Entwined/Heather Dixon

Entwined by Heather Dixon; young adult, fantasy, fairy tale; 480 pages

Princess Azalea and her ten younger sisters love nothing more than dancing; their mother taught them, and it's one of the ways that they feel closest to her. But when their mother dies giving birth to another daughter, the king orders a period of mourning: for the next year, there will be no leaving the castle, no opening the windows, and no dancing. The girls are devastated, until they discover a secret passage in their room that leads to hidden garden, perfectly suited for dancing. The girls travel there each night to dance under the watchful eyes of Keeper, the mysterious being who guards the passage. But soon Keeper starts acting strangely, and makes it known that there is a price for dancing in his realm.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses is one of my favorite fairy tales, so I'm always looking for new retellings of it. This version had everything I've come to expect in the best versions of this story: danger, intrigue, and romance. Dixon's storytelling style reminds me strongly of Robin McKinely's voice, so that was an added bonus! The setting--a hybrid of once-upon-a-time-ness and more modern technology (trains, clocks)--was refreshing, as was the "prince" character who finally helps to save the day. Also, kudos to Dixon for successfully working all twelve of the sisters into this story--it would have been too easy for her to merge some of the younger sisters into one character, but she keeps distinct personalities for each.