Sunday, January 20, 2013

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

4 Stars
This book is apparently a retelling of a fairy tale that I had never heard of before that goes by many names but most commonly “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.” 

The first character we meet is Galen Werner who is a soldier who is travelling to his aunt and uncles house after the war.  He has never met his relatives, but is taken in and soon starts as a gardener for the king with his uncle. 
In the garden is where Galen meets Rose who is the oldest of twelve princesses.  Galen is smitten from the beginning, but he soon learns that all is not well in Bruch.  The princesses have a mystery of their dancing shoes being worn out every morning.  Their maids can never recall anything amiss and soon the king becomes so desperate that he sets a reward to any prince who can discover the mystery (for the princesses are unable to tell what is happening) that the prince may chose a princess to marry and will inherit the kingdom.  Many princes come and go…and this is where the story gets good.

I really did love this story but I felt like too much of the story was spent on building to one moment.  Isn’t that what a book normally does, you ask?  Yes, yes it does, but there was not much in the rest of the book to recommend it except the ending.  I don’t even think that the reader got to see/read about the underworld until half-way through the book.  Having said that, I loved retelling of fairy tales and this was an excellent one!  I liked all the princesses.  The author did a good job of trying to make them each memorable (although there are 12 of them and I kept getting “the younger set” mixed up).  I will definitely read
Favorite Quote:

“In this cruel world kindness should always be repaid.”
--The Old Crone to Galen

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