An adopted princess, a dark stranger, and a kingdom of masked souls. The king brought Iris into his castle when she was only days old, but on her sixteenth birthday she will be swept into an adventure which threatens to uncover or destroy her home, her life, and her very identity. The Dagger and the Rose is a contemporary take on the great fairy tales. Illustrated in striking water colors, it evokes the wonder of the great bedtime stories. Young and old alike will be transported to a world of piercing joy and terrible beauty.