Princess of the Midnight Ball
by Jessica Day George

    PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL by Jessica Day George
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  1/20/09
    Publisher:  Bloomsbury
    Reviewed by:  Jennifer Rummel
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Based on the fairy tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Jessica Day George pens her version of Rose and her
    eleven sisters.  Due to a bargain their mother made, they must go down to Court of King Under Stone and dance
    the night away.

    What first begins as a mystery to the numerous ruined pairs of dancing slippers soon becomes the most gossiped
    rumor in the land.  The girls are forbidden to talk about their curse; thus their father has no idea what’s happening.  
    Only death can cure the curse their mother left upon them when she died.

    Soon, however, the sisters become gravely ill.  Even in sickness they must dance, causing their health to linger in and
    out of danger.  Princes come from all over the land to unravel the mystery – only to die a mysterious death some
    days after leaving the castle.

    The deaths of so many princes cause alarm throughout the land.  A lowly gardener, who has fallen in love with
    Rose, is determined to uncover the secret.  When he does find out, is there anything that he can do to save the girls?

    The cover alone attracted me to this book.  It’s gorgeous, but the delightful tale sucked me in.  The dark undertones
    combined with the forbidden love story made the book extremely hard to put down.