Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George is a twist on the timeless fairytale The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Honestly, I call it a twist but I don't remember noticing any major differences in George's story and the original. More than a twist, it's really The Twelve Dancing Princesses embellished. The characters are more developed than they are in the fairytale, (since fairytales are so brief the characters are often just a name and a stereotype). But she adds a lot to the story making it more realistic and I think more enjoyable. For instance, the young soldier who saves the girls does it because he's in love with one of them and is trying to protect her. And he does actually know her. After the war ended, he took a job as a gardener at the palace. I like that he knows the girl because so often in fairtytales the story is "You're hot so I'm madly in love with you." This had a much better foundation, mix in some politics and witch hunting bishops and you have yourself a believable fairtytale. It's true the magic is never really explained, but fore me it doesn't need to be. Sometimes things happen that we can't understand or explain, and I'm okay with that. In fact, it's the beautiful part of life.
What I didn't like about it? It came off a YA shelf and it's middle grade. It also had a slow start. But other than that it was a good book. And if I were a younger person I would have loved it.
Now back to the contest, I forgot to mention a very important detail. Provided you follow the rules, you may submit as many entries as your heart desires.
Hmm...the book sounds interesting. MG - I'll have to check it out.
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