BOOK REVIEW: Princess of Glass
Title: Princess of Glass
Author: Jessica Day George
Series: Princess Series (Book 2)
Having spent every night of her young life forced to dance for a wicked king, Princess Poppy has already seen her fare share of dark magic. Her trip to Breton, as part of a royal exchange program to help forge alliances and marriages between nations, should be magic free. But a wicked creature known as the Corley has other ideas. If Poppy is to save the ones she cares about, she will have to do something she swore she'd never do again: dance.
In this follow up to Princess of the Midnight Ball, Jessica Day George proves that she has pretty much cornered the market on fun, lighthearted young adult fantasy books with romantic undertones. Like it's predecessor, Princess of Glass is a very fast read that one can easily plow through over a weekend (as I did). Unlike the first book in the series, Princess of Glass deals with it's fairy tale source material very differently. Princess of the Midnight Ball was a very straightforward retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princess.” The sequel, on the other hand, takes a very different view of “Cinderella.” In this version, Cinderella is a fallen noble lady forced into service. Instead of braving through her new life as you would expect a young adult heroine to, Ellen reacts more realistically, sulkily and irritably. This doesn't make her the most likable character, but you need to give George credit for originality. Turning the fairy godmother into a villain also adds a different spice to the story.
I really like Poppy as a heroine. She certainly doesn't filter herself, which allows for some amusing dialogue. I also like how the book acknowledges the consequences of the events is Princess of the Midnight Ball. Under Stone may be defeated, but Poppy grew up under a wicked curse, and that's going to leave scars, regardless of the fact that her family often view her as “the strong one.” One area that I do feel that this book doesn't succeed in is the romance. Although the story presents a likable romantic interest (with a rather amusing back story involving over protective parents) the two lack chemistry. One can't help but feel that the only reason they end up together is simply because Poppy is the protagonist, and Christian is the romantic lead. The same goes for the two other couples that appear in this book
Final Thoughts: If you enjoyed Princess of the Midnight Ball, I would recommend checking out the sequel, Princess of Glass. Although I found the romance to be weak, it's still a quick, fun read starring an engaging heroine and featuring a unique twist on a very familiar fairy tale. Princess of Glass is pretty standalone. You don't have to have read Princess of the Midnight Ball to understand it, although there are some cameos you won't appreciate as much. I look forward to finishing off the trilogy with Princess of the Silver Woods. Four Stars
Author: Jessica Day George
Series: Princess Series (Book 2)
Having spent every night of her young life forced to dance for a wicked king, Princess Poppy has already seen her fare share of dark magic. Her trip to Breton, as part of a royal exchange program to help forge alliances and marriages between nations, should be magic free. But a wicked creature known as the Corley has other ideas. If Poppy is to save the ones she cares about, she will have to do something she swore she'd never do again: dance.
In this follow up to Princess of the Midnight Ball, Jessica Day George proves that she has pretty much cornered the market on fun, lighthearted young adult fantasy books with romantic undertones. Like it's predecessor, Princess of Glass is a very fast read that one can easily plow through over a weekend (as I did). Unlike the first book in the series, Princess of Glass deals with it's fairy tale source material very differently. Princess of the Midnight Ball was a very straightforward retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princess.” The sequel, on the other hand, takes a very different view of “Cinderella.” In this version, Cinderella is a fallen noble lady forced into service. Instead of braving through her new life as you would expect a young adult heroine to, Ellen reacts more realistically, sulkily and irritably. This doesn't make her the most likable character, but you need to give George credit for originality. Turning the fairy godmother into a villain also adds a different spice to the story.
I really like Poppy as a heroine. She certainly doesn't filter herself, which allows for some amusing dialogue. I also like how the book acknowledges the consequences of the events is Princess of the Midnight Ball. Under Stone may be defeated, but Poppy grew up under a wicked curse, and that's going to leave scars, regardless of the fact that her family often view her as “the strong one.” One area that I do feel that this book doesn't succeed in is the romance. Although the story presents a likable romantic interest (with a rather amusing back story involving over protective parents) the two lack chemistry. One can't help but feel that the only reason they end up together is simply because Poppy is the protagonist, and Christian is the romantic lead. The same goes for the two other couples that appear in this book
Final Thoughts: If you enjoyed Princess of the Midnight Ball, I would recommend checking out the sequel, Princess of Glass. Although I found the romance to be weak, it's still a quick, fun read starring an engaging heroine and featuring a unique twist on a very familiar fairy tale. Princess of Glass is pretty standalone. You don't have to have read Princess of the Midnight Ball to understand it, although there are some cameos you won't appreciate as much. I look forward to finishing off the trilogy with Princess of the Silver Woods. Four Stars