Princess of glass

After loving the first book "Princess of the Midnight Ball", I knew right away that I wanted to read the next book "Princess of Glass". This book takes place several years after the events in the first book. Poppy still has some traumas left over from that experience and never wants to dance again.

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She is sent off to live with a family in another kingdom and meets a young prince named Christian who has been sent there to make political connections and hopefully make a wise marriage. Christian is the hit of society and every eligible girl wants a chance to win over the handsome prince. But Christian and Poppy become friends and there is a hint of potential romance. Enter a servant girl with a grudge against the wealthy and a knack for making a mess out of the most basic chores. Something strange is going on with servant girl. One night at a ball, Poppy realizes that the servant is there, pretending to be Lady Ella, a wealthy young woman. She wears an exact copy of Poppy's own ballgown except her's is even more beautiful. And it seems no one else can tell who Lady Ella really is.

This was such a great twist on the Cinderella storyline. I love that the author didn't try to make Poppy herself be the Cinderella type character. I also loved that the Corley was the fairy godmother with evil intentions. What a cool way to mix up this fairy tale! The characters were great fun and I love the sympathetic spin put on Ella, even though I wanted to reach in the book and smack the whiner a time or two. Christian was okay as a hero. I didn't care for the fact that he was so weak willed and mooned around Ella the way he did. I guess every prince can't be a hero. He would be hard pressed to match the hero from the first book anyway. Galen was certainly a perfect male lead. Poppy was charming and fun and direct. She still had her fears left over from the horrible curse she was under from the first book. This made the story more realistic and I really rooted for her.

If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, you should certainly try out this series. Jessica Day George has really impressed me with how she can re-create a fairy tale and make it new again.

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This is the 2nd book in the Twelve Dancing Princesses by George. This book features Poppy and I actually liked it even better than Princess of the Midnight Ball. It is a wonderful and sweet fantasy read; it loosely retells the story of Cinderella. The third book in this series, Princess of the

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Silver Woods, is scheduled to be released in December of 2012.

Princess Poppy is unhappy and when an opportunity comes up to participate in a royal exchange program she is happy to do so. While in a neighboring kingdom Poppy begins to develop a tenuous relationship with a Prince. Things gets complicated when her maid Ella is tricked by the evil Corley and ends up vying for the Prince’s attention.

This was a sweet and simple read. If you enjoyed Princess of the Midnight Ball you will enjoy this book as well. I loved that this built on some of the elements in the first book.

I actually enjoyed this book even more than Princess of the Midnight Ball; it is a creative and engaging retelling of the Cinderella story. It involves a lot of the same elements but with a twist. There is an evil fairy godmother, molten glass slippers, and of course a handsome prince and a beautiful princess.

Poppy is the sister that features in this story, and she is a lot of fun. She absolutely abhors dancing, because of the events in the first book, but dances exceedingly well. She is more of card-shark than anything. She is also witty and smart, and very good at investigating the mystery surrounding Ella.

The Prince, whose name I am blanking on right now, was your typical wonderful Prince. He falls for Poppy hard and of course is respectful and supportive of her...at least when he’s not being bespelled by the Corley.

There are lots of descriptions of the beautiful clothing the characters wear. Many of the characters are matched up with each other, making for a large dash of romance in this book as well. So definitely a kind of girly read.

The Corely made for a delightfully evil villainess. Her obsession with all things glass was intriguing and I enjoyed her back story as well.

The story was an easy, engaging read. This is a clean read that’s suitable for all ages; although I would recommend middle grade and older.

Overall a solid fairy tale retelling. This isn’t a heavy read, it is mostly light and sweet. Poppy is a plucky heroine that is fun to read about and easy to engage with. There are some creative twists on the Cinderella fairy tale in here as well. If you love retold fairy tales and princess stories you will enjoy this book.

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Princess of Glass is right up my alley. It is definitely not the same old Cinderella tale and borrows a bit from the Twelve Dancing Princesses since Poppy was one of those same princesses. But all that happened in the first book, Princess of the Midnight Ball which I have yet to read, but

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definitely will soon. They call this one a companion to the first book, but it is more of an indirect sequel.

Poppy is a feisty and fun princess and I admired her willpower to be free and yet be a princess at the same time. I felt so sorry for her and her sisters for what they endured and I was tickled by her friendship with Christian. They are such a cute couple and I liked how their romance was allowed to grow naturally.

The twist on the Cinderella story was interesting and it felt more like an original fairy tale before the Grimms took hold. It was darker and much eerier. The Cinderella character, Ellen, had a similar background but there were no ugly stepsisters. She is taken in by an evil witch who uses her to exact a revenge of sorts. It was all very cool and the glass slippers were really horrible. That was a great idea.

I look forward to reading more by Jessica Day George if all her books are like this one.

The Little Bookworm

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Princess Poppy along with her twelve sisters were once condemned to dance every night for the evil King Under Stone, but now that the spell has been broken, attempts are being made to mend relations between various kingdoms. As part of a royal exchange program, Poppy has been sent to Breton where

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she meets Prince Christian of Danelaw who is promising as friend or possibly something more. At the same time, Eleanora, who fell in society when her father lost his wealth and she was forced to become a maid, also has wishes of marrying the handsome Christian. When a mysterious godmother appears offering Eleanora gowns, jewels, and glass slippers to help her snare the prince, only Poppy recognizes the dark consequences that comes from apparently easy magical solutions.

A sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, this novel is just as charming. George takes the more familiar story of Cinderella and makes the world of magic much darker and more frightening, which contrasts nicely with the lovely lightness of the narrative. Poppy is a wonderful character and apart from her eleven sisters, really has the chance to come into her own as a character. Surprisingly, Eleanora, as the Cinderella figure, is not immediately sympathetic but takes some warming up to. Christian has more character than a typical Prince Charming but isn't very deep. Nevertheless, he makes an excellent partner for Poppy. A fun and darker retelling of Cinderella with tremendous appeal.

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Three years after being released from the enchantment that made her and her sisters dance night after night, Princess Poppy makes an extended visit to her cousin in Breton. But a dark enchantment awaits there as well, in an interesting twist on the Cinderella story.

George's books keep getting

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better and better.

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Poppy, one of the twelve princesses released from a curse to dance every night for the King Under Stone, is sent to Breton as part of a royal fostering initiative to forge closer ties between unstable kingdoms. However, she, along with the Danelaw prince Christian, are soon drawn into fighting

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magical enemies again, as it becomes clear that the chambermaid Eleanora, the orphaned daughter of a earl, has made a bargain with a power beyond her control. This is an innovative retelling of Cinderella set in a world not too much different from our medieval Europe. Woven in with the Cinderella story, however, is a story about forming friendships and recovering from past traumatic events, and indeed the Cinderella figure is not the main character. There is just enough romance here to keep it interesting for teenage girls, but not enough to overwhelm the story. This fairy tale adaptation is recommended for girls in eighth through twelfth grades.

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Author Jessica Day George returns to the world of fairy tales and magic in Princess of Glass, the sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball. In Princess of the Midnight Ball, George tackled the well-known fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and readers met twelve fascinating women named

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after flowers. After the two eldest princesses, Rose and Lily, were married at the conclusion of Midnight Ball, Poppy is left as the eldest unmarried princess at the young age of sixteen. Poppy, who was barely mentioned in Midnight Ball, steps out from the shadow of her sisters and their tattered dancing shoes and into her own story.

Princess of Glass opens in the world of politics and matchmaking, where a new exchange program brings princes to various courts throughout the land in hopes that they will fall in love with the local princess(es) and build alliances. Poppy goes to the home of her aunt, while her sisters are shipped off to other countries. Poppy meets her lovely cousin, Marianne, and Eleanora (also known as Ellen), a once-noblewoman who, after being orphaned, is forced to become a maid in order to survive. Together, Poppy and Marianne attend the lavish royal balls, though Poppy, remembering her days as a prisoner of the King Under Stone, refusing to dance and becomes the gossip of the ball -until a strange, but beautiful woman named Lady Ella appears and Prince Christian and others of the court are infatuated with her. No one seems to know anything about her, only that she always leaves the balls by midnight and wears glass slippers...

In this retelling of Cinderella, George weaves another wonderful tale of magic, romance and the frightening truths behind making bargains with magical creatures. Though the plot is somewhat expected (though not as predictable as Princess of the Midnight Ball), Princess of Glass is a delightful, magical read that's got a beautiful simplicity to it.

This time around, George doesn't have to juggle as many characters, which helps lend greater characterization to all the characters in Princess, especially Poppy, Ellen and the villain (known as the dastardly Corley). However, Poppy, the main character, seems to take a back-seat position to the plot for the majority of the novel. It feels like all of the action revolves around others more than her, and as if she was just tacked on to the story in order to create a connection to Princess of the Midnight Ball. Despite this, Princess of Glass is a worthwhile read.

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This sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball is delightful and, in many ways, stronger than its predecessor. Where 'Midnight Ball' was fairly surface and predictable fun, 'Glass' mixes up the fairy tales in more interesting ways and is possessed of a of a heroine, Princess Poppy, who is determined

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and feisty and just tons of fun.

The ten unmarried dancing princesses from 'Midnight Ball' are being shipped off in a sort of royal 'study abroad' program in order to repair strained relations and possibly achieve some matchmaking. Sixteen-year-old Princess Poppy travels to Breton, where she makes some good friends and has an encounter with a serving girl named Ellen who, it turns out, has gotten into something a bit over her head. This is a pretty creative re-imagining of Cinderella, and I really enjoyed how neatly that story fit into the previous fairy tale. George really manages to make them feel like part of the same world, and she strikes a nice balance between politics and fairy tale magic.

My favorite part of this book, though, is Princess Poppy. I spent a lot of time while reading this book thinking that if I had a daughter, this is exactly the sort of Princess I'd want her reading about. Intelligent and quick-witted, scared of scary things but willing to face them when necessary anyway, eager to stretch her boundaries and willing to reevaluate her judgment of someone. She's an excellent role model, a lot of fun, and when things get bad, she starts knitting.

If Princess of the Midnight Ball struck your fancy, I definitely recommend this follow-up.

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This one was an interesting 'sequel' to "The Princess of the Midnight Ball". A 'retelling' (sort of) of Cinderella this time, it picks up on one of the 12 princesses from the first book. This one tells of Poppy, sent to another country as an 'exchange' program of sorts. Much of it is about how she

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won't dance. Or about the prince.While you don't get to know the characters all that *well*, I did like that when they meet, there is a hint that a fair bit of time goes by where they are able to get to know each other before the whole 'love' thing is sprung. The story is a little odd, but quite interesting as 'Cinderella' is not the main character, and not a particularly likable character for much of the story. But in the end all works out well, and while its not exactly a 'happily ever after', its close enough, with good reasons given.Another book where knitting features fairly prominently, to my delight. :D

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Edit: I'm adding in this little disclaimer because I think people have been getting an overall negative impression in this review, and I don't want that to be the case. Yes, it is my least favorite of the 3 JDG books I've read -- but really, that's not saying much, as Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is

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one of my favorite books, period (just about everything is going to be "liked less") and 2nds in a series are always a little less for me, somehow. Sophomore Slump, I guess.
So, while I do detail some of the reasons I liked it less, I want you to know, I still liked it. No, it didn't blow me away, but I don't regret buying or reading it. :)

This one got off to a little bit of a rocky start to me, and I wasn't entirely sure I was going to like it. I didn't connect right away, even though I really like Poppy. I think that, for me at least, it was because it had more of a middle grade feel than a YA one, and I wasn't prepared for that; it required a mental shift on my part. But once the story got going, I was completely drawn in and willing to set any hesitation aside. And I'm glad I did, because this is one of the most unique, inventive retellings of Cinderella I've ever read. There were things I didn't see coming from the outset (which is unusual in a fairy tale, to be honest), and things that, even once I saw them coming were still really enjoyable and fun. It was a quirky and cute take with an unexpected edge of darkness, and I liked that.

As much as I love Poppy and the expansion of her character in this book (she's one of the sisters from Princess of the Midnight Ball), I was a little less enthusiastic about some of the other main characters. I had no problems with the supporting cast, but I wished for more from the Prince, especially where romantic development is concerned. I liked him fine, and I got the whole conflict and all, but in order for the resolution to completely work for me - foregone conclusion or not - I need to believe that there's a basis for love on both sides. With him under a spell for good chunks of the book (and that's not a spoiler people - it's hinted at strongly at the very beginning), it's hard to completely buy the romance, which is a big part of the story. I think I bought it more because I wanted to than because it was all there.

But more of a drawback was Ellen. I just couldn't like her. I get that she was being manipulated, and I get that she was under magical influences, some bad juju, if you will, but it didn't make it any easier for me to like her. She was so petulant and bratty and just really hit on some pet peeves of mine. I did like her more as the story went on, but still - when one of the main characters is hard to like, it puts a strain on the book. Fortunately, Poppy more than made up for Ellen. And as silly as I found the backstory of the villain, I quite liked her, too. The things she does... omg, it gives a whole new meaning to glass slippers, and it is some CRA-ZEE, let me tell you!

In the end, though it is my least favorite of the Jessica Day George books I've read, that doesn't mean I didn't like it. I would still recommend it to fans, fairy tale lovers and spunky young girls, who will love Poppy (and swoon over the Prince, guaranteed). I'm looking forward to the final installment of the series, following one of the sisters of the "younger set"... any bets on who?

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Princess of Glass revisits the traditional idea of 'Cinderella' - looking at it from a wholly different perspective that was both intriguing and a lot of fun. While the misadventures of 'Ellen' the maidservant are the heart of the Cinderella-story, it's woven intricately in with the lives and

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stories of Poppy and her new friends. Particularly handsome Prince Christian, whom Ellen's "godmother" has selected as the perfect match and about whom Poppy cannot quite define her feelings. I thoroughly enjoyed this read - and the fun of it is in the reading, in seeing how things work out (or don't), and wondering what-on-earth is going to come next.

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I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings and this story is a unique twist on Cinderella with an evil fairy godmother who has her own agenda in sending Cinderella to the ball.

I did feel this story wasn't quite as strong as Princess of the Midnight Ball, mainly because the author is trying to juggle

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the stories of three couples instead of one, but I still really liked it.

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Sixteen-year-old Princess Poppy knows a thing or two about curses. For numerous years, she and her eleven sisters were forced to dance nearly every night until dawn for the King Under Stone. With the help of her now brother-in-law and some white magicians, the curse was lifted. Poppy still wards

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herself against any possible enchantments.

While visiting another kingdom as part of an exchange program to promote better political alliances - and potential marriages - Poppy becomes good friends with Prince Christian, who is also visiting from a nearby kingdom. Poppy has sworn never to dance again (if she can help it) since the curse has been lifted. While sitting on the sidelines during the King's big gala, a mysterious girl arrives adorned in lavish jewels and dressed like a princess... seeing as how she is dressed just like Poppy! No one recognizes this mysterious Lady Ella, but all of the men fawn over her and all of the women gossip about her. All except Poppy, who recognizes her as her clumsy maid. Poppy knows her wards are protecting her from whatever enchantment Ella is throwing over the entire kingdom, but some are falling pretty hard under her spell... Namely, Prince Christian.

Can Poppy save the Kingdom from this curse, and keep Prince Christian from making a mistake like asking lady Ella to marry him?

Another easy read, but also very fun. I enjoyed this remake of the classic Cinderella fairytale. It had just the barest basics from Cinderella: a prince, a ball, glass slippers, soot, a "godmother". Ms. George turned this into her own unique version. The characters were fun and lovable. The plot was very fast paced and the book wrapped up a little too quickly for my liking, but overall a very good, clean read.

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This was a fascinating twist on Cinderella in which the cinderella figure is less sympathetic (at first she seems like a bad guy, but then you see that she's being manipulated by her "Godmother"). It's apparently the sequel to "Princesses of the Midnight Ball" (12 Dancing Princesses), which I

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haven't read yet- not necessary to read it, but it would have been nice. It was also nice to have changing perspectives- that's a favorite style of mine.

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This is a totally cute retelling of Cinderella which is told by one of the characters in George's other princess book "Princess of the Midnight Ball". And there's more knitting!

I'm going to have to go back and read Princess of the Midnight Ball now. Ms. George is very adept at engulfing the reader in the story. You feel as though you are a part of the time period in which the story takes place. Princess Poppy is a delightful character who encompasses qualities at either

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ends of the spectrum. She's tough, she swears, and is quite the little cardshark. However, she is ladylike, loves to knit, and appreciates fine gowns. The story of the Corley was left a mystery until towards the end. I enjoyed the 'fairy tale' aspect of this book. I have this unusual appreciation and even affection for colored glass. So I found the story of The Corley very interesting as well. I would say it would be great for 12 and up. The cover is cool, but would have liked to have seen one of the dresses described or Prince Christian as well. Overall, really loved the characters, the pace, and the plot. I would definitely recommend.

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As a fan of fairy tale retellings, I'm always excited to hear that Jessica Day George is releasing a new novel. Her retellings always offer a unique twist, while incorporating small details that allow the reader to clearly identify the original tale.

With PRINCESS OF GLASS, George retellls the

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classic tale of Cinderella in a way readers have never seen before. George's version features a dark love triangle and a not-so-nice fairy godmother, causing my childhood perceptions of Cinderella's story to crumble. While PofG does have a more sinister feel than the original, I feel that younger readers will have no issue with its content. In my mind, PofG is more of a middle grade novel than young adult, though readers of any age will enjoy it.

Readers are briefly introduced to Poppy in George's PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL and I was delighted to find that she is PRINCESS OF GLASS' main character. Poppy is smart, independent, and skilled with a deck of cards. I definitely think that I better understood Poppy's motivations and attitude in PofG because I read PatMB first, but it isn't required to identify with Poppy or enjoy the novel.

I loved the villain in PofG. I think that this aspect of the novel was the element that made it truly unique. After all, who suspects the fairy godmother to be the villain? Even more compelling is the why behind her nefarious deeds.

The only part of the novel that I was bothered by was the prince. I found him to be exceedingly bland and extremely easy to manipulate. This unfortunately, ruined the romantic elements of the plot. I would have liked someone with a bit more fire for Poppy. Luckily, the rest of the novel made up for my disappoinment in the prince.

I highly recommend George's retellings. They're light, quick reads and always entertaining!

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Good story. A very interesting, different angle on Cinderella, plus a good sequel to Midnight Ball with Poppy as the heroine. Christian, Dickon, and Roger are all interesting people; Marianne is a bit of a wet, but that's partly because she falls under the spell so thoroughly and doesn't get to

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express herself much before that. The "Breton" society and culture are fun, too. And the villain is nicely developed - quite mad, but then they all are. I hope Poppy's dreams are only dreams...or that she mentions them to Walter sometime soon. Good stuff.

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Princess Poppy hasn’t danced in three years.

Since her now brother-in-law, Galen, delivered her and her eleven sisters from the King Under Stone, who had once forced the twelve princesses to dance with his twelve sons every night, Poppy has avoided dancing at all costs.
Now, however, Poppy is

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staying with the Seadowns, her cousins, in Breton. Poppy manages to skirt the first few balls, and makes good friends with the visiting Dane prince, Christian. But when things begin to go askew at the Seadown’s, with their clumsy new maid Ellen, and Christian apparently under a spell, it is up to Poppy to help her Bretoner friends out of a disastrous situation, in which dancing might be the only way.

I was satisfied with this story, just as I was with the rest of George’s books. If I hadn’t known before I picked it up, I wouldn’t have guessed it was the story of Cinderella, which makes it all the more exciting. It was fresh, clean, and well-written. I am pleased once again and look forward to more!

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As usual Jessica Day George has done a fabulous job with this book, and with her female characterizations. Finally, a girl who can help save herself rather than wait to be saved. This story was a great sequel, but can stand very well on its own as well. I loved that the typically fairy godmother

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wasn't present and that Poppy could use her previous experience with evil magic to use and still get her prince. Lot's of unexpected twist from the typically versions, and say this was a very hard book to put down. I would love to read stories from all the sisters in the series.

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This charming fantasy, based on the fairy tale of Cinderella, is the second in Jessica Day George’s series “The Princess of the Midnight Ball”. Of course, in Princess of Glass, she has cleverly twisted the tale using the elements of the fairy godmother, the glass slippers, and the handsome

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prince to tell her own unique version of the classic story.

Princess Poppy, one of the original twelve dancing princesses, is recovering from her own magical ordeal, but while visiting the kingdom of Breton, discovers a new curse being worked on someone else, a servant girl named Ellen. As she realizes that this curse is also directed at the handsome Prince Christian of Danelaw, whom she is slowly developing a close friendship with, she vows to break this magic spell and release the victims.

I really liked how the author reworked this fairy tale and enjoyed the strong willed, competent Princess Poppy who sets out to right the wrongs and in doing so wins the slightly hapless but nevertheless charming Prince Christian. As in all fairy tales there is a happy ending and in this case we have three young couples finding their “happy ever after”. A light and frothy story chock full of magic, humour and romance.

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For those of you who read Princess of the Midnight Ball, you’ll remember Princess Poppy. She was one of the sisters under the enchantment of the wicked King Under Stone (shudders).

Poppy makes a return appearance here, when she participates in a royal exchange program. The idea of the program is

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to create strong political alliances and possibly see some marriages too. It’s all going well, until we learn that a poor servant girl has been tricked by a wicked fairy godmother into impersonating a princess and trying to steal all the eligible men away from Poppy. The lengths she goes to in order to best Poppy are awesome. I couldn’t wait for each new ball to see what was going to happen next.

For lovers of fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, you’ll be in heaven. This one is masterfully done and seamlessly weaves elements of Cinderella in. You’ll get your fill of beautiful ball gowns, political and princess-y intrigue, fairy godmothers, and one rather plucky heroine.

I loved Poppy. She was one of my favorite characters in Princess of the Midnight Ball and I was thrilled to see her make a repeat appearance here. She’s the kind of heroine you can really get behind and cheer for. The gal who makes her own way in life, even though she’s a princess. The gal who takes matters into her own hands and doesn’t wait for someone else to do the dirty work. She’s a character who’s really easy to look up to.

LOVE.

I could go on and on about how much I love this book (and Jessica Day George’s other books too, for that matter), but I think you get the picture.

Just go read the book, okay?

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This is book 2 in the series, following princess Poppy, one of the twelve sisters from the previous book. Somewhat sideways to Poppy's own story, there's a highly unusual and modern retelling of Cinderella in there that throws a completely different light on the tale. Fairy godmothers, it seems,

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don't have to be quite so one-dimensionally benevolent. I think even those who aren't drawn to reworked fairy tales would find something to love in this story, which is an adventure tale of saving friends and defeating evil. It's both funny and clever, and I highly recommend it!

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Wish I had read this closer to reading her other Princess book to be able to better remember what happened, but I was able to piece enough together to carry on. I LOVE her books! I will be waiting impatiently for the next.