Craig offers a well-placed element of grotesquerie as the sisters become puppetlike pawns controlled by a malevolent force. Fearful of meeting fates similar to their siblings’, all but one sister, Annaleigh, seek refuge through pageantry and nights spent dancing until dawn (fairy tale–like details abound: velvet-draped ballrooms, extravagant “fairy shoes”). The sisters (only seven remain when the story begins) live with their father and his significantly younger new wife at seaside manor Highmoor. Debut author Craig stages the narrative in an enigmatic island realm set apart from the outside world and governed by a mythology that is connected to the ocean. Evocative details and lyrical, moody prose distinguish this tale-with strong allusions to “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”-of 12 sisters who seemingly fall under a curse, resulting in their deaths under tragic and violent circumstances over the course of several years.
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