Erika Johansen

Bestselling author of the Queen of the Tearling series, Erika Johansen, journeys to a new kingdom in this brilliant stand-alone novel—a darkly magical take on The Nutcracker where two sisters, cursed from birth, are forever changed one memorable Christmas. . . . Light and dark—this is the destiny placed upon Natasha and Clara, the birthright bestowed by their godfather, the mysterious sorcerer Drosselmeyer. Clara, the favorite, grows into beauty and ease, while Natasha is cursed to live in her sister’s shadow. But one fateful Christmas Eve, Natasha gets her chance at revenge. For Drosselmeyer has brought the Nutcracker, an enchanted present that offers entry into a deceptively beautiful world: the Kingdom of Sweets. In this land of snow and sugar, Natasha is presented with a power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who is also full of gifts . . . and dreadful bargains. As Natasha uncovers the dark destiny laid before her birth, she must reckon with powers both earthly and magical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

A Novel of the Nutcracker

The Kingdom of Sweets

         This is another one of those books that likely wouldn’t have made it onto my radar if it hadn’t been a Book of the Month Club selection. I try to read books from major outlets like this one and to also read books chosen for the celebrity book clubs, largely to stay relevant, but it also helps to get me out of my normal genres.  Even I need to broaden my literary horizons every now and then.  This one is billed as a fantasy, and since I avoid fantasies, I likely wouldn’t have read this one simply because of that.  It’s books like this that genuinely make me happy that I follow pretty strict guidelines when it comes to my TBR lists. 

            While it’s billed as a retelling of The Nutcracker, the stories are vastly different.  I feel like I recall the original Nutcracker was a light and positive tale, though to be honest it’s been years since I’ve even been to the ballet, so I’m not an expert on the story.  However, it seems unlikely that we wouldn’t continue to take generation after generation of children to see the ballet if it was as dark as the story in this book turned out to be.  So, I did, eventually, come to realize this book contains a completely different story. 

            Natasha and Clara are a set of twins who have been cursed by a magical godfather.  Clara was the “light” twin, beautiful and always happy, easily pleased.  Natasha was the “dark” twin.  Nat was not pretty, she was broody, and she preferred her own company versus spending time with others.  Eventually, she was given the opportunity to take over her sister’s life, while her sister toiled away in the Kingdom of Sweets, an unwilling guest of the Sugar Plum Fairy.  Nat soon realizes that her sister didn’t necessarily have the best life, despite what it looked like on the outside, and eventually she regretted the actions she took to banish her sister. 

            This was incredibly imaginative!  It made me wonder about the author and what sort of trauma she has been through to craft such a dark story out of a childhood favorite, but then I just appreciated her creativity.  Nat was a fascinating character, seeming to fit the description of the dark sister, except the more we learn about her, the more we realize she isn’t at all dark and brooding.  She’s thoughtful and forms deep connections with others, she’s intelligent and curious.  It was simply her outward appearance that created the disconnect between her many people in her life.  Clara, while pretty and fun-loving on the outside, wasn’t always the butterflies and roses girl she was originally thought to be either.  This book explores the fact that appearances can (and usually are) deceiving.  It’s definitely not a book about good versus evil. 

            I wasn’t immediately sucked into the story, but it grew on me and by the end I absolutely loved it.  It explores the complexities of any relationship, including the relationship a person has with him or herself.  This book is thought-provoking, maybe even provocative.  I highly recommend it. 

Kristen Claiborn

         This is another one of those books that likely wouldn’t have made it onto my radar if it hadn’t been a Book of the Month Club selection. I try to read books from major outlets like this one and to also read books chosen for the celebrity book clubs, largely to stay relevant, but it also helps to get me out of my normal genres.  Even I need to broaden my literary horizons every now and then.  This one is billed as a fantasy, and since I avoid fantasies, I likely wouldn’t have read this one simply because of that.  It’s books like this that genuinely make me happy that I follow pretty strict guidelines when it comes to my TBR lists. 

            While it’s billed as a retelling of The Nutcracker, the stories are vastly different.  I feel like I recall the original Nutcracker was a light and positive tale, though to be honest it’s been years since I’ve even been to the ballet, so I’m not an expert on the story.  However, it seems unlikely that we wouldn’t continue to take generation after generation of children to see the ballet if it was as dark as the story in this book turned out to be.  So, I did, eventually, come to realize this book contains a completely different story. 

            Natasha and Clara are a set of twins who have been cursed by a magical godfather.  Clara was the “light” twin, beautiful and always happy, easily pleased.  Natasha was the “dark” twin.  Nat was not pretty, she was broody, and she preferred her own company versus spending time with others.  Eventually, she was given the opportunity to take over her sister’s life, while her sister toiled away in the Kingdom of Sweets, an unwilling guest of the Sugar Plum Fairy.  Nat soon realizes that her sister didn’t necessarily have the best life, despite what it looked like on the outside, and eventually she regretted the actions she took to banish her sister. 

            This was incredibly imaginative!  It made me wonder about the author and what sort of trauma she has been through to craft such a dark story out of a childhood favorite, but then I just appreciated her creativity.  Nat was a fascinating character, seeming to fit the description of the dark sister, except the more we learn about her, the more we realize she isn’t at all dark and brooding.  She’s thoughtful and forms deep connections with others, she’s intelligent and curious.  It was simply her outward appearance that created the disconnect between her many people in her life.  Clara, while pretty and fun-loving on the outside, wasn’t always the butterflies and roses girl she was originally thought to be either.  This book explores the fact that appearances can (and usually are) deceiving.  It’s definitely not a book about good versus evil. 

            I wasn’t immediately sucked into the story, but it grew on me and by the end I absolutely loved it.  It explores the complexities of any relationship, including the relationship a person has with him or herself.  This book is thought-provoking, maybe even provocative.  I highly recommend it. 

with a slow start, a promising second 100 pages, and a fizzle soon after, this was ultimately a let down. kind of bummed, as i grew up adoring ballet and the nutcracker especially. 

neen

Bad execution overall, it is not what I wanted from a nutcracker retelling. And I was so excited about it as I love The Nutcracker and dark retellings. 

I have stopped rating my books but damn it feels like a 2 star-ish read to me. 

Amira BEN

Call me disappointed ! 

Bad execution overall, it is not what I wanted from a nutcracker retelling. And I was so excited about it as I love The Nutcracker and dark retellings. 

I have stopped rating my books but damn it feels like a 2 star-ish read to me. 

Ok…..I love the Nutcracker. It’s one of my favorite holiday traditions. The story isn’t exactly all love and light, and sometimes it’s dark. This reimagining leans into the darkness, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I really wish there was a bit more of light. The writing was gorgeous, loved that, but it didn’t save this for me. 

 Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read an ARC of this story.

Cindy McKee

Ok…..I love the Nutcracker. It’s one of my favorite holiday traditions. The story isn’t exactly all love and light, and sometimes it’s dark. This reimagining leans into the darkness, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I really wish there was a bit more of light. The writing was gorgeous, loved that, but it didn’t save this for me. 

 Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read an ARC of this story.

Natasha and Clara were twins, born on Christmas, and each was given a blessing and curse from the sorcerer Drosselemeyer: one light and one dark. Clara is light, beautiful, and sought after; Natasha is dark, plain, and ignored. Then, one Christmas Eve, they take a trip to the Kingdom of Sweets and see the Sugar Plum Fairy, and life takes a turn they never saw coming. 

This book was completely in my wheelhouse. It's a dark, magical retelling of The Nutcracker filled with morally gray and morally reprehensible characters—oh...and fey. Yep, I loved it.

Cheri McElroy

Natasha and Clara were twins, born on Christmas, and each was given a blessing and curse from the sorcerer Drosselemeyer: one light and one dark. Clara is light, beautiful, and sought after; Natasha is dark, plain, and ignored. Then, one Christmas Eve, they take a trip to the Kingdom of Sweets and see the Sugar Plum Fairy, and life takes a turn they never saw coming. 

This book was completely in my wheelhouse. It's a dark, magical retelling of The Nutcracker filled with morally gray and morally reprehensible characters—oh...and fey. Yep, I loved it.

The Kingdom of Sweets A Novel of the Nutcracker

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