While she agrees to marry the zmeu - and she's startled to learn that she even had a little crush on him in his human form of Prince Frumos, she's disgusted by his demonic form, that of Lord Dragos. Here, the story takes a definite turn towards the Persephone legend, as Reveka bargains for the princesses freedom in exchange for her own. This portion reminded me of Beauty and the Beast as the princesses have been held captive by a zmeu - a shape-changing dragon who is trying to convince one of them to give up her mortal life to marry him and remain in the Underworld. After much research, she comes up with the makings of an invisibility cap, and discovers the dancing princesses underneath the castle. I liked Reveka's sense of humor and pragmatic sensibility. This is a richly imagined world full of little details that truly bring everything to life. Reveka is hoping to come up with the cash to continue her studies as a master herbalist. Whoever breaks the curse will be rewarded with either one of princess's hands in marriage, or a great sum of money. Frighteningly, anyone who tries to observe the princesses at night is stricken by a coma. She's striving to find some kind of herbal cure to the curse that seems to make the twelve princesses shoes fall apart, and causes them to be sleepy all day. In this re-telling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, 13 year-old Reveka is an apprentice herbalist in a medieval castle in Romania.
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