

I love fairy-tales, old, new or retold. Entwined is the retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses and follows the story of Azalea and her sisters in the aftermath of their mother's death. As they are `in mourning' they are forbidden to dance by their father, the King. Enter the Keeper who provides them with an escape to bleakness of their home - but nothing is ever that simple.Written in the third person this book made a pleasant change from all the first narratives I've been reading. Entwined is relaxing and endearing without ever being boring and I enjoyed every single page. Apart from Azalea my favourite characters were Mr Bradford and Bramble.