The Princess Curse (review)

Thirteen-year-old Reveka isn't all that impressed with the curse that leaves twelve princesses exhausted and their footwear worn out ("It's a curse of shoes and naps"), but she's going to do her best to break it and thus earn the hefty reward offered to anyone who can save the royal daughters. An herbalist's apprentice, Reveka has big plans to use the reward to start her own herbery; her mission takes on a new urgency, though, after her friend falls victim to the enchantment and Reveka realizes that the curse goes well beyond the princesses to threaten the entire kingdom. Donning an invisibility cap of her own making, Reveka follows the princesses one night into the Underworld; here the tale takes a darker turn and builds upon themes that were only hinted at in the first half of the book—loss, loneliness, grief, and regret. The transition from classic fairy tale to something more somber is surprisingly unforced, as Haskell uses much of the setup to subtly point towards the tragic aspects of Reveka's life that belie her genial nature. While the moodier elements of the book at times read a bit older than the princess story, even younger readers will recognize the allusions to "Beauty and the Beast" and find themselves sympathizing with the isolated, outcast villain. The ambiguity of the conclusion regarding the villain's identity and Reveka's ultimate fate may leave some wanting a more definite outcome, but this intriguing mix of fairy tale, Romanian folklore, and classic mythology offers the possibility of a sequel; readers will likely be as anxious to return to the Underworld as Reveka.