I've enjoyed each book I've read so far in the "Once Upon A Time" series of reworked fairy tales. I enjoyed "The Night Dance" as well but it wasn't at all what I had hoped for. I have appreciated the new ideas and plot twists in each story and delighted in seeing how each story changed, and (in some cases) improved the fairy tales I knew. The story of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" doesn't completely work when mixed with characters from Arthurian tales of the Knights of the Round Table. "The Night Dance" feels like two disjointed and separate tales being mashed together. The actual book still read quickly and when I wasn't puzzled by what was happening, I enjoyed the sisters and I loved the part where the suitors had to figure out how the sisters were ruining their slippers every night. I love magical stories but I feel like the "Arthur" magic is different in feel from fairy tale magic. Overall the book was enjoyable for what it was but it would have made more sense for the author to have written two different "Once Upon A Time" books....one based on Arthur and the other on Twelve Dancing Princesses. ( )

Good, spirited retelling. Will nominate.

The Night Dance is a clever take on "Twelve Dancing Princesses" mixed in with some Arthurian legend and characteristics. It was an early entry in the "Once Upon a Time" series, and shows that in little ways. It can't decide whether it should be a romance or a fairy tale, is one of the bigger flaws.

The biggest, however, is the characters. Especially the princesses. While any book with twelve lead females (at the least!) is going to be difficult, this book chooses to focus on two of the princesses, especially. Eleanore (the oldest) and Rowena (the youngest). Both seem insubstantial, and Eleanore gets shoved to the side by the end of the book with ease, even though her character seemed much more compelling. Rowena is a frustration, rebellious and flighty at the start, growing toward moony and over-the-top romantic towards the end.

The more interesting character of the book is King Arthur's knight, Bedivere, traveling whilst mourning the loss of his friend and leader. Bedivere is someone with heft to him, and I'd actually rather have read most of the story from his point of view.

The final quirk of this book is that it is sheerly just too short for a tale that could be explored in much more detailed. Weyn has created a really creative reason for the nightly dances, she has one of literature's greatest villainesses (Morgan Le Fay) at her disposal, and yet the meat of the story flies by! While the setup seems endless, I wanted more challenge and difficulty to rescuing the princesses and their mother, and more of a battle from Morgan Le Fay. This book was dying for room to breathe, and yet it feels like they stifled it for no good reason!

This is a good (if unfulfilling) read for fans of the "Once Upon a Time" series, but it should definitely be relegated to a library rental before you add it to your collection. ( )

It sounded wonderful, but I did not really connect with any of the characters. The romance between the youngest daughter (who is the leading lady) Rowena and Sir Bedivere (the remaining of King Arthur's knights) did not really sparkle or feel believable. I wish there had been a little more about the underground dancing - a little more mystery, but everything was pretty much explained away right then and there. ( )

Very adventurous story. It was interesting seeing that the Knight of the round table were tied into this story. ( )