A Dance of Silver and Shadow by Melanie Cellier
Fantasy. 346 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
When Princess Liliana and her twin sister set sail for new lands, Lily hopes to find adventure and romance. But the people of Marin live under the shadow of a curse—one powerful enough to destroy entire kingdoms. To protect them all, Lily and eleven other princesses are forced to participate in a mysterious and secret tournament.
Lily spends her nights competing in a magical underground realm and her days unraveling the dangers of this new court. Although she needs the help of the Marinese prince, Lily knows she can’t let herself grow too close to him. There’s no time for romance when the duchy is about to fall to the encroaching darkness and the winner of the tournament faces a terrible fate.
But Lily and her twin have a secret advantage. And Lily grows increasingly determined to use their magical bond to defeat the tournament, save the princesses, and free Marin. Except she might have to sacrifice true love to do it.
In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, there’s a lot more at stake than worn out dancing slippers.
My Review:
Okay, where has this book been all my life?! Disclaimer, I love the 12 Dancing Princesses. It’s one of my favorite fairy tales, and I am totally a fairy tale girl. This book, this lovely, beautiful, well-written, intriguing, and masterfully crafted book has completely stolen my heart. I mean, I’m head over heels right now. This may be my favorite book of the year.
I have read and watched several versions of the 12 Dancing Princesses, but never one quite like this. I loved how the classic fairy tale was approached and I am enthralled by the world building. I am sooo excited to see more of this world and it’s politics and history and culture. The world was rich and drew me in almost instantly. The story was well written and I am TOTALLY GEEKING OUT over the foundation that was quite obviously and cleverly laid for future tales! The characters were unique and individual. Jon drew me in like few heroes and love interests have before him. I’d put him up there with Char. That’s saying a lot coming from me, y’all. 😀 And Sophie and Lily were so sweet! Such brave and determined heroines! The other MCs each made me smile and played their parts very well. I’m excited to see more of the ice twins and Celine and of Milie! Oh, and don’t even get me started on Gabe and Teddy! I am dying to see more of the three princes! Gosh, I just can’t stop gushing about this story! It was one of the most unique takes on the tale I’ve ever seen and I quite thoroughly enjoyed it. I am so thrilled with this book and am very thankful to have come across it. Excellent world-building, well-written, intriguing plot, and fantastic characters. (Plus, I mean, really,look at that cover, you guys!!!) Definitely one to put on my wish list to own. An all-around thumbs up from me!
Sweet, slow, and steady romance, clean. No direct violence and no graphic scenes at all. No swearing. Family friendly! Excellent read! Would certainly and loudly proclaim a recommendation for it and am currently downloading book 2…
More:
Book 2 in the Beyond the Four Kingdoms series is A Tale of Beauty and Beast (5 Stars)
Book 3 is A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen (5 Stars)
Book 4 is A Dream of Ebony and White: A Retelling of Snow White (4 Stars)
Book 5 is A Captive of Wing and Feather: A Retelling of Swan Lake (5 Stars)
Book 6 is A Princess of Wind and Wave: A Retelling of The Little Mermaid (5 Stars)
I have rated and reviewed the above on Goodreads. Click the links above to find out more, scroll down, and you’ll see my reviews among the others.
This series doesn’t have to be read in order, necessarily, but I would anyway cause there might be minor spoilers between stories. They stand on their own, but the characters carry over from book to book.
On GraceBought:
Check out my review of the next book in the series!
A Tale of Beauty and Beast
Also, don’t forget to check out my reviews of the original series, The Four Kingdoms!