A Catholic Retelling of a Fairy Tale

Leslea Wahl reviews Regina Doman's YA novel, The Midnight Dancers, a modern retelling of one of Grimm's fairy tales.

The Midnight Dancers: A Fairy Tale Retold

By Regina Doman

Written by a Trailblazing Catholic Author

Regina Doman’s Fairy Tale books are not new; they have been around awhile, but they are still as wonderful and relevant as ever. In fact, I’m reminded of this every time I am at a Catholic event selling books. It seems that at almost every event there is someone who, once they discover I write Catholic teen fiction, ask if I know Regina Doman and proceed to tell me how much they love her books. 

It took me quite a while to realize that my own success in the Catholic teen fiction market is partially due to Regina Doman. Her faith-based books aimed at teens were some of the first trailblazing books in that specialized genre.  

About this Book

The Midnight Dancers is based on the Grimm's fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." I was not familiar with this particular Grimm story but quickly was swept away by the tale of the Durham family. The twelve daughters in this blended family are struggling with the rules and expectations of their strict parents and the conservative, evangelical Christian church which they attend. 

When the sisters discover an intriguing secret, their father quickly realizes they are keeping something from him and recruits the help of an acquaintance to help him discover what the girls are up to. Paul reluctantly agrees and soon finds himself embroiled in family drama and a potentially dangerous situation for the girls. 

This story was quite enjoyable, and while it is a relatively clean book and some of the girls in the story are younger teens, I would recommend this book for older teens as it touches on underage drinking, smoking, drug use, compromising situations, and some slight violence. These topics are important for older teens to be aware of to understand the dangers of certain situations, and the author handles them in an appropriate way. Teens will learn some valuable lessons through this captivating story. 

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Leslea Wahl
Images: Canva