Marillier, Juliet. Wildwood dancing.MARILLIER, Juliet. Wildwood Wildwood, city (1990 pop. 4,484), Cape May co., SE N.J., on an island off Cape May; settled 1882, inc. as a city 1911. It has large commercial fisheries and is a popular summer seaside resort with many vintage motels and other buildings from the 1940s–60s. dancing. Random House, Knopf. 408p. c2007. 978-375-83364-9. $16.99. SA * Marillier turns to the magic and mystery of Transylvania for her newest novel. Jena, her older sister Tatiana, and her younger sisters Iulia, Paula and Stela all have a secret: every month on the night of the Full Moon, they open a secret portal into the Other Kingdom for a night of dancing among fairies, dwarves dwarves n. A plural of dwarf. and trolls. The rest of the time, they keep house for their widowed merchant father and help with his business at Piscul Dracului. When her ill father leaves to spend the winter in a warmer climate, Jena's cousin Cezar begins to try to control Jena, her sisters, and their home. Furthermore, Tatiana becomes enraptured en·rap·ture tr.v. en·rap·tured, en·rap·tur·ing, en·rap·tures To fill with rapture or delight. en·rap with a young man she meets in the Other Kingdom, who may be one of the dangerous and frightening Night People. Only the support of her sisters and of her enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. frog Gogu sustains Jena in her ordeal. Marillier blends a variety of fantasy elements into her story: the sisters who slip off to dance in the fairy kingdom, the enchanted frog, and the legends of the bloodthirsty blood·thirst·y adj. 1. Eager to shed blood. 2. Characterized by great carnage. blood vampires of the region. The narrative is mesmerizing mes·mer·ize tr.v. mes·mer·ized, mes·mer·iz·ing, mes·mer·iz·es 1. To spellbind; enthrall: "He could mesmerize an audience by the sheer force of his presence" and tightly constructed from the beginning to the wholly satisfying end. Light humor enhances the story and rescues it from potentially overwhelming gloom. Jena and her sisters are delightful characters, strong and determined even in the face of the disaster. Cezar seems a tad heavy-handed at times, but Marillier manages to inspire sympathy for his character as well. Wildwood Dancing will appeal widely to YAs who like authors such as Patricia McKillip. (The stunning and detailed cover is by Kinuko Y. Craft Kinuko Y. Craft (1940 – ) is a Japanese born American contemporary painter, illustrator and fantasy artist. Biography Craft came to the United States in 1964 where she continues to live and work today. , illustrator for most of McKillip's books.) In spite of its teenaged protagonist, it will appeal to older readers as well. Donna Scanlon, Libn., Lancaster PL, Lancaster, PA S--Recommended for senior high school students. A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placements students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries. *--The asterisk highlights exceptional books. |
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