Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

George, Jessica Day Princess of Glass, 288 p. Bloomsbury, JUNE 2010. $16.99. Content: G (two swears that don’t really fit).

Princess Poppy, originally one of the 12 Dancing Princesses, is off on a royal exchange program. Her new friend Marianne and her family have been very kind, though Poppy is reluctant to attend any balls (for fairly obvious reasons). When she meets Prince Christian, the possibility of finding actually seems real. But enter a mysterious girl who has a hold of some sort on the young men of the kingdom – and who seems to want Christian for her own. Poppy must again break through a magical enchantment in order to find her way out of this tangle.

While the premise is very attractive – Cinderella as the villain? – the execution is lackluster. George tries very hard to make Ellen/Ella/Eleanora both evil and sympathetic simultaneously, while never giving enough of her backstory or detail to make you feel anything for her, except for the fact that she is very whiny. I couldn’t really tell who was supposed to be the leading lady in this tale. After George’s two other fairy tale books, I was so looking forward to this. And the cover is drop dead gorgeous. But the contents will only satisfy unsophisticated readers. I would stick with Simon and Schusters’ Once Upon a Time series and give this one a pass. 

EL – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher