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ath3na_r3ads's review against another edition
5.0
Love this book!! I’ve already have reread it TWICE!!! Would recommend if you like the twelve dancing princesses.
hayleybeale's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting take on the 12 dancing princesses folktale. Overlong and the second half drags somewhat. Not sure if the ending is a set up for a sequel or just rather limp.
jennymock's review against another edition
5.0
This is a pretty solid fantasy book for girls, especially 10 and 11 year olds. It isn't just another princess book. The use of Romanian myths and herbalism is very intriguing. I truly appreciate how Haskell ends the novel.
augustar14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Torture
Minor: Blood, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, Body horror, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, and Vomit
ribbonquest's review against another edition
2.0
Reveka would like to solve the Twelve Dancing Princesses mystery, but she's not one of the princesses or a suitor. She's just an herbalist's apprentice who'd make good use of the monetary reward offered to not-suitors who tackle the puzzle. The Princess Curse is from a rare outside perspective and all the herbalism is pretty neat.
Unfortunately none of the characters have much personality. Everyone has the same voice and the only characters with any personality traits at all are relatively minor characters. And only two come to mind.
Unfortunately none of the characters have much personality. Everyone has the same voice and the only characters with any personality traits at all are relatively minor characters. And only two come to mind.
lotusnbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
jenniferreads2's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm this was a decent story but the ending wasn’t right. It feels like it’s a setup for a sequel but I’m guessing that will never come. So with the ending as is it feels unfinished. This could’ve easily worked as a standalone with a proper ending if some of the beginning was edited down to add more room for a proper complete ending.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. Really excellent 12 dancing princesses/Persephone/Beauty and the Beast and many other things-crossover retelling, and I so hope there will be a sequel, because I want more! This is funny, romantic, charming, chilling, and overall delightful!
violinknitter's review against another edition
5.0
I've only just started this book, but I am absolutely loving it.
I have a few pet peeves about fantasy books set in a medieval world. Authors often puts modern attitudes about women's roles (and men's roles) in the mouths of protagonists who could have no concept of such things given the society in which they were raised. Also, novels are often set in a generically medieval frame, where clothing, technology, and politics that existed hundreds of years apart in the real world are presented as if they could have existed at the same time.
(Mild spoiler warning from first 30 pages of the book)
There are other kinds of tidbits about medieval culture woven in to the story, and yet the writing maintains the energy and flow I expect from a good middle grade book.
I can't believe an MG book has just made my history-nerd heart flutter, and I can't wait to read the rest.
Update after finishing the book: Yep, still loved it. Highly recommended.
I have a few pet peeves about fantasy books set in a medieval world. Authors often puts modern attitudes about women's roles (and men's roles) in the mouths of protagonists who could have no concept of such things given the society in which they were raised. Also, novels are often set in a generically medieval frame, where clothing, technology, and politics that existed hundreds of years apart in the real world are presented as if they could have existed at the same time.
(Mild spoiler warning from first 30 pages of the book)
Spoiler
I believe this book is marketed as a middle grade novel, so I honestly didn't have big expectations for it. I expected a fun tale set in a Generic Medieval European Country. Instead, it's obvious from the first pages that Haskell has carefully researched her background. Reveka, the protagonist, is a feisty, energetic heroine with big plans for her life: getting a job as an herbalist at a major convent. Now that may not sound exciting, but Haskell does a great job of having Reveka explain what an important and influential job that would be for a woman in her society. I love that! It's so true to the time period, and shows a girl being strong in the context of her own culture.I can't believe an MG book has just made my history-nerd heart flutter, and I can't wait to read the rest.
Update after finishing the book: Yep, still loved it. Highly recommended.
chocolatequeen's review against another edition
5.0
Some books are almost too perfect to review. Nothing you can say about them matches up to how wonderful they were. The Princess Curse is such a book for me.
This is the second telling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses I read in the space of 24 hours. Once again, all the familiar elements are there--princesses dancing every night, a father who offers a reward to whoever solves the mystery, and all who attempt falling asleep. But as in any good fairy tale re-telling, each part is twisted just slightly so the whole becomes something entirely fresh and new.
Twist #1: Instead of a prince or a soldier, the hero of the story is Reveka, a young herbalist apprentice. She wants the reward so she can enter a convent and become a master herbalist. The strand of botany that weaves through the story is fascinating and applies to the overall plot in surprising ways.
Reveka herself is a marvelous heroine. She's not perfect, but she's fun to follow. The book is told in first person, so her little asides add humor to the book. For instance, when she found out the princess consort had spies, she said, "The princess had spies? I was impressed. I wanted spies." It's a great line that shows a lot about who Reveka is.
Twist #2: The princesses themselves were a largely unlikeable lot. As the story of the curse unfolds, your sympathy for them increases. However, the use of their collective snobbishness as a foil to Reveka's more commonsense approach to life really worked.
And there IS a curse--they're not dancing nightly because they want to. Six years of ensorcellment is enough to make anyone surly.
Twist #3: The curse itself. This can't really say anything about without giving away a huge plot point. Suffice to say, the story Merrie Haskell created here was phenomenal. Dragos (the creature holding the princesses in the enchantment) and the way Reveka breaks the curse simply blew me away.
The last third of the book does a nice little mash-up with Beauty and the Beast. It also leaves open the possibility for a second book, as Reveka learns more about Dragos. The story itself isn't open-ended though, and there's a fair amount of closure. I guess I'm just hopeful for a little bit more, and really, isn't that the best compliment one can give a book?
This is the second telling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses I read in the space of 24 hours. Once again, all the familiar elements are there--princesses dancing every night, a father who offers a reward to whoever solves the mystery, and all who attempt falling asleep. But as in any good fairy tale re-telling, each part is twisted just slightly so the whole becomes something entirely fresh and new.
Twist #1: Instead of a prince or a soldier, the hero of the story is Reveka, a young herbalist apprentice. She wants the reward so she can enter a convent and become a master herbalist. The strand of botany that weaves through the story is fascinating and applies to the overall plot in surprising ways.
Reveka herself is a marvelous heroine. She's not perfect, but she's fun to follow. The book is told in first person, so her little asides add humor to the book. For instance, when she found out the princess consort had spies, she said, "The princess had spies? I was impressed. I wanted spies." It's a great line that shows a lot about who Reveka is.
Twist #2: The princesses themselves were a largely unlikeable lot. As the story of the curse unfolds, your sympathy for them increases. However, the use of their collective snobbishness as a foil to Reveka's more commonsense approach to life really worked.
And there IS a curse--they're not dancing nightly because they want to. Six years of ensorcellment is enough to make anyone surly.
Twist #3: The curse itself. This can't really say anything about without giving away a huge plot point. Suffice to say, the story Merrie Haskell created here was phenomenal. Dragos (the creature holding the princesses in the enchantment) and the way Reveka breaks the curse simply blew me away.
The last third of the book does a nice little mash-up with Beauty and the Beast. It also leaves open the possibility for a second book, as Reveka learns more about Dragos. The story itself isn't open-ended though, and there's a fair amount of closure. I guess I'm just hopeful for a little bit more, and really, isn't that the best compliment one can give a book?