The Princess Curse

August 15, 2011
Debut author Haskell has her way with the story of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” incorporating references to other myths and legends and adding many twists of her own, not least of which is making the royals’ attempted rescuer a strong-willed, 13-year-old apprentice herbalist, Reveka. In her opinion, the curse that has befallen Prince Vasile’s 12 daughters is “the stupidest curse in existence! So what if the princesses are sleepy during the day, and their slippers are holey in the morning? It’s a curse of shoes and naps.” Nonetheless, when Vasile offers the hand of any of his daughters in marriage to anyone who banishes the curse (or a “fabulous dowry” if the curse-breaker is female), Reveka is determined to win the reward. Her search intensifies when a fellow herbalist’s family is affected by the curse, and war threatens, but Reveka soon realizes that herbs, magic, and spirit are no match for the deep roots of this mystery. With a good sense of humor, an able and empowered protagonist, and a highly original take on this tale, Haskell’s story gives readers much to enjoy. Ages 10–up.

December 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-By layering the exoticism of Romanian folklore onto her novelization of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," Haskell sets this expansion of the story apart from others in a popular genre. Creatures such as the zmeu, a dragon that can assume human form, and the capcaun, a dog-headed ogre, as well as information about the failures and successes of medieval herbalists can be found within this unsettling tale. The curiosity and tenacity of 13-year-old Reveka, an apprentice herbalist at the castle of Prince Vasile, drive the narrative forward. She is determined to discover the secret of the curse laid upon the 12 princesses. At first she only wants the reward promised to anyone breaking the curse, but soon she becomes emotionally invested in saving the lives of the others who've tried to solve the mystery and now lie in near-death slumber in a tower of the castle. Her quest involves her in political intrigue, a Persephone-like trip to the Underworld, and more than one romantic entanglement. Haskell leaves many details murky-perhaps necessarily when so much magical enchantment is involved-but the overall effect is engrossing.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2011

An imaginative, intriguing and spirited retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses."

Reveka, a smart, irreverent, outspoken and observant herbalist's apprentice with a "curiosity ailment," is determined to break the mysterious and powerful curse on the princesses of Sylvania, though anyone who tries either disappears or falls into a deathlike sleep. In a fictional region of 15th-century Romania (between Maramures and Transylvania), 13-year-old Reveka yearns for her own herbery in a convent, "a whitewashed room filled with northern sunlight and tall drying cabinets." Initially driven by Prince Vasile's promise of a large reward--for a woman, "a fabulous dowry," with which Reveka could buy her way into an abbey--Reveka's motivation and sense of urgency changes when her friend Didina is poisoned and must join the "sleepers" in the western tower. Writing from Reveka's point of view, Haskell departs from traditional renditions by handing the sleuthing reins to a strong (and compassionate) heroine whose resourcefulness extends even to the Underworld, the "Sunless House," where she's faced with a dizzying moral dilemma.

In this impressive debut, the author artfully weaves humor, suspense, magic and myth into an intricate plot, which includes the possibility of an improbable romance and more exciting stories to come; we hope so. (glossary, author's note) (Historical fantasy. 10 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

January 1, 2012
Thirteen-year-old Reveka, assistant herbalist of Castle Sylvian, is determined to break the curse that leaves the twelve princesses' shoes in tatters and causes other people to fall unconscious. Unfortunately, the key lies with a terrifying underworld zmeu (dragon). Haskell's "Twelve Dancing Princesses" reimagining tantalizingly incorporates classical mythology (most notably Persephone and Hades), historical references, and plant lore within its fictional Romanian context.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

October 15, 2011
Grades 5-8 An apprentice herbalist and a newcomer to Castle Sylvian, 13-year-old Reveka learns of the six-year-old curse involving 12 princesses who wear out their dancing shoes each night at some secret location. Those who have tried to lift the curse linger, unconscious, between life and death. With an independent spirit and a good heart, Reveka tries to solve the mystery in order to achieve her own ambitions, but as her understanding grows broader and more nuanced, her goals begin to shift. A glossary of Romanian words is provided and an appended author's note comments on the setting and medieval herbalists. Though Reveka sometimes sounds older than her years, readers will find her story a lively reimagining of The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale with elements of the Persephone myth and Beauty and the Beast. The setting is well grounded in fifteenth-century Eastern Europe, and the story is stronger for it. Haskell's first novel offers a well-paced fantasy with an involving first-person narrative.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)