Review: The Thirteenth Princess
I recently received an ARC of The Thirteenth Princess by Nina Clare , a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," one of my favorite fairy tales . Most adaptations of this story present the magical underground world and magnificent nightly balls as a curse that needs to be broken, a trend that began with Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball . Although this is one viable interpretation of the fairy tale, I prefer to think of the enchanting balls as a form of escapism that the princesses use to escape their stressful lives, as in the Barbie interpretation . This version takes a middle ground. Although there is a curse involved, the princesses are happy for the opportunity to enter the enchanted realm and dance with their beloved princes until they can be together without the confines of a curse. As the title suggests, this book is told from the perspective of the unknown thirteenth princess, who shares the other princesses' experiences in the fairy...