Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

In the kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though, she makes up for with a kind heart, and with something no one else has–a magical voice. Her vocal talents captivate all who hear them, and in Ontio Castle they attract the attention of a handsome prince – and a dangerous new queen. In this masterful novel filled with humour, adventure, romance, and song, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine invites you to join Aza as she discovers how exquisite she truly is.


Although, for me, Fairest wasn't quite as amazing as Ella Enchanted, it was another great example of Gail Carson Levine's uncanny perception.  I loved Aza, both for her virtues and her faults.  Ivi is both hateable and pitiable.  Ijori is another great prince, like Char in Ella Enchanted, and Skulni... Well, he's just a manipulating, evil little pest.  It's a great companion to Ella Enchanted, making many references to that book.  Lucinda, the silly fairy, shares her part in the story, which always brings trouble.


Overall, I really enjoyed Fairest. It was a fun, cute, new take on the classic tale of Snow White.  It definitely falls in my top ten retold fairy tales. 


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Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

The exciting sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It's got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Ellen is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

Of all fairy tales, the one I hesitate to read retellings of the most is Cinderella.  The story is so classic and simple that it's been done a million times.  Each version has its own take, but there are still way too many of them.  However, I'd read Princess of Glass a million times over.  For one thing, it really is a whole new take on the old story.

Princess Poppy has already had more dealings with magic than anyone would ever want in one lifetime, but once again she gets thrown into a web of it when the mysterious girl shows up at the ball.  In Poppy's gown, nonetheless!  Ellen has never dealt with magic, and so doesn't realize that there's always a price to pay.

Even though I've read the book a dozen times or more, Princess of Glass keeps me turning pages every time I open it.  This is my personal favorite of Jessica Day George's books.  I would reccomend it to any girl, especially those who love spunky heroines, dashing foreign princes, and a good old fashioned romance. (Not that Poppy would appreciate me calling it that!)

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Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Princess Rose is the eldest of twelve sisters condemned to dance each night for the wicked King Under Stone in his palace deep within the earth. It is a curse that has haunted the girls since their birth--and only death will set them free.

Then Rose meets Galen, a young soldier-turned-gardener with an eye for adventure and a resolve that matches her own, and freedom suddenly begins to seem a little less impossible. To defeat the king and his dark court, they will need one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all--true love.

In a twist on the classic Brothers' Grimm fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Jessica Day George has created a story with a dark and mysterious evil alongside a beautiful blooming romance. 

Unlike in the original tale, Rose and her sisters--the "younger set": Orchid, Pansy, and Petunia, the "in-betweeners": Violet, Iris, Hyacinth, Daisy, Poppy, and Lilac, and the "older set" (in which Rose is included): Lily, and Jonquil--aren't just truant princesses who disappear every night because they want to.  Their mother, Queen Maude, made a bargain with the King Under Stone that he would help her to bear children, and in return she would dance for him.

Put shortly, I love this book.  Galen is fun, kind, courageous, curious, and all he wants is for the princesses, Rose in particular, to be freed from whatever evil ails them.  Rose and her sisters aren't just passive victims of their fate, and each one tackles it in a different way.  Though sometimes they feel they'll never get out of it, at the same time they never quite lose hope.  The characters are believable and lovable, or intensely hateable in the case of Under Stone and his half-blood sons.  It's well written, and impossible to put down.  I'd give it five stars every time!