Red Riding Hood meets Robin Hood in the third and final book in New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George's enchanting Twelve Dancing Princesses series.
When Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist--wolves intent on redistributing the wealth of the noble citizens who have entered their territory.
But the bandit-wolves prove more rakishly handsome than truly dangerous, and it's not until Petunia reaches her destination that she realizes the kindly grandmother she has been summoned to visit is really an enemy bent on restoring an age-old curse . . .
Don't miss these other stories from New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George:
The Twelve Dancing Princesses series
Princess of the Midnight Ball
Princess of Glass
Princess of the Silver Woods
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
Silver in the Blood
The Rose Legacy series
The Rose Legacy
Tuesdays at the Castle series
Tuesdays at the Castle
Wednesdays in the Tower
Thursdays with the Crown
Fridays with the Wizards
Saturdays at Sea
Dragon Slippers series
Dragon Slippers
Dragon Flight
Dragon Spear
.
I like [a:Jessica Day George|359109|Jessica Day George|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1370984924p2/359109.jpg]'s writing because it's light and fun with plenty of action and a sprinkling of romance. [b:Princess of the Silver Woods|12873027|Princess of the Silver Woods (Princess, #3)|Jessica Day George|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334172042s/12873027.jpg|18025665] is no exception.
I liked Petunia as a heroine because she was determined and smart but not infallible. She was a little blind when it came to Volenskaya which I didn't understand but I also liked that she had a very different perspective of the Kingdom Under Stone because of how old she was when [b:Princess of the Midnight Ball|3697927|Princess of the Midnight Ball (Princess #1)|Jessica Day George|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312063284s/3697927.jpg|3741438] happened.
I do think this is the book where it's most difficult to keep the sisters straight. In Midnight Ball there was such variety in their ages it was easier. And [b:Princess of Glass|7199667|Princess of Glass (Princess #2)|Jessica Day George|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312040456s/7199667.jpg|7867989] focused so much on Poppy that the other sisters only each served a specific purpose. But in this one they're all roughly the same age and a lot of times they're just names being thrown around. And I didn't understand why Jonquil was so faint, especially after certain things changed. Why was it so much harder on her than the others?
Oliver is a fun hero and I liked his strength and his determination and compassion. He was a noble character with a very rough upbringing which was interesting. And I really liked his mom.
There were enough elements of the fairy tale to justify the title and cover though it alluded to so much of Midnight Ball it almost felt like a very independent story. But one that was fun and had engaging characters (mostly) and that brought a nice depth to the world created for Midnight Ball.
