Review of The Midnight Dancers by Regina Doman

Synopsis:

When teenaged Rachel Durham finds a way that she and her eleven stepsisters can sneak out of their Chesapeake Bayside home after midnight, their troubled fundamentalist father enlists the help of Paul Fester, an ex-soldier and traveling juggler, to find out what the girls are up to. A modern retelling of Grimm's fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses."

Review:

Regina Doman has written a fun and exciting tale for teens and older. I very much enjoyed the book, and think it's the best of her series I've read thus far. I'm impressed how she can take an ancient fairy tale and put it into a modern setting. The demons and magic in these tales are things you'd find in everyday life--the good-looking guy who cares only for himself, or the secret passage that promised the magic of freedom from chores and strict parents. Iliked the characters a lot as well.

However, this is a book aimed at teens, so let me tell you my daughter's reaction. Amber 14, has little use for romance, loves Lord of the Rings and has no tolerance for the abusive relationship that masquerades for True Love in the Twilight series. She devoured this book in a couple of days. She thought Paul, the hero, was absolutely cool and wants to draw him. (She's an artist.) She was fully absorbed in the story and the adventure--and would want to discuss the book with me as she read.
Definitely, if you have teen girls, you should get Midnight Dancers for them.