13 year old Reveka lives in Sylvania where the 12 daughters of Prince Vasile suffer from an unusual (and silly, if you ask Reveka) curse. Every morning they are tired and their slippers have holes in them. Reveka, the herbalist's apprentice, wishes to break the curse so she may use the reward to buy herself a place in a convent. Breaking the curse takes all of her ingenuity. In time, she finds that the curse is more serious than she first thought. It requires a sacrifice that none of the 12 daughters are willing to make. Can Reveka take their place?
What I thought: Fantastic! As you know, I've read just about every retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses that I can lay my hands on and The Princess Curse is the first one that has a main character who is not one of the princesses. Reveka is a great character. She's spunky and knows what she wants. The meshing of "Beauty and the Beast" with "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" was perfect. I liked the revelation of Reveka's character when we discover that she's more selfless than selfish. The ending was just right, but I found myself hoping that there will be another book. A quick check of the FAQ section of Merrie Haskell's website revealed that there might be a sequel, but not anytime soon.
(Harper, 2011)
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