Author: Jessica Day George
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Date Published: 2009
Genre: Young Adult
Keywords: Enchantment, Love, Fairy tales
Pages: 280
Description (from book jacket):
Princess Rose is the eldest of twelve sisters condemned to dance each night for the wicked King Under Stone in his palace deep within the earth. It is a curse that has huanted the girls since their birth - and only death will set them free.
Then Rose meets Galen, a young soldier-turned-gardener with an eye for adventure and a resolve that matches her own, and freedom suddenly begins to seem a little less impossible. To defeat the king and his dark court, theywill need one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all - true love.
This is the first book that I'd ever read by Jessica Day George, and I wasn't disappointed. I'd never heard the tale of the 12 dancing princesses before - and I thought it was a very romantic idea that a soldier-turned-gardener would set out to save these princesses.
This book was predictable in that the reader knows that Galen will prevail by the end of the book, but the author added plenty of little details and twists to keep it interesting.
Galen knits too! I thought that was really interesting. At the end of the book, Jessica Day George explains that knitting was originally a man's task - not a woman's. I never knew that!
Ratings (out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing Style: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 9
Total: 49/50 (A)
I recommend this book - it was a feel good read - I'll always be a sucker for fairy tales. Fans of retellings will definitely enjoy this book!
Galen sounds like an interesting character. A soldier-turned-gardener that also knits...that's almost too good to be true. ;)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book too and loved Galen. The knitting thing was different but it really worked. He was so likeable...Had a little book crush on him :)
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