This was different. This started off as the Twelve Dancing Princesses and quickly turned into a Persephone story with hints of Beauty and the Beast. There were a number of things I really liked about this - the first was the setting, which was a fictional country in Eastern Europe. It was very refreshing to read a fantasy book that wasn't set in France or the British Isles.

I also appreciated the darker aspects of the story. As a child, I was always a bit ambivalent towards the Dancing Princesses because it seemed so stupid - they danced and wore holes in their shoes, and that was supposed to be a horrible curse that the king wanted solved so much? In Haskell's version, the dancing was tied into a sleeping sickness for any who tried to observe the princesses at night, and seismic events if any of the princesses left.

I also just liked the main character. She was full of chutzpah, and intelligent and independent.

My only complaint was that the book ended too early and with so many threads still left hanging. This was, I gather, the first in a series. So I ended the book feeling both frustrated because the story wasn't over, and hopeful that there would be more. ( )

It's not a bad book, but it's not to my taste, either, as I don't have much of a head for politics, geography, and warfare, which were discussed fairly frequently for a children's book. ( )

Nice but unremarkable. ( )

This book was great! Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites so reading a fairy tale retelling that combined it with another was really fun. This book had intriguing characters and an interesting plot that kept you guessing what would happen next. ( )

Curious mix of Beauty and the Beast, Greek Legends, and Fairy Tales. The voice is original and I'm curious as to a sequel... ( )