e-ARC, 416 pages
Release Date: August 6, 2019Published by: Delacorte
Read from: July 19-22, 2019Stand-aloneSource: Publisher & Netgalley (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher & Netgalley in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: DeathFor fans of: Horror, Fantasy, Retellings, YA
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I love when we get retellings that tell a story we don’t see much of. And this re-telling of Twelve Dancing Princesses fits right into this category. I was so excited to see that we were getting this story and I was even more excited to see that everyone was loving it!
“No matter where you were on the island, you could always taste the sea.“2%
Twelve sisters live in a manor by the sea and there is a bad curse floating around them. The curse then starts killing the sisters one by one. Annaleigh knows something is going on and vows to find out what is going on. All the while her sisters are sneaking out and going dancing to these fancy balls in fancy dresses and slippers. Can Annaleigh find out what’s happening before she’s the next to be found dead?
“But what if there was a cause for joy? Something that ought to be celebrated, not hidden away? Shouldn’t good news triumph?“4%
Unfortunately, as excited as I was for this one, I didn’t feel that way after I finished it. It had some really great things, but also some really meh things.As for the meh things, the plot really threw me. At times I was eager to keep turning pages, but then at others I was bored out of my mind. It seems like it was nothing happening for long periods of time, but when things started happening, they REALLY started happening. But I was hoping for more of the exciting times.
“As I left, the door slammed shut after me, as if pushed by unseen hands.“15%
As for the re-telling tho, I thought it was pretty solid. But this is where I had to really sit and think about what I wanted to rate this. I never finished the “real” story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I know the gist of it, but I never read it all. Which is why I wasn’t surprised I wanted to skim this story at some parts. But in the end I did like it and I thought it was a really solid retelling of the story.
“Are all boys so very dull?“23%
As for what I liked, I LOVED the creepy parts of this! I found that the parts that had something weird going on made me not want to put the book down. I don’t read much YA horror anymore (because there’s not much out there) and it was something that I’ve missed so much. And this filled that void for me for minute.
“I don’t know. I think you get to a certain point in life when ghosts are no longer fun. When the people you love die… like my father, your mother and sisters… the thought that they could be trapped here…. it’s unbearable, isn’t it? I can’t imagine a worse fate. Unseen, unheard. Surrounded by people who remember you a little less each day. I would go out of my mind, wouldn’t you?”27%
Everything else, like the characters and writing style were ok and I didn’t really find anything that stood out from other YA books I’ve read. This was a solid book, but nothing that made me want to shout about it from the roof tops. I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. I think it was the hype. But all in all, I did like this one and I hope we get more unique re-tellings from Craig in the future.
Overall, I give this
I'm in the midst of this one and completely forgot that it was a retelling/spin on the 12 Dancing Princesses. I've never read it, but I know how it ends so now I'm more intrigued.