Princess of the Silver Woods Book Review
Book Three of The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy by Jessica Day George. Wait… what do you mean this is the last book? I was quite sure that there were 12 dancing princesses.
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There it is, that dark bitter flavor that I had been craving. Princess of the Silver Woods is by far the best book of the three. It’s like I was drinking coffee that was good but not quite satisfying and then Jessica Day George added an extra scoop of grounds. Delicious. In this final installment of The Princesses of Westfalin trilogy, the author found the perfect balance of ‘happily ever after’ and bitter darkness.
Taking place almost 10 years after the events of Princess of the Midnight Ball, the story follows Princess Petunia, the youngest of the 12 dancing princesses when she is all grown up. Well, as grown up as she will ever be. Petunia is described as being the smallest of the princesses not just because she is young but because she really is quite small. She is invited to visit an elderly friend, who she sees very much as a grandmother, and welcomes the change of scenery. That is, until things that remind her of the curse of her childhood start happening. Soon Petunia finds herself once again in the clutches of the King Under Stone.
I get chills just thinking about it.
This one follows the story of little Red Riding Hood, with the added bonus of a few Robin Hood elements. Just like in Princess of Glass, in this story, Jessica Day George takes all of the details and characters we know from the original tale and spins them into something new. The woodsman and the wolf are still mortal enemies but the reader immediately has to question who is in the right; after all, there are two sides to every story.
Jessica Day George weaves together a perfect final book for the trilogy tying up all of the loose ends in a neat bow. Details from the first book that the reader may not even remember become incredibly important. It excites the reader and draws them in all over again.
What I liked best about this book was the fact that Jessica Day George embraced the darker elements of the story. In the first two books, the darkness hid just beneath the surface pushed aside for the sake of younger readers. Not this one. Princess of the Silver Woods forces the reader to tremble in fear for the cursed princesses before giving them a hard-earned happy ending. I personally prefer dark bitter stories, just like I prefer strong bitter coffee, especially if it comes along with a happy ending. Without those darker elements, we don’t appreciate the happy ending as much, we didn’t earn it. In Princess of the Silver Woods, the reader definitely earns that happy ending.
The reader also gets the chance to see the characters they loved in the first book in a way they did not get to in Princess of Glass. Rose, Galen, all of the other princesses, even Walter and the old crone return to make up the cast of characters. During Princess of Glass I longed to see the fates of each of the characters I had loved before and now I have that chance.
I could not have dreamed up a better end for a lovely trilogy. Princess of the Silver Woods is the darkest of the three stories but also the most satisfying. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting, easy, read.
OVERALL RATING
“Hello, Gorgeous.”
ROMANCE RATING
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My
feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me
to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
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