Entwined by Heather Dixon

This book was purchased at ALA but even some of the purchased ones have fun stories.  My mother was standing in a line, yes again, she is a wonderful woman.  She found out they were going to be able to get 2 books so I told her another one.  And the she found out that the publisher was going to let people pick a third.  The woman in line with her happened to have that same books on their list and so they helped her decide on other books to grab including this one, which I had never heard of.  That other woman was also a mother getting books for her daughter named Stephanie.  So to both my mother and the mother of the other Stephanie, wherever you are, I thank you heartily.

I started reading this book last night before bed.  When we’d turned the lights off I seriously considered sneaking to the front room to keep reading even though I had work in the morning.  I warned a friend that I would probably finish it before dinner at 9… I was done by 6.  Confession: I’ve never actually read any version of the Twelve Dancing Princesses.  I don’t care.  This book was fantastic but before I get distracted…

Azalea is the oldest, Princess Royale, with 10 younger sisters and another on the way.  They all love to dance just like their mother, but then she dies and they are supposed to be in mourning for an entire year with no dancing.  The castle they live in was once enchanted and traces remain and one of those traces provides an opportunity for them to dance, but at what cost?

First off it takes serious skill to have to introduce all those sisters plus some other major characters without being able to make it gradual.  Each sister has a distinct personality and I bow, or curtsy, to Dixon.  Though I suppose being one of eleven she had experience as being one of many and I wouldn’t be surprised if she experienced the case of mistaken identity between sisters.  Oh and the names: Azalea, Bramble, Clover, Delphinium, Evening Primrose, Flora, Goldenrod, Hollyhock, Ivy, Jessamine, Kale and the newborn Lily.

It takes a lot to make a klutz like me want to dance, but reading this made me remember the few times when I did feel successful and the way it made me feel.  I always like when authors are willing to put their story in a world that does not resemble medieval or modern but something different.  Here we have trains and pistols but still use carriages and candles.  The men are also interesting.  I usually felt exactly how Azalea felt without questioning, when she warmed up I did too.  Oh and I laughed a lot like snorting so hard it hurts laughing and grinning.  Honestly there was only one time where I was like woman you should know you are in danger, run!  And then I had to remind myself the information that was a few hours old for me was months for her and I forgave her.

If you want to go ahead and start laughing before you have the time to go to the store and get this book go to her blog, Story Monster, it is honestly why this post is taking me so long to write.  Heather Dixon, write more books for me to read.