Princess of the Midnight Ball

by Jessica Day George

What?! Can it be? I think it is! A review! I'm quite amazed that I actually managed to write something, although it was quite easy because my thoughts on this are well defined already. So, without further ado...

Galen is an ordinary soldier returning from the war with no claims of fame or heroism. But when he meets an old woman by the side of the road and she gives him a marvelous cloak of invisibility, his fortunes are about to change. Although he is only an under-gardener in the royal gardens, Galen befriends Rose, the eldest of the twelve princesses.
It’s not long before the princesses are suffering from an illness that confines them to their beds—and yet the girls are still exhausted each morning, their dancing slippers worn to shreds. Galen knows that he must save his lovely friend and her sisters—though numerous princes have tried and failed (and then died through questionable circumstances)—and he thinks the invisibility cloak will be just the thing to solve the mystery.
But it’s not that easy—Galen soon learns that there are darker forces at work than spoiled princesses sneaking out to dance for a lark, and he must use his wits.... Or watch the entire kingdom crumble.

Jessica Day George’s books are always really good; they’re happy without being corny; the plots are just right, being neither too complicated or understand nor too simple; they’re mature enough for anyone to read, but yet are entirely clean, and they’re just delightfully fun every time. Princess of the Midnight Ball does not disappoint in any regard, and though it is a retelling of a common fairytale (The Twelve Dancing Princesses, in case you hadn’t figured it out), it still managed to be suspenseful enough that I read it in one day. If you enjoy this book, check out the author’s other books: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow (a retelling of the Norwegian fairytale East of the Sun, West of the Moon) and Dragon Slippers, Dragon Flight, and the forthcoming Dragon Spear.