Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George is the third (and probably final) book in the series that begins with Princess of the Midnight Ball.
Petunia is the youngest of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, the sisters who had been doomed to dance their nights away in the Kingdom Under Stone until their curse was broken. Now the sisters are free of the spell (though many are sill averse to dancing!). Petunia, however, was still a child when the curse was broken. As she travels through the forest to visit the estate of the Grand Duchess, she is hoping for a little excitement. When a group of rogues known as the Wolves of the Westfalian Woods waylay her coach, however, she may get more excitement than she had anticipated! Nor are her adventures with the Wolves (led by one handsome and surprisingly gentlemanly young man named Oliver) all that happens to Petunia on her visit . . . because the King Under Stone and his brothers are still looking for brides from the daylight world, and he may have found a way to entrap the princesses into visiting his realm once again.
Though this looks like a Red Riding Hood retelling, I thought the Red Riding Hood-esque elements felt a little forced, particularly toward the end of the book. This is more a revisiting of the Dancing Princesses story from the first book in the series -- and while the Dancing Princesses fairy tale is one of my very favorites, I was hoping for something a little fresher. I think this book might have worked better for me if I had reread the first two volumes before jumping into this one, since many of the main characters from those books return in this one. That's not to say that it's not a charming book or a worthwhile read -- I'd just recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
Petunia is the youngest of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, the sisters who had been doomed to dance their nights away in the Kingdom Under Stone until their curse was broken. Now the sisters are free of the spell (though many are sill averse to dancing!). Petunia, however, was still a child when the curse was broken. As she travels through the forest to visit the estate of the Grand Duchess, she is hoping for a little excitement. When a group of rogues known as the Wolves of the Westfalian Woods waylay her coach, however, she may get more excitement than she had anticipated! Nor are her adventures with the Wolves (led by one handsome and surprisingly gentlemanly young man named Oliver) all that happens to Petunia on her visit . . . because the King Under Stone and his brothers are still looking for brides from the daylight world, and he may have found a way to entrap the princesses into visiting his realm once again.
Though this looks like a Red Riding Hood retelling, I thought the Red Riding Hood-esque elements felt a little forced, particularly toward the end of the book. This is more a revisiting of the Dancing Princesses story from the first book in the series -- and while the Dancing Princesses fairy tale is one of my very favorites, I was hoping for something a little fresher. I think this book might have worked better for me if I had reread the first two volumes before jumping into this one, since many of the main characters from those books return in this one. That's not to say that it's not a charming book or a worthwhile read -- I'd just recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)
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