Customer Reviews

Princess of Glass

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After all the nights she has spent dancing for the wicked King of Under Stone, Princess Poppy refuses to dance. She has plenty else to do: knitting, gambling, and participating in an exchange program concocted by her father and the rulers of Ionia. Enter a miserable servant named Ellen, a former lady who is desperate to reagain her wealth, no matter what. Add a vengeful fairy godmother, glass slippers, and spells, and you got a huge enchantment.

As a supporting character, Poppy gave off a determined and fiesty air. As a main character, you can't help but like her. She's got a mind of her own and is intelligent, but at the same time, she's haunted by nightmares of the King of Under Stone and his court. I'm glad she gets her own story.

Christian was a real person. He was neither the classic "perfect prince", or the selfish spoiled brat. He clearly knows his duty is to his country, yet at the same time, he feels the need to escape it all. Christian shows clear intelligence, loyalty, and courage. The only part of the book where he annoyed me was when he was mooning over "Lady Ella".

At first, Ellen seemed like a selfish brat. She can't do anything right, and she's rude to the people who have taken her in. But as the story progressed, you couldn't help but sympathise for her misfortune.

This is the most original "Cinderella" retelling that I've read. I enjoyed how Ms.George kept key points in the story (the glass slippers, fairy godmother), yet was able to write a whole new take on a popular tale. I would recomend this book to anyone who enjoys unique fairy tale retellings.

Gold Star Award Winner!

Poppy from PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL returns and, along with her unmarried sisters, is currently helping her father regain political alliances by participating in a royal exchange. Now she's living with her cousins, Lord and Lady Seadown, and their daughter, Marianne.

She turns down invitations to balls because she refuses to dance after surviving the curse from her mother. Society soon frowns upon her absence, thus forcing Poppy to attend the balls. Instead of dancing, she joins the gentlemen and plays cards. She and Marianne become friends with the young royal prince staying with the King.

When Prince Christian notices how different Poppy is from other girls, he's intrigued and happy to spend time with her. Some assume a marriage isn't far behind, but before anything transpires, a young, mysterious, beautiful woman enters the picture.

Before long, all the men are falling in love with her and making absolute fools of themselves, while the women detest her. Poppy notices that something's not right. Could the magical protection she's wearing stop her from seeing an enchantment?

Seeing clearly, she recognizes the mystery girl as a previously wealthy young lady fallen on hard times. Instead of dancing and enjoying frivolity, Ellen's now forced to become a maid. Can Poppy stop Ellen from making a terrible bargain with a creature who will demand something horrible in return?

Just when Poppy thought she'd finished with evil, she must battle the Corley to save the lives of those she loves dearly.

One can only hope that Jessica Day George will continue to write more about these charming sisters and their battles with magical, evil creatures. The friendship, sense of self, evil beings, drama, and romance make PRINCESS OF GLASS a must-read for lovers of fairytales and fantasy stories.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Picking up where Princess of the Midnight Ball (George's excellent retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses) left off, Princess of Glass follows charismatic middle sister Poppy. After the events of the previous book strained the alliances of the neighboring kingdoms, the king of Breton concocts a princess/prince exchange to help smooth tensions and strengthen alliances through marriage. Poppy finds herself in Breton, mingling with the aristocrats and awkwardly trying to tactfully decline dance partners without going into the details of her family's former curse. Accompanying her is the warm and welcoming Seadown family and the charming and attractive prince Christian of Danelaw.

Though it is immensely fun to read about the gorgeous dresses, courtly juggling, and budding romance between Poppy and Christian, George also expertly weaves in a fresh reworking of the Cinderella story. Waiting on Poppy and the Seadowns is Ellen, a clumsy maid formerly of aristocratic status but recently fallen from grace after the death of her secretly destitute father. Ellen doesn't seem capable or motivated to do anything right, burning and wrinkling the clothing she is supposed to be ironing, dropping dishes, and losing garments.

Frustrated with her fallen status, Ellen eagerly accepts the patronage of a mysterious woman who refers to herself as the Corley and insists Ellen call her godmother. Bolstered by the support and gifts from her newfound godmother, Ellen attends ball after ball as the beautiful and mysterious Lady Ella. Enchanting all of the men in attendance, Ellen delights in her new life as Lady Ella, but she soon learns that her godmother's gifts come at a high price.

While not quite as good as Princess of the Midnight Ball, this sequel is still an enjoyable read and classic light and sweet JDG. The compulsively likable and plucky characters and beautiful imagery I've come to expect from JDG were both present. Poppy was just as delightful as she was in the first book, and the Seadowns made for a wonderfully warm and happy supporting cast. I liked how Poppy rose to the occasion, but I also like how she did still have realistic fears left over from her ordeal in the first book. The dresses described were so beautiful and really fun to read about.

As in PotMB, the villain's otherworld was gorgeously and vividly described, though unlike the previous book, the Corely was not as scary as King Understone, nor was her back story as satisfying.

Minor spoilers:



I also had a much harder time sympathizing with Ellen than I did with Rose and her sisters in the previous book. I spent so much time disliking Ellen, that it was difficult to switch gears toward the end and feel sorry for her. Similarly, while I liked Christian and thought he and Poppy made a good couple, he also spent so much time mooning over Lady Ella that it was a little difficult to get comfortable with the idea of his romance with Poppy. Granted, he was under enchantment, but he made such a fool out of himself falling all over Ella and completely neglecting Poppy. It was a little irritating to read about after a while. I wish the counter-charms Poppy made had worked more on him, though I understand why they couldn't.


End of spoilers.

While it isn't absolutely necessary to read Princess of the Midnight Ball before reading Princess of Glass, it would help the reader understand a lot of references a lot better. Also, if the second book is read before the first, then the first book is completely spoiled. Comparisons between the two are inevitable, and while PoG wasn't quite as good as PotMB, it was still a very enjoyable story and a fresh take on the Cinderella tale. Definitely recommended to JDG fans and fans of fantasy and fairy tale retellings.

Had I not received this book during the last week of school, it's quite likely that I would not have been able to read it for months, because my students would have taken it from me by force and refused to return it. (Honestly, they nearly came to blows when they saw it on my desk). My girls that read Gossip Girls wanted it just as much as the girls who read Warriors, which is, I think, saying something. And having read the book, I'm happy to say that my students' anticipation would have been rewarded with a fine read.

Princess of Glass is more a companion that a sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball; though some of the characters are the same, the story is brand new. Freed from the curse of the King Under Stone, Princess Poppy and her sisters have each been sent to a different kingdom to foster peace between the nations. Poppy has been sent to Breton to stay with relatives, including her cousin Marianne. Prince Christian of Danelaw has also been sent to Breton, and along with Dickon Thwaite, Marianne's suitor, the four young people become fast friends. Another force is at work, however, and when a beautiful young woman in glass slippers appears at a ball and entices all the men, Poppy will be forced to use both her knitting needles and her dancing slippers to save her new friends.

Jessica Day George has again rewritten a fairy tale and made it into something new and entirely refreshing. The elements of the original are all there, but the result is fresh instead of predictable. The characters, especially Poppy, are delightful, and my students will like this book as much as I did. I doubt this book will spend a single night in my classroom once school starts in the fall. Fortunately, Princess Poppy has many more unwed sisters. I can't wait to read their stories.

Princess of Glass is a fun and exciting retelling of the classic Cinderella tale. Jessica Day George takes all the elements of this classic tale and gives it a face lift. Yes, the basic details are still intact, but I have never read a Cinderella tale quite like this one.

Readers of Day George's previous novel, Princess of the Midnight Ball should already be familiar with our heroine, Princess Poppy. For those of you who have yet read the companion novel, fear not. Day George does a fabulous job of interweaving the important plot details to ensure that all readers are on the same page. I must to admit that this was a nice feature. It has been a while since I have read Princess of the Midnight Ball so there is just enough information to bring me up to speed without making it feel cumbersome.

For the most part, the characters in Princess of Glass were impressive. Words cannot accurately describe how I felt about Poppy. She was smart, tomboyish, head-strong... a wonderful female lead. I loved that she could as easily take charge of a situation as she could act like a princess. As a reader, I really appreciated being able to see the different sides of her. The rest of the characters were equally as well done except for Eleanora and the Corley. Both of the characters, to be frank, rubbed me the wrong way. Eleanora for her whininess and the Corley for not really being clear about her motives. Both characters were okay on the surface, but when I really got to think about them in depth, I was left with a lot of questions. It is true that they did hold some promise, but their overall execution was off.

Putting this small issue aside, I admit that I really enjoyed Princess of Glass. Was it the best Cinderella retelling I have ever read? No. But it did introduce many plot elements that I have not seen before. In addition, Day George does something unique by importing a character from a previous fairy tale to be the heroine of her own happily ever after. Jessica Day George intertwines two of my favorite fairy tales together and presents readers with a read that feels brand new and shiny. Very enjoyable.

An avid fan of fairytales and anything by Jessica Day George, I loved spending a summer evening with Poppy. I spent time with the sisters as they danced for the King Under the Stone and was excited to be able to enter the world of the courageous and spunky Poppy. What a wonderful twist the author takes messing together Twelve Dancing Princess and Cinderella. I didn't like Ella (Eleanor) in the beginning. She was whiny and selfish but then her story is revealed and the reader ends cheering on Poppy and Ella as they take on evil and also get their prince. Poppy is a wonderful, capable, intelligent princess and Christan, her prince, comes across pretty much like a normal handsome young man. It's great what Jessica does with a familiar tale. It's all their the pumpkin coach, the glass slippers and the midnight transformation just with a twist that is just scary enough to keep you reading. I hope Jessica will keep writing these wonderful takes on fairytales.

Spoilers beware*****

The story Princess of Glass has a historical/fantasy introduction to Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George. This story is set in Brenton, an island of Ionia, during the dark ages with a center around royalty and peasants, witch craft and magic. The protagonist in the story is Poppy, who is tree years older than she was in Jessica's first book, princess of the midnight ball. 16 year old Poppy, who refuses to dance because of her earlier trauma, and cousin Marianne, (the daughter of the Lord Richard) along with Roger and the nick named "Dickon" Thwite have to vanquish "The Corley" the antagonist, a witch and glass maker who has her sights set on the orphaned, ruined Eleanora, who after her father, a failed earl, lost all his money and his life after the heartbreak of her deceased mother, decided to change her name to "Ellen" as well as the Danelaw prince, Christian. The Corley is trying to cast a spell over Christian and make him fall for Ellen, or "Lady Ella", her second alias.

When Christian learns that he is being sent to Brenton as part of a match making scheme between the next generation of the Ionia islands, he half heartedly agrees, knowing this will be the solution to patch up the bond between the nations. When he gets to Ionia, he meets the sweet but slightly ditsy Marianne Seadown, the odd, card playing, swear-knowing, independent princess Poppy of Westfallen (pronounced vest - fallen), the slightly juvenile, poetic Dickon, and his down to earth, knowledgeable brother, Richard. A few days later, Ellen, the accident prone maid comes to work at the Seadowns', and gets in touch with her "godmother" the Corley. A few weeks later, the Seadowns and all other eligible young maidens in the house are invited to a ball, the first of three they will attend. Ellen goes through the fireplace to the Corley's magically concealed huge lair, and is dressed and adorned. When Poppy, Marianne and Christian get to the ball, Christian is preparing to ask Poppy to dance, when "Lady Ella" almost shoves herself at him. The only ones at the ball who can identify Ellen are Poppy who is wearing the protective garters (an elastic band used to keep up stockings), and Roger, wearing a protective talisman, who was also one of Eleanora's childhood friends, and who also has feelings for her. Over the next few days, Ellen is covered in soot and, when Poppy asks her about the ball, Ellen replies she never attended the ball. With all the men of Brenton, including Christian and Dickon memorized with Lady Ella, Poppy and Roger go to Richard. When Poppy tells Richard about the soot everywhere, Richard turns quite distressed. He then asks Ellen if she knows the Corley, to which Ellen denies. But, when Ellen's feet turns to glass and she confesses, she and everyone else find out that the Corley is a women named Mary Bright, whose god-daughter, Mary Bess Corley, was in love with a Danish Prince. After Mary's husband switched from the Brenton's to Danelaw side in a long ago war, the Danish king promised to have Mary Corley married to his son if her god-father helped him win the war and Mary Bright constructed a glass ship in her rage after finding that her husband had taken Mary Bess Corley, and it sank her husband's boat causing Mary Bess to drown. After learning why the Corley wants Eleanora to marry Christian, so to "undo" her mistake, Richard confesses that the Corley helped him get his fortune and he caused the ruin of Ellen's father, he adopts Ellen and she changes her name back to Eleanora, and Poppy volunteers to take "Lady Ella's" place at the masked ball even though she hates dancing. But, after the ball, the Corley captures Poppy and Ellen, she makes them look perfectly identical and mutes them with a potion, saying that only whoever Christian fits the shoe on and is a perfect fit will go to be with him, and she will keep the other girl. Christian, Roger, Dickon and Marianne, as well as Richard and his wife, Lady Margret, go through the doors. In the end, Christian puts the slipper on Poppy and it fits her, they all vanquish the Corley and escape, and get out of the lair. Poppy and the others find themselves with Rose and Galen, Poppy's oldest sister and her husband. The story concludes with this passage, " 'My feet! ... They're healed' ...she clutched Roger as though she was drowning ... 'You are free of the Corley' ... 'What about Marianne's dowry?' ... 'I expect you to propose even if her dowry is an old shoe!' 'Yes sir' Dickon said sheepishly. 'Who do I speak to about Poppy?' Christian looked from Lord Richard to Galen and then to Rose. ... 'You could always ask me. I mean...' His expression cleared. 'Princess Poppy, would you care to visit Danelaw for the Holidays?' "Yes! I do! I will!' Poppy hugged him ... 'I need to let my feet rest. Betrothals and weddings always involve a great deal of dancing.' The rest of the room looked on in shock. ... 'I enjoy dancing, and I will blasted well dance at my wedding!' 'Poppy! Language!' Poppy didn't answer; she just threw her arms around Christian and kissed him soundly" (George 255). This basically leads you to infer that Marianne and Dickon marry, Roger and Eleanora marry, and Poppy and Christian marry. Everyone is safe, except, of course the not-so-sadly deceased Corley.

I felt maybe 200 emotions at the end of the book. One, I felt, almost gleeful, thinking, "ha! I knew Poppy would win". I probably thought this because it Poppy was such a strong, clever character who I really enjoyed reading about. Indicators that Poppy is a strong willed, independent character are, "Poppy, with her regal bearing and flashing eyes. Poppy gambling like a hardened cardship and teasing Roger Thwite about his stern demeanor"(209 George) and, " 'I'm the strong one,' she sobbed. 'The tough one. Everyone says so. I'm not like Daisy, I'm not like Lily, I'm not gentle and sweet and ladylike. My father says it, everyone says it" (215 George). I also really wanted to read this again. I probably thought that because, in my opinion, this is a perfect book. It's strong and soft and action filled and romantic and magical. Poppy's strong and finds her soft side, through Christian. The Corley is a perfect antagonist or villain in this book. She's clever and evil and sick and thoughtless and grudge holding and full of glass based black magic. I really thought this book struck a perfect balance. I would definitley recommend this to people who like The False Princess or The Goose Girl. This has the same, magical, royal background, and has many twists and turns. I personally, really enjoyed Princess of Glass.

"Princess of glass" is a retold story of Cinderella and Poppy, who is one of the seven sisters from "Princess of the Midnight Ball." Poppy has sworn never to dance again but she may have to in order to save the cursed Eleanor. A delightful tale by Jessica Day George.

It's been a while since I read this but saw it and decided to review it. I just remember it is very good. If you like fairy tale adaptations you'll love this one.

A lovely sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball. Poppy deserved her own happy ending too. I love tangled fairy tales and this one was very nicely done.