by Dia Calhoun

Cerinthe has always dreamed of becoming a dancer and is rather good at it, but there is something else that calls to her soul even more strongly.
Cerinthe has talents to become a healer, but she refused them. When she was unable to save her mother, she swore she'd never heal again. But the people she meets and the things she finds at dancing school and in the new city begin to change her mind.
I'm sorry I can't think of a better description than that without worry of giving the best parts away. This is a wonderful book that seems to have a little bit of everything. It's everything I could want in a novel - an interesting fantasy time, a very likeable main character, beautiful places with mysterious people, and the perfect amount of detail to the story.
Be warned: You probably won't be able to finish this book without crying. I finished this at work and got teary-eyed and one of those headaches you get when you have to keep from crying cause you're in public.

In this retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," 14-year-old Phoenix Dance, a shoemaker's apprentice, takes it upon herself to find out why the princesses are wearing their shoes to tatters each night.

Many suspect that the princesses are under some sort of spell, but no-one can find out what it is. The one thing they are certain of is that the princesses are getting worn down more every night and, if something doesn't help them soon, they could die.

Dia Calhoun returns to the world of Aria of the Sea for this novel and continues to potray modern teen issues in this intriguing fantasy setting. While Phoenix struggles to figure out what's going on with the princesses, she is also struggling with her own lifelong illness - an illness known in our world as Bi-Polar II Disorder. Phoenix must also deal with the issue of peer pressure, as she finds that her friends do not always do the right thing.

Princess Avielle has always been a bit of an outcast in her own family. She inherited the appearance of her Dredonian grandmother, the woman responsible for making all the birds leave the land, and a source of tension between the two kingdoms.

As she tries to adjust to the ideas of balls and suitors that are starting to come with her age, she meets a kindly master weaver who encourages her to explore new ideas about herself and her appearance.

Before Avielle ever gets the chance to try to improve her relationship with her family, a terrorist attack on the capital city destoys her own. Avielle, having been the only member of her family safely away when the attack occured, keeps her identity a secret, afraid now more than ever of the consequences of merely being who she is.

But with her kingdom in danger, Avielle can't help but acknowledge the responsibility she has to her people. Serious decisions are being made that will effect everyone in her kingdom, including her new friends. Avielle isn't sure if she is the one who should be making those decisions, unsure whether or not to step forward and claim the right, when prejudices of the past, along with new prejudices, are haunting her.