The Phoenix Dance [Hardcover]

Dia Calhoun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2005

A journey through madness and mania

On the island of Faranor in the kingdom of Windward, twelve princesses dance their shoes to shreds each night. No one knows why. Not the king or queen. Not the knights, lords, or ladies-in-waiting. When the queen blames the royal shoemaker, his apprentice, Phoenix Dance, puts her life at risk to solve the mystery. She braves magic spells, dragons, evil wizards, and the treachery of the princesses themselves. As Phoenix faces these dangers, she finds herself caught in the dangerous dance inside herself – a dance of darkness and light, a dance that presents her with the greatest challenge of her life.

This captivating companion to Aria of the Sea weaves a retelling of Grimm’s fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses with the story of a young woman’s inward journey toward an understanding of a scary, unpredictable part of her own nature.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–In the kingdom of Windward, on the island of Faranor, Phoenix Dance, a young apprentice shoemaker, suffers from a debilitating disease. The illness causes her to vacillate between the Kingdom of Brilliance, in which she is sharp, creative, and full of life, and the Kingdom of Darkness, in which she suffers from deep despair. A healer has concocted a mixture of herbs that can help to alleviate the symptoms, but as much as Phoenix longs to rid herself of the depression, she adores the Kingdom Brilliance, the only time she feels truly alive. As she struggles with her illness, the 12 princesses of Faranor are also stricken with an unknown ailment or enchantment that causes them to dance their shoes to shreds every night and leaves their bodies wasting away. Physicians and enchanters are consulted to no avail. With the aid of a magic cloak, it is up to Phoenix to save the princesses and decide if she should continue treatment of her own illness. The story is well crafted and offers excellent insight into the life of an individual suffering from bipolar disorder. The two plots are deftly interwoven and never forced. Phoenix's growth as a young woman is fraught with half-starts and regressions, exactly like adolescents in our world. The prose is straightforward, yet maintains the fairy-tale essence of the setting. Calhoun has created a strong fantasy novel, complete with a well-rounded heroine suffering from a very real illness.–Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. The familiar story of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," in which each of 12 princesses wears out a pair of shoes each night after secretly escaping the palace to dance, provides some plot elements here. But for most of the story, the fairy tale is mere background. Instead of focusing on one of the princesses, Calhoun tells the story of a commoner, young Phoenix Dance, who discovers the princesses' secret and works to free them from their enchantment. Apprenticed to a shoemaker, Phoenix proves so creative in her slipper designs for the princesses that she earns a royal warrant. However, she is plagued by "the Illness of the Two Kingdoms," which the appended author's note explains is "based on a real illness in our world called bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness." The compelling portrayal of Phoenix as she slowly slips from one emotional extreme to the other gives a memorable edge to the novel. An unusual and readable entry in the growing list of novels based on traditional fairy tales. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374359105
• ISBN-13: 978-0374359102
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,554,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars honest and beautiful, November 17, 2005

By 

Ven Stone (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phoenix Dance (Hardcover)

In this retelling of 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses,' Dia Calhoun returns to the world of "Aria of the Sea" to tell another emotional and engaging fantasy story that deals with real-life teen issues. As "Aria of the Sea" discussed the issues of life choices, controlling relationships, and suicide, this companion novel brings to light the struggles faced by those with Bi-Polar II Disorder. Phoenix is a very strong, kind-hearted, and realistic heroine who must make important decisions regarding her own health at the same time that she is trying to figure out how to save the princesses. This novel contains the beautiful seaside imagery and some of the characters we remember from "Aria of the Sea," though readers won't have to have read that one first. Phoenix's story is full of magic and truth, the fantastic and realistic elements woven together to create an engaging fantasy novel with an important lesson. Calhoun's novels, though they highlight specific issues, have very widespread messages. The decisions Phoenix must make could inspire others who've come to a point where they must either choose to help themselves or risk losing themselves completely, even if their probems are very different from those of the main character. I recommend this novel both as a huge fan of teen fantasy novels and as a future teacher certified to teach English and Pyschology.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Decent for a one time read, but not a keeper, August 21, 2006

By 

guitarchick24 (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Phoenix Dance (Hardcover)

As a reader who loves fairy tale retellings, I was very disappointed in The Phoenix Dance.

The story centers around young Phoenix Dance, whose great dream in life is to become a shoemaker. When she lands an apprenticeship to the Royal Shoemaker, it seems her every wish is ready to come true. But Phoenix has an illness (bipolar disorder - referred to as the "Illness of the two Kingdoms" in the book) that threatens to unravel her apprenticeship, her relationships, and ultimately, her sanity.

And that's the real story. The "Twelve Dancing Princesses" doesn't come into it until the last third of the book, and even then, it's rather rushed. Since you know the story of the princesses and the ending, you know that Phoenix will ultimately triumph; but the author seems to suggest that it's Phoenix's experience with the "Two Kingdoms" sickness that allows her to help the princesses, and not necessarily the familiar elements (the magic cloak, not taking the sleeping potion, etc.). Kind of wierd, to me, for a fairy tale retelling.

I give it two stars for character credibility. Phoenix is a bit naive in the beginning, but through her experiences grows into a person who is able to accept reality and deal with things the way they are and not the way she wishes they could be. And while you get the sense that she will learn to live with her illness, there are still consequences for her rash actions that happened while she was sick. (Although to be honest, it was that same realism that disappointed me - I wanted a more happy ending).

It was definitely interesting, and I give the author credit for introducing a serious topic to a young audience in an interesting way. But is it something I'd keep and reread? Probably not.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Thrilling, April 3, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Phoenix Dance (Hardcover)

From the very moment I laid eyes on the first page I knew it was going to be good. It covers everything from the everyday drama of a teenage life to the horrors of the dark sea dragon. It is a wonderful and imaginative fairy tale that everyone can in some way relate to.I would recommend this book to anyone who think they are up for a challenge, you never know what could happen in the Kingdom of Windward!