The Twelve Dancing Princesses

By Jenni James

Twelve princesses, one gardener, and a mysterious secret…

As the castle gardener, Aleck is paid well, has his own room above the stables, and he is able to support his mother and younger brothers and sisters. Why would he risk it all for one girl?

For weeks now, Princess Cascadia and her eleven sisters have awakened each morning to swollen feet and tattered dancing slippers without any recollection of what happened. Why would someone do this to them? The king calls all the worthy men in the land to come and help solve the riddle of the twelve dancing princesses. The man who is able to sort the mystery will be allowed to choose one of the princesses to wed.

Cascadia immediately turns to Aleck for assistance. If anyone can help her, she knows it is him, and she knows of no man she would rather marry. But will Aleck be able to unravel the mysterious happenings and save the kingdom before those behind the scheme succeed?

So as you may have gathered I tend to read any and all books that Jenni James writes because I am enamored with fairy tales. That being said, this one isn’t my favorite of hers. There are much better retellings of the twelve dancing princesses, my favorite is Entwined by Heather Dixon. This is basically a rehash of the original tale with very little character development and not too much going on except for getting through the plot. It was fine as a read but to be utterly honest, it is a forgettable read. If you want my opinion for Jenni James try Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast or Rumplestiltskin so you know what her best looks like.

This gets a 2.75 out of 5