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The Night Dance: A Retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses
by
Under the stars, in a secret world...
Rowena, the youngest of twelve sisters, loves to slip out of the castle at night and dance in a magical forest. Soon she convinces her sisters to join her. When Sir Ethan notices that his daughters' slippers look tattered every morning, he is certain they've been sneaking out. So he posts a challenge to all the suitors in the kingdo
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Yes it is suitable for a 12 year old.
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Start your review of The Night Dance: A Retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses
This was a good book. It was all nice and sweet. Just like every other book in the series true love prevails above all. Rowena is a good protagonist and Sir Bedivere is all you want in your knight-in-shining-armor.
I like the the story of the 12 dancing princesses and the way Weyn portrays the story is done well. But I couldn't get over the fact that out of all the 12 sisters Rowena just has to be the most beautiful, as well as the most adventurous and the only daughter with the second sight. Al ...more
I like the the story of the 12 dancing princesses and the way Weyn portrays the story is done well. But I couldn't get over the fact that out of all the 12 sisters Rowena just has to be the most beautiful, as well as the most adventurous and the only daughter with the second sight. Al ...more
In all honesty after I finished reading this I could think of was "huh?" . Don't misinterpret me this is not a bad huh just I kind of confused one.
This time around I did have some background of the original tale from reading Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball. Highly recommended! But on to this retelling. Suzanne Weyn in her other retellings always relies on a historical setting to place the fariy tales in. In this one she incorporated the well known Arthurian legends. That was ...more
This time around I did have some background of the original tale from reading Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball. Highly recommended! But on to this retelling. Suzanne Weyn in her other retellings always relies on a historical setting to place the fariy tales in. In this one she incorporated the well known Arthurian legends. That was ...more
Click here! http://enchantedlibraries.blogspot.com/ It's book stuff.
At the beginning of this book...
Everyone else around me at school and such:
Me: (Reading)
Middle and end of this book...
Everyone else around me at school and such:
Me: (Reading)
Really, what I'm trying to say is that at the beginning it was very tiring, boring and not interesting. But towards the end, it got way better. That's why it doesn't deserve 5 stars. You don't get 5 stars when only 1/3 cf the book is good. ...more
At the beginning of this book...
Everyone else around me at school and such:
Me: (Reading)
Middle and end of this book...
Everyone else around me at school and such:
Me: (Reading)
Really, what I'm trying to say is that at the beginning it was very tiring, boring and not interesting. But towards the end, it got way better. That's why it doesn't deserve 5 stars. You don't get 5 stars when only 1/3 cf the book is good. ...more
Dec 04, 2008
Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books)
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Fairy tale enthusiasts
The Night Dance is a wonderful combination of the fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and King Arthur legend. I was captivated at the first page, but at the same time wondering how the author could successfully tell this story and use the death of King Arthur and the sole remaining knight Bedivere's quest to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Well Ms. Weyn did an excellent job.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. I was excited to read a fant ...more
The Twelve Dancing Princesses has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. I was excited to read a fant ...more
I love fairytale retellings. It's one of my favorite genres of books because unlike modern day stuff, these kinds can take on a world of their own.
Rowena doesn't know a lot about what happened between her father and her mother. When she was a baby, her mother left and never returned and her father shut all 12 children in a castle. They can have anything they want except the one thing they need...freedom. But when the girls discover a secret passage hidden within the floor of their castle, they ...more
Rowena doesn't know a lot about what happened between her father and her mother. When she was a baby, her mother left and never returned and her father shut all 12 children in a castle. They can have anything they want except the one thing they need...freedom. But when the girls discover a secret passage hidden within the floor of their castle, they ...more
The Night Dance was a cute retelling! I enjoyed this twist on "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". I felt bad for the mom and how she was trapped for so long. The dad was a little crazy and I felt he went overboard trying to protect his daughters.
The ending was really good and I loved that true love won. :D ...more
The ending was really good and I loved that true love won. :D ...more
Aug 15, 2012
Elevetha
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
No one
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was an interesting retelling of the Grimm Brothers' The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which took the original fairy tale and combined it with Arthurian legend, making the boy who figures out the mystery behind the girls' worn out shoes one of Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. In this story, the girls are the daughter of a self-made Count, who met their mother near a lake in the forest. The woman turns out to be Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake, and Arthur's aunt. She's trapped in the lake by
...more
So at first I was a little (Ok, a lot!) skeptical! I mean it's The 12 Dancing Princesses meets The Knights of the Round Table, you have to admit, it sounds just about as good as Cheetos and milk (weird right?)! But, not all weird things have to be bad. . . . And this book just happens to be one of them!
...more
I was so excited about this book. I'd read a couple of the books in the Once Upon a Time... series and had enjoyed them (The Storyteller's Daughter is just fantastic). The story of the 12 Dancing Princesses is one of my all-time favorites, and I'm also a bit of a sucker for Arthurian legend. I thought that combining the two would be fantastic. Alas, I was disappointed. The story just never gelled. It followed two characters who were separated and then came together, but the way they met didn't r
...more
It's a small book, but people who enjoy reading fairy tales re-told will find it a very pleasant light-read. It also intertwines with the legend of King Arthur and the Round Table. (having our main male protagonist being one of Arthur's knights)It doesn't follow King Arthur's specific story, but this book has some of the main characters in it, such as King Arthur (though he's in it for a very short time), Morgan Le Fay(and Morgan's son but I forget his name right now), the Lady of the Lake, and
...more
It's a pretty sweet idea-combining King Arthur and the 12 dancing princesses. In fact, it's a fabulous idea. And the way the story actually goes is also pretty great. But I had a very "My Fair Lady" reaction about the writing. You know that song where Eliza sings to Freddy, "Words! Words! Words! I'm so sick of words! I get words all day through; First from him, now from you! Is that all you blighters can do? Don't talk of stars Burning above; If you're in love, Show me!" That's how I felt about
...more
This was one of the very first "Once Upon a Time" books I read...and it's still one of my favorite! A spin on "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," this version has an Arthurian Legend thread woven through it and I LOVE it! It has such a happy, happy ending as well! I have to say that Suzanne Weyn is probably my favorite contributor to the "Once Upon a Time" series!
...more
Nov 30, 2009
Sandy
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2009,
once-upon-a-time
I love to read fairy tale retellings and this one is amazing.
Ms. Weyn merged 12 Dancing Princesses with King Arthur lore and it turned out to be a wonderful story! The Lady of the Lake, Morgan le Fey, and Sir Bedivere Knight of the Round Table join Sir Ethan and his twelve daughters in this adventure that kept me captivated to the very last page.
Ms. Weyn merged 12 Dancing Princesses with King Arthur lore and it turned out to be a wonderful story! The Lady of the Lake, Morgan le Fey, and Sir Bedivere Knight of the Round Table join Sir Ethan and his twelve daughters in this adventure that kept me captivated to the very last page.
I liked how this story blended Arthurian legend with the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. It made a nice original angle.
Did not like this one compared to the others retellings by Suzanne Weyn. It was too simple for my taste....
...more
This retelling presents a strange mixture of two different genres and eras and cultures, in the end, this decision doesn't give the book any good points, it only ruins it.
The myths and legends about the Great King of England - Author, are enormous and detrimental to the European culture, so trying to mix them with some fairy tale seems a bit strange and even though the author tries, the two parts of the story seem disconnected.
The other problem lies in the fairy tale itself, when it is told in ...more
The myths and legends about the Great King of England - Author, are enormous and detrimental to the European culture, so trying to mix them with some fairy tale seems a bit strange and even though the author tries, the two parts of the story seem disconnected.
The other problem lies in the fairy tale itself, when it is told in ...more
This is Twelve Dancing Princesses meets Arthurian legend. I like what the author did in melding the two. It explains how there is an enchanted area under the princesses’ room and their nightly disappearances. I was interested in this story but I think it was poorly written. There is a lot of clunky exposition and is more explained than lived. The author tells the story rather than showing it. I hate love at first sight books and I felt that the kissing was a little over the top. Points for creat
...more
This started out as a nice afternoon read. I have always been intrigued by this fairytale and am obsessed with anything to do with King Arther, so combining the two was a treat. The last few chapters however were rushed to put it nicely. So many details which would have seemed to be important were overlooked and characters suddenly lost their charm for sake of time. The story wrapped up in a way leaving me very confused. I found myself flipping back to make sure I had not skipped a page somewher
...more
This was my Reading Challenge 2020 "book picked off the shelves with your eyes closed." I didn't hate it. The idea to put The 12 Dancing Princesses story together with the King Arthur legend was pretty great. I had to give it an extra star for that. It's just that these retellings are all kind of the same and in the end everything gets spat out in a hurried fashion and the book ends rather abruptly. Overall I didn't love it, but it wasn't the worst either. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but
...more
I really loved the way Suzanne Weyn entwined her reimagining of The Twelve Dancing Princesses with King Arthur lore. The story was engaging and original. The characters were well-developed, though it would have been nice to get to know more of the sisters. The initial romantic connection between Rowena and Bedivere was interesting, but they almost instantly fell in love, so I wish there had been more development to their relationship. Overall, I really enjoyed this fairytale retelling.
"The Night Dance" is a retelling of the 12 dancing princesses which is actually one of my favorite fairy tales.
You may be wondering why I picked this up... well, someone recommended it & since I almost never research books before I read them I saw the pretty cover & got it. This book is short and sweet and something I would've loved like 15 years ago. It is definitely a middle-grade to young-adult book and very light and fluffy.
They set the story along side a Camelot story which is cool and I h ...more
You may be wondering why I picked this up... well, someone recommended it & since I almost never research books before I read them I saw the pretty cover & got it. This book is short and sweet and something I would've loved like 15 years ago. It is definitely a middle-grade to young-adult book and very light and fluffy.
They set the story along side a Camelot story which is cool and I h ...more
Points for originality, blending the myth of Arthur and the Lady of the Lake with the 12 dancing princesses wasn't expected. However despite the original spin the story just wasn't as compelling as I wanted it to be.
...more
I really enjoyed this retelling of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses." It really flushed out the characters and I loved the connection with King Arthur and the knights of the round table. I particularly liked that the girls were able to do something to save themselves as well.
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I loved the whole set of these retellings growing up and reread them all again in university. Even though I know I reread this book, I can't recall specifics, therefore I am giving it three stars. It was a fun read, but nothing comes to mind when I try to recall it individually.
...more
This was an interesting retelling of the fairy tale. It was a bit light on details and character development, but a fun read.
Retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses. I loved the incorporation of Camelot, and the Lady of the Lake!
fun :)
A very fun retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses which tosses the tale into the end of Arthurian legend. Definitely an enjoyable read and one of the best in the series.
3.5/5 stars
Interesting retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. I especially enjoyed the addition of Arthurian legends.
Interesting retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. I especially enjoyed the addition of Arthurian legends.
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Suzanne Weyn grew up in Williston Park, Long Island, New York. She has three sisters and a brother. As a girl she was very interested in theater and in reading. Louisa May Alcott was her favorite author, but she also read every Sherlock Holmes story. Suzanne lived pretty close to the ocean and going to Jones Beach was one of her favorite activities Even today, if she goes too long without seeing t
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