Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier is a young adult fantasy novel, but in this case, that isn’t a reason to run away. The book is in fact one of the more creative pieces you’ll find in your local bookstore, based as it is on a combination of Romanian folklore and the fairytale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
The story revolves around five sisters who share a great secret; every full moon, they escape their everyday lives in rural Transylvania by crossing through a portal into the world of the Wildwood and its fey inhabitants. This land, however, has long been embroiled in myth and is clearly not entirely safe. Conflict springs up when the eldest girl, Tati, falls in love with one of the Night People (but this is NOT a vampire novel – bear with me!), and a domineering cousin forces his authority over the sisters in their father’s absence.
Wildwood Dancing incorporates many hallmarks of a classic fairytale, such as adventure, enchantments, superstition, and the need for bravery, culminating in a truly enjoyable read. It’s difficult to summarise the story and do it justice, for the plot is quite complex and some of the best elements lie in the detail of the folklore and setting. In fact, the latter is probably what sets this book apart the most; the aspect which makes it stand out as being original.
Nevertheless, the plot and characters are also interesting and well-realised. Certain parts of the plot were a little predictable (namely, the mystery surrounding Gogu) but this didn’t make the storyline any less enjoyable. Characters too, for the majority, were nicely depicted; the protagonist, Jena, was a good mix of intelligence, curiosity and caution – not a Sue or an anti-hero – and was quite relatable. The antagonist, however, really shone: he was utterly despicable, yet there were reasons for his actions (he wasn’t a ‘muahaha I’m evil’ cardboard cut-out villain) which actually made him frightening.
I'm getting the feeling that I may be on the point of divulging spoilers, so - POSSIBLE SPOILERS ALERT!!! You have been warned.
So anyway, on that note about the villain, I should take a moment to mention that Wildwood Dancing is not for younger readers. I’d be careful recommending it to anyone younger than 15 years old or so. There’s a sister who pines after her true love to the point that she almost dies of self-starvation (I’ll rage about this later); cousins falling in love with cousins (while it’s authentic considering the time in which the books is set – the 1500s – if that kind of thing bothers you, steer clear of this book); and a general sexist attitude, mostly manifested through the antagonist. There are a few instances of ogling, one instance of groping, one notably sleazy Night Person, a few allusions to young women’s honour… The bottom line is that while there is nothing offensively explicit or disturbing in this book, it’s still a bit too adult for tweens – or at least, that’s my opinion. Nevertheless, do not be put off if you’re a little older, for there isn’t really anything in this book meriting a warning for people over the age of 15 or so. Wildwood Dancing is a good read.
Anyway, I’d also like to give a quick mention to the second-youngest sister, Paula, who stars in the book’s sequel Cybele’s Secret. Paula proved to be a nice surprise as she remained likeable throughout the story; practical and stoic. She didn’t taper off at the end of the story as did some of the other characters.
Yeah… the ending. Now we get to the ugly side of the book. Sadly, the ending felt a little too easily resolved, and while I really liked the resolution to Jena’s romance, the professions of love and general interaction seemed a tad forced and long-winded. There was also a moment when, under threat of danger, Jena’s man shoves her protectively behind him. Sigh. What happened to all Jena’s talk of being an independent woman? I’m not going into feminist mode, however, the resolution of the girls’ problems was a little unsatisfactory. It seemed a shame that the story’s resolution was ultimately driven by men when the sisters had spent so much of the book determined to look after themselves (or at least, Jena had).
Also, we are left with a few loose ends at the story’s close. What happens to Iulia’s potential romance? What about our loathsome antagonist – what are the consequences of his… disappearance? Doesn’t anyone care? I know I do.
This, however, is a quibble. The big failure of this book is the romance between forbidden lovers Tati and Sorrow. In fact, Tati is an irritating self-pitying one-dimensional piece of –
Ahem. Excuse me while I abandon niceties and put on my rage face.
So basically, right from the start, Tati notices this strange dark handsome man watching her when she is in the Other Kingdom. (Can you see where this is going?). She is intrigued. Her sister quite rightfully points out that he is one of the Night People (essentially, the vampires of this world) and that Tati should steer clear. Does Tati heed her sister’s warning? No, because this man draws her to him…she finds him fascinating…
Well, okay, at the beginning it’s treated with a little more finesse than that. But still, after two meetings they’re in love (despite apparently barely exchanging a word – they simply gaze at each other. No joke). His name is Sorrow. He and Tati already live for each other. Every meeting and separation is a drama. Several times in this novel, Tati literally has to drag herself away from him, or be dragged away by her helpful sisters who actually look out for her.
Which leads us to the way Tati comes to treat her sisters. She is the eldest and her father is absent from the house, winter has fallen, times are harsh, their bully of a cousin has moved in and is harassing everyone…But does Tati look out for her sisters? Not at all. Instead, she pines away for Sorrow. The others are trying to conceal the fact that they know and care about the Other Kingdom. If their cousin discovers that they know how to cross over to the other world via the portal, the result would be catastrophic, for he wishes to destroy the Wildwood. What does Tati do? Mope very conspicuously, going off by herself to meet up with Sorrow. As for Sorrow, he decides to turn up at a ball simply to dance with her once more. In front of everyone.
Funnily enough, this isn’t the best means of concealment. When the two are told they can’t see each other every day, for obvious reasons, Tati gradually stops eating, and spends all her waking hours pining away, leaving the others to do the work. For reasons unknown, this doesn’t appear to bother them. They worry about her. Fair enough; but seriously, couldn’t one of them tell her to SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY?! It is so self-indulging, and this self-pity is never reprimanded, never overcome. Instead, Tati – disturbingly reminiscent of Twilight’s Bella in New Moon, I regret to say – takes unnecessary risks in order to simply see Sorrow, putting her own life in danger as well as Jena’s, who feels obligated to follow her beloved sister to prevent her from getting hurt. All the while, Jena is facing many, many problems of her own, and Tati is never there to support her.
All this wasting-away-for-true-love culminates in Tati lying on her [death]bed, having literally starved herself to the brink of death. While I don’t wish to spoil the ending, I will say that a) While everyone else is fighting for the things that they love, Tati’s version of being pro-active is to do nothing and lie in bed, and b) the last time we see her, she is being carried in Sorrow’s arms. Oh, and also c) [Yeah – spoiler] There is no price paid. Not really. Or at least, not for Tati.
And wasn’t this whole book about decisions and choices and paying the price? Wasn’t it those themes that made it so powerful? In my opinion, the book should’ve ended with Drăguța seeing a new project in Tati and turning her into a bat or something. Just saying.
I wish I could give it a higher mark. There are many shrine-worthy elements of this book, enough so to make me very interested in reading more by Juliet Marillier. Unfortunately, however, the slightly lacklustre ending coupled with the Tati and Sorrow disaster simply doesn’t cut it. Such a shame; there were times when this book really felt like a 10, and for that, I would recommend it. I think it could find fans among people who enjoyed Ella Enchanted when they were younger; they’ll appreciate the heroine and the influence of fairytales. As for the rest, well, I’m sure Tati and Sorrow will appeal to those who enjoy Twilight and other Paranormal Romance. And while this review may have highlighted some of the lesser aspects of Wildwood Dancing, I would like to end by saying that the book is still far too good to be degraded by being shelved with the teenage vampire romance novels. The Night People may be vampires, but they sure as hell don’t sparkle.
Pippa’s rating: 7/10
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