Another great series by Marillier - Rated 
The enchanting story of five young sisters (Tatiana, Jenica, Iulia, Paula and Stela) living in Transylvania. Jena tells the story of how after a game played as a child with drastic consequences, her and her sisters can access a portal into the wildwood in the Other Kingdom. The portal can only be opened by all five sisters (four before Stela was born who isnow five) using their hands to cast a shadow on a certain portion of the wall on the night of the Full Moon. Once on the other side they attend dances with the Queen and King of the Faeries. Jena always takes her best friend, frog Gogu who is more than a regular frog and can communicate mentally with her alone, on their adventures.
When their father becomes ill and has to leave to look for a cure, Tati and Jena are left in charge of the household finances and business. Their cousin Cezar has other ideas when he sudden/ly becomes head of his household. He is of the opinion that woman are second to men and stops Paula from continuing with her studies and takes responsibility away from Jena. His mission is to destroy the wildwood after his older brother Costi was drowned there as a child by the witch Draguta. To make matters even worse for the sisters, the Night People are visiting the faerie folk and one of them is bewitching Tati, changing her and causing her to fall ill.
A lovely tale, the first in a new trilogy (book two is out, Cybele's Secret but book three looks a way off yet) by this writer who says her books are "historical fantasy". I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Daughter of the Forest which is my favourite of her novels so far, but I definitely recomend it. My only issue with it was Jena's need to constantly control everything. She needed to let go a little and let her friends and family live their own lives. I really admired the way she tried to stand up to her cousin however which made up for her slight faults.
Fantastic stuff! - Rated
I originally read this book in hardback when it was first published - borrowed from the Library - sorry Amazon!. So when I ordered the second of the series recently, I also got a pb copy of WWD to refresh myself on the story - and of the two, WWD is still my favourite "adult fairy tale".
Maybe it may take more than one reading for an older-adult to really appreciate the beauty of the story - for I must admit I baulked a little originally, at the idea of the heroine (Jena) carrying a frog companion about on her shoulder - and allowing him to sleep on her pillow ... Eek! Still, this is a fairy tale and allowances must be made. Of course Gogu (the frog) is not all he seems, and neither is the supposed "evil" character of the Witch of the Woods. "Good and evil" actually work together for the best result for the whole, here, (as they do in everyday life - nothing being so black or white as it appears) and it's a fascinating tale of realisation, acceptance, and growth of the young "cast" - with a happy (or at least acceptable) ending for all.
Originally I only read this book as it was another of J.M.'s - of whom I'm a growing fan - but I'm glad I did. All her work contains elements of the "magical" running through it, her Sevenwaters trilogy being a huge favourite of mine - no J.M. fan can be totally closed to a bit of fantasy in their reading. So go ahead - bring the magic of the Nature world into your life. I bet you'll find you quietly enjoy it.
Yes, we All believe in Fairies! - Rated
This is Juliet's first book for "young adults". I didn't realise that until I actually got it. I was hoping Wildwood Dancing would be something along the lines of her "Daughter of the Forest" itself a fantastic, magical, Natureworld-filled "read".
It's similar, in that it involves the lives of a family of young girls (between 5 - 17 years) and their experiences in the Fairy realms of the Forest. At first I was a bit doubtful, but I was quickly drawn into it, and although I have left my "young adulthood" a few decades(!) behind, am enjoying it very much.
Young adults will love it - and so will we "olds" if we open our imaginations to the magic!
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