Annaleigh once had 11 sisters. Now there are only 8. Four of her sisters have had untimely deaths, and each time it was thought to be a terrible tragedy or bad luck. But the latest to die has Annaleigh wondering if there is more to it.

Living high up in Highmoor Manor by the sea, Annaleigh and her family must again go into mourning for a year.  Camille, the eldest of her sisters, is tired of the dark, drab dresses they have to wear once again, and is worried she will never find a suitor.

Their new stepmother makes a suggestion that not only breaks Camille’s melancholy, but endears the sisters to her. The resulting grand event only leaves them feeling more dejected. The rumours from the nearby town have finally crept up and through the halls of Highmoor. Annaleigh’s family has been cursed.

Again, the girls find another way to avoid this so called curse and attend what they love most of all – Glittering balls with handsome partners to dance all night with. Annaleigh too enjoys these magical events, especially after meeting the son of one of her father’s ship Captains.  But she increasingly grows wary as strange voices and ghostly visions of her dead sisters begin to follow her everywhere. Now sure her siblings were murdered, Annaleigh begins to ask questions, dig deeper and what she finds is almost too horrifying to bear. Where have her sisters been going? Who were they really dancing with? And who brought this curse down upon them all?

This retelling of The Brother’s Grimm’s The Twelve Dancing Princesses lured me in with empathy for Annaleigh and her grieving family, and the added customs and beliefs based around the sea provided a wonderful backdrop.

Unlike other retellings I’ve read, this story got darker and darker, letting in voices and visions, dreams and nightmares. I got to know Annaleigh well, as she grieved, then baulked at what she saw and heard, slowly beginning to understand the controlling forces over her family. The revealing answers were unexpected and riveting.

Intriguing. Involved. Intense. Loved it! 

Author – Erin A Craig

Age – 14+

(Mystery, Fantasy, Ghost, Murder, Classic, Retelling, Princess, Grief, Secret, Siblings, Sisters, Stepmother, Truth, Magic, Horror)