I loved Princess of the Midnight Ball and was eagerly awaiting this new book. Cinderella is one of my favorite stories and I have liked all of the cookie cutter versions I have come across. I was expecting the same basic format, young woman of privilege finds herself without resources and burdened with an aquired family that treats her like a servant, finds help from a benevolent fairy, meet the prince, marries the prince and lives happily ever after. You can imagine my confusion when I began to read Princess of Glass and discover that it is actually Poppy from her previous story about the 12 dancing princesses. Okay, I thought to myself, Poppy is just a tie in and will be an observer somehow. However, what ensued on the pages was the most divergent of the Cinderella versions I have ever come across. And, I still liked it. It made me want to read the original fairy tell of the 12 dancing princesses to see how much she diverged from that tale, as well.
Cinderella is not the good little girl that she is made out to be, there are no step sisters, and the fairy godmother isn't everything she appears to be. I, again, thoroughly enjoyed this tale and look forward to Ms. George's creativity. A definite must read for anyone who loves a good fairy tale.
Showing posts with label Jessica Day George. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jessica Day George. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
I have to admit, the only true exposure I have to the story of the twelve dancing princesses is the Barbie movie. Not being an expert on this story, I do not know how closely this story resembles the original nor how far it may actually swerve. I did find it very interesting and am eagerly awaiting another of Ms. Day George's books.
A mother who desperately wants children makes a deal with a diabolical underworld king. Little does she know that she is a pawn and will never produce the heir for which she longs. Instead she will produce 12 beautiful princesses. With each daughter, she returns to the villanous king and asks again for his help. Each time he "helps" her, she finds herself further indebted to him. She is forced to dance for the king at his midnight balls to repay her debt. Eventually, she wastes away from the constant strain on her body and the lack of sleep. She leaves behind her loving husband and her 12 daughters mourning her loss. As her debt was unfulfilled, her daughters are forced to continue dancing for the evil king. His intention is to never let them go, but to marry them off to his 12 half-breed sons. The evil king is unable to leave his underground lair, but his sons are able to enter the earthly realm at night. The children of his sons and human women would result in underworld children that could live on the earthly realm with no restraints.
Some interesting twists and turns occur during the story and I can only say I will not ruin the ending. Read the book, it's a good one.
A mother who desperately wants children makes a deal with a diabolical underworld king. Little does she know that she is a pawn and will never produce the heir for which she longs. Instead she will produce 12 beautiful princesses. With each daughter, she returns to the villanous king and asks again for his help. Each time he "helps" her, she finds herself further indebted to him. She is forced to dance for the king at his midnight balls to repay her debt. Eventually, she wastes away from the constant strain on her body and the lack of sleep. She leaves behind her loving husband and her 12 daughters mourning her loss. As her debt was unfulfilled, her daughters are forced to continue dancing for the evil king. His intention is to never let them go, but to marry them off to his 12 half-breed sons. The evil king is unable to leave his underground lair, but his sons are able to enter the earthly realm at night. The children of his sons and human women would result in underworld children that could live on the earthly realm with no restraints.
Some interesting twists and turns occur during the story and I can only say I will not ruin the ending. Read the book, it's a good one.
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