Entwined

Dixon, H. (2011). Entwined. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Book Summary

Entwined is a retelling of the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The story begins in tragedy, with the death of the queen. Because of her death, all of her daughters must go into mourning, which includes shunning dancing, their favorite pastime. But when Azalea, the eldest, finds a magical secret passage in the castle, it takes them to an underground wood, the home of Keeper. Keeper maintains a magic pavilion where the girls soon go every night to dance. Soon, they are exhausted every day and spend most of their time mending their dancing shoes. When their father returns from war, he is furious and uses this as an opportunity to invite suitors to the castle; if a suitor can discover where the girls go to dance every night, he will be rewarded with a princess. However, the Keeper has his own plan for the girls and involves them in tracking down the magical item that keeps him locked in the castle.

Impressions

This was a successful retelling of a lesser known fairy tale. There are some dark tones, because of Keeper and his evil magic. The fairy tale was fleshed out with hidden secrets, plots, and, of course, romance.  It is also a story of families, with the girls supporting each other through their grief. Their father pushes them away after his wife’s death but relationships are eventually mended. It would be a good recommend for readers who like retellings, books with strong sibling relationships, romance, and themes of grief.  Dixon definitely nails sibling interactions, with lots of squealing among the girls and witty back and forths between each other. She also includes a couple love interests for the oldest girls that would appeal to any romance readers.

Professional Review

"There were twelve dancing princesses [and] one day, they found a magical land of silver and music, where they could dance and forget all their troubles." Filled with magic, treachery, romance, moral dilemmas, family problems, and plenty of action, this is an ambitious intertwining of folktale reimagining and coming-of-age novel. Azalea and her eleven younger sisters love to dance but are forbidden to do so while mourning their mother's death. However, the girls live in the royal palace of Eathesbury, which was magicked long ago by a mad king, and Azalea discovers a secret passage leading to a fantastical silver forest. There the princesses meet the mysterious, magical Mr. Keeper who allows them to dance in his pavilion every night. But Azalea eventually realizes a dark truth about Mr. Keeper that threatens her family's safety. Although there are a few unexplained plot points and the romantic relationships are fairly lackluster and obvious, Dixon's writing style is vividly descriptive—especially evident in a particularly violent dance sequence halfway through the novel. And in Mr. Keeper Dixon creates a truly evil villain whose cunning, manipulative cruelty, and vindictive spirit add palpable tension to this first novel. Ritter, C. K.  (2011, May 1). The Horn Book.

Library Uses

This book would go well on a display of fairy tale retellings. It would also be a good book for a writing club, as an example of rewriting a known story. In a writing group, they could discuss the elements of a retelling and the need to add your own take on the story while maintaining enough of the original for readers to make connections.