Erika Johansen's novel of the The Nutcracker, The Kingdom of Sweets is a masterpiece. The respectful adherence to the bones of the original story in no way detracts from the ingenious and astonishingly original crafting of her delightfully terrifying version of this iconic Christmas ballet. Johansen's Nutcracker is truly a Kingdom of Sweets for readers in which nutcrackers will attack perfectly innocent ottomans with their sabres and ballerinas and gingerbread men can and do run amuck. A guaranteed page turner will have readers looking at their Christmas decorations with a new respect.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this novel. It was well-written and imaginative. A dark and twisted tale between two sisters, this Nutcracker retelling took me for a captivating ride!

Kingdom of Sweets tells the tale between Natasha and Clara, who were cursed at birth on Christmas Day by their wizard of a godfather. One sister is consumed by jealously while the other has everything she could ever want out of life. That’s until they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and things get interesting.

I’ll definitely be checking out the author’s other novels. I would recommend Kingdom of Sweets to Fantasy lovers like myself!

Engrossing retelling of a classic tale we all know so well. Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance copy!

I admit to being tired of fairy tale retellings. There is a whole wave of them, varying from feminist to queer to dark retellings to whole shades in between. When publishers see a trend they beat it to death. But dark fiction is about more than murder and blood, a fact a lot of dark retellings tend to overlook in their derivative pursuits.

“Kingdom of Sweets” caught my eye because it was a Nutcracker retelling, which I haven’t seen much of. It was truly a dark retelling, too, with complex, unlikable characters driven to their basest natures. It tells the story of twins Clara and Natasha, cursed by their godfather, a wizard, to be light and dark sisters. Natasha becomes consumed by jealousy and an obsession with a boy who toys with her fragile feelings.

The two become caught up in the dark, twisted world of the Sugar Plum Fairy, of the old world and old beliefs and the deadly magic of vengeance and fae bargains.

In this world the family’s annual Christmas soiree is one of drunken, decadent revelry with a bitter edge. Natasha’s mother is addicted to laudanum and mysticism. Her father is a whoring drunk. And her imagined future with the boy she once thought was kind becomes a vapid prison of her own foolish, naive rage.

This is my first exposure to Erika Johansen and I’m definitely checking out the Queen of the Tearling series. The characters in this were wonderfully dark, complex and twisted and she led me down paths I did not expect from the dark to the light again and embracing, in the end, the freedom of the dark. This truly is a story of strong women making their mark in a world that sought to use them, a feminist fantasy in which women take control of their destinies.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What an fascinating and dark retelling of the nutcracker. The perspective from the Natasha and themes of the book are very interesting and quite mature. The novel was an extremely enjoyable and pleasant read from beginning to end. The world of the book is greatly immersive and keeps you engaged the entire time through spectacular prose and fascinating characters and lore. I would absolutely recommend reading this book when it fully releases later this year. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC and review this book early.

The Kingdom of Sweets is a dark, creepy twist on the Nutcracker. I've only ever come across a few Nutcracker retellings, but I always really enjoy them. This book goes a slightly different direction by allowing us to see through the eyes of Natasha, Clara's twin sister. I really liked the way Johansen wove the fraught relationship between the twins in with the horrifying Kingdom of Sweets. I didn't like Natasha, per say, but I don't think she's meant to be liked. I do think that she grows significantly by the end of the book, and her moral failings can be justified by her upbringing. I think this is probably Erika Johansen's best book yet, and while it's definitely a standalone, I would love to see her write other fractured fairy tales and retellings.

I enjoyed this retelling. The nutcracker is a story that is near and dear to my heart. I enjoyed the new elements to the story and the edition of a new main character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available Nov 28,2023!

These are my thoughts and my thoughts alone.

It was a solid read. Spun the lore of The Nutcracker on its ear and gave a darker fantasy than what we all know. It spans generations, includes wonderful descriptions of the World of the Nutcracker and is told from the perspective of Natasha, the sister in the shadow of Clara.

This sprawling dark fantasy spans nearly a half-century, across continents and other, less tangible geographies, to portray a world which is familiar yet magical, and extremely dangerous. Johansen manages to evoke the imagery and mystical experience of the more fantastic scenes from Hoffman's original fever-dream vision of "The Nutcracker." Even the elements of Tchaikovsky's ballet are incorporated seamlessly as the author describes a upper-class family whose fortune has dwindled, forcing their affiliation with a local aristocrat who seems to wield mysterious power.

Grounded in social psychology, history and religious ritual, the more colorful scenes in Kingdom of Sweets are always supported by a strong factual foundation and enhanced by emotional authenticity. It's is an intense adventure, but also a meditation on the struggle of humanity through violence and oppression to personal sacrifice and community. The cast of characters is large enough to convincingly populate the story, but they're mostly compartmentalized so that readers can follow intricately woven threads from their first pages. Fans of Christina Henry will be delighted by this rich re-imagining of The Nutcracker, and anyone who's read King's Fairy Tale will likely see some parallels.

To immerse yourself in the spirit of the season when the colder months set in, or just to chase away the shadows (and the rats), touch a flame to your bedside taper and prepare for this odyssey through The Kingdom of Sweets.

A sugar-frosted thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Group for the ARC.

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen is a unique dark fantasy novel.

The world-building, and characters are truly fascinating.
The plot and the characters are well developed and I enjoyed being swept along with them. The pace, the plot, the writing style were all perfection. This is the type of book that engages you so deeply that you don't even realise you're reading.
The story was engaging, along with everything else, not to mention the well-described scenes.
I found myself devouring the story every chance I got.
This was everything I could have hoped for

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Dutton for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!