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In a fun twist, Day George also provides the knitting patterns for two of the items Galen makes in the story. Day George explains in an afterword that far from being women's work, knitting used to be the exclusive province of men. Princess of the Midnight Ball is peopled with some interesting characters, most notably, the knitting soldier/gardener Galen. Jessica Day George doesn't break much new ground here - it follows the original fairy tale pretty closely - but she fills in the details nicely, making for an enjoyable read. Princess of the Midnight Ball is a lovely retelling of the fairy tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. But what can a lowly gardener possibly do against the supernatural forces threatening the princesses? After a chance encounter with the oldest princess, Rose, Galen is determined to try to do something to help. They don't appear well, and every night their dancing slippers are worn out, in spite of being locked into their rooms. Galen soon learns that all is not well with the royal family: something is going on with the King's twelve daughters.

In Bruch, Galen becomes an under-gardener in the palace. Galen has been a soldier his entire life, having grown up on the front, but now that the war is over he's headed to Bruch, the capital city of Westfalin, in hope of finding work with his mother's family. After Galen shares his meager food with her, she gives him gifts: a cloak that renders the wearer invisible, and two balls of wool: one white and one black. Returning from the war, a young soldier named Galen meets an old woman who asks for help.