Princess of the Silver Woods

Goodreads Description:    When Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist. Wolves intent on redistributing the wealth of the noble citizens who have entered their territory. But the bandit-wolves prove more rakishly handsome than truly dangerous, and it's not until Petunia reaches her destination that she realizes the kindly grandmother she has been summoned to visit is really an enemy bent on restoring an age-old curse. The stories of Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood get a twist as Petunia and her many sisters take on bandits, grannies, and the new King Under Stone to end their family curse once and for all.

My Thoughts:

-    This last book in the Princess trilogy was awesome! It was a delight the whole way through!

-    I love that the villains from the first book made a reappearance, and their demise was finally settled. I kept wondering what happened to the King Under Stone and his brothers.

-    I also love that other characters made reappearances, especially the old lady that Galen got his cloak from. 

-    I love that all the princesses know how to shoot a gun. They aren't helpless, and they all have great courage. 

-    Petunia really surprised me. At first she was a bit shy and acted like the youngest sibling in a large family, but she grows. Towards the end, she is a very strong and courageous character! Poppy better watch out because I think Petunia might steal some of her thunder!

-    I like that Galen is back, and he had a significant role. He is my favorite of all the princesses' suitors/husbands. 

-    I liked the Robin Hood elements added to the Red Riding Hood story. I wasn't expecting that, and it was fun. 

-    I really liked Oliver. He is my 2nd favorite guy in this series. He was very kind and honest, and I was impressed that he took on so many responsibilities at a young age. 

-    I don't gush about books to much, but this series just brings out the girl in me. 

-    This is such a perfect ending to the trilogy. I wish there was a book for every princess, but I suppose you can get too much of a good thing. 

Previous Princess Books

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

 

Princess of Glass

From Goodreads:    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 Thoughts:

-    I love these retellings by Jessica Day George. They are so fun and enchanting.

-    I'm so happy that Poppy got to have a book of her own. I loved her in Princess of the Midnight Ball, and I still love her. She is a really great feminine character with a lot of strengths. I also love that she isn't a typical princess. 

-    Although there were several characters in this book, I didn't have trouble remembering who was who like I do with other books with a lot of characters. Everyone had a distinct roll and personality. 

-    I love that the characters were not what they seemed. At first I really didn't like Ellen at all! At the end, I pitied her, and even grew a little fond of her. 

-    I like that Poppy involved the "adults" in what was going on. I wish more teenagers would do that. Lord Richard is so kind, and his wisdom was very helpful to the characters.

-    I didn't like Christian as much as I did Galen. I'm glad the Poppy said she wanted to get to know him better before jumping in to marriage. I'm sure Christian is very nice, but I didn't get to see the real him for a lot of the book.

-    This is one of my favorite Cinderella retellings because of it's unique twist. 

Previous Princess Book

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

Princess of the Midnight Ball

Goodreads Description:    A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… 

Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. 

Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.

My Thoughts:

-    I know I should have saved this for Utah Author month, but I really wanted to re-read it and couldn't wait. 

-    This is my favorite retelling of the The Twelve Dancing Princesses! I just love the characters and the great story telling.

-    This book has so much charm!

-    I LOVE Galen! He is so kind and protective. He watches over all the princesses, not just Rose. He is such a gentleman!

-    The characters are all terrific! It's one of those stories where you love to hate the bad guys and love to love the good guys!

-    I loved the journey to the midnight ball. The stairs, the gate, the silver forest, etc. It all seems so enchanting and daunting all at the same time! 

-    I thought it was clever for the author to name all the princesses after flowers. Since there are twelve, it was hard to remember which flower went to which sister. At least I remembered the important ones.

-    I like how knitting was so important to the story, and the one who knitted was a man, in fact, a soldier! 

-    This was such a fun, light, and overall great read! For those of you who love fairy tales, this is a MUST read!