This is a retelling of the Grimm's Brothers story of the twelve princesses cursed to dance each night underground for an evil king until they die. I really loved this retelling, it was exciting and interesting, and felt like an old fable. Though a retelling, it was pretty faithful to the original story and had the typical elements of a fairy tale: magic, a hero, and a curse of some sort on a beautiful princess (in this case 12 of them!) I read this book in about two hours, so it was a pretty easy read, but also very engaging and entertaining. It is set on the continent of "Ionia," loosely based on 19th century Europe, in a country similar to Germany. I really liked the descriptions of the underground world of the King Under Stone, as the cruel king is known. There is a fanciful forest, a strange lake full of black liquid, and a beautiful but sinister palace. The author writes in a straightforward and beautiful way. I really love retellings of fairy tales (Ella Enchanted, Fairest, etc.) but this one of the best yet. I'm pretty sure Jessica Day George has written others, and I look forward to reading them. 272 pages, 4.75 stars.
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