I adored A Sky Painted Gold, and have been recommending it ever since. I knew I would love Under a Dancing Star, but I wasn't prepared to love it even more than ASPG. Wood is going straight onto my auto-buy list; I can't wait to see what she writes next.
I bought Under a Dancing Star at YALC (where my sister had the pretty UaDS themed manicure she's modelling the book with in this photo) and started it that evening, as soon as I'd finished Flame in the Mist. I adored this story, and here are three reasons why I think everyone should read it:
1) It's a really different take on a Shakespeare retelling. I love Much Ado About Nothing, and this reimagining hit on familiar notes, but still felt fresh and special in its own right. I think anyone interested in writing retellings could learn a lot from Wood.
2) The setting was beautiful: idyllic and intoxicating, with an undercurrent of danger and foreboding. Wood expertly balances the beauty of the Italian countryside with the political threat about to engulf the country. The setting is integral to the story and I also thought it was an interesting link to the original, since Shakespeare's plays are often set in continental Europe, and Italy in particular.
3) The romance is so well done. Swoonworthy. Beautiful. Perfect. Bea and Ben were as witty as their Shakespearean counterparts and I loved every scene they spent together.
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