Review Detail

Annaleigh just wanted to be in charge of the lighthouse close to her island home. Rumors circulate on the island that her family is cursed. There used to be twelve sisters, but four of them died tragically. Then her father comes home with a new wife who doesn't want to continue mourning and brings up the idea of a ball for Annaleigh's sisters to celebrate their sixteenth birthday. New pairs of dancing shoes and a secret passageway lead the sisters to dances that are made from fairy tales. Annaleigh though can't stop thinking that someone in fact had murdered her sisters and is determined to find out the truth.

What worked: This is a spellbinding twist on the classic fairy tale Twelve Dancing Princess. This story though is darker and much more satisfying! Add mythological seafaring gods, a mystery, and a charismatic stranger, all set on a rocky island.

Usually when a book has numerous characters, it's confusing to know who is who. Craig though shows us the sisters in such a way a reader doesn't get confused. Annaleigh is strong, courageous, and not afraid to follow her heart. She also has a forgiving heart and tries to make her new stepmother feel more welcomed.

The magical dances are the stuff of fairy tales. Annaleigh is swept up in the dances, but later feels something isn't quite right. When her father tells his guests, during a holiday celebration, that he'll give them their choice of any of the sisters if they can find out the mystery behind the tattered shoes, a change sweeps over the household. A change that has tragic and surprising reveals.

I loved the Wuthering Heights feel of Annaleigh and the mysterious Cassius. Readers can sense that he might in fact be more than he's letting on. There is a definite chemistry between the two.

Captivating Gothic fantasy where a family curse might be much more.