Discussion Questions for Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

1) As this is a retelling of an old fairy tale .... do you think that it works?

2) Did you feel that the book fulfilled your expectations? Were you disappointed?

3) Describe Galen ... What kind of person is he? ... How much do we really know about him? ... Is he a good hero?

4) Did the author seem to appear in the book? How? Why? Was the presence of the author disruptive?

5) How did the book compare to other books by the author ( or other books in the same genre)?

6) What about the plot? Did it pull you in, or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book?

7) There are 12 Sisters and 12 brothers do you think that it was to many characters in the novel? ... or did you find that it worked?

8) The Queen had a choice to make which untimately decided on the fate of her daughters ... Why did she make that choice? ..... Would you have made a similar choice? ... Could the Queen have made a different choice? ... How do you think the daughters feel with there lot in life?

9) What are some of the challenges that the Princesses face?

10) Do you think the king truely loves his daughters? Discuss

11) Throughout the novel there is a social divide discuss? .... Is it still true for our day (eg ... a gardener would never marry a Princess)

12) Who are the important characters in the novel?

13) Where you happy with how the book ended? What other ending(s) could there have been?

'No Place Like Home' by Mary Higgins Clark [31/2]

Celia Nolan has a terrible secret.

Aged 10, she shot her mother dead. Known then

as Liza Barton, she claimed she was protecting them both

from her violent stepfather and was aquitted by the courts.

Everyone else, however, believed it to be murder.

Now, twenty-four years later, with a new name,

new family and new life, Celia thinks the past is forgotten.

But when her husband Alex buys her a house, she is

horrified to find it is the exact same one in which she

ended her mother's life.

Worse still, someone else knows; someone who is

willing to kill to unleash the truth, beginning with the

brutal murder of the estate agent who sold the house.

Celia becomes prime suspect, putting Alex and her

young son Jack in danger.

As the body count rises, she is thrust into a race against

time to clear her name and prevent herself and her family

from becoming the next victims of a vicious killer.

A killer who believes some secrets should never stay buried...

First time that I have read this author and I really enjoyed it.

It's a crime novel mixed with mystery and an ending you wont see coming!

It's not a long novel...just over 350 pages, so you could read it in one sitting if you have the time.

I did, and only because I couldn't put it down, I had to know what happens in the end.

Really well written, you won't guess the plot until your nearly finished and then you hope it's not true...

The characters are all interesting and you want to find out more about them.

Definitely will read some more novels from this author.

I rate this book 3 1/2 stars.

"The Dark Divine" by Bree Despain [4]

A Prodigal Son

A Dangerous Love

A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine - daughter of the local pastor -

always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared

and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between

her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious

night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing

she cherishes most: her soul.

What a beautiful cover to a book...it drew me to it straight away.

What a great story, it has everything that you want... a bad boy, a complicated love, and a mystery

that needs to be solved. While you might think, yes I've read that sort of story before

you wouldn't be wrong... But this one makes your heart beat fast right up to the very ending.

It is beautifully written, and very easy to read, in fact you won't put it down until you have finished it, and even then you'll want more.

I hope the author will be writing a second novel so that we can find out what happens

with Grace's brother?

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.

I rate this book 4 stars.

'Hourglass' by Claudia Gray [4]

Bianca has found refuge again with the Black Cross, and she and Lucas work desperately

to keep her secret. In this company, being a vampire is a death sentence, and the two of them

live and train alongside the hunters without anyone noticing her increasing need for blood.

Even though she is with the boy she loves more than anyone else in the world,

Bianca can't help worrying about the family and friends she left behind.

Caught between three feuding worlds, it's starting to feel as though she'll never

be entirely at peace again.

When another betrayal puts the lovers in mortal danger once more,

they realize that all they truly have is each other. But with the secret of Bianca's birth

taking hold, not even Lucas can help her win her toughest fight.

Book three of the "Evernight Series"

This book is set 4 days after the attach on Evernight Academy and Bianca and Lucas are back with Black Cross again... something that they really don't want, but have little choice in the matter.

Bianca trains with them and learns from them, but keeps her secret that she is a half vampire from them... it would mean death if they found out. This cell that they are with moves to New York and major things happen that make Bianca and Lucas on the run again.

Don't wont to give too much away, but things turn out bad for the lovers...

Will the final installment set everything to right...we'll have to wait and see!

Absolutely love reading this series...even more than the Twilight series.

I really like Bianca and Lucas and how they are growing together.

Lots of action, I read it within two days.

Enjoy.

I rate this book 4 stars.

'Princess of the Midnight Ball' [3 1/2 ]

Princess Rose is the eldest of twelve sisters condemned to dance

each night for the wicked King Under Stone in his palace deep within the earth.

It is a curse that has haunted the girls since their birth -

and only death will set them free.

Then Rose meets Galen, a young soldier-turned-gardener

with an eye for adventure and a resolve that matches her own,

and freedom suddenly begins to seem a little less impossible. To defeat the King

and his dark court, they will need one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit

with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all -

true love.

This is our book club read for February...

I actually quite enjoyed reading this novel. It is loosely based on the fairy tale of the 'Twelve Dancing Princess' which I think is an old German fairy Tale.

Well written and easy to read, you'd be able to finish this novel in a sitting or two.

The two main characters of Princess Rose and soldier-turned-gardener Galen are very easy to like, and before you realize it you are hooked into their stories.

As in most fairy tales good fights against evil and hopefully good wins.

Of course there has to be romance involved and this was beautifully done.

It is a book that 14-15 year old girls will love to read.

Enjoyed Greatly.

I rate this book 3 1/2 stars...