I'm not sure why I chose this except that: 1) I have an almost 6 year old daughter who makes princesses a large part of my daily environment, and 2) I recently read The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, which I also really enjoyed. This book touches on some of the same themes as The Windup Girl, but tells a much different story. I liked the way this story used the Cinderella tale as a touchstone rather than a blueprint. I felt the characters were interesting and the story flowed well and kept me hooked. I'll be waiting for the next installment...