Twelve: A Retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses

by Joan Marie Verba

His love is locked inside an enigma. Can he solve the mystery to make himself a home?

A hidden kingdom. The 18th century. Alden grew weary of battle long ago. And now the honorable soldier seeks to put the horrors of war behind him to settle in a land of peace and start a family. And while an attractive shopkeeper catches his eye, he finds himself caught up in the kingdom's greatest riddle: the twelve daughters of the king and queen vanish every night and reappear in the morning with their shoes worn out.

Drawn to a shared passion for dancing as he spends more time with the woman of his dreams, Alden can't avoid a growing involvement with the land's enchanted magic. And as he does so, he starts to realize that the alluring woman he's falling for may hold the key to answering the perplexing mystery.

Can Alden unravel a magical entanglement and find his way to happily ever after?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale Retellings, Retellings, Fairy Tales, Novella, Young Adult

146 pages, Hardcover

Published July 16, 2022

About the author

Joan Marie Verba earned a bachelor of physics degree from the University of Minnesota and attended the graduate school of astronomy at Indiana University, where she was an associate instructor of astronomy for one year. She has worked as a computer programmer, editor, publisher, health/weight loss coach, social media manager, and web developer. An experienced writer, she is the author of the nonfiction books Voyager: Exploring the Outer Planets and Boldly Writing, as well as the novels Countdown to Action, Action Alert, Deadly Danger, Situation: Critical, Extreme Hazard, Danger Zone, Defying the Ghosts, and Sword of Queens, plus numerous short stories and articles. She is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.

Reviews

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 2 out of 5]

True confession: I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover. Glorious! My favorite color! So much to love, lol. Unfortunately, that's where it ended for me.

I couldn't get into the book--I found the writing style wordy, and characters/plot uncompelling. Which is unfortunate; after reading The City Beyond the Glass earlier this year, I was excited for another new take on the 12 Dancing Princesses story. Alas, it was not meant to be.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Liliana Santos]

This was such a sweet read. It's shorter than the other retellings that I've read about the 12 dancing princesses, but it's no less because of it. The plot was good, and I loved the magical system in this. The Enchanters were a cool addition as well. The romance was lovely and drama-free, straight out a fairytale. That's what this book felt like. A nice, warm fairytale. My thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Kalle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale, one that I was unfamiliar with and ended up looking up for more context. I love a good fairytale or myth retelling and was excited to give this one a try!

I actually read all of this book standing in line for rides at an amusement park and it consistently held my attention throughout the entirety of that experience. That's high praise as a lot was going on! I got into the story quickly and enjoyed the world building.

About halfway through, it started to lose me. A lot of the story felt like the main character, Alden, doing chores. It was a lot of, "he went here, he did this, he talked to her" and not a ton about how he felt. That made it harder for me to care about him outside of the archetype of the leading man. I didn't really understand how the book resolved. I appreciate that the author tried to add a lot more context to the rather thin fairytale but it didn't hit very well for me.

Overall, I thought this book was okay and recommend it if you are a fan of the original story or want a quick fantasy story. 2.55 stars from me rounded up to 3. Thank you to FTL Publications and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Megan Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

His love is locked inside an enigma. Can he solve the mystery to make himself a home?

A hidden kingdom. The 18th century. Alden grew weary of battle long ago. And now the honorable soldier seeks to put the horrors of war behind him to settle in a land of peace and start a family. And while an attractive shopkeeper catches his eye, he finds himself caught up in the kingdom's greatest riddle: the twelve daughters of the king and queen vanish every night and reappear in the morning with their shoes worn out.

Drawn to a shared passion for dancing as he spends more time with the woman of his dreams, Alden can't avoid a growing involvement with the land's enchanted magic. And as he does so, he starts to realize that the alluring woman he's falling for may hold the key to answering the perplexing mystery.

Can Alden unravel a magical entanglement and find his way to happily ever after?

Twelve is a charming fairy tale retelling. If you like upstanding heroes, picturesque romance, and delightful surprises, then you'll adore Joan Marie Verba's heartwarming story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
A compelling, fun retelling, Joan Marie Varba's Twelve was an interesting read. Alden was an interesting protagonist to follow on his journey to solve the riddle in the enchanted castle. However, although the book is considered YA, I would have described it as Teens or even children because of the writing style and the content of the plots as there were no inner politics, themes or scenes that would be too much or graphic for teens or children.

Overall, Twelve was a quick, fun read with good pacing, but sometimes felt it needed more context or explanations about the world within the book to understand things that happened before the current plot.

Thank you, Storyorigin and author, Joan Marie Verba for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short and easy but still unique retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale.

Alden is a war-weary soldier who journeys in search of a fabled kingdom of magic and peace. He finds it and settles down to live a peaceful life, apathetic about the whole "disappearing princesses" mystery up at the castle. However, he meets a pretty moneychanger and eventually gets wrapped up in the royal intrigue despite himself.

The story is written sparsely. Not a lot of energy is expended on the characters' emotions and the language is very straightforward. Despite this, I found myself believing and caring about Alden and the others. Given the brief length of the story, the resolution was a little quick and easy than what I would expect from a full-length book, but still enjoyable.

[Cheyenne Mcdonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

Alden finds himself inside an enchanted kingdom that is protected by enchanters. This town also has a riddle that has never been solved. Every night there are twelve pairs of shoes left at the castle and the king can’t figure out why. He said that whoever can solve this riddle can have one of his twelve daughter’s hand in marriage.

I would say this book is more of a children’s book, maybe YA. I wouldn’t put it in the adult category at all mainly because of the writing. It’s a very quick pace and short story. I did get a bit lost in reading this because more things could have been explain/more details.

I did enjoy reading this book though. I was curious as to what this was based off of because it did sound familiar and it reminds me of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I’m not sure if it’s a retelling but if it is, then it’s a great story to dove into!

[Fernanda Granzotto · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*


I thought this book would be faster to read.
And I also thought I wouldn't like it at all since at first I thought about abandoning this book but as it was a small book I decided to go to the end of the story and in the end I didn't hate it, the story as I thought I would hate.
It's not a bad book but it's not a good one either, it drags a bit, and it takes a while to get interesting.
The story itself even has some plot twists and is not poorly developed, I just found the author's writing very bad, I didn't like it at all, and the characters weren't very captivating either.
I recommend this story only if the synopsis interests you a lot or if you really like retellings of the twelve dancing princesses, because as I retell it I didn't think it was all bad.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling that took a slightly different direction than some other retellings that I've read. It started out a bit slow, as there are a lot of characters introduced and a lot of details given as Alden goes about his chores in the town, but it picked up a bit more once some of the pieces started falling into place.

Despite this, it was an enjoyable read, and I liked the author's spin on a well-known tale.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[♡ ivy! · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was eager to give this fairytale or myth retelling a go because who doesn’t love a good one? the plot is short and moves along quickly. because it was quite info dumpy at times, i did got a little lost when reading this. i did enjoy reading this novel, though. it did sound familiar and reminded me of the twelve dancing princesses, it was a fantastic tale to get into!

thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[David Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up this book I knew it wasn't the type I usually read. But the beginning drew me in and the story kept me to the end. It is a charming tale, creatively told. Readers find themselves in a sheltered, magical place where good triumphs through efforts of valiant heroines and heroes. The vacation from the current, harsher reality was most welcome.

[Kathy Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great version of the classic fairytale.would recommend.

[Jan Mc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received the ebook through the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing.

The fairy tale of the twelve dancing princesses is relatively simple and so is this expanded story of the same. The writing was uncomplicated and easy to read. In fact, it was a little TOO easy, as in grade-school easy.

In this version, a man journeys to find a place he can settle, and ends up in a small town where everyone is friendly and helpful. He's not interested in the local mystery of the princesses who disappear each day, until he finds out his girlfriend is one of them. Nothing really happens for a lot of the book, and I began to wonder if there was a real plot to follow.

The "mystery" isn't really explained to my satisfaction, and there are several instances of duplication in the text. I was disappointed in the work, overall.

[Skjam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once upon a time, there was a soldier named Alden. He had traveled far and wide, and fought in many battles, though he avoided fighting when possible. War has a way of eating at a man, stealing his composure and making him less than he was. So when Alden heard of a faraway kingdom where there was no war, he set out in search of it. He found that land, or perhaps it found him, and this is the story of what he found and did there.

As the cover states, this book is a retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”, first collected in print by the Grimm brothers, but with variations from many nations. This version takes place in the Eighteenth Century, though the location is deliberately vague.

One of the reasons the kingdom is so peaceful is that it cannot be found by anyone who intends harm. The debris of several lost armies lies along the roads that presumably lead there, abandoned. Alden, who wants no more of violence, passes into the kingdom, but discovers that somehow he has missed hearing about one of the attractions that bring people there. The twelve princesses vanish each night from the castle, and each morning their dancing shoes are worn clear through. The king has promised a reward of marriage to any man that solves the secret.

Alden isn’t particularly interested in the riddle. He’s found a handsome woman right there in the town that he would like to court. That doesn’t mean, however, that the riddle is uninterested in him.

Good: There’s a fair amount of thought and logic put into how the utopian peaceful kingdom works. While there is no war or murder there, that does not exclude death or dissension. People, most people anyhow, still have to work and make a living. Alden is a former soldier not to give him combat skills, but to have him travel widely and have new ideas. Both his good heart and his love of dancing are needed to bring the story to a successful conclusion.

Less good: The story feels like it’s “on rails”. Alden is repeatedly stage managed by another character that has chosen him for the task at hand. His skills and personality are important, but this other character feels more responsible for what happens.

The peaceful kingdom sometimes comes across as more a 21st Century idea of a utopia despite the setting. For example, Catholics, Protestants, and those of other faiths all mix together freely without religion ever being a source of conflict.

i don’t have any particular content notes on this one, but will say that younger readers may get a little bored during the long sections when “nothing is happening.” This is a book about mature adults who have done their growing up and are ready to take responsibility for themselves in the community.

Overall: A pleasant variant on the old fairy tale where most of the characters are reasonable and have good reasons for their actions. Recommended to readers who love fantasy and are mature.

[Madison Vessels · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

First, I want to state that I LOVE the fairy tale of the twelve dancing princesses. It has always been one of my absolute favorites so every time I see a new book that is based off of it, I gobble it up right away.

There were some concepts that I really loved with this book as well as some of the changes that the author made to the original tale. There were also some issues I took with it. From this point on, there will be some spoilers though I will try to keep it to a minimum.

The things I liked: I liked the new take on the "fairies". I like the enchanters and that they, for the most part, want a GOOD relationship with people. I also liked the glamour that was placed on the princesses so that they were part of the community as normal people as well.

Things I did not like: PACE. It is TOO fast with absolutely NO character building. I get that the land was supposed to be a very peaceful land where everyone accepted each other but there is no believability in the characters conversations or their pacing. Everything is all rainbows in their speech and I get that that is sort of the point but its written in such a manner that I found it more frustrating than likeable. There is also just a constant description of what the characters are doing rather than actually describing who they are, why they do things or any actual depth. The story is just so fast that it loses a lot of points for me. It makes it very difficult to pull me in. I ended up just finishing it because A. it was so short and B. I love the actual fairy tale. I couldnt tell you ANYTHING about the princesses really other than their occupation. I also hardly remember any of their real names. Just their in town names.

Overall, I would recommend this book perhaps for children that are just getting into reading more but I would say its a bit too light for young adult really unless you just want a quick one sitting read.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and FTL Publishing for this ARC.

Twelve is a retelling of the classic story of the twelve dancing princesses. Alden, wearied by his military services, goes in search of a quiet town to settle in, at least for a little while. Upon arrival, he learns that this particular town is surrounded by an enchanting mystery: the twelve daughters of the King and Queen disappear every night without alerting the guards or the townspeople. Every morning, the shoemaker receives twelve pairs of worn out dance shoes. The princesses never speak of their nighttime activities, and every suitor who has tried to solve the mystery has given up and/or fled in shame. Alden isn't particularly interested in solving the mystery or marrying a princess, but the enchantment and those who uphold it believe he may just be pure enough of heart to deserve this knowledge.

This retelling did many things that I loved: I really liked the change in the magic system and the terms of the enchantment. The mystery extends to the wider world and has cosmic implications based on local folklore, though it is just one small town. I also really appreciated the focus on the interpersonal relationships within the town - every character has so much dimension and there are so many genuine, believable friendships in town. It's such a wholesome, sweet community.

Now for the part I wasn't so in love with: even with this reimagined magic system, I wasn't convinced that this book did anything groundbreakingly new with the story. Not that a retelling has to be, but the changes that were made were so interesting that I wanted more of them. The Enchanters were so awesome as folklore and as actual celestial beings, I would have enjoyed a deeper integration of their lore into the story. I do think this is overall a charming and interesting take on the twelve dancing princesses tale and am giving it 3.5 (rounded to 4) stars.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

***Does contain suggestions to PTSD and a clean portrayal of a F/F secondary relationship***

Twelve was offered as a Ready To Review book on a reviewer site and since it was a fairytale retelling I was hoping to receive a copy.

The story itself follows the male protagonist of the story as he struggles to find a refuge away from the darkness of the world. Fortunately for him a kind deed opens the magic sesame door where he becomes the ultimate nice guy next door and dancing Ken doll even as he violently refuses to join the story as a strong comparative to others trying to squeeze in on easy street.

The actual body of the original fairytale is a suggestion at the start and doesn't even get to acknowledging the original material until almost halfway through. And even though a lot of explanation is provided, there is nothing that truly acknowledges the back story for the princesses while the background of the non-magical realm is very modern.

The book is very simple to read with exception to possibly a few names and the majority of text is a dull trait building. Readers will find the majority of the book focuses on being very proper and modern in love, to be kind to all while at the same time keeping one's nose out of others' business, to be democratic in leadership and to be self-sufficient girl bosses. It is so cloyingly goody-goody two shoes that the villain melts like the Wicked Witch so no more blood is on anyone's hands.

And he doesn't even up with the youngest princess as told in the original.

All in all this was a horrible retelling and one I am glad to put back on the shelf.

***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley (thank you FTL Publications and Joan Marie Verba). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Twelve is a 12 dancing princesses retelling following Alden. Alden is a former soldier traveling to put war behind him. We start his journey with Alden walking towards a mountain range that never seems to get any closer. Alden eventually comes to a town that seems better than all other towns without negativity, but there is a mystery. Where do the princesses go?

I was immediately intrigued by the cover. It's so pretty and I liked the idea of retelling this story. I feel like this book could have been a lot better if it were longer. There were some unique magical elements to the town, the history, and the story of the princesses that I would have liked expanded on. I also felt like maybe our hero needed a flaw of his own, he was just a little too good.

If you're interested in a short interesting take on the story, you might give this one a try, but it could be improved upon. 2.75 almost 3 stars for me.

[Gigi Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alden finds himself in a hidden kingdom with a mystery to solve. He's the ultra-kind man, back from war and looking for peace and home. Instead, he finds a fairytale.

I tried to see how this book was labeled, but it should definitely be young adult, even children's. The story itself is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses (which I've honestly never heard before), but the writing itself wasn't for an advanced reader. I think this would be a great book for kids to segue into longer books and chapter reading.

The pace at times was very quick, and I think there could have been scenes and details expanded upon, however, for a younger audience, it's perfect. Nothing left you feeling anxious, and the main character was able to help those in need. The fairytale left you feeling great that it all ended well, and it was a simple, easy read.

Thank you Netgalley and FTL Publications for my eArc in exchange for an honest review.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to get this ARC and dive into a 12 Dancing Princesses inspired/retelling novel. The Barbie movie was one of my favorites growing up (IYKYK!)

This is definitely something you can read in one sitting for it feels more like a novella rather than YA novel. It didn't blow my mind by any means. I think that was due to the fact it seemed the goal was to just fluff up the tale with intricate, beautiful language that fell wordy and flat. I wish more thought was put in to develop the characters more and had the story been longer, I do feel like it could have been accomplished. The biggest issue was the pacing because although it was so short and a fast read, it felt very slow in the beginning.

It probably would be more suited to a middle school level even moreso than YA.

*Thank you NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am leaving this voluntary and all opinions are my own.*

[Ariel Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a lover of retellings, I felt this was a little of a letdown. I have seen and read a few of the twelve dancing princesses retellings out in the world. This one felt flat for me, but it was still an interesting and entertaining retelling of the story. My biggest problem was I was left wanting more. More world building and deeper character interaction and thoughts. Also, I thought the pacing was very fast. However, the best part of this retelling is that it is from the perspective of the man. I have seen this story told from anyone else's perspective but the princesses. I might be wrong because I have never read the original story though. Although, if you are looking to pick up a fast and fun read, I would pick up this book.
Thank you NetGalley and Science Fiction and Fantasy writers of America for my copy of Twelve in an exchange for an honest review.

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

A troubled ex-soldier looks for peace in a fabled hidden land beyond the mountains, but no matter how far he walks along the deserted road, the mountains never get any closer…

Every so often during these opening reads I come across a beginning that is so good and so interesting, I forget what I am doing and become absorbed in the story. This is one of those times.

The prose is precise, expressive, & focused. The same goes for the dialogue. Both steadily develop our protagonist, and the deserted, subtly eerie landscape.

If this novel can maintain the level of artistry in this beginning, Twelve will be a contender for finalist, and Verba will be my newest favorite author. I couldn’t be more in!

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely find a book I do not want to give five stars to. That says more about me than the books themselves. However, in the beginning I did find myself thinking that this was going to be something I didn't give the full five stars to. It was a rather slow start with an introduction to many characters. At first I didn't even understand what any of them had to do with the Dancing Princesses that this story was being told about. I'm thrilled I stuck with it though, once it all became clear the story quickly became as enchanting as any fairy tale. It was a quick, lovely "Sunday Read" as I call them. I loved the chance to preview it before the world did and will be telling all my friends to look into it!

[Karina Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my first retelling stories, and to be honest before reading this I wasn't very familiar with the story of the Twelve Princesses but this story was just SO intriguing that I just could not put it down. I literally finished this book in one sitting.

Alden was a great male lead, and from the beginning I could see that he was most definitely a genuine and noble man. All the things he does for the people of the village even though he's only just met them. Trying to solve the riddle of what the princesses were getting up to late at night when they disappeared for hours at a time.

If you're looking for something short, sweet, and fresh then read this. I absolutely adored this.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and FTL Publications for the ARC.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses was one of my favorite fairy tales growing up, so I was excited to see how this story played out. I was left disappointed.

The prose was very rudimentary and uncompelling. At times, it was stilted and awkward, and other times felt rushed, like it was shoved into the story. Plot was pretty boring, characters were pretty boring, and honestly the whole thing felt very one note. Not the best adaptation.

If you're looking for fairy tale retellings, you can skip over this one.

[Danielle]

DNF'd about halfway through.

I really wanted to like this book as it's supposed to be a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" which is my favorite fairytale. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't doing it for me. It's pretty short, yet somehow I hit the halfway mark and still didn't see much trace of the story I picked it up for. There just just seem to be a lot of characters thrown in that I don't feel are super interesting or relevant and the protagonist, Alden, is a little dull. So, because I didn't finish, no rating for this one.

[Susan Laspe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve was an enjoyable story full of secrets and magic. Each character had their own personality, some mysterious, while others were very open, and I loved their banter. The setting and the incorporation of magic was weaved very well into the text and kept me immersed in the tale. I liked the main character and his ability to think quickly on his feet, but I wish he had more inner dialogue, conflict, and reactions to things that happen to or around him. Appropriate for YA readers.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, the story maintains the secret hidden by the princesses. However, the story focuses more on Alden and his experience in the kingdom without the character-building aspect. The story is dialogue-heavy and includes unrelated interaction. The retelling has potential and suits much younger readers.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve is the first retelling of twelve dancing princesses that I have read and it wasn't disappointing! The world, magic and romance was cute. I enjoyed reading Alden's POV. He was kind and honest man. The side characters were also likeable.
This is a good novel for those who love retellings and sweet romance.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

[A. Lorna Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Quick, fun read. A little too rushed- the characters felt a little flat at times, but that was my only grievance. If you want something easy to read that will leave you with a warm feeling, I'd give this a shot!

[Dusty Shell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of fairy tale retellings and this one was enjoyable, but not meaty. It felt basic, for lack of a better word. The plot felt rushed, often having events with little to no lead up or logical reasoning. The world building needed more oomph. Felt more like a short story to me. Not bad, but definitely not wow.