The Princess Curse
#4674.02 adjusted 4.01 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Unfinished 2011 Reading commitment Low Merrie Haskell Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Princess Curse is a middle-grade fantasy by Merrie Haskell, first published by HarperCollins in 2011. It retells The Twelve Dancing Princesses, with elements of Beauty and the Beast and Greek underworld myth. The story is set in the fictional kingdom of Sylvania in fifteenth-century Eastern Europe, between Maramures and Transylvania. Its narrator is Reveka, a thirteen-year-old herbalist's apprentice who tries to break the curse that makes twelve princesses dance each night. It is a standalone novel with no sequel published.
Fairy-tale retelling · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Princess Curse Merrie Haskell
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Princess Curse | 2011 | 1 | core | 4.02 (6,325 ratings) |
A standalone retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses set in the fictional kingdom of Sylvania.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Princess Curse? The Princess Curse's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Princess Curse finished? Unfinished (2011).
- How much reading does The Princess Curse take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Princess Curse ranked? #467 in this site's official ranking, based on 6,325 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #467?
Ranked #467 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.02 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (6,325 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #466, Uprooted (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Unfinished · 6k ratings · Ranks #467 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what The Princess Curse and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 4.05
- The Princess and the Goblin Fairy-tale retelling / Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.04
- Ella Enchanted Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 4.02
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.02 across 6,325 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 31 universes; 3 candidates ruled out; open items closed accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Kirkus Reviews Tier 2
- Rambles review Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Princess Curse (2011).