Click here to read our review of Princess of the Midnight Ball.
Title: Princess of Glass (Sequel to the Princess of the Midnight Ball)
Author: Jessica Day George
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "In the midst of maneuverings to create political alliances through marriage, sixteen-year-old Poppy, one of the infamous twelve dancing princesses, becomes the target of a vengeful witch while Prince Christian tries to save her." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Okay is that extreme enough? I thoroughly enjoyed reading Princess of the Midnight Ball and was thrilled to learn that this book was to be a sort of sequel. Princess of Glass follows the life of Princess Poppy, one of the dancing princesses, several years later as her family tries to make amends to foreign lands for the deaths of the princes who had tried to originally discover the mystery behind the dancing princesses. Each unmarried daughter is sent to a foreign kingdom as an ambassador to prove Westfalin's good will and to get to know the royal families in hopes of creating alliances through matches between the families. Poppy is sent to Brenton to visit a cousin as the royal family isn't exactly welcoming (this is due to the fact that one of the royal family had died mysteriously after failing to free the princesses from their curse). As ambassador to Brenton it is Poppy's responsibility to heal the damage by attending balls and befriending the aristocracy. There is only one minor problem. Poppy HATES to dance. After being forced for years to dance by the King Under Stone with his sons, the last thing she wants to do is wear another pair of dancing slippers. So whenever she can, Poppy sneaks out of the balls to go play cards with the gentlemen. (I LOVE THIS LADY)
Then there is Prince Cristian. In an effort of his own kingdom to further alliances with other countries (preferably not Westfalin) his father sends him off to Brenton in hopes that he will fall in love with one of their princesses. Only one problem, they are 9 and 11. If that doesn't work his father plans on sending him off to one of the other countries. So when Cristian comes to Breton and learns that one of the mysterious Dancing Princesses is there, he seeks her out. Knowing full well that their duties won't allow them to fancy each other Poppy, Cristian, and Marianne (Poppy's cousin) become fast friends. As their friendship grows, they soon become entangled in intrigue regarding one of the maids, Ellen.
Ellen, aka Eleanora, was not always a maid. Once she was from a rich family that ran in royal circles. However, her father's financial downfall and subsequent death has lead her to the life of a maid. The problem is that no matter how hard she tries to be a good maid she continually burns the linens, breaks the tea sets, and destroys everything she touches. After being banished from service at house after house Ellen finds herself in the home of Poppy's cousins working as Poppy and Marianne's personal made. Her jealously of their lives, a life she once lead herself, leads her to agree to help from a mysterious Godmother who promises her the chance of living that way once again. Ellen's decision twists everyone's world together in a strange dance of intrigue and enchantment that kept both my husband and I entranced as we read this book.
The humor, the mystery, the love, and learning that you truly need to understand someone's past to discover why they are who they are today made this an absolutely FABULOUS read.
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