As a dance in my past I was so excited to read this book, but was a little worried I'd get bored. I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but this story blew those expectations out of the water. Complex, dark, and twisty. I thoroughly enjoyed this new take on a classic story. I didn't really want to leave the world created by Erika Johansen and honestly wish this was set up as a series to go deeper into the magic systems and world that have been created. I do recommend this book, and I can't wait to read more by the author.

👴🏻 I am once again asking for half stars. 😅🙈

<b>2.5</b>⭐️ rounded up? I guess? This book was constantly saying so much without saying much. Sometimes overdone mysteriousness reads as lazy or uncreative. 🫢 So many motivations and mysteries were beyond flimsy, it made it really difficult to stay interested in the odd twists and turns this story took. Also. Why does dark/different than light, beautiful Clara have to mean ugly? Like. 😐 We’re still doing that?
I will disagree with some reviewers that found the twins flat at the beginning - that almost felt intentional to me, like an innocence vs. experience kind of thing, as both of them, especially Natasha, gain more compassion and understanding as they grow older. Took an awful long time to get there, it’s true, but they did get there. I appreciated Natasha realizing that she had wanted/accepted so little and that it was a huge problem for women in their time.
Lining the narrative up with what was going on historically in the second half mostly worked for me, though I can see some readers struggling with it if you don’t lean toward historical or aren’t interested in this time period. Lastly, and not terribly important, but as someone named Natali who loves Russian inspired stories, it bugged me that Natasha’s nickname was Nat and not Tasha.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton / Penguin Random House for an eARC of this book.</i>

The Kingdom of Sweets is a dark retelling of The Nutcracker where Clara and Natasha are cursed when they are born by their godfather, Drosselmeyer. One Christmas Eve, also the eve of their birthday, Natasha decides to take revenge.

Like many people, I grew up with The Nutcracker story and I was excited to read a dark version of it. I found the premise of the nutcracker that Drosselmeyer brings that fateful night to be a portal to The Kingdom of Sweets to be an interesting turn, and the plot that follows was well done. It held my interest for the 50% of the book. There is a part in the book that says something to the extent of "This is where the story should end, but it doesn't" and that's where it lost me. The last half of the book felt long to me. I felt like it could have been at least 100 pages shorter. I nearly put it down at one point. I pushed through and the ending redeemed the story for me.

It does have some pretty descriptive violent scenes included, so something to keep in mind.

Overall, I thought it was fine. It's definitely a different look at The Nutcracker.
Thank you Dutton Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This gothic nutcracker retelling got me out a book slump and has me wanting to read more from this author. This story follows Natasha a twin who has trouble living in her sister Clara’s shadow. Natasha is in love with her best friend that is until her sister Clara becomes pregnant forcing Clara to marry Natasha’s love to protect the secret. On Christmas though their uncle Drosselmeyer has other plans to open a door into another world the kingdom of sweets but things are not as innocent as they seem in this new world.

Retellings for me are really hit or miss and I am so happy I picked this one up. I loved the atmosphere and writing in this book it felt very descriptive and unique. My issue was there were times where the story felt a little slow but I still flew through this book. The characters in this book I enjoyed as well. I really hope to pick up some backlog for this author soon. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

A Dark Twist on the Nutcracker is the tale of twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against each other on one fateful Christmas Eve. Light and dark—this is the destiny placed upon Natasha and Clara, I enjoyed this book, the first time reading from this author Erika Johansen. If you like dark stories, this is for you, Thank you.

Actual rating: 3.5

I love Erika Johansen - her "Queen of the Tearling" series is one of my all-time favorites - but this book left a lot to be answered. I loved the main character, because in my opinion more female MCs need to be morally grey/anti-heroes/straight up villainous, and the world of the Sugar Plum Fairy was definitely fleshed out enough to be super creepy and frightening. However, since the book took place over many decades - most of their lifetimes, in fact - I felt there was too much left unsaid. For instance, Clara's "redemption," which we didn't see at all since it took place off-page. I didn't feel Clara deserved the ending she got; she was definitely an evil character, although of course not as out right as some of the other villains. This was a very unique retelling of the Nutcracker, and as usual the writing was fantastic.

If you came to this book expecting the strong heroine and the smart plotting of the Tearling trilogy, you will be disappointed. Nothing here is either smart or strong. The characters are cardboard, and the plot, other than the fantastical part cribbed from the Nutcracker, is so unoriginal that Jane Austen did it much better. Granted, I didn’t finish the book, but I did give it the first ten chapters. Unfortunately, not the book for me.

DNF @ 50%. Although the author’s prose is nice to read, there is simply too much going on here. I tried to keep pushing through to see if things eventually came together while suffering through 100% terrible and unlikable characters, but it never did. I couldn’t read anymore, unfortunately. I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t turn out to be what I expected. I hope the author will thoroughly go back to the story’s literal and cultural for any retelling done in the future.

Loved this twisty take on a classic. It made holiday reading extra fun. Felt nostalgic while also new and exciting!

This was a very compelling and dark take on The Nutcracker. It was filled with jealously, love, betrayal, and the unspeakable horrors people are capable of. I really enjoyed the exploration of forgiveness and whether humanity is capable of doing better for ourselves. I'm not sure everyone will appreciate this interpretation of the classic ballet, but I enjoyed

This more a modern and darker take on the Nutcracker, which I enjoyed! It is about twins Clara and Natasha, who was cursed at birth to basically be one light one dark,
or good versus evil, but it’s not as simple as that! I thought the story was interesting and full of twists with a fascinating world. It has a little bit of a sweet romance. Overall I enjoyed this book, it is a great winter read. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I was back and forth on the rating for this one. I like it more than my typical 3 stars, but I just don't think it's a 4 star. I'm going with a 3.5 rounded down because some details (such as the time between places and the overall special twin thing) had muddled explanations that I didn't really get.

The good - this held my attention the whole time, it was a fun twisted take on The Nutcracker, and it was not a type of retelling that I've read before. I really liked the dynamic between the sisters and I was actually happy when Clara got what was coming to her.

The bad (or the confusing) - I didn't completely understand the deal with Sugar Plum Fairy and her son, not why she was driven by vengeance. I mean, you're the Sugar Plum Fairy. How did you get that way? I guess I also expected more from Natasha in terms of her choices. She started off as a strong character and then became increasingly unlikable. I wanted to root for her and I was frustrated that I couldn't.

The best thing about this book was the dynamic between the sisters. It does seem like a book that would make a cool movie with a little more explanation for the parts that confused me.

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen is a dark retelling of The Nutcracker. The book follows two twin sisters Clara and Natasha who were cursed as babies by the mysteries Drosselmeyer. Clara was anointed "light" and Natasha as "dark." This affects their entire lives as they grow up and also how others (including their parents and society) treat them.

I enjoyed this story which felt like a great blend of the historical, fantasy, and horror genres. The story was dark and gritty and strange, which was at times confusing but also engrossing. Parts of the story did feel very holiday themed, and I enjoyed having a somewhat holiday-themed story that was not a cutesy romance. This book explores themes of greed, fate, and forgiveness.

If you enjoy fairytales and retellings, I would definitely give this one a try!

The Kingdom of Sweets is a dark twist on the classic Nutcracker story. It takes some of the familiar, nostalgic elements from the original Nutcracker tale and weaves them into a unique and compelling narrative about jealousy, greed, and family.

What I appreciate most about the Kingdom of Sweets is its commitment to being a dark retelling. Some elements feel really close to horror with the rotten land of sweets, the dark sugar plum fairy, and the haunting magic in the real world. This dark atmosphere creates a tense and engaging read.

Unfortunately, the story felt a bit inconsistent with its messaging. At times I thought it was going to be a villain origin story which would have worked very well. But then there would be half-hearted attempts to redeem Natasha. These attempted moments of growth were jarring and hollow because Natasha is a consistently awful person. Her “not like other girls” personality was grating and led to some girl-on-girl hate between the sisters that was really off-putting. Though these character traits are likely meant to make the characters complex and a bit unlikable I don't think they were always handled well.

Part of me thinks that The Kingdom of Sweets would have been stronger as a novella. The atmosphere and unique twist to the Nutcracker story were very engaging. But as Natasha’s character arc continued I became less and less interested in her story.

This is a *dark* retelling of The Nutcracker, but maybe not in the sense that you expect. I expected Clara to be a “good” character. She wasn’t, and I initially had a difficult time with that. However, I ended up finding the story really fascinating once I accepted the characterization of various characters as less than good.

<I>They did not trust me, our friends and neighbors, for they knew I knew them, and people don’t wish to be known. They needs their secrets, just as they need their illusions.”</I>

This story is told from the viewpoint of Clara’s dark twin, Natasha. Natasha is the dark to Clara’s light, but that doesn’t mean good vs. bad. Natasha is cursed to see the darkness or flaws in (almost) everything around her except herself. She seems to only acknowledge that she is ugly, but otherwise seems to think herself superior to those around her. This, I think, is what later makes her susceptible to the dangers of the Kingdom of Sweets. She is unable to acknowledge her own flaws, and quickly identifies with a dark creature with a dim view of humanity that encourages her to seek “justice.”

<I> Vengeance was a seductive idea, so beautiful in its symmetry that it seemed utterly necessary, almost a moral imperative, a path without turnings. But if it was symmetrical, that symmetry was undeniably empty, and with the rotten land stretching in all directions beneath my feet, I could feel the contours of that emptiness, almost taste it with my tongue… a ruined taste like that of ancient dust.” </i>

Natasha chooses to seek vengeance and calls it justice. She believes she has been wronged and makes a terrible choice while convincing herself she is simply making things right and getting what she deserves. She gets everything she thinks she ever wanted, only to find out that these things don’t really make her happy at all.

<I> That there is no revolution for man, not really. I have observed your kind since the dawning. They mean well. They wish to slay monsters. But murder begets murder, and so your heroes invariably become monsters themselves.</I>

We see this with Natasha and we see it happening in the world around her. This terrible, never-ending cycle occurs over and over, according to the ruler of the Kingdom of Sweets. Natasha tries to be better, but it doesn’t erase the horrible act that she committed. Yet, there is hope. She decides to end this cycle of vengeance and violence in her own story when given the chance. While it isn’t a fix-all. It is a start. She ultimately finds peace in forgiveness and from receiving forgiveness.

In the end, I did really like what she chose to do with the story even though I thought I wasn’t going to like it in the beginning. I didn’t like the way Clara was painted as empty-headed, foolish, and cruel. It took me a good bit of time to get past that. Once I did, I thought it was a really interesting story.

Thank-you to Netgalley, Erika Johansen, and Penguin Group for this free arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I heard that The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen was a retelling of The Nutcracker, I didn’t need to know anything else. I love the ballet and try to see it every year. I have a thriving collection of nutcrackers too, as you can see.

This book is inspired by The Nutcracker but I would never call it a retelling. All the characters are here: Clara, Drosselmeyer, the Nutcracker, and the Sugar Plum Fairy. But this story imagines Clara has a twin, Natasha, a dark antithesis to Clara’s beauty and privilege. The story only gets weirder and darker from there, as each of the familiar characters and places become something twisted or antagonistic. The author gets creative and explores some interesting ideas, especially about sisterhood. I’m not quite sure they all came together seamlessly but I did enjoy the story.

If you’re looking for a darker fairytale verging on light horror in the vein of King’s The Talisman, this one could be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the advanced reader copy.

The Kingdom of Sweets was released 11/28/23.

THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS is a darker re-imagining of THE NUTCRACKER tale brought to life by a ballet of the same name. Johansen brings into play the concept of twins decreed to be light and dark by their godfather, Drosselmeyer. This sets the tone for the whole story, but the path the author sends the reader down is anything but expected.

With hints of the original narrative in the beginning, Johansen quickly turns it on its head. There is a true darkness woven into this tale. The interaction of the characters, the underlying unrest of society, and the way the sisters are treated all bring in more of reality and a historical fiction feel. And yet, the whimsy, magic, and sorcery propels Clara and Natasha into a world they could never imagine.

If I am being honest, this book read as a young adult fantasy to me. I was expecting more layers and more depth to the civil unrest. It is in the last quarter of the book that this reader felt the author began to shine. All in all, this was a good book. It had the magic of THE NUTCRACKER but with a shadowy, sinister vibe.

Audiobook Note: Though Grace Gray was a wonderful narrator, she wasn’t able to save the beginning slowness of the story. When I went from print to audio, the book still came across as a young adult fantasy. However, as the tale became more interesting, the audiobook began to come alive.

While the premise of this book was promising, it ultimately fell flat for me and ended up being an incredibly frustrating book to slog through.

I love the idea of a Nutcracker retelling, but a lot of the meaning of the book was totally lost on me due to it's lack of fully fleshed out character and plot development.

This was a very interesting, modern and fantasy spin on the age old classic The Nutcracker. The story features twins, Clara and Natasha, who are cursed at a very young age by a rich man who is their Godfather and who runs their family's lives and livelihood due to his wealth and stature in their town. He is not a nice man, however, and the story takes quite a turn as the girls grow older.

Fairy tale, good and evil. Some parts reminded me of other tales. Twin sisters, divided by an evil magician into dark and light at birth Clara,, the light child was beautiful and spoiled with all she could want while her dark twin Natasha was all the opposite. It’s mostly the adventure of Natasha, starting with her love having to marry her sister and being expected to forgive her. Nat knows deep down Conrad would never choose her. Nat attempts to murder her sister upon an agreement with the evil Queen of Spades.