A terrific blend of humor, mystery, adventure, and romance, Entwined is a rich and beautiful retelling of the fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.” Heather Dixon’s writing is simple and readable, and her characters are loveable and well-developed. I was pulled into the story after the first few pages and had a hard time putting the book down until I was finished! While there were a few things about this book that weren’t quite perfect, it was still a lush, engrossing read with a terrifically satisfying ending. I especially enjoyed the way the theme of dancing was carried throughout the book. Highly recommended, particularly to anyone who enjoys fairy-tale retellings.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language:
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Violence/Gore: Several references are made (with varying degrees of detail) throughout the book to a previous king who tortured his subjects. None of the references are explicit or graphic, but some of the things mentioned are fairly macabre. A reference is made to a sorcerer king being executed after several attempts. A gruesome story is told about an evil man murdering a girl and drinking her blood (there is no graphic detail). A sorcerer traps the souls of his victims; in two instances, he sews either the eyes or mouth of people whose souls he has trapped. A girl smacks a man with ice-encrusted gloves. In several instances, characters are punched or “boxed” in the face (all of these scenes are non-detailed and handled farcically). During the climax of the book, there are several creepy scenes and also a small battle scene. Characters are scatched by thorns and described as bleeding. A character shoots another character. A character dies in a fantastic/magical way.
Sex/Nudity: Characters flirt gently on several occasions; there is a discussion among sisters about what kissing is like; a brief kiss is described. A man tries to force a girl to kiss him.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a parent, estrangement from a parent, rebelling against authority, choices with dire consequences.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
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