M. A. Kuzniar

In the darkness of night, magic awaits... The Nutcracker for adults, perfect for fans of Robert Dinsdale's The Toymakers, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Stephanie Garber's Caraval

Midnight in Everwood

Ian Brakspear

M.A. Kuzniar

In the darkness of night, magic awaits... The Nutcracker for adults, perfect for fans of Robert Dinsdale’s The Toymakers, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and Stephanie Garber’s Caraval

Jenni 

Karen Young

M.A. KUZNIAR

MIDNIGHT IN EVERWOOD.

Helen Borham

Millie Roberts

omg I loved this. I wanted to read something festive and this was perfect

Matylda M

Not a good book, but also didn't offend me. Plot - meh, world building - sometimes too much.

Juliana Matias

This book brought some very conflicting emotions in me. While marketed as "The Nutcracker for adults", it still read very much like a children's book, and I mean that not as a bad thing, just that my expectations skewed my view of the book. 

But let's be honest: this was a cover read. I desperately wanted to buy it when I saw the hardcover in Waterstones because it was just SO beautiful, but ended up getting the audiobook from the library instead, which I think was a great idea. Also, I am a ballet dancer - I did ballet for over 20 years, so I think I got some some extra enjoyment from the descriptions of dance that the everyday reader might just not understand.

Let me tell you a little bit about the book. Marietta is a 20-year-old in 1906, daughter of an rich, important society family in Nottingham. Dancing Ballet is her life, and she wants to apply for the ballet company, but her father expects her to stop ballet altogether and get married.

She discovers that her father plans to marry her off to their new neighbour Drosselmeier, an old slightly creepy inventor who is building a magical set for the performance of Sleeping Beauty her ballet studio is putting on at her parents' Christmas party.

On Christmas Eve, Drosselmeier corners Marietta while she is rehearsing on set, and she goes through a portal inside a clock and gets stuck in Everwood. A magical town where everything is made of sweets, where she ignores everything people tell her, makes a lot of stupid choices and brings all the conflict of the book onto herself by being prideful, self-obsessed and overall an idiot.

Sorry - it's just that this is the one thing I had the biggest issue with: I couldn't really connect to the story because I really thought she deserved everything that was happening to her, because she's the only reason it's happening at all. That and the side-characters were a little interchangeable. Most of the time I couldn't tell her father (bad, authoritative tyrant) from her brother (good, in the closet gay painter brother), and that is just a bad sign.

On the plus side, the atmosphere of the book is wonderful and the writing in beautiful. It feels like you're in that world, and if you're me (who's been on a keto diet going on 2 years), desperately hungry.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was beautiful, it just felt a bit immature. So if you adjust your expectations, you might come to love this.

I loved this. I will definitely reread this next year around the holidays 

Megan Mathis

You ever finish a book and immediately want to start reading it again? This is one of those books. Oh the magic and sweet nostalgia and intrigue and just a little touch of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

My tendency is to avoid adaptations, because they never do the original story justice (in my mind). This book, however, came so gosh darn close. And, really, I don’t think it was trying to, which is probably one reason why I liked it so much. It had all the best of The Nutcracker and added feminism and friendship and fighting for freedom from tyranny and LGBTQ+ representation.

The world-building was such that I want to explore more of it. I want to know more about the other kingdoms and their history and about the characters our MC befriends in order to escape from their gilded cage. It makes me beyond happy that ballet is emphasized in this book. It’s the MC’s passion, and every time she dances it brings back memories.

I definitely plan to read this book every holiday season moving forward and get a hard copy. It’s too good not to.

Adelia French

You ever finish a book and immediately want to start reading it again? This is one of those books. Oh the magic and sweet nostalgia and intrigue and just a little touch of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

My tendency is to avoid adaptations, because they never do the original story justice (in my mind). This book, however, came so gosh darn close. And, really, I don’t think it was trying to, which is probably one reason why I liked it so much. It had all the best of The Nutcracker and added feminism and friendship and fighting for freedom from tyranny and LGBTQ+ representation.

The world-building was such that I want to explore more of it. I want to know more about the other kingdoms and their history and about the characters our MC befriends in order to escape from their gilded cage. It makes me beyond happy that ballet is emphasized in this book. It’s the MC’s passion, and every time she dances it brings back memories.

I definitely plan to read this book every holiday season moving forward and get a hard copy. It’s too good not to.

Eloise

3.75

Marietta was a character with whom I had a complicated relationship. I like her brash and no-nonsense demeanour at the start of the book, and her continual battles with her parents, as well as her internal struggle between doing what she loves and living up to her parents' standards, made me sympathise with her. When she initially arrives in Everwood, however, she almost becomes the pampered princess that society has worked so hard to create, desperate to know everything, even in a magical realm.

She immediately overcomes this personality switch, seeing her folly and acknowledging she was wrong, but it threw me a little to see her switch personality types so swiftly. Throughout everything she endures, she has a strength inside her, she is determined to answer to no man, be it a King or her father, and her character development is definitely one I liked following.

Though this is mostly Marietta's story, Kuzniar introduces us to a well-developed cast of supporting characters, some of whom I adored and others whom I wished to see die a horrific death. Dellara and Pirlipata were unquestionably my favourites. They are the women Marietta is sharing a room with in the palace, as well as two others who have experienced what it is like to be subjected to the King. I found myself drawn to everyone, especially Dellara, who is first harsh and standoffish to Marietta, but once you read their backstories, you understand why they hold her at arm's length. I also adored Frederick, Marietta's brother and the only person in her life who understands her dreams.

Kuzniar certainly has a talent for creating truly magical situations, and her imagination knows no bounds. Everything in Everwood is saccharine sweet, which is lovely to look at but a little too much when you approach too close. The beauty of the structures and surroundings has an elegance and appeal to it, yet there are also small elements of darkness and overindulgence. I was captivated by this world and am grateful that the author allowed us to spend so much time in it, though I do wish there had been a bit more time spent outside of Marietta's frozen sugar palace.

This book starts out a little slow, but after we reach Everwood, the story picks up and becomes a lovely and enchanting tale. I'll definitely be looking into Kuzniar's other works, and I'd love to return to this world and these characters if we had the chance.

Caitlyn Hagen

2.5/5 rounded up. 

I think that this book was beautifully written. However it's plot was too slow, the characters weren't well developed and I got tired of the food descriptors. 

I liked Legate and that the end was open. The rest was pretty Meh

This book brought some very conflicting emotions in me. While marketed as "The Nutcracker for adults", it still read very much like a children's book, and I mean that not as a bad thing, just that my expectations skewed my view of the book. 

But let's be honest: this was a cover read. I desperately wanted to buy it when I saw the hardcover in Waterstones because it was just SO beautiful, but ended up getting the audiobook from the library instead, which I think was a great idea. Also, I am a ballet dancer - I did ballet for over 20 years, so I think I got some some extra enjoyment from the descriptions of dance that the everyday reader might just not understand.

Let me tell you a little bit about the book. Marietta is a 20-year-old in 1906, daughter of an rich, important society family in Nottingham. Dancing Ballet is her life, and she wants to apply for the ballet company, but her father expects her to stop ballet altogether and get married.

She discovers that her father plans to marry her off to their new neighbour Drosselmeier, an old slightly creepy inventor who is building a magical set for the performance of Sleeping Beauty her ballet studio is putting on at her parents' Christmas party.

On Christmas Eve, Drosselmeier corners Marietta while she is rehearsing on set, and she goes through a portal inside a clock and gets stuck in Everwood. A magical town where everything is made of sweets, where she ignores everything people tell her, makes a lot of stupid choices and brings all the conflict of the book onto herself by being prideful, self-obsessed and overall an idiot.

Sorry - it's just that this is the one thing I had the biggest issue with: I couldn't really connect to the story because I really thought she deserved everything that was happening to her, because she's the only reason it's happening at all. That and the side-characters were a little interchangeable. Most of the time I couldn't tell her father (bad, authoritative tyrant) from her brother (good, in the closet gay painter brother), and that is just a bad sign.

On the plus side, the atmosphere of the book is wonderful and the writing in beautiful. It feels like you're in that world, and if you're me (who's been on a keto diet going on 2 years), desperately hungry.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was beautiful, it just felt a bit immature. So if you adjust your expectations, you might come to love this. 

Paola C

Update: the more I think about this book the less I like it soooo bumping down my rating to 2 stars. 



This was just meh. I didn't care about the main character, to me she was bland and didn't have any character to it. I did enjoy Everwood itself and that's the only reason I gave it 3 stars.

Amanda 

This book was enchanting. Everwood was deliciously sweet and ruthless. The atmosphere is Beautiful a book you should read during the Christmas season. Yea 

Overall I really enjoyed this book, The Setting, The Characters, The Magic all fell in place together to create such a magical book that at its best shows that Friendship and Companionship should be yours to chose alone and not forced upon you. I Loved seeing Marietta and Legat together and it was super emotional when they said goodbye but I’m glad that in her time in Everwood Marietta was able to discover herself and come out of her shell a little which made for some fab Character Development. Everwood was so vividly described it was like I was right there with them in this sugary magical land and I wish I lived there in a way! 

I could really see this brought to life as a Movie and think that it would just be magical and enchanting as the book itself. 

What a book and also my first book of 2022! 

In the darkness of night, magic awaits... The Nutcracker for adults, perfect for fans of Robert Dinsdale's The Toymakers, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Stephanie Garber's Caraval 'It was a rainy day that the magic came, and once magic has entered your life, you stay in its glittering clutch forever' Nottingham, 1906 Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina but as Christmas draws nearer, her dancing days are numbered. At the wishes of her family, she will be obligated to marry and take up her place in society in the New Year. But when a mysterious new toymaker, Dr Drosselmeier, purchases a neighbouring townhouse, it heralds the arrival of magic and wonder in her life. Although Drosselmeier's magic is darker than Marietta could have imagined... When he constructs an elaborate theatrical set for her final ballet performance, Marietta discovers it carries a magic all of its own. As the clock chimes midnight, Marietta finds herself walking through a land of snow-topped fir trees leading to a frozen sugar palace silent with secrets and must find a way to return home. In the darkness of night, magic awaits and you will never forget what you find here...

Claudia Feneley 

Sophia De La Garza

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

I want to start off by saying the Nutcracker isn't my favorite Christmas story, but I was willing to give this retelling a try. 
Sadly, this story ended up not working for me. I didn't connect to any of the characters, and while the setting of Everwood is described wonderfully, that was about the only thing I enjoyed from the story. 
I also wanted to point out that this reads a lot more like a YA book but is apparently classed as an adult novel. 

I'd be willing to give this author another try in the future, but this one was a no for me. 
Overall, 2 out of 5 stars.

Cléa

Ah man. 
Idk I took so much time finishing it, I could not immerse in the story. 

The first part is slow, the exposition is slow... 
Everything is so slow 

As for romance I saw no chemistry whatsoever 🙃

Many descriptions, not much depth. 


This book was a delightfully enchanting read. I adore The Nutcracker Ballet. So, when I heard that this was a retelling of it. I knew I had to read it.

The book is slow-paced which I am glad as I was able to take my time and fully immerse myself into the story. I finished it Christmas Day which was benefiting.

I can tell the author had done a lot of research for this book and it certainly shows. She captured the magic of Everwood in such a beautiful way. I also loved how dark and gothic it felt, especially Drosselmeier’s character and, also, the King.

I enjoyed Marietta, her character development was intriguing and delightful. 
And the fact we learn about ballet is amazing and I could picture how Marietta danced and looked in my imagination.

The other characters were amazing and I adored the friendships made. There is some romance in the book which was a bonus.

Looking forward to other books by M.A Kuzniar @cozyreads

Jennifer

I'm pleasantly surprised!! Normally Christmas inspired stories get a bit too saccharine for my cup of tea but luckily M.A. Kuzniar's enchanting Midnight in Everwood didn't succumb to the usual pitfalls of holiday reads. Inspired by Tchaikovsky's magical Nutcracker ballet, Midnight in Everwood is a spellbinding and also lowkey sinister tale about taking ownership of one's narratives / self-will. It also has a lush and feminist undertone that's redeems this an empowering read.

So let me just say about what makes this an unexpectedly cozy Christmas read. Personally a cozy read isn't the absence of dark / sinister elements (that's cheesy), but it's rather the way the storytelling gives the readers glimpse of hope that warms their heart when after the conflict resolution - the emotional impact to the readers. 

Firstly, Kuzniar avoided getting cheesy by ofsetting the sugary backdrop on the worlbuilding and opting to dig deep into the darker side of human psychology. I think Kuzniar is well versed with fairytales: both its light and dark sides. Its darker facets often left in the dark. But what makes Midnight in Everwood worthwhile to read is that it fleshes out the more sinister side of a well known fairytale (which is also adapted as a famous ballet). Fairytales tend to convey an aspect of human nature - The Nutcracker is no exception. I think Kuzniar captured the essence of The Nutcracker very well through her exquisite storytelling.

Another thing that I enjoyed is the element of hope in the book. I think this is well demonstrated from the female characters' resilient characters - particularly Marietta's. The odds that she's been through over the course of the novel and how she finally overcame the difficulties. This is where the heartwarming aspect of the fairytale (the emotion that I associate with Christmas) comes in. And luckily the storytelling saves this from being just another cheesy Christmas story!

While Midnight in Everwood excels in its storytelling and thematic developments, I think since this is a book targeted to older middle-grade / younger YA readers some of the intricacies aren't sketched out in as much detail that I usually look for in a book. For example, the headspace of the villains and the more intricate details about how the palace operates. So if you're accustomed to reading very detailed books / adult fictions, the scope provided here might not fully satisfy you.

A few disclaimers aside, Midnight in Everwood is nevertheless a magical treat. It's Christmassy, atmospheric, and surprisingly hopeful. It's a must read for anyone who loves Christmas, fairytales, and a small dose of something dark and sinister.

N.B. content warnings: emotional abuse, violence, accidents, death, weapons, and blood mention

Taylor

This was an absolutely magical read, perfect for wintertime. The writing was a little more flowery than I would typically enjoy, but it suited the story so well that I forgive it. I loved the mix of whimsy and delight with the darker aspects of the story and I adored Marietta's friendship with Dellara and Pirlipata. I am not super familiar with the story of The Nutcracker, but this has definitely inspired me to give the ballet a watch. 

TWs: (view spoiler)[kidnapping, torture, mind control, murder, execution, starvation (forced), arranged marriage, homophobia, mentions of sexual violence (hide spoiler)]

This book was magical and beautiful. It was everything I could have wished for in the run up to Christmas!!

The writing in this book was lyrical and the descriptions were so vivid. I loved the way Everwood was brought to life and how smell and taste were used to enhance the readers imagination.

In summary I loved it!!

This was an absolutely magical read, perfect for wintertime. The writing was a little more flowery than I would typically enjoy, but it suited the story so well that I forgive it. I loved the mix of whimsy and delight with the darker aspects of the story and I adored Marietta's friendship with Dellara and Pirlipata. I am not super familiar with the story of The Nutcracker, but this has definitely inspired me to give the ballet a watch.

TWs: kidnapping, torture, mind control, murder, execution, starvation (forced), arranged marriage, homophobia, mentions of sexual violence

Victoria Justice

A beautifully descriptive retelling of the nutcracker, packed full of ballet references which I loved. A rather slower paced read, with me often finding myself having to put the book down to absorb what I had just read.

Kayla Smith

I really, really wanted to love this one but unfortunately, it was just a huge miss for me. At first, the writing style seemed flowery and beautiful but by the end, the same metaphors seemed to be used over and over again and I found it was simply too repetitive. The amount of times eye colors were compared to chocolate and caramel were outrageous. Writing style doesn't usually bother me but in this book, I couldn't look past it. I wanted to give the book an extra star because the story told was good but since it was a retelling, I couldn't even bring myself to do that. As soon as I read "She could hear his smile" I wanted to DNF this book. I may have if I hadn't been reading it for review. If you enjoy flowery writing, many, many references to ballet dancing, a plethora of indulgent metaphors, and worldbuilding that isn't overly complicated, this may be for you. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me but I'm sure this is going to be the perfect book for the right type of reader.

Beth Bartholomew

AD • Review Copy, I received a free copy of this book from HQ Stories in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Midnight in Everwood captured me immediately from the blurb, a magical Nutcracker retelling that promised to carry me away to a fantasy land. And it didn't disappoint. Maria's writing is beautifully, whimsical and paints such beautiful imagery. To me this book had a slight touch of the gothic to it which just added to the growing atmosphere of a stunning winter landscape contrasted against the unpleasant situation our main character Marietta finds herself trapped in. Set in an Edwardian society in the North of England, there is beauty in every page and M. A. Kuzniar's writing made the English setting feel very romanticised, which made the reading experience even more enjoyable. I haven't read many books from this time period, but I immediately felt at home with Marietta's story and felt compelled to see her journey.

I love reading about a main character with passions and Marietta's is ballet, something I've not read much about, but loved exploring this talent through our protagonist. Marietta seeps independence and strength, she is also trapped in so many ways in this book, but the growth we see her go through truly feels freeing for her. Ballet is a delicate and elegant dance, it is soft and graceful and Marietta encompasses these characteristics too, but she is also sharp and alert and breaks the mould her parents want her to fit. She is her own best cheerleader and I loved the references throughout this book to her rights as a woman and her worth. I didn't expect this novel to make me feel empowered as a female, but it did, I felt proud of Marietta's achievements because of how hard she has to push for them.

The magic system in Midnight in Everwood is one of my favourites, a truly fantastical world where anything can happen. It's accurate to say this book is for fans of Garber and Morgenstern, the attention to detail when it comes to the different magical features of the world Marietta find herself in are completely reminiscent of these writing styles. I feel that glorious food comes hand in hand with enchanting magic in this novel because wow the descriptions and mouthwatering food creations. I read this in the week of Christmas and I think that was smart because I was never short of sweet treats to satisfy the cravings this book gave me!

Maria's writing is truly hypnotising, I felt myself falling down the rabbit hole when reading this book, it really swept me away. The imagery is still so vivid in my head and I still feel very invested in the characters, who I am inventing my own stories for after this book ends. I feel incredibly lucky to have read this book early and to have been able to enjoy Maria's excellent talent and magical writing. This book comes out in October 2021, but you can preorder it here.

Midnight in Everwood

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