By: Jessica Day George
Finished copy provided by Bloomsbury USA
Synopsis (From Goodreads):
The engrossing companion novel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, with a wicked twist on Cinderella.
Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other’s countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It’s got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.
My Review:
Jessica Day George can do no wrong with fairy tale retellings. It's like magic the way she weaves new life into old stories. I have loved every single one of her published works. And this book was no exception.
Poppy was my favorite character from The Princess of the Midnight Ball
. She is witty and sarcastic, but also very kind and loving. I was laughing out loud at many of the things Poppy had to say. Even though she is a character in a fairy tale, I think that many readers will be able to relate to her and find that they'd be saying the exact same things if they were in that situation.And now on to Ellen. Oh Ellen. I loathed Ellen. I wanted to dunk her head into a bucket of ice. She was rude, inept, and just so annoying. Even once her character kind of turned a corner and situations were explained, I still didn't like her. I guess I hold too much of a literary grudge. I don't like whiners, and Ellen was a whiner. Also, the Corley wasn't a really compelling villain. She wasn't seen much and her demise was...not quite as awesome as I had hoped. She wasn't as crazy as King Under Stone, who was absolutely frightening.
But, Prince Christian was utterly charming. He was everything a good male lead should be. He was handsome, funny, and loves Poppy and all her wonderful quirks. One thing I love about Jessica Day George is her ability to make characters really come to life. I've mentioned this before, but because I read so quickly, sometimes I get characters confused and can't remember names and other details. But, with her books each character is so unique that I remember who they are throughout the book.
It had been awhile since I read The Princess of the Midnight Ball, but that really wasn't a problem. This book flowed very nicely and I quickly remembered all I needed to know about the previous story.
A few more notes about Jessica Day George. I went to her signing of Princess of Glass at The King's English in Salt Lake City. I now own a signed copy of every one of her books. When it was my turn to have my book signed she said, "You look familiar." I handed her my business card with my blog and twitter info on it, and she said, "Oh, you're from Twitter!" We talked a little about book blogging, and she wrote in my book, "GOOD REVIEW!! GOOD REVIEW!!" Well, I am pleased to say that I didn't even hesitate to give it a glowing review. I highly recommend all of Jessica Day George's books to everyone that loves fairy tales.
My Rating:
Profanity: None
Sexuality: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Violence: None
Book-a-likes: The Amaranth Enchantment
by Julie Berry, Snow White and Rose Red
by Patricia Wrede
