(3.5/5 stars)
A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn…
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.
Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.
Growing up, my favorite story to read was The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Ruth Sanderson. It was a beautiful story, and the illustrations were to die for. I lived in those illustrations, seeing the beauty of them like it was the first time every time I opened the pages. So when I found this retelling at the library, I knew I had to read it.
What I liked: The story was very reminiscent to my favorite childhood book. It had all the magic, beauty, and romance that I wanted from it and then some. There was also an added layer of depth to it-the major conflict was darker and imminent, and there was an interesting mythology weaved through the pages. The characters were obviously more flushed out seeing as this one is a bit more intricate than the children's book, but they still had that feel to it--that magic--and I found myself getting emotionally attached to the twelve sisters (I especially loved Poppy). Galen was everything you wanted in a fantastical love interest-he was like the knight in shining armor without the knight part.
What I didn't like: A lot of things were presented quite conveniently and without question. I also feel like the story could have gone deeper into the myth with more action and intense moments. There were also times, especially at the beginning, when the writing was stiff and bland, but it got better as the story progressed.
This was a fast, light, but beautifully magical read that I'm so glad I picked up! This story came to life far more than it ever had for me, bringing me individual characters that I could connect with this time around.
-Annie
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