A review by slinkmalink
The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Other than the weird dream I had the night I finished it I really loved this book.

Though I was sad about a lot of things and wished that theyd had happier endings,
even though it was clear from the moment they mentioned the poppy that Ida wasn't going to survive I wanted her and Nethe to escape and live their own lives
, and
I felt that Lisbet really deserved a happier life away from Henne with her own child and possibly also Eren
, by the time I got to the end I was really convinced by it, it felt the most genuine way for the story to end 
in unexpected and grief forged love and finding the little miracles eg. of a child even through a life they wouldn't have chosen
and I think it would've been unsatisfying for them to all have happily ever afters bc that is simply not how the world worked especially for women and queer people and immigrants

I knew a little about the dancing plague (from horrible histories ofc) but not really anything about why people think it happened and how everyone else reacted to it. I thought the chapters about the dancers were beautifully written and worked really well at conveying the context that is thought to have led to the plague in a personal way, especially with regards to what women specifically endured at the time 

Also everything about the bees was beautiful
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