Princess of the Silver Woods (Princess, #3)

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Princess of the Silver Woods (Princess #3)

by Jessica Day George (Goodreads Author)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 1,758 ratings · 402 reviews

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...more

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published December 11th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

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Aug 30, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: fairytales, youngadult

In the final installment about the Twelve Dancing Princesses of Westfalin, Petunia gets her chance for adventure.

*Editing, April 2012.

*More editing, June 2012. I have spent the last week in my bedroom, cutting 20,000 words from the manuscript. Most of those words were: clearly, actually, even, and just.

*Copy edits, August 2012.

*Galley proofs, August 2012.

63 likes · like · see review

Dec 12, 2012 Mitch rated it 3 of 5 stars

Definitely one for the fans. I still think Princess of Glass is the best book in this series, but Princess of the Silver Woods isn’t without its charms. Yes, the story itself is flawed and more than a little repetitive, but, with all the familiar characters from the first two books back, sometimes, it’s just nice to catch up with your favorites and ask, hey, what have you been up to?

Still, I have to wonder if being a direct sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball rather being more of a standalo...more Definitely one for the fans. I still think Princess of Glass is the best book in this series, but Princess of the Silver Woods isn’t without its charms. Yes, the story itself is flawed and more than a little repetitive, but, with all the familiar characters from the first two books back, sometimes, it’s just nice to catch up with your favorites and ask, hey, what have you been up to?

Still, I have to wonder if being a direct sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball rather being more of a standalone like Princess of Glass was ends up hurting this book in the long run. The first few chapters start with a bang and are not bad at all, and Jessica Day George really does a great job distinguishing Petunia from her sisters Rose and Poppy, but the beginning is just way too explanatory with too much information being given through exposition. A lot of dialogue and entire paragraphs are spent explaining the fallout from the events of the first book, Oliver’s situation, why he’s this bandit earl robbing passing coaches in the Westfalin Woods; the Grand Duchess and her connection to the King Under Stone via the Nine Daughters of Russaka legend; the whole political situation with the different kingdoms. The connection between the Grand Duchess and the former King Under Stone in particular, I get it, this doesn’t have to be repeated ad nauseum until I feel like shaking whichever character is discussing this and yelling at them, ‘so she’s in league with the King Under Stone, what are you going to do about it?’ It just seemed like plot development’s forced on me via endless speculation, Princess of Glass did the whole storytelling business so much better.

Come to think of it, Princess of Glass also handled its cast way better. The problem with the twelve dancing princesses legend is that there are just way too many princesses, in a novel setting adding in the princes, the villains, various supporting characters, there are just too many players and not enough space to develop them all. Actually, that’s a big reason why I thought Princess of Glass was such a huge improvement over Princess of the Midnight Ball, not just because Poppy’s the spunkiest, most compelling of the bunch, but because I could add up the main characters in that book and not get to twelve, everybody got their moment. So while I like Petunia, like how she’s not the little girl from the first book but just as cute with her matches and her pistol, and Oliver always saying the wrong thing is definitely not Galen or Christian, everybody else sort of faded into the background because of the huge cast of characters, despite Jessica Day George’s best efforts.

I do appreciate those efforts though - there are plenty of Easter eggs for anyone who’s paid real attention to the first two books. Poppy learns riding! Walter and that old lady are back! Petunia’s (still) a pyromaniac! But while the Easter eggs are very cool, the ending tries a little too hard to recall the ending of the first book, besides a weirdly incorporated Red Riding Hood scene, I felt like I was reading an almost event by event rehash of how Galen defeated the first King Under Stone - the bad guys even fall for the same obvious things they did the first time! -... well except now Oliver’s in it too. And getting to that point, parts here and there feel forced, the Red Riding Hood scene again, the princesses’ explanation for how they ended up in their final predicament, another scene with Petunia falling into an obvious trap that just left me at a loss for words, and not in a good way. Still, I really can’t complain about the results even if I complain about the methods, because the last couple of throwbacks to the end of Princess of the Midnight Ball were pretty well done, brings this series full circle, and are definitely one of the high points of this book.

I wouldn’t recommend picking up this sequel without reading at least Princess of the Midnight Ball, because quite a bit of knowledge about that book’s required to really appreciate the finer points of this one, but for fans of the first book, Princess of the Silver Woods isn’t a bad way to end the series. Even if at times it does try my patience.(less)

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May 07, 2013 Amy marked it as to-read

*SQUEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!* I AM SO EXCITED! I absolutely love the first two books in the series and have been on pins and needles of excitement since finding out a third one was coming!!

MAY 2013 EDIT:
ROBIN HOOD IS IN THIS????????????? COME ON. I NEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDD TO GO HOME AND GET THIS BOOK FROM THE LIBRARY ALREADY!

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Dec 19, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, own

GASP! Look at that pretty cover!!!! And it comes out November 13th! Can't wait :)

Update April 6: Ooh, a Robin Hood twist as well! I adore Robin Hood, so this is bound the be perfect. I'm so excited, but someone please make the cover picture normal size!

Book Review: December 19th: So, I'm finally getting around to writing another book review. I haven't been reviewing too much because of so much school work, hindering from reading a lot.

Backstory:
I'm very, very, very happy that this book FINALLY...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Annabelle Marie Veronica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: princess-books, fantasy, magic, romance, dance, fairytales, retellings, gorgeous-cover, arcs, best-books-in-the-world, blew-my-breath-away-amazing, books-that-made-me-cry, favorites, i-love-a-guy-in-this-book, i-own

*****FINAL RATING: 4.65 STARS*****

CATCHALL
I love, love, love Jessica Day George. Her entire Princess trilogy has been fantastic, and this book was no exception. It was romantic and sweet but also a bit daring and dangerous, and overall fabulous. Though I didn't love this one as much as the previous two and it is my least favorite book in the trilogy, I still absolutely loved it. It was a fantastic conclusion and it excited me to my very bones. Every danger was very real, and the mystery was int...more

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May 11, 2013 ღ♣✽Hobbit and Proud✽♣ღ (a.k.a. Johanna) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. SHE NEARLY KILLED HIM!!! SHE NEARLY KILLED GALEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
D; I nearly died!! I was half laughing out loud at the exhiliration and half dying! By the time I'd finished, I felt like crying!! She almost killed him!!!

*Takes a deep breath*. There. I'm OK. But ... Wow. I just finished this book less than a minute ago. And it's the best book I've read in months. Wow. That ... that excitement, all at the end. I have to say, I may have lost my tr...more

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Nov 18, 2012 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, fantasy, netgalley-arc, tales-of-fae-and-faery-tales, young-adult-fiction, 2012-reads, 2012-reviews, reviewed, sequel-syndrome-strikes-again, all-surface-no-substance, blah-blah-blaaahhhh

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

This is a review for the third and final novel in the series about Twelve Dancing Princesses, but what I say here about Princess of the Silver Woods holds true for all of the books. I so wanted to love these - I had heard great things and excitedly requested this as an ARC, even without reading the first two. Sadly, I was confused, bored, uninvolved from the very start, so I DNF'd 50 pages in. A week or so later, the first two went on sale for eboo...more Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

This is a review for the third and final novel in the series about Twelve Dancing Princesses, but what I say here about Princess of the Silver Woods holds true for all of the books. I so wanted to love these - I had heard great things and excitedly requested this as an ARC, even without reading the first two. Sadly, I was confused, bored, uninvolved from the very start, so I DNF'd 50 pages in. A week or so later, the first two went on sale for ebooks for less than $2 each. I thought I would give it another try - this time with the benefit of reading the series in order. I read the first two... and it wasn't pretty. They aren't the worst books I've ever read, but I am hard-pressed to remember a series as lackluster and unengaging as this was for me.

Each novel tackles a different fairytale, and occasionally Day George would create a new twist or idea that worked well for her books. I liked the spin on Red Riding Hood meets Robin Hood, but it's hard to recall a lot about these novels. What didn't work well, ever, were her characters. Galen, Rose, Poppy, Christian, and here in book three, Petunia and Oliver all come across as wooden and flat for the duration. Their actions are contrived, their dialogue laughable or vague, their magic and abilities too convenient or too unexplained.I wanted to like them, but their trials, tribulations and eventual coupledom were all too expected and very predictable.

Also working against the books is the worldbuilding. Or rather, the lack of any substantial effort to create a real, vibrant setting for these characters to operate upon. The thinly veiled countries that represent a more magical Europe (Breton = Britain, Spania = Spain, Russaka = Russia, so on and so forth) left a lot to be desired in terms of backdrop. It's all too simple and easy across the board - the relationships, the magic, the world itself. I wanted more from Jessica Day George, and what is provided leaves a lot to be desired.At several points in each novel, I would think that these books and characters came across as much more MG than YA in tone and characterization.

This series is too simple and predictable to be memorable. I read all three in a four day span, and I doubt I will remember anything about any of them in a week's time. All in all: third verse, same as the first. Too simple, too easy, too predictable, too short to pack a punch. The magic is too vague, or too silly (the whole knitting aspect just makes me laugh, every time), and once again, none of the characters really stood out as remarkable, or even really three-dimensional. This series is just not for me, though I can see why others are drawn to it and enjoy it. (less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ft-red-riding-hood, ft-robin-hood, ft-dancing-princess, read-2013, romance-green

I really enjoyed this series and have been looking forward to this final book for a long time. This story follows Petunia, the youngest of the dancing princesses. I liked Petunia, she was pretty feisty. Her older sisters tend to baby her and she is tired of being babies and overlooked. She really comes into her own in this one. Our hero in this book, Oliver, was likable. I think I liked Galen and Christian a bit more, but he still had his own charm. I guess he came across a little young to me. W...more I really enjoyed this series and have been looking forward to this final book for a long time. This story follows Petunia, the youngest of the dancing princesses. I liked Petunia, she was pretty feisty. Her older sisters tend to baby her and she is tired of being babies and overlooked. She really comes into her own in this one. Our hero in this book, Oliver, was likable. I think I liked Galen and Christian a bit more, but he still had his own charm. I guess he came across a little young to me. While I enjoyed the book, I think I liked the first two a bit more. The plot seemed a little too similar to the first book and it did get a little confusing with so many characters (all twelve princesses, some of their husbands, and the remaining evil princes and a handful of other side characters). It moved along nicely though and kept me turning the pages.

There were a few plot points that didn’t make sense to me. (view spoiler)

Overall, a fun series and one I look forward to sharing with my little girl when she is old enough to enjoy it.

Content: Clean, a couple mild swearwords.
(less)

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Oct 31, 2012 Lyuba rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, net-galley

When I requested this title on NetGalley, I had no idea this book was the last one in the series. I started to suspect that after getting into the book and wondering why didn't I know all the characters that were suddenly popping up or being mentioned. I felt somewhat lost, not enough to not enjoy the book, but just enough to feel constantly annoyed in the back of my mind.

Being somewhat lost wasn't the only thing that bothered me. There were just too many characters, and because of that, none o...more When I requested this title on NetGalley, I had no idea this book was the last one in the series. I started to suspect that after getting into the book and wondering why didn't I know all the characters that were suddenly popping up or being mentioned. I felt somewhat lost, not enough to not enjoy the book, but just enough to feel constantly annoyed in the back of my mind.

Being somewhat lost wasn't the only thing that bothered me. There were just too many characters, and because of that, none of them were really developed. Yes, writing a book about 12 princesses plus their husbands/love interests and another whole bunch of villains, while making everyone into a well rounded characters is hard, but I was still hoping for something more. Every character got maybe a line of so at the time, even Petunia and Oliver. Heck, I was pretty disappointed in Petunia and Oliver because of their insta-love that sprung up out of nowhere. Everyone also shrieked too much, cried too much, and just overall acted like damsels in distress. I would have thought that after the same thing happening to these princesses before, they would grow a little bit accustomed to it and be more in control. Yes, Petunia did at the very end, but that just wasn't enough for me because I didn't get to know her as well as I hoped I would. I'm not sure if it was because I haven't read the first two book, or because of the general lack of development to her character.

I was also getting tired of the constant repetition. She is one of the nine daughters of Russaka! Oh no, the duchess is one of the nine daughters! She can't be one of the nine daughters of Russaka. The king of Russaka had nine daughters. And on and on it went, including the twelve daughters and twelve princess. I wanted to scream that I got it, I got that they are all either nine or twelve, just stop repeating it!

I wanted to know more about the villains too. Just like the good guys, they also suffered from the two dimensional syndrome. There was an attempt to give a little more dimension to some of them, but it wasn't enough to really understand them. And I like to understand my villains, because a lot of times they end up being just as interesting as the heroes.

The writing felt a little simplistic, but it moved along nicely. Overall it wasn't a bad book and I think I would have enjoyed a lot more had I read the previous two. I think fans of the series would find the conclusion pretty satisfying, although I still had some questions left.

Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Bloomsbury Children's Books via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Kara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here it is!!

Minor Spoilers

My Review
Wow, what a great story! I highly recommend you read Princess of the Midnight Ball before reading this princess story because it’s the same family from a different perspective. Petunia is the youngest of 12 princesses and this book is her journey. She is on the way to visit the Grand Duchess Volenskaya when her royal coach is threatened and almost robbed. That’s when her adventure starts and she gradually learns that villains are not always evil looking and tru...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Amber Stokes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amber-s-kindle

Jessica Day George creatively combines fairy tales and legends in this exciting conclusion to her "Princess" series! The story begins with Petunia - the youngest of the twelve dancing princess - in a beautiful red cape being waylaid by thieves with wolf masks, and races on with her interactions with Oliver - a young Robin-Hood type who charmingly bumbles his way into kidnapping Petunia and then becoming her protector. There are plenty of twists in this story, as Petunia is forced to ask herself...more Jessica Day George creatively combines fairy tales and legends in this exciting conclusion to her "Princess" series! The story begins with Petunia - the youngest of the twelve dancing princess - in a beautiful red cape being waylaid by thieves with wolf masks, and races on with her interactions with Oliver - a young Robin-Hood type who charmingly bumbles his way into kidnapping Petunia and then becoming her protector. There are plenty of twists in this story, as Petunia is forced to ask herself who the real "wolves" are. Can this "princess of the silver woods" outsmart her pursuers and find victory in the battle for her heart?

This is my second experience with a Jessica Day George book, and I think the more enjoyable of the two. (The other book being Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.) Her creativity really shines in this story, and this hero has more of his own personality. Oliver is definitely the character who won me over the most - his sweetness, his protective nature, his sense of responsibility, his naivete, and basically his big heart, all add up to an adorable hero.

As for Petunia, she's a strong heroine who doesn't take any guff and who is more than willing to fight against the evil plaguing her family. She kind of surprises me in some ways - not always acting the way I might expect the youngest of twelve to act. (But I guess I wouldn't really know what to expect, in reality!)

The rest of the cast of characters has some hits and some misses. Rose and Galen are wonderful - Galen, especially. He's an awesome big brother to the girls (and a caring husband to Rose). Many of the other sisters who didn't have their own stories in this series are mostly names to me. And some of the villains come across as rather "cardboard." (Of course, I didn't read the other two books in the series, so maybe readers who read the whole series will feel a closer connection to the secondary characters in this installment.)

Princess of the Silver Woods doesn't completely satisfy as a stand-alone, although it's still an enjoyable read. (Thankfully, having read Entwined by Heather Dixon, I was slightly familiar with the tale of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses," so that made it easier to get swept into this third part of the bigger story, I imagine.)The suspense and the sweetness are great, although the style marks it as more of a quick read than a grand piece of literature. But if you're looking for a fun, fast, fairy-tale-inspired read, then Princess of the Silver Woods delivers!

*With thanks to Bloomsbury Children's Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and share my honest opinion.*

Note: This book will be released December 11, 2012.(less)

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Nov 25, 2012 Crystal (Books Are Sanity!!!) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: clean-reads, fantasy, review-book, romance

I love the twelve dancing princesses story! It is one of my very favorite fairy tales! I have read many different versions, yet I keep coming back to Jessica Day George's retelling. She begins with her first in the series, Princess of the Midnight Ball, followed by the second in the series, Princess of Glass. Each story gives a unique perspective to the magic and curse surrounding the twelve princesses. The third and final book in the series, Princess of the Silver Woods, did not disappoint! It...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Jana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-2012, middle-grade, young-adult

4 warm chocolate chip cookies dunked in cold milk.

Cover Love: Yes! I love the red and I love that it matches the other Princess books.

Why I Wanted to Read This:
I loved Princess of the Midnight Ball and Princess of Glass (such a unique take on Cinderella!). And I loved Jessica Day George's Dragon Slippers books. This one was high on my "must-read" list!

Romance?: Yes!

What I Liked:
I think it takes a special author to take Little Red Riding Hood and give it a new twist. And to throw in Robin hood a...more

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Feb 26, 2013 E.L. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-to-me-for-2013

Loved the premise, thought it was mostly delightful, but definitely flawed. Petunia, while a spunky, sensible heroine, had some major issues - one being where, given no other option to move the plot along, she had to be completely and utterly stupid for no reason ("Look! Everyone's warning me, and it's very obvious this situation is unnatural and dangerous and engineered by the bad guy, but I'll go do it anyway because ooh, shiny!"). The other part that had me gritting my teeth was when, after p...more Loved the premise, thought it was mostly delightful, but definitely flawed. Petunia, while a spunky, sensible heroine, had some major issues - one being where, given no other option to move the plot along, she had to be completely and utterly stupid for no reason ("Look! Everyone's warning me, and it's very obvious this situation is unnatural and dangerous and engineered by the bad guy, but I'll go do it anyway because ooh, shiny!"). The other part that had me gritting my teeth was when, after proclaiming through the entire book that she is grown up, and expressing her frustration that no one in her family will acknowledge that she's no longer six (as a younger child myself, I can sympathize there!), Petunia calmly states in the most childlike way possible, in the midst of grave danger, that everything will have to turn out all right because it always has before, and she can't really believe anything bad will REALLY happen to them.

Faith is one thing, but certainty that everything will be okay just because you want it to be is utterly childish, and was utterly out of character for the determined, practical Petunia we'd seen up to that point.

Overall, I think the story suffered the most from trying to combine two disparate plots. If George had just gone with a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood without trying to drag in the King Under Stone plot again, it would have made for a stronger tale, or if she had just wrapped up the King Under Stone plotline without trying to include Red Riding Hood elements, again it would have made for a better story. As it was, much of it seemed disjointed, and involved far too much of the characters saying "Hmm, everything is bad and obvious, but if we figure out what to do too soon the story will be over, so we'll drag it out as best we can."

And that's a shame, because as I said, I liked the premise and the characters of Petunia and Oliver, and I've enjoyed this series (and this author) right along. I enjoyed this story, too, but not as much as I wanted to.(less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

This is the third book in Jessica Day George's Westfalin Princess trilogy, and while it ties the series up quite nicely, I was sad to see it end. Without going into too much details, this book returns us to the same bad guys and (one of the same) location as the first book, though the motivation and situation is modified to fit the events which have happened in between.

This whole trilogy is steeped in fairy tale lore, with some of the classics retold in a similar, but different, world. The names...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5/5. Well, unfortunately, this book was all over the place. It started out very weakly with characters and exposition flying left and right. There was no real mystery, and I was very bored. In the second half, when things finally start to happen, the book was much more exciting, but still not brilliant.

Where the Cinderella elements in Princess of Glass were cleverly twisted and fun, the Little Red Riding Hood ones here felt incredibly forced, and left me with the feeling that it might have be...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Fairwind rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairy-tales

I pretty much always love Jessica Day George books. Especially these princess books. I love the characters, the relationships between the sisters and the princes are pretty awesome too. These stories are the perfect escape reads. The plot's enough to keep you interested, but not stress you out so you can wander about a friendly world and just relax for a few hours inside it. Long story short, I love these books.

That being said, here's the problem I had with this one.

Like I said, I love the char...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Sarah (Catching Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had no idea that this book was a series until I started reading it, and at first I was a definitely a little bit confused. I wouldn't recommend starting this book unless you have read the first two..but you definitely can enjoy this book without reading them (though it would have been a little less confusing!). Princess of the Silver Woods is a really great fairy retelling, and I was surprised at how much I liked it.

I really liked how Jessica Day George was able to incorporate so many great as...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fairy-tales, family-stories, love-story, ya-fiction

Why I picked it up: last in a trilogy

We are now 10 years after the events of Princess of the Midnight Ball when the twelve sisters finally no longer have to go dancing every night for the King Under Stone. Petunia, the youngest princess, is on her way to visit the grand duchess she lived with during the royal heir exchange in Princess of Glass. Before she can reach the duchess, though, Pentunia’s carriage is pulled over for attempted robbery by the infamous Wolves of Westfalin. Things go awry an...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Ceillie Simkiss rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Princess of the Silver Woods is the third and final installment in Jessica Day George’s princess series. All three of the books in this series told knits the main characters from the first novel together with some traditional fairy tales. (I’m gonna have to give you some backstory, otherwise this review won’t make a whole lot of sense)

The first novel, Princess of the Midnight Ball, told the story of the 12 dancing princesses, a fairly well known fairy tale about twelve princesses who are cursed...more Princess of the Silver Woods is the third and final installment in Jessica Day George’s princess series. All three of the books in this series told knits the main characters from the first novel together with some traditional fairy tales. (I’m gonna have to give you some backstory, otherwise this review won’t make a whole lot of sense)

The first novel, Princess of the Midnight Ball, told the story of the 12 dancing princesses, a fairly well known fairy tale about twelve princesses who are cursed to dance every night with evil princes who cannot go into the world during the day for one reason or another. It focused mostly on the eldest princess, Rose and Galen, though there was a fabulous witchhunt included The second novel was titled Princess of Glass, and as you might guess, it told the story of Cinderella, with a twist. It revolved around Princess Poppy and Prince Christian. This novel mixed Robin Hood and Red Riding Hood together in a way that was unexpected, but interesting and revolved around the youngest of the twelve princesses, Princess Petunia.

All of the princesses are named after flowers. Rose, Lily, Poppy, Daisy, Jonquil, Hyacinth, Orchid, Pansy, Iris, Violet, Lilac, and Petunia (Not in that order, but those are their names. The princesses (and their romantic interests/eventual husbands) were fairly well formed characters and likable, but as another reviewer of the original book said, the other eleven princesses “blend into a forgettable bouquet of names”,and never really get fleshed out. This may be inevitable given the number of characters that were included in these stories.

I’m done with backstory for now. Having not read the first two books in a while, I think it might have helped, so I gave it to you to give you some context for this novel. Without reading the other two books, this one would not have made a lick of sense to me. I would have been completely lost, despite the charms of this book.

The story opens with the Princes of Under Stone arguing with their King because, boo hoo, they have no brides, even though Daddy promised. We then move to Westfalin, where Princess Petunia is being robbed by the Wolves of the Westfalin, who are humans wearing wolf masks, while traveling to visit a Russakan Countess whom she met on her travels. Well, Petunia is not one to be robbed for what little jewelry she has as the youngest princess in a modest kingdom, so she pulls a loaded pistol out of her knitting basket and pointed it at the robbers, who then end up kidnapping her, not realizing that she’s a princess, because she learned their leaders name.

It turns out the leader of the robbers is actually an earl named Oliver who was displaced in the Analousian war who is stealing the money and jewelry in order to feed and clothe his people. He’s the same age as our princess in this story at 16. Upon learning who the princess is, his mother convinces him to walk the girl to where she needed to go, which happens to be right into the home of the mother of the new King of Under Stone. George kind of repeats some of the information about the characters over and over again. Basically, the end fight against the princes was a repeat of the first book, minus the magic wool.

The book was enjoyable, but very simplistic. It took me maybe five hours to read all the way through. Of course, everyone makes it out okay, and Oliver gets his earldom back. I am content with the book, despite its simplicity and overabundance of characters. However, I would not read it if you haven’t read the first two books.(less)

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Dec 07, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it 3 of 5 stars

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

The twelve princesses of Westfalin are back in Princess of the Silver Woods - and out to face the bitter enemies of their childhood once again, once and for all. Petunia is the youngest of all twelve princesses, and has always been treated as the little girl, the baby, the child that needs protecting and coddling. But Pet is anything but a hapless little girl - now sixteen years old, though small in stature, the youngest princess of Westfalin has enough g...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Shelf Talkers Anonymous rated it 3 of 5 stars

Princess of the Silver Woods is a delightful ending to Jessica Day George's fairytale re-tellings. Combining elements of Little Red Riding Hood, Robin Hood, and of course the Twelve Dancing princesses that started the whole series, this third and final volume weaves together the last pieces of these sisters' tale.

Petunia, the youngest of the sisters in Princess of the Midnight Ball, is now grown at 16 and ready to make her own mark on the world. Shipped off for years to visit with the Russaka ar...more Princess of the Silver Woods is a delightful ending to Jessica Day George's fairytale re-tellings. Combining elements of Little Red Riding Hood, Robin Hood, and of course the Twelve Dancing princesses that started the whole series, this third and final volume weaves together the last pieces of these sisters' tale.

Petunia, the youngest of the sisters in Princess of the Midnight Ball, is now grown at 16 and ready to make her own mark on the world. Shipped off for years to visit with the Russaka aristocracy, she now travels to visit a friend from her travels: the Grand Duchess of ?. But on the way she must travel through a forest hounded by wolves--but these ones walk on two legs. Oliver is the son of an Earl, his family's lands divided and given away at the end of the last war. Now he lives with his mother and the remains of his people in the wilds, stealing from rich carriages to keep them in food. He knows one day he'll rob the wrong carriage--he just doesn't expect it to be the carriage carrying Petunia. After meeting the two are soon set on a course for disaster, for the princes of Under Stone have found a way to haunt the dreams of their would-be brides, and neither Petunia nor Oliver can ignore the immense challenge that faces them and their friends and family: sealing the princes in the underworld forever.

Neither Princess of Glass nor this recent installment are as good as the first book, Princess of the Midnight Ball, but they are charming, adventurous, and fun books. George takes pieces of classic tales we all know so well and weaves them into new stories, with new characters, new risks, and new happy endings. While we get to meet Petunia again, see her as more than a little girl now, and watch her fall in love with Oliver, we also see again Rose and Galen, and Poppy and Christian. In fact all the characters from the first two books assemble for the final battle, making it a true finale for the series.

The attraction between Petunia and Oliver was genuine and adorable. Even though when they meet Petunia is holding a pistol to his face, their personalities match in ways neither ever expected. Its not insta-love, but they certainly don't take forever to admit their feelings for one another (a nice fairy tale addition). The relative ease of their romance plays well against the trials and travails of her two older sisters. Petunia's stubbornness and bravery make her a wonderful heroine, and it was a delight to watch her fall in love and fight to save her family.

Full of adventure and danger, romance and friendship, Princess of the Silver Woods is a truly fun read.(less)

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Oct 29, 2012 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review and others are on my blog: https://simple-books.blogspot.com

I really really love the cover! It's gorgeous. I love the overall plot theme of all the books in this series! This book was really good! I liked it.

What I liked about this book series was that the whole thing revolved around the 12 dancing princesses. I have to say though, that was never my favorite fairytale. I thought it was creepy that they could dance to another realm.

Petunia was one of my favorite out of the girls and I...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-books

Absolutely 5 stars for this book! Princess Petunia is on a journey to meet an elderly friend when she is accidentally kidnapped by a very handsome robber who is really just a down and out Duke. He helps her to her friends manor, but when she reaches there strange and terrible things begin to happen to poor Petunia. Can Oliver the handsome robber save her or does she need to save him? Jessica Day George is an amazing writer. The stories of Little Red Ridding Hood and Robbin Hood blend so well tog...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Hadley||SixImpossibleThings rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favorites

Oh my-- oh my goodness. This book is absolutely spectacular.

SPOILERS

Petunia is a marvelous character. So well written. Jessica, you've really outdone yourself.
Oliver is an amazing character, as well.

I started to cry when Galen said that he would be the one to stay and, well, not be able to get out of Under Stone again. I really did. It was so sad. Galen's my favorite of the husbands, and I just adore him.
The ending was perfect, but now I need another one with Rose and Lily's kids! D:

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May 21, 2013 WJ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Princess of the Silver Woods is the last book in the trilogy and involves the youngest princess, Petunia. Once again Jessica Day George has re-imagined the fairytales we know, creating an interesting story that has romance, intrigue and a nefarious plot. This was a good end to a series that I've been following for a while and I'm quite happy with it.

What I enjoyed about the book:

1. Jessica Day George's writing is really, really good. Using the third person omniscient narrator, she allows us insi...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairy-and-folk-tales, fantasy

This is the third and final book in the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and I thought that it was a step away from the previous two that were firmly based on fairy and folk tales. There is a central fairy tale that it seems to be based on, and that is that of Little Red Riding Hood, though this I had guessed due to the cover and Petunia's red cloak. Though the story, or nods to the story, of Little Red Riding Hood is apparent throughout the book it does not seem to be the main plot line.

Unlike Princ...more This is the third and final book in the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and I thought that it was a step away from the previous two that were firmly based on fairy and folk tales. There is a central fairy tale that it seems to be based on, and that is that of Little Red Riding Hood, though this I had guessed due to the cover and Petunia's red cloak. Though the story, or nods to the story, of Little Red Riding Hood is apparent throughout the book it does not seem to be the main plot line.

Unlike Princess of Glass, this one can not really be read as a stand alone book as it refers frequently to characters and events in the previous books and is much more linked to the Prince's of the King Under Stone.

Before picking up this book I had read some reviews saying that the character of Petunia was trying to be Poppy to hard (in the way she had been written). I am happy to say that I didn't think that was the case, there were frequent references to what her older sisters would do, but I'm sure that would be the case of anyone with 11 older sisters!!

Like with the other two novels there is a degree of predictability to the plot, the typical fairy tale ending; good wins, true love prevails, and this should make the tale lighthearted all the way through, though this isn't quite the case! There is evil in the book, there is cruelty and plotting, in just the right balance for this to be a fun, not too heavy read!

I'd also like to make a note on the way the author's writing seems to have matured, there were quite a few instances when Petunia (and some of the other Princesses, particularly Poppy) use words such as 'bastard' and other curse words. I think that in some ways this is good, as it does show the maturing of the characters as we;; as their spirit.

This is definitely a series of books to read if you want to have stories where the female characters work to try and save themselves, and then do save themselves with help (but not reliant on the help of) the male characters.

Visit http://a-reader-lives-a-thousand-live... for more book reviews.(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Rosalyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. This is the final book in a trilogy retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. In this book, Petunia, the youngest of the twelve princesses, is on her way to visit a Duchess when her carriage is attacked by the Wolves of the Westfalin Woods (a fun nod to red riding hood). Petunia is inadvertently kidnapped by their leader, Oliver, who is not quite what he seems. At the same time, Petunia's nightmares about the King Under Stone (who forced her and her sisters to dance before his death...more

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Mar 31, 2013 BAYA Librarian rated it 2 of 5 stars

In a sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, the youngest sister Petunia is visiting an elderly friend in a neighboring country. To get there, she must travel through a forest populated by a band of human “wolves.” Petunia is no fainting violet, rather she pulls a gun on the wolf that attempts to steal from her. Despite her best efforts to save herself, she is kidnapped by the incredibly handsome wolf who happens to be a disenfranchised nobleman. In a twist on the Red Ridding Hood story, the c...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Joannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: field-review, own

This review refers to the unpublished manuscript. The final bound copy of this book has not been read.

Normally I do not summarize the plot in my reviews, but the synopsis both here and on Amazon is terrible in my opinion.

In this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Princess Petunia is the youngest of the King’s 12 daughters. On her way to visit an elderly friend of the family, her coach is robbed in the middle of the woods by a group of bandits wearing wolf masks. One of these bandits is Olive...more This review refers to the unpublished manuscript. The final bound copy of this book has not been read.

Normally I do not summarize the plot in my reviews, but the synopsis both here and on Amazon is terrible in my opinion.

In this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Princess Petunia is the youngest of the King’s 12 daughters. On her way to visit an elderly friend of the family, her coach is robbed in the middle of the woods by a group of bandits wearing wolf masks. One of these bandits is Oliver, a disenfranchised former earl, who abducts Petunia to protect their identities without realizing who she is. His mother, however, recognizes her immediately and Petunia learns things about her father’s kingdom that she never would have believed.

When she continues on her journey and reaches the estate of the elderly Grand Duchess, strange things begin to happen and frightening nightmares plague both the Princess and her eleven sisters. It was just ten years prior, when Petunia was only six years-old, that the twelve girls were almost lost forever to an evil King whose kingdom had been banished to a between-worlds place of eternal darkness, as he promised each of his sons would marry one of King Gregor’s daughters.

Oliver, Petunia’s three brothers-in-law, and a few mysterious members of the court are determined to save the Princesses and seal the gates of the banished kingdom forever – if they can find it.

I gave this book four stars in consideration of the age group it is designed for, rather than reviewing it as an adult reader. This book won't be winning any awards, and is unlikely to appear on summer reading lists in schools, but it is a entertaining read for young female readers ages 9-13 or so who enjoy princess stories and fairy tale adaptations. Girls who read and enjoy this book are likely to become fans of Gregory Maguire in their later years.

As an aside, the cover of this book is absolutely stunning and I hope Bloomsbury doesn't change it before the final printing.
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About Jessica Day George

Jessica Day George likes chocolate, knitting, books, travel, movies, dragons, horses, dogs, and her family. These are all things to keep in mind if you ever meet her. For instance, you could bring her chocolate to make the meeting go more smoothly. You could also talk about how adorable her children are, even if you have never seen them. You could discuss dog breeds (she has a Maltese named Pippin...more

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