Princess Poppy has vowed never to dance again - not since she spent the first 13 years of her life cursed to dance for the King Under Stone. She just didn't think it would be so difficult to avoid - especially now that she's been sent to stay with her cousin Marianne in Breton. As a visiting princess, she's expected to attend all sorts of balls, and no one seems to understand why a pretty, eligible young princess would much rather play cards, knit, and swear like a sailor than dance.Prince Christian from the Danemark is also visiting Breton. Sent by his father as part of an exchange program to unite the feuding countries, he is expected to choose one of the two princesses of Breton to be his bride, but he's much more interested in spending time with the intriguing, beautiful, and very fun Princess Poppy than courting the too young and silly Breton princesses.
And then there's Marianne's maid, Ellen. Once wealthy, Ellen became a maid after her father died, ruined by debt. She hates every moment of serving, and to make things worse, she's terrible at it - always burning the ironing, spilling tea, and breaking glasses. So when a mysterious creature claiming to be Ellen's godmother appears and promises to make Ellen a princess, Ellen accepts her proposal right away. All she has to do is attend a few balls and make sure Prince Christian falls in love with her, and her godmother will take care of the rest. Beautiful gowns, gems and jewelry, the carriage to the ball, and, oh yes, stunning glass dancing slippers.
Poppy knows something's up, something magical, when Ellen starts showing up in the mornings covered in soot. With the help of Prince Christian and Marianne, she sets out to help Ellen escape the curse she's sure the maid has trapped herself in. But will she be in time?
This fun, fast-paced fairy tale twist on the Cinderella story is a can't miss for fans of Shannon Hale, Gail Carson Levine, and Jessica Day George's two earlier novels (Princess of Glass is the companion novel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, but you can read either one first!). With magic, gorgeous gowns, strong heroines, handsome princes, a touch of romance, a terrifying glass witch, and plenty of dancing, this is a great escape read to end your summer with!
Megan
(now reading Everlasting by Angie Frazier)
Comments