"A New York Times bestselling author brings dark secrets to life in a lush new YA perfect for fans of Libba Bray or Cassandra Clare.
Society girls from New York City circa 1890, Dacia and Lou never desired to know more about their lineage, instead preferring to gossip about the mysterious Romanian family that they barely knew. But upon turning seventeen, the girls must return to their homeland to meet their relatives, find proper husbands, and—most terrifyingly—learn the deep family secrets of The Claw, The Wing, and The Smoke. The Florescus, after all, are shape-shifters, and it is time for Dacia and Lou to fulfill the prophecy that demands their acceptance of this fate . . . or fight against this cruel inheritance with all their might.
With a gorgeous Romanian setting, stunning Parisian gowns, and dark brooding young men, readers will be swept up by this epic adventure of two girls in a battle for their lives."
"When Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist. Wolves intent on redistributing the wealth of the noble citizens who have entered their territory. But the bandit-wolves prove more rakishly handsome than truly dangerous, and it's not until Petunia reaches her destination that she realizes the kindly grandmother she has been summoned to visit is really an enemy bent on restoring an age-old curse. The stories of Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood get a twist as Petunia and her many sisters take on bandits, grannies, and the new King Under Stone to end their family curse once and for all."
Ahh... Princess of the Silver Woods. I already read the book before this one, the prequel. Sequel of Princess of the Midnight Ball. I actually read the middle book first, and I wasn't lost at all. It was really nice. And I can so easily pop in now. I totally and absolutely applaud Jessica Day George. Good recap, and supplies enough information for readers to survive the plot of the current book they're reading.
Let's break this down.
Princess of the Silver Woods is definitely good. I actually like this one more than Princess of the Midnight Ball. Petunia, the youngest princess of the twelve princesses, is certainly the most awesome and baddest of them all. She could shoot a pistol without a flutter of her eyebrows. That girl is very well train. With weapons. I have to admire her. She has been to places where they should had frightened her to witless, but she still manages to go in. Then again, she was practically born in that situation. All thanks to her mother.
A two hundred and fifty something paged book, Princess of the Silver Woods is most fun and fast-paced. I finish the book so quickly that I can't wait to read other books from Jessica Day George. Unfortunately, I can't do that (sorry, Ms. Day George). I have a huge stall in my to-reads list. I need to work on that, too.
The man. The wolf. I don't know what he is other than an Earl of a land that no longer exists. Hmm... Not exactly. It still exist, but he no longer owns it. I think he is somewhat of an idiot compared to Galen. But... Well, he does have loyalty and other qualities presented in a dog. Great, now I'm practically cursing him for his idiocy. I mean, that he isn't as clever (then again, Harry Potter isn't either), but he does possess better traits. Like kindness.
I really enjoy the retelling parts of this book. It is great, and Jessica Day George pulls it off well. It is similar to Red Riding Hood, but different enough that some readers (who probably never read Red Riding Hood) could imagine it as an original work.
Overall, I think Princess of the Silver Woods is worth reading. Yes, it is a great book with wonderful characters and a fantasy world that can easily take you away to another place. I like it. I like it even better than The Princess of the Midnight Ball. But it isn't better than Jessica Day George's gorgeous retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Rating: Four out of Five
"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."
No, I'm not going to go on a fairy tale spree. Not yet. I still have to finish my other to-reads books, because they deserve more attention and interest. This is one last book before I read the other books. Just in case something is rotten. Then at least, I have a good book to think about. A really good book to think about. Like Once Upon a Time-ish.
Princess of the Midnight Ball is obviously based on the tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses. There is a Barbie version of that tale, I believe. The eldest princess ends up with the shoemaker in that tale, right? I can't remember, but I know it was much more pleasant than this one when the girls were forced to dance all night long. Midnight, you might say. And yes, it is sick.
Before I start cracking down on the finer points of this fairy tale retelling, I'm going to say that I'm a fan of Jessica Day George. She is good. I loved her retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon (which might be the wrongly stated, but please correct me if I do state it wrong). They are all good. Every retelling I'd read so far. And this one is no exception. Princess of the Midnight Ball might have a long title, but it is good and I couldn't let go. It was addicting and fast, and I really enjoyed the book being told from two perspective. Princess Rose (the eldest daughter and princess, obviously) and Galen (the gardener).
This book still follows the original tale. There are some parts of it that makes you so surprise by the little things. Like that old hag who gifts Galen an invisibility cloak. I'm sure Jessica Day George takes pleasure in stating how an invisibility cloak is dangerous. Hint: You can't be seen.
Princess of the Midnight Ball explores the other details of the old tale. It goes in to describe the bad forces and the mysteries of the entire world. There is magic, yes. But the whole thing remains mysterious. And I really liked it. The author's writing captivated me from the beginning to the end. Now I want to reread the second book (which I read a long time ago).
And I can see no fault to this book. It is better than I thought and exceeded my expectations.
Galen takes center stage, unlike the princess. Well, he takes most of center stage. His character is louder than any other, and I like him the most of all. Even over Rose, yes. Well, I'm done now. So tired. And sleepy. (Night).
Rating: Five out of Five
