The country of Westfalin has been at war for a generation, but finally peace has been restored. Eighteen-year-old Galen, who was raised in the army and has never known any other life, is on his way "home," and is faced with figuring out what his life will be now that war is over. Along his way he encounters an old woman and shares what little food he has with her. In classic fairy-tale style, she rewards his goodness with a valuable gift: an invisibility cloak.
Princess Rose is the eldest of 12 sisters who are living under a terrible curse. Each night they are forced to dance in an underground kingdom ruled by an evil sorcerer until their slippers are in tatters. Nor are they allowed to explain anything to their worried father. In desperation, he promises the hand of his daughter to the prince who can solve the mystery and save his daughters. The princes who have made the attempt are now dead from mysterious accidents. Can Galen, with his magical cloak, help the princesses?
This book is an absolutely charming re-telling of the classic fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." It is appropriate for readers from the upper elementary grades on up. I loved it, not only as a teacher thinking about what books might appeal to my students, but as a reader. The characters, especially those of Galen and Rose, are very well-developed. Those of you who know me know that if I don't like the characters, I don't like the book. In this case, I enjoyed being in these people's heads. They have a great chemistry as romantic leads, but that is not all there is to them. They are brave, honorable, and kind.
Everyone knows that without Darth Vader, Obi Wan is just an old man living out in the desert. In other words, the villain is crucial! The antagonist in this book is the King Under Stone, and he is highly creepy. I give him my bad-guy seal of approval: you truly believe that if Galen can't save the day, Rose and her sisters are utterly lost. The plot line that weaves this evil entity together with the royal family of Westfalin is satisfyingly meaty. I was impressed with George's deft use of magical elements that she weaves into the storyline, as well.
The only (sort-of) criticism I really had was about the cover and title of the book. It has a picture of a young girl in a gorgeous dress. What boy is going to want to read that? And the fact is, this book is actually about a soldier, so why is it called Princess of the Midnight Ball? These things make this a difficult book to sell to young male readers, even though I believe they would actually really like it if they could get past the cover.
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