Wowzers. I am pretty sure I burned calories reading this book. It was so intense.Heloise, a spunky peasant girl lives a regular life full of routine and predictable events. But when she wakes up on the morning of her 14th birthday, everything changes. She suddenly finds herself whisked away on a frightening adventure where she discovers a doorway into a different world. A world which somehow holds power over her and her loved ones. When her sister, Evette, disappears during an enchanted dance, it takes all of Heloise's strength and courage to find her, even when her own family denies Evette's very existence. Despite all the questions regarding Heloise's sanity, she seeks the reasons behind the disappearance and unearths a terrible curse. With the help of an apologetic son of the Marquis, Heloise navigates her way though the Faerie realm and endeavors to break the curse which has enslaved hers and generations of forgotten sisters.
I started reading this in the evening and once I got started, it was impossible to put it down. Even when I had to eat dinner with my family, my mind was not in the present world, but in the world of Goldstone Wood. The story was a balance of colorful personality, clever humor, and eerie terror. It is a tale of bravery! Of Sacrifice! It is also a tale of immortality; even though our bodies die, our souls live on.
There were a few moments where it dragged and I skimmed a little bit, but even the slow parts were so beautifully written that, if you had the patience, you would enjoy it if just for the pure art of it.
It was a bit dark and gruesome at some points, and sometimes just generally creepy. So keep that in mind if you are sensitive to the dark side. ;P
If you've read Twelve Dancing Princesses, then you will see slivers of the classic story weaved creatively into this amazingly strange book.
