The family, it is whispered, is cursed, with the girls being described by hoped-for suitors as “lovely as a bouquet of belladonna.” Tragedy strikes the family again and again as first their mother then sisters begin to die tragically. Twelve sisters, all different in their own ways with very different wishes for their futures. The “Thaumas Dozen” is as interesting a group as I can remember from my reading. Erin Craig, though, has produced an imaginative, lovely, wholly original retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses which takes the kernel of the old story and builds a whole new world peopled by fascinating characters and customs. Often, the retellings are interesting but not very original. Folktales have been told and retold for centuries, and I am always up for reading something new.
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