![]() They would speak up if they possibly could. Their silence isn’t due to selfishness or fear. ![]() Also, the princesses are physically prevented from speaking about the curse-they’ve tried, but they speak only gibberish. This makes more sense to me and also keeps the king from being an irrational monster. The princes who fail all die of accidents due to the curse rather than being killed by the king because they failed. The curse is the result of long, patient, and intricate planning by the evil King Under Stone, a very powerful being. It takes cunning, courage, and knowledge on the part of the eldest princess (Rose), Galen, and a couple of ancient magicians. Their attempts to rescue themselves have fallen short-but even the hero (in this version, a soldier-turned-gardener named Galen) can’t do this alone. They are caught up in machinations they had no part in, and they are for the most part powerless pawns, but this is done without making them passive. The curse is explored in full and the princesses are sympathetic. ![]() It’s the first book in a trilogy following the twelve princesses, each book focusing on a different princess. Princess of the Midnight Ball is probably my favorite retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” (and yes, there are a lot to choose from!). ![]()
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