{Review} Entwined by Heather Dixon

Title: Entwined
Author: Heather Dixon
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Release date: March 29, 2011
Date Read: April 15
Rating: ✭✭

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her... beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing... it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

I had high hopes for ENTWINED, especially since retellings aretotally my thing, and I adore most fairy tales: especially The Twelve Dancing Princesses... well, not the original version, where the eldest sister marries this old solider and it's all very creepy.

Fortunately, Azalea, our main character and the eldest sister, doesn't end up marrying an elderly man. Unfortunately, the book just wasn't for me.

I did like the plot; a pretty original twist on the classic. However, it didn't keep my interest the whole way and I quickly began to get bored with it. I thought it was much more middle grade than young adult, because I could see how it was fluffy and cute, even though I didn't feel that way.

The sisters each had their own personality and traits (it was hard to confuse them), but they are behaved immaturely and far younger than their actual age. They giggled and squealed so much that I was sure I'd loose my mind. Azalea, especially, I found dull and quite unlikable, and I couldn't see what everyone else saw in her. Mr. Bradford was boring and stiff. It's very possible to craft a sweet, kind, "nice-guy" without making him snore-worthy. The King I did like when he wasn't sucking in his damn cheeks half the time; his character growth was fantastic and I really enjoyed reading about him. Our villain, the Keeper (not really a spoiler, honestly) was frightening and fascinating... at first.

The writing was lovely, for a fairy tale. It never would've worked if it wasn't, being a very distant and detached style with a lot of uncommonly used words pussyfooted .

ENTWINED may be truly amazing for some, but I didn't think so.

also, I'm aware that was one of the worst reviews I've ever written. GO AWAY.

Oceana is a French-blooded teenager who enjoys stalking British boys and asking them to marry her. She was diagnosed with severe fangirl disorder in 2011. Able to curse like a sailor with an angelic voice.

{Review} Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title: Tiger Lily
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Format: library hard cover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Date Read: August 31, 2012
Rating: ★★★★★

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .
Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn’t believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.
Peter is unlike anyone she’s ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland’s inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she’s always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.
With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it’s the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who’s everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

Before TIGER LILY, I had never cried reading a book. I had been sad, I’ve shed a few meager tears, but I have never full on cried. Not in John Green’s OUR FAULT IN OUR STARS (Oceana killed me for this) not in Stormdancer (Oceana will probably kill me for this), never.

I cried reading TIGER LILY. I locked myself up in the bathroom and bawled.

TIGER LILY tells the story of a darker Neverland. One where love doesn’t win and Peter Pan kills. The book is about the thrills of first love: wild, crazy, and untamable; the pain of loss; and cruel nature of betrayal. Narrated by Tinkerbell, the story has an angle to it that otherwise would be unattainable. Peter and Tiger Lily’s love is shown in full honesty: including the ups ands downs, everything leading up to destruction.

The emotions that Anderson put in is just astounding. I spent the night unable to sleep for a while because I was so giddy. The book acted like a drug. It has its ups, where you’re soaring along with the book, and its downs were you are crying along with the characters. I loved that feeling and I wish that I found it more in books. Maybe it’s because I am very disconnected with most books that I can’t relate to them. idk.

Characters

Tiger Lily is solemn, only truly understood by one person. She is harsh, but merciful as shown by her unwillingness to kill a weeping man. Peter shows her a life beyond the small tribe where she wasn’t truly happy. She very much reminds me of Katniss, except without all the drawbacks that Katniss had as a character. Tiger Lily fears, loves, and hopes. I found her very pleasing as a character though, I wouldn’t want the book to be narrated by her and I am glad it’s not.

Pine Sap is Tiger Lily’s single friend. He is kind, thoughtful, and quiet which mean that the rest of the boys shun him. He is obsessed with birds and Tiger Lily. He is adorable and you really just want to hug him. I think he should have been in the story more, but then again the story wouldn’t have progressed very well if he was as much a main character as Peter or Tiger Lily.

Peter Pan. He’s a character who you will love. I almost guarantee it. Peter is such an enigma. I found myself as much in love as Tiger Lily which added to the feelings of hatred I felt to a particular Wendy bird. He is carefree, yet haunted; happy, yet lonely; silly, yet solemn; he was such an amazing, deep character that I just can’t describe.

Tik-Tok, the transgender shaman of the Skyeater tribe (Tiger Lily’s tribe). He is also the adopted guardian of Tiger Lily. Do you know how long I’ve waited for a good transgender character? Forever. I have not read many books with a good one. Tik-Tok wore dresses, had long hair, and everyone respected him. They never shunned him but they happily accepted and respected him for who he is. Then some bastard (pardon my language) had to come in and ruin it all.

Tinkerbell is our trusty, mute companion through the book. She sees everything and has her own story and feelings, which doesn’t detract from the story. Tinkerbell is in love with Peter as well, but too loyal to her friend to try to ruin it for them. She protects her friends and provides insight which normally we wouldn’t read. Being narrated by another person, who is in the story yet detached makes the story much better and in my opinion , it was probably one of best choices for the story.

Our villains were of course the pirates. But, instead of demonizing them and making them villains just, well because they are, Anderson gave a background to them. James Hook was a charming man on a mission for youth. Failing, he resorted to drinking and fixated upon Peter. Smee was obsessed with killing those he admired, loved, or respected. His mission? Kill Tiger Lily because he loved her.

Plot and Writing

Plot:
If you do not like slow-moving plots, without much action, this book might not be for you. It is slow. Instead of cutting to the action, it focuses on developing characters and romances. Nothing is under developed in my opinion. The romance between Peter and Tiger Lily is insta-love free and not perfect. In fact, it’s quite realistic. I found the pain, lust, and anger very relatable and I never felt detached.

I read the story in three sitting because I, despite the slowness of the story, could not detach myself from it. In fact, when I woke up I immediately picked the book up instead of checking my email. ^.^

Writing:
I want to marry the book. I swear this has to be some of the loveliest prose I have ever read. It brings so much feeling into the book that I can’t explain. I felt like I was in Neverland, I was with the lost boys. It was a truly magical reading experience that I hope all of my readers can enjoy some day.

Romance

I am skipping the usual “Likes and Dislikes” because I feel like this section is more important to write. Plus, I think if you’ve read this far, you know what I like and that I loved everything about the book.

The romance between Peter and Tiger Lily was the book in a way. Everything built from that. Usually, I don’t like books like this but I found it nice. Seeing everything from the eyes of Tink, the relationship was shown to be rocky. You saw it, you knew it, but you just can’t help but love it. To quote one of my favorite reviewers (please read her review as well):

Jodi Lynn Anderson made my heart swoon and swell with the gradually slow but sweet romance, and then ripped it violently out of my body, leaving me sobbing and bleeding on the floor.

That summarizes my thoughts very well.

Conclusion

Tiger Lily is my favorite book of the year yet and it has definitely earned a place in my all time favorites. I beg you, read this book. You won’t regret it.

Lisbeth is a German teenager who enjoys killing people on videogames and discussing decapitation in great detail. She's also obsessed with Oceana, but you're not supposed to know that.