Galen is a
young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to
dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search
for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the
midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain
knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of
all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent
forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King
Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that
awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. (Goodreads)
(We have two reviewers for this book)
I really enjoyed Princess of the Midnight Ball. It's a retelling of the 12
dancing princesses. It answered questions that everyone has always wondered
about and it's the kind of book you can't put down until its completely read.
It was delightful!
Review by Amy Finnegan - writer,
reader, Bookshop Talk host
Right out of the gates, I have to
comment on this cover! What a dress, right?? It was one of those covers
that—especially because I love fantasy and historical fiction—made me shrill
with delight, as if the novel was written just for ME! And the cover was dead
on—I loved this book!
Following the original tale of the
Twelve Dancing Princesses in remarkably unique ways, Jessica Day George still
manages to keep the core plot of the fairytale intact. It’s rather mindboggling
how she pulls that off. But there is so much going on outside of the
midnight balls—and the requisite princes who must try to discover the dark
secret the King’s daughters are hiding—that the story feels entirely fresh
rather than a “retelling.”
As usual, Jessica Day George has
created characters who you could swear were real. Galen is an especially
enjoyable person to share your (reading) day with. Though he has spent the last
few years fighting in a heated war, he still tells his part of this story with
humor and endless charm. I loved that even in a “princess story,” Galen shines
as the star protagonist.
But the charm doesn’t end there.
Princess Rose, along with her eleven sisters, all have dynamic personalities of
their own. They move the story forward with genuine emotion, each with their
own sense of anxiety over their precarious situation. I loved Rose because she
was the calm, level-headed sister of the bunch. She is the glue that holds them
all together, and makes them feel like an actual family that could live in the
castle down the street.
Read this book! You’ll love it!
Market: Young Adult
Language: None
Sensuality: None
Violence: Mild
Mature Themes: depression a
little
Book Formats:
5 comments:
One of the best books ever! I don't think I'll be able to wait until next fall to get the third in the series!!!!!
I'm a sucker for retold fairy tales, and this book was just plain fun!
I loved, loved, LOVED this book!
What a great story! I loved this retelling and the details that made it unique. I agree with the reviewer, Galen really shines!
This book is one of the kindle specials for January so it's only $2.99 right now! I was totally stoked and snatched it right up. I haven't read it yet but I'm excited to.
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