Entwined by Heather Dixon is a YA retelling of the fairy tale, āThe Twelve Dancing Princesses.ā This is another one that I read in middle school, but it has stuck with me since, so I wanted to read it again. And I wasnāt disappointed. I read it in two days. I love the twists on the fairy tale, and the cast of characters are fantastic.
The book doesnāt display the character depth I would expect and appreciate in literary fiction, but it was really strong for YA fiction (that isn’t a diss on YA fiction, it’s just an observation). Each character had definable traits and were fairly three-dimensional. Each princess was memorable, and each male love interest were darlings worthy of the princessesā attention. The princessesā relationship with their father the king, who was a very complex character, was more of a focal point than the romances, which I appreciated. In general, the cast of characters were colorful and lovable, making them the highlight of a novel with an already strong plot.
I was a bit worried about it being a bit too young for me to enjoy as much as I used to, but I shouldnāt have worried. The writing style wasnāt obtrusive at all. It wasnāt too juvenile, but it also wasnāt prose so masterful it takes you out of the story. It just blended so well, you didnāt realize that you were reading. And there was only the occasional melodrama you might see in YA books, but the book was self-aware about these moments, which made those moments rather enjoyable rather than cringe-worthy.
I also want to praise Dixon for the message she sends with her female protagonist. The protagonist, Azalea, is a strong female with flaws, can be tough when she needs to be without losing her femininity, but also realizes she can accept the help she needs. She is a realistic character, and she enters into a realistic romance. That romance is a team: there is no princess-damsel-in-distress and no token male either. Too often, authors fall into the trap of having one or the other, but Dixon masterfully avoided that. And I love that.
