Marie Lu

"Desperate to be forever remembered for her music, Nannerl Mozart makes a dangerous pact with a mysterious stranger from a magical land, which may cost her everything"--

The Kingdom of Back

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes a historical YA fantasy about a musical prodigy and the dangerous lengths she'll go to make history remember her--perfect for fans of Susanna Clarke and The Hazel Wood. Two siblings. Two brilliant talents. But only one Mozart. Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish--to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she'll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age--her tyrannical father has made that much clear. And as Nannerl's hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true--but his help may cost her everything. In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically-told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

Shreya Bajpai

You can be remembered, if he is forgotten. So let me take him away, Fräulein.

You have not forgotten me. And I have not forgotten you. 

"Was it your dream, Nannerl?" His fanged smile gleamed in the darkness. "Or are you in mine?"

I was not the miracle, destined to be noticed.

He should have said. A prodigy hailing from th Rome of the North, worthy of Rome herself!

Men, my mother had always advised, were incapable of resisting praise.

The story you have never heard is set in a dream of fog and stars, faery princelings and queens of the night. It is about the Kingdom of Back, and the girl who finds it.

I am the sister, the other Mozart. And her story is mine.

The story you have never heard is about the sister who composed beside him.

He was here and then gone, a brief, brilliant shard of life, a flash of stardust that ignited the sky.

I AM GOING TO TELL YOU A STORY YOU ALREADY KNOW.

But listen carefully, because within it is one you have never heard before.

It was my wish not to be forgotten, to have a place within hearts when I was gone. To be remembered by the world.

But it was my brother's wish to be like me. He was the one who handed me quill and ink. He was the one who remembered.

He tells you to play, so you play. He tells you to curtsy, so you curtsy. He tells you what you are meant to do and what you are not meant to do, so you do and you do not do. He tells you not to be angry, so you smile, you turn your eyes down, you are quiet and do exactly as he says in the hopes that this is what he wants, and then you realise that you have given him so much of yourself that you are nothing but the curtsy and the smile and the quiet. That you are nothing.

Crying over how beautifully this story is written.

I added in silence... they were words my father had once said.

 Worthy of praise, of being loved and remembered. Worthy of attention when I bared my heart at the clavier. Worthy enough for my music to linger long after I was gone. Worthy of my father. Make them remember me.

I haven't done my research, so I'm not sure if this is something Leopold Mozart has

 said. But damn did it make me feel powerful as a musician for a moment.

If given the talent, it means God has chosen you as an ambassador for His voice. Your music will be as if God has given you eternal life.

𝑂𝑑𝑖𝑙𝑒

Sophie P.

best book I scavenged from a second-hand bookstore in awhile

Danny Werhane

I could not tell you a single thing that happens in this book

Bilge Ince

But I would be nothing more than a performer for my brother's compositions. If I wanted immortality, it would not come from my writing. The words hung weighted around my neck. Composition obvious rule. What would others think of my father if they knew I composed behind his back? That he could not even control his own daughter? What kind of girl shamed her father by secretly doing a man’s work?

How much of us know that not only Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (a.k.a. Woferl) but also her sister Marianne Mozart was an excellent pianist as well as a composer. However, in those times, a woman can't compose, or even if she does secretly, she can't sign her composition by her name since women were thought to have no capability of it. Therefore Marianne (a.k.a Nannerl) is supposed to be silent, keep this talent a secret. But what if Marianne has a right to want to be remembered forever?

The Kingdom of Back is a retelling story of Woferl's and Nannerl's. Moreover, the name of the "Kingdom of Back" also comes from an imaginary world they created together, and even they asked to draw a map of this land from their servant. Therefore, this is one of the most inspiring stories to meet with the magical and prodigy Wolfgang siblings. Even though there is no copy of Nannerl's compositions, the scientists claim that she was as marvelous as Wolfgang. And even more interesting is that the compositions have always been signed only as "Mozart" with a surname, not a full name. Hence I want to believe that Woferl wanted to give credit to Nannerl, which was desired and very well deserved, or maybe at least leave space for such speculations. 

He tells you to play, so you play. He tells you to curtsy, so you are meant to do and what you are curtsy. He tells meant not to do, so you do and you do not do. He tells you not see you what be angry, so you smile, you turn your eyes down, you are quiet, and do exactly as he says in the hopes that this is what he wants. and then one night you realize that you have given him so much of yourself that you are nothing but the curtsy and the smile and the quiet. That you are nothing.

loved the concept and idea and would’ve enjoyed more when i was younger but great quick read!

gracyn neely

Fatima Kadri 

5 stars for just really really enjoying this book. It made me smile and it made me mad and it made me cry and I just wish that I could erase it from my brain so I could read it for the first time again. I related to Nannerl so much and her struggles were so realistic and well narrated. 

This was such a 180 from Marie Lu’s other books but she executed it stunningly well. If you like Marie Lu’s books but want to try something different, this book will not disappoint you.

This was really great. I love the blend of fantasy and real-life historical fiction.

Isabela H 

The idea of the story was really cool but it ended up being really predictable and any magic that existed in the world just kind of died by the end of the book. I appreciated Marie Lu for trying something different, but her success was pretty mixed.

Ashley Wendt

3.5 this was an interesting read. While I didn’t love the fantasy aspect of this story, I did really enjoy the historical parts. There were parts of the fantasy that didn’t quite make sense. I have a theory about the manifestation and the progression of the Kingdom of Back that was never specifically implied but through subtle hints in the storytelling gave me an inclination. This book really shines in its historical retelling of how docile and muted women were expected to be. Overall, it was a good read.

sofia !

~4.5 
marie lu is incredible with her writing. i feel like this story was geared more towards fantasy, but also had a some historical fiction elements inside of it which was interesting. other than a few slow parts, this book completely drew me in and i really enjoyed this story!

Julie Janis

A beautiful story. Historical fiction fascinates me, especially one about a famous composer's sister who didn't get as much attention as her brother. The story intrigued me until the very end, and I loved the magical twist to it. The love Nannerl and Wolferl had for music was admirable and was one I could relate to being a pianist myself. I also loved the lesson Nannerl learned at the end. After reading the ending and the author's note, I gained a new appreciation for the Mozart siblings and their history. Truly an interesting and enchanting story.

catia

l.h.

Meghan M

I really loved the concept of this book and being someone who plays a lot of classical music, I enjoyed reading about Mozart. I just felt like the book had trouble timing wise. Some parts I felt were too rushed and others too long, and it seemed to end so abruptly. I really enjoyed it though and I highly recommend!

Michelle García

What is it with books making me feel nostalgic lately? The Kingdom of Back is an incredibly atmospheric, poetic book. The characters have made themselves at home in my heart. It left me with happy tears at the end. Amazing!!

lauren carla

Nannerl’s interactions with Johann & Hyacinth reminded me of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue with Henry & Luc lmaoo

Charmaine

An ethereal tale of a young girl’s hopes and dreams. A reminder that there is always an untold part of a story and unsung heroes in history. There will be deceit and it will be overcome. Of desire to not be forgotten but knowing your loved ones will remember always. Beautiful 💙💙💙

Carlotta

Few historical fantasies manage to combine the historical setting and the fantasy world as well as Kingdom of Back does. While reading I felt as if I was right there with Nannerl, both in the real world and the kingdom. 

Other than the setting Nannerl is the obvious highlight of the book! While I must admit that I already knew quite a bit about her life and work it was interesting to learn more. I had no idea so many people don't know Wolfgang had a sister, here in Germany we learned almost as much about as her brother in school and I will always remember her from the children TV show Little Amadeus in which she is an important character. 
Kingdom of Back stars with Nannerl as a young girl and ends when she is a mother herself, which really gives the reader the opportunity to get to know her and see her character development, which was really well done. 

The kingdom itself was so interesting and unlike anything I had read before! It felt like a dark fairy-tale you both loved and dreaded and Hyacinth put a twist on the story that gave it a certain something, which made the novel captivating. 

Anyone who likes historical fiction, fantasy, dark fairy-tale like stories, sibling bonds and strong female characters should get their hands on this book asap!

The writing is lovely, but I can't help but want more from the ending. 

Hannah Wall

** spoiler alert **
           This book was absolutely astoundingly amazing! The words flowed like music and I loved the mysterious impish villain. The story flows and is just magic trapped in pages. I highly encourage everyone to read this book! I love how the story starts from Nannerl being a young girl and her growing up and the love hate relationship with her brother, because we all have the with siblings! 

This book was just plan astounding and I loved every minute of it!

Kesya Sandry

Ok, no, THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC! Y'all may know Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for his talented works at playing the clavier, but this book is not about him. It's about our beautiful Mozart girl, Maria Anna Mozart or Nannerl. This book somehow took a special place in my heart. I just love how Marie Lu puts the fantasy into the book perfectly. The fantasy in this book is not about vampires nor werewolves, but fairytales that somehow make me feel sleepy when reading it. But it's alright because I LOVE IT. Some sexism showed in this book as for that time (the 1800s) there is no gender equality, it might be triggering for some people, so better check the trigger warning first!

Esra

Evelyn!

To tell you the truth this rating is a big surprise for me, mostly since I really love Marie Lu and was expecting to love this story.

I thought the idea was actually great, and when I read the synopsis when it came out I was eager to read it. But I'm not sure if I was entirely convinced about how the story developed... I'm not sure if you understand what I'm trying to say. But the whole story was sort of meh.

I do have to say that I loved little Woferl, who loved his sister so much that wanted to be just like her. But even though I liked him I wasn't able to connect with the characters in general. 

This, of course, doesn't mean I won't be reading more from the author in the future. But <italic>'The Kingdom of Back'</italic> just wasn't for me.

Monae Reads

3.5 stars. 
Beautiful story. Contains quite a bit of historical accuracy. I love how Marie uses real like events of the Mozart siblings to tie in the fantastical aspects and provide explanations for them. Vivid imagery. Very enjoyable. Feels like a folklore/bed time story. Gave me once upon a time vibes at a couple points in the book. The only thing preventing me from giving it a higher rating is because there not much to divulge into here. The story is the story at face value, and while it is intriguing and consuming, when it’s over, it’s over. I will have fond memories of reading it but I can’t stay it will have lasting impacts.

Micol Scalabrino

This book was a scream of all the women who want to be recognized for their talent and courage, who want to be on the first line and never stand back.
Lu was amazing at showing what a woman would feel in a 18th century Europe, using a girl’s eyes as a camera, to show what being a woman was when women where considered nothing.

I really appreciate the choice to give a lot of space to the fraternal bond between the main characters; I think it just added to the story in a way romance could not.
Unfortunately, this book really dragged me into it after I read more than half. It was difficult, at the beginning, to understand the magic world and how it worked.

Finally, to all the Nannerls out there. Whatever barriers are in your path, it is my deepest hope that you can shatter them, because we desperately need your talent. Keep going. Don’t give in. light up this world.

Final vote: 3/5

The Kingdom of Back

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