Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other’s countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It’s got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

Princess of Glass is a very original retelling of Cinderella. Just the bare basics of the Cinderella story were there: a prince, a ball, soot, a glass slipper, a Godmother. Jessica Day George took those basic elements and created a very unique retelling of Cinderella. 2 princesses, a curse, glass feet, and a witch combined with characters from Day's novel Princess of the Midnight Ball made this a darker version of the classic Cinderella story.

Although the ultimate outcome was predictable there were lots of twists and turns along the way. For me the ending wrapped up way too quickly leaving me feeling a little cheated.

Content: This is a clean read with nothing objectionable.

Rating: 4 Stars - I debated between giving this 3.5 or 4 stars but decided to go with 4 stars for originality. It was a good book, but not quite as good as Princess of the Midnight Ball.

Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George

As far as Creel is concerned, all is finally right with the world. The dragon king, Shardas, and his queen, Velika, have made a home for themselves on the Far Islands, and for the first time in centuries it seems dragons and humans might be able to live together in peace. So what better time for Creel and Luka to plan their wedding. But then Velika gets kidnapped by a band of rogue dragons in need of their own queen. And Creel and Luka leap to aid Shardas and rescue her—only to discover that Luka’s father has set his sights on taking back the Far Islands from the dragons. Torn between her love for Prince Luka and her friendship with Shardas and Velika, Creel must make the most difficult decision of her life if she stands any chance of getting to the church on time.

Dragon Spear is the 3rd and at this time final book in Jessica Day George's Dragon Slipper's series. The first book Dragon Slippers was my favorite of the series but I have enjoyed the other 2 books. My interest lagged a little bit part way through this book but my perseverance was rewarded with a great ending. If you enjoyed the first 2 books in the series I recommend you read Dragon Spear as well.

Content: This is a clean read with nothing objectionable. This is a juvenile fiction book and appropriate for ages 8+.

Rating: 4 Stars. This is a well written enjoyable story.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.

The 12 Dancing Princesses has long been one of my favorite fairytales. I was raised watching Shelley Duval's Faerie Tale Theatre. The Dancing Princesses was one of my favorite stories so I was excited to read this fairytale retelling.

I love the cover used for Princess of the Midnight Ball. It is so elegant. There are so many cheesy book covers now days I'm glad this one had such a beautiful cover.

I really enjoyed this retelling. All the classic elements of the story were there from the worn out dance slippers to the silver trees to the invisibility cloak. Jessica Day George took this classic story and gave us a reason for the dancing... The princesses are cursed. Add a hero who knits into the mix and you have an excellent book.

Content: This is a clean read. There is no objectionable content. Labeled as a young adult book this would be appropriate for ages 10+.

Rating: 4 Stars. A fun read that held my interest throughout.

Dragon Flight By Jessica Day George

With the Dragon Wars over, Creel finds herself bored with life as a seamstress. Then word comes that a bordering country has been breeding dragons in preparation for an invasion. Never one to sit around, Creel throws herself headlong into an adventure that will reunite her with her dragon friend Shardas, pit her against a vicious new enemy and perhaps rekindle a friendship with Prince Luka that seems to have gone cold. Funny, heart-felt, and action packed, this is a sequel that will satisfy on every level.

Dragon Flight is the second book in Jessica Day George's Dragon series. I loved the first book Dragon Slippers and was excited to read the sequel. I think I liked Dragon Slippers just a little better than the sequel. The first half of Dragon Flight dragged a little bit for me but it picked up and had a fabulous ending making it a great read in the end. Start with Dragon Slippers if you enjoy it I'm sure you'll love Dragon Flight.

Content: This is a clean read. There is nothing objectionable in it. Just a fun fairytale type story appropriate for all ages. It would make a great read aloud for ages 8+. As a read alone perhaps ages 10+.

Rating: A solid 4 star book. A great read that I'm glad I read. Well worth the time. I'll definitely read the next book Dragon Spear. In fact it's already on hold at the library ready for me to pick up.