[3.75/4] THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS is a dark, fantasy horror retelling of the Christmas-time classic The Nutcracker. Cursed by Drosselmeyer after their birth, Clara and Natasha are each other's foil. Everyone loves beautiful, perfect Clara whereas discerning, cynical Natasha rarely receives a second glance. On Christmas Eve, right before they turn 18, Drosselmeyer arrives with an enchanted Nutcracker, which gives them entry to the Kingdom of Sweets. When Natasha follows Clara and the Nutcracker into this magical world, her curse of darkness shows her a new truth. One dark bargain later with the Sugar Plum Fairy and Natasha slowly begins to unravel Drosselmeyer's true intentions.

Right away the atmospheric and intentional writing style grabbed my attention. Johansen carefully crafts each sentence with care, precisely communicating Natasha's thoughts. However, precision does not mean dry and Natasha's sole point of view is lightly poetic with a slightly detached observational air. I found this really lent to her portrayal of the more mature twin, with the caveat that there is no Clara POV, so true comparison is not possible. There were a few times I found myself tiring of Natasha's POV, but I reminded myself that she is not the product of a loving environment, so she has her own demons.

Though not clear from the start, which does not detract from the story, THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS occurs in Russia right before the Russian Revolution. The context clues come forward as Natasha's narration continues through time. This subtle use of history helps to ground the tale amidst the dark fantasy and horror elements as well as show Natasha's compassion for those of lesser means. It also lends an air of mystery that clarifies while Natasha unravels the enigma of her curse.

While I loved the writing style, I had a more difficult time grasping the magical reasoning behind the curse. It seems a bit hazy, whether done intentionally or not. This may perhaps be to my ignorance of the history of magical motifs or the folklore of fairies. Regardless, I still felt somewhat in the shadows about the meaning of everything by the end. However, other themes are more universally understood and easier to grasp. Perhaps the most evident message is one cannot know what someone is going through without an open dialogue. Contextual perceptions only serve one so far and everyone has their own personal struggles.

Overall, THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS is a darkly fresh take on a seasonal classic. This a unique selection for those who prefer a larger helping of horror with their fantasy. Elements of the original The Nutcracker story are present, but Johansen makes it her own in this atmospheric, psychological spin.

I have never read a retelling of The Nutcracker before, and the summary sounded so Gothic and creepy I just had to request it.

And the concept is really fascinating. I loved the idea of cursed twins being the center of Drosselmeyer's magic, and a Faustian bargain was so dramatic and enticing.

But this book really ended up disappointing me. The first half felt incredibly slow, and then the ending had so many time skips that just ended feeling anticlimactic and unresolved. The addition of real world historical context, to me, really didn't add anything to it. And I didn't particularly enjoy Natasha as a protagonist. The entire time, I didn't feel like rooting for her in any capacity, and I also was equally uninterested in seeing her get the justice she deserved or a redemption.

I wish I had enjoyed this more, and this will certainly be precisely the thing that someone else is looking for, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this arc.

Such an interesting story. Filled with twists and turns this will suck you in from start to finish. This is one story you will not want to miss

I have never seen the nutcracker, don't judge me! I was in the mood for something different this holiday season. Every holiday we read romance and second chances, but this was A MOOD!

The Kingdom of Sweets is beautifully written and captivating. Born on Christmas Eve, twin girls are both cursed and blessed on their christening by their godfather. 16 years later, Clara lives a life of charm and Natasha is outcasted. INSERT a magical nutcracker doll that takes both girls back in time to the Kingdom of Sweets!
The time between the 2 girls is so magical and heartwarming for the Christmas season. The plot was intriguing, but the characters were the prize of this story.

The whole story is atmospheric, lyrical, unique and fun. Themes of family, sisterhood, second changes, grief/loss, forgiveness and Christmas. The only thing I didn't like is that there is not a happy ending. OR at wish I was hoping for some kind of better resolution at the end.

Overall, wonderful would read another book by this author anytime of the year!

Personally, I prefer seasonal books have a sinister side and this new Nutcracker retelling fits the bill!

Twin sisters, Clara and Natasha, have been cursed by their godfather, Drosselmeyer. Clara is the be the light, charming and beautiful, while Natasha is the dark, unloved and ignored. One Christmas Eve, Natasha sees an opportunity for revenge when her godfather brings gifts for her family. A nutcracker for Clara and a demented clown for Natasha are among those gifts. Natasha soon discovers the nutcracker can open a hidden world known as the Kingdom of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy reigns and bears many gifts, but they all come at a price. Will Natasha embrace her dark destiny or will she choose the light?

The book loosely follows the story of the Nutcracker, but makes the Sugar Plum Fairy and Drosselmeyer villains. I loved that Johansen set the book in Russia during a time of much unrest and revolution, which we only discover the specific location later on. We see Natasha’s inner turmoil somewhat reflected in the real world around her. The world building and prose was excellent, and despite some parts of the story dragging a little, I really enjoyed the experience. I recommend this one if you are looking for a new take on a traditional classic.

Thank you @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the digital ARC!

A Dark Fantasy Based on the Nutcracker

Twins, Clara and Natasha, are born on Christmas Day. Droselmeyer, a magician, appoints himself their godfather. He declares that Clara is light, and Natasha is dark. In spit of Droselmeyer’s ploys to turn the girls against each other, they grow up close. Things come to a head on their seventeenth birthday. Natasha has had a passion of Conrad for years, but on this birthday it is announced that Clara will marry him.

One of Droselman’s gifts is a nutcracker that he gives to Clara which will allow her to enter the magical kingdom of sweets. Furious, Natasha follows her sister into the kingdom and meets the Sugar Plum fairy who is also full of secrets.

This is a dark retelling of the Nutcracker fantasy. The story is filled with greed and selfishness. I can’t say that I liked any of the characters. I felt sorry for Natasha always living in Clara’s shadow, but she didn’t rise to the height of a sympathetic character.

The plot is somewhat slowed by the author’s repetition of the girls’ background. For me it detracted from the story. The setting in the Kingdom of Sweets was marvelous. I thought the descriptions of the delights were the best part of the book.

Thanks for the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.

Full disclosure: I did not finish this book. I tried. I really did, but after three week of dipping into it, suffering through a handful of pages before setting it down, and then dreading picking it back up, I have to conclude the book is just not for me.

I love the premise, but the book just drags. All of the characters are despicable and while I don’t think a book has to have lovable characters, there needs to be someone to root for. There’s also a tone to the writing style that I can’t quite identify, but that rubs me the wrong way. I think if you are a fan of this author and her style, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this. As someone coming to this as a new reader, it misses the fantasy reimagining mark.

THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS caught my eye for being both a reimagining of the Nutcracker story and a new novel by Erika Johansen, author of The QUEEN OF THE TEARLING series. I loved that series, and the Nutcracker story is so timeless. I wanted to see what she does with it.

I finished the book last week, and I still don't know what I think. When I look at THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS as a sum of its parts, I enjoyed it. The pacing is quick, and the story is familiar enough to enjoy but unfamiliar enough to keep me on my toes. There's a good message about family and revenge.

Yet, when I try to think of the individual elements of THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS, I struggle to find something I like. Neither Clara nor Natasha are great characters. Drosselmeyer could be interesting, but we only see him through Natasha's eyes. The Sugar Plum Fairy could also be interesting, but she is too one-noted.

The story, while intriguing, is a bit of a mess. Honestly, I can't even begin to put into words what happened and why. It all just sort of happens, and you go with the flow while reading. The only part I remember is the end, when we finally get a sense of the historical time period in which the novel is set. There are bargains that are essentially bargains with the devil. We have terrible parents and even worse extended family. Every character is terrible. The whole story is grim. It is all very Russian.

I'm really glad that Ms. Johansen published another novel. It's the first thing she's put out into the world since 2021. Unfortunately, I cannot say I liked THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS. The best part was seeing how Ms. Johansen incorporated the Nutcracker ballet into the actual story. Unfortunately, even that only lasts the first quarter of the book. Engaging but forgettable is how I would describe it, with not a single redeeming character in the entire book, the main character included.

The Kingdom of Sweets is a beautifully written and immensely compelling novel. While the main characters may not be overly sympathetic, they are fascinating amidst all their flaws.

Born on Christmas, twins Natasha and Clara Stahlbaum are cursed and blessed on the day of their christening by their godfather, the sorcerer Drosselmeyer. Sixteen years later, Clara has grown beautiful and lives a life of ease and indulgence, while Natasha is viewed as plain and often ignored by those around her.

When the yearly celebration on Christmas Eve culminates in heartbreak and danger for Natasha, she is forced to confront her unspoken despair and resentment. A Christmas present from Drosselmeyer, a magical Nutcracker doll, unexpectedly transports Natasha and Clara into the wondrous Kingdom of Sweets.

The time spent by Natasha and Clara within The Kingdom of Sweets is probably my favorite part of the story. Initially and deceptively beautiful, the horrors of the realm and its ruler, “The Sugar Plum Fairy,” are described so richly that I was both captivated and disturbed.

While the plot was interesting, I found the characters to be my favorite part of The Kingdom of Sweets. While other reviewers have mentioned finding Natasha unsympathetic, her isolation, her pain at being seen as something less by others and the way that she compensated by burying herself in her books and claiming that her curse was the reason that she could see the dark “truths” of the world around her-as opposed to it being due to the effects of pessimism and years of emotional neglect-made her immensely relatable.

Natasha is raised by a mother who is wrapped up in a laudium addiction and the attention of mediums and by a greedy father whose focus is upon social climbing, whores and wasting money.

Starving for crumbs of affection and willing to accept them from the boy who refuses to publically claim her and believing that her relationship with her sister is better than it actually is, when everything comes to a head, the choice Natasha ends up making is understandable, though not justifiable.

While we aren’t given as deep a glimpse into Clara’s life as we are Natasha’s, we are able to witness the superficial and ultimately unfulfilling nature of her existence. Being beautiful and overindulged does little to prepare her for the grim realities that she inevitably encounters.

Of the two antagonists, Drosselmeyer is the least developed and also the least interesting. Setting the events of the novel in motion due to his own selfishness and contributing to Natasha’s dismal life made his eventual fate all the more fitting.

The mercurial Sugar Plum Fairy helps to manipulate a distraught Natasha into committing a terrible act and then continues to remain within the periphery of her life in order to fulfill her own goals. Her reason for desiring revenge against Drosselmeyer is one again understandable, though the methods she utilizes are reprehensible.

When the novel reaches its climax, the setting becomes less fantastic and more rooted in actual history. There was foreshadowing prior to the change, though one can also interpret it as while the characters grow and inhabit their lives, the potential for encountering the more fanciful aspects of the world inevitably fades.

Part of me did hope for a happier ending, but that would not have been true to the spirit of the story. Some wounds-and relationships-cannot be healed despite genuine regret or a desire for absolution.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton and Erika Johansen for providing me this eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Dutton for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"The Kingdom of Sweets" by Erika Johansen is a nutcraker retelling following two polar opposite sisters when one tries and they both get transported to a new world.

I would give "The Kingdom of Sweets" by Erika Johansen a 2-star review because, the concept is interesting but everything else fell short to me.

I loved Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker as a kid, and this book is an interesting take on that story. It's a dark retelling centering twins Natasha and Clara and how a "gift" from the sorcerer Drosselmeyer on Christmas Eve transports them to The Kingdom of Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The story is very whimsical and imaginative in a grim way. I loved the author's version of Sugar Plum Fairy, which was very unexpected in a good way. There are some compelling twists and turns in the story, but the plot feels a bit all over the place at times. There's some repetitiveness and some events and actions of characters are confusing. I felt that the ending wasn't the strongest and didn't fit with the atmosphere of the rest of the book.

Overall, I rate the book 3.25/5. It was an enjoyable experience and brought back the nostalgia of a childhood favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Dutton for the advanced reader's copy of this book.

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen
Pub date: November 28, 2023

A dark and twisted retelling of The Nutcracker, this is truly the dark to the light of The Nutcracker I know and love. Natasha is everything wrong while her sister, Clara, is everything right.

The Kingdom of Sweets is anything but. It is decaying under all it's finery and sweetness but what this story is truly about is the betrayal of one sister against another. The unfairness and failings that happen between those we love and those we envy, or maybe even those we resent. So much greed, jealousy, and vengeance!

The ending took me aback and I'm still mulling it around. I may go back and read the last few chapters again.

I absolutely love The Nutcracker and when I saw this dark retelling of a favorite, and just before the holidays – I could not resist. I’m over the moon that I was approved for this. This book was everything that I wanted in a dark retelling. The twin angle on this story was much more surprising than I initially thought it would be. Having Drosselmeyer in a villain type role was interesting – it gave him a Maleficent feel to me. His character did always lean towards mysterious, bordering on dark in the way he appears at the Christmas party – even in the children’s picture book I have.

"Was anyone ever content with the choices they made in youth? Perhaps not, or perhaps it had nothing to do with age. Perhaps we were all fools until life taught us better, showed us what had been before our eyes all along."

My only criticism about this book is that I believe it could have been shortened a little bit to keep the story from having some lulls. There were times that the story seemed to wander and get caught up in details that didn’t further the story. I was hoping to get more of a backstory on Drosselmeyer and am a little sad we didn’t get much of one.

"If asked, The Queen would no doubt have said that her land was honest, far more honest than ours. Yet I saw it differently, riddled with half-truths and untold secrets. Her version of honesty was like Conrad’s: self-serving, constantly in motion."

If you enjoy dark/gothic retellings, this book is for you (fans of the Winternight trilogy will probably enjoy this one) and I highly recommend it. I would like to thank Penguin Group – Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this dark and twisted retelling of The Nutcracker. All opinions contained within this review are my own. Rounded from 4.5 stars.

3.5 stars rounded up. In this dark, twisted reimagining of The Nutcracker, two cursed sisters are forced to reckon with their very different destinies one fateful Christmas Eve, in a Kingdom of Sweets with rot at its core.

When twins Natasha and Clara were born, their godfather Drosselmeyer, a devious sorcerer, used dark magic to influence the course of their lives. Clara, blessed with Light, lives a charmed life as the beautiful and favored daughter, while Natasha, cursed with Dark, is plain and largely ignored, her life a mere shadow cast by Clara's glow. (Why, in my head, did I picture the sisters as Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez?) But when Drosselmeyer brings Clara the gift of an enchanted Nutcracker on Christmas Eve and the sisters are transported to the magical Kingdom of Sweets, Natasha is given a glimpse of the dark power that could be hers, if only she is bold enough to claim it.

The Kingdom of Sweets is a novel inspired by The Nutcracker, rather than a straight retelling. Erika Johansen makes some bold choices early in the novel that send it on a much more sinister trajectory than the beloved Christmas ballet, taking readers down a dark and winding path and she weaves a gothic fairy tale of resentment, jealously, sexuality, betrayal, revenge, and redemption. This is a book about growing up, about outgrowing what we thought we wanted, about living with the consequences of our choices and actions, and about paying too high a price for too little a reward. It's magical, but it's grim.

Johansen's prose reminds me of the best Victorian novels: lyrical and layered and richly descriptive. This is one of those books with writing that utterly transports you to another time and place -- in this case, to the Kingdom of Sweets with all its saccharine delights and secret decay. And trust me, you've never seen a Sugar Plum Fairy like Johansen's before; the way Johansen changed her role for this novel was probably my favorite thing about it.

Natasha and Clara are complicated female characters, both straining against the confines of the time period in their own ways. Johansen seemed to keep them both a bit at arm's length, despite Natasha's first-person narration, which made it hard for me to connect with them. I don't mind unlikable characters, but I felt like I didn't have anyone to root for -- which would have been nice in a story this dark and fatalistic.

The Kingdom of Sweets isn't a book that's going to get you into the warm and fuzzy Christmas spirit -- but nevertheless, it's a perfect read for this time of year if you enjoy dark, atmospheric fairy tale retellings. Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

The Kingdom of Sweets is a reimagined dark fairy tale of The Nutcracker. I haven't seen The Nutcracker since my kid was a mouse in 2015 and the Nutcracker battled the Mouse King dressed as Darth Vader. I have a passing familiarity with the story, but not enough to be bothered by the way Johansen used the story to tell her own tale of two sisters.

Make no mistake, this is a dark fairy tale. The characters are fully fleshed out and all of them are terrible people with selfish reasons for their actions. The protagonist Natasha is the darkness to Clara's light. The two are twins that share a soul, and their godfather Drosselmeyer is a magician who wants to experiment with their abilities. When Drosselmeyer plots Natasha's death, she thwarts him and follows her sister to the magical Kingdom of Sweets. But all is not sweetness and light in this candy-coated Waste Land and Natasha is led to a terrible act that has repercussions for both girls.

Johansen weaves a spellbinding tale of magic, darkness, and selfishness against the backdrop of the turn of the 20th century. While I felt the setting was appropriate and I liked the use of a real time and place for the setting, the end felt like it was rushed and some of the reasons for actions taken by the characters felt like they weren't fully fleshed out. The ending does feel a little inconclusive, but it kept to the spirit of Johansen's tale. The use of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land for The Kingdom of Sweets was well done and while I haven't read Eliot's poem in a very long time, I didn't find fault with Johansen's interpretation.

Overall I really enjoyed this fast paced dark fairytale and would recommend it as a non-fitting tale for the season.

Thank you to Penguin Group and Netgalley for the arc for review purposes.

As soon as I read the description, I knew I wanted to read The Kingdom of Sweets! With rich, descriptive language and a dark twist on the story of the Nutcracker, Erika Johansen takes us on a journey to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, but beneath this land of sugar and candy, there is a dark secret.

So settle in, grab your favorite warm drink, and snuggle up in your coziest blanket. Cursed twins, a mysterious godfather, and a thirst for revenge make The Kingdom of Sweets the perfect book for reading by the fire and the light of the Christmas tree.

Read this if you like:
• Folklore/Dark Fantasy
• Retellings with a twist
• Christmas/Winter books that aren't romance

“What must it be like to have a life so easy that every problem should be resolved by simple wishing, by that meaningless word, sorry?”
-
The Queen of the Tearling was one of the books that got me back into reading on 2019. I had subscribed to a personal shopper program and they sent me random books. This was one of them. Love her books!
This is a haunting Nutcracker retelling. I was so absorbed by these two girls, twins, one the golden light and the other the dark mistreated one. Both blessed/cursed at birth by the town warlock.
The pretty one got everything and could do no wrong. The dark one, who was plain, was disregarded to please the other and was the other's shadow.
This got dark fast once they turned 17 and received a special supernatural gifts. A lesson in you don't always know someone and be careful what you wish for.
Though they were involved in something much bigger that they had no control over the scorned sister Natasha had hit her breaking point. The carefree selfish sister Clara had to learn fast and in the end their dreams of hea were different than reality.
This was set in Russia around Rasputin's time with a lot of uprisings and unrest. The nobility always look like petty cheap tyrants in hindsight.

Thank you penguin for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for a chance to read an arc copy.

Twins, Natasha and Clara, are bestowed with a different gift from their godfather, the mysterious sorcerer Drosselmeyer. Natasha has always been cursed to live in her sister's shadow, while Clara is the favorite in the family and their town. One fateful Christmas Eve night, Natasha has the opportunity to seek revenge and change the tide of her life. Through the use of the Nutcracker that Drosselmeyer gifts to Clara, both girls gain entry to a beautiful world, The Kingdom of Sweets. But this isn't the beautiful world the girls believed it to be when they first entered. The Sugar Plum Fairy presents Natasha with a gift to be more powerful than any sorcerer. However, all gifts come with a price in the Kingdom of Sweets as Natasha soon discovers.

This story had such a strong start with intrigue and mystery and brief moments of the Nutcracker ballet I love. It is a very dark story very loosely based on the Nutcracker. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to see it the same way again after reading this story. Though this book was just not for me there were many strengths: tension between the sisters, the events of the fateful Christmas Eve party, and the opening parts of the Kingdom of Sweets. Then it took a very unexpected dark turn, and then just fell flat. The first few acts were really action-packed, and then it just became monotonous. It ended with a few twists at the end, but it was a lot to sort through to get there.

Highly suggested for those who love dark fairytale retellings.

In this very dark retelling of the Nutcracker, twin sisters Natasha and Clara, have been cursed from birth as light and dark. Natasha, the dark sister, seems to be forever destined to live in the shadow of Clara. One Christmas Eve, they are transported to the Kingdom of Sweets where Clara spends the evening living out a fantasy. Natasha spends the night peeling back the veil on the mysterious land and learning some secrets that have been kept from her. The sisters then end up embroiled in a vicious cycle of envy and misery that sends ripples through their lives for many years. It was hard to see them fail to realize the weight of their choices until it was too late. I kept hoping they would turn things around and make different decisions, but their paths seemed doomed.

I picked up this book because I love retellings and the Nutcracker. While it was much darker than I expected, I appreciated the interesting twist on the tale. Natasha’s “informed” view of the world ensured that readers are fully aware of every flaw each character possessed, including her own. Her narration was an excellent guide in this tense story where no heroes would emerge.

I was really excited to get to this because I love dark retellings and had never read one about the Nutcracker. Alas, I feel like it missed the mark and would have been happier with a different ending.

We are following a set of twins who don't see eye to eye after being cursed by their mysterious "godfather." The setup had promised, but overall, it was a letdown. For starters, the setting is creepy,cold, and atmospheric, but we don't even know it's set in Russia until the end. The other world with "The Sugar Plum Fairy" was interesting, but I felt like we weren't really given enough description. I feel like the description was lacking due to the fact that we just kept jumping around until we eventually ended up in the climax of the story. After we repeated dark and light more times than I can count and reminded the reader that her "light sister" Clara is better and more loved.

At about the 50%-60% mark, we really start picking up steam as she discovers the mirror and finds the toy maker. At this point, I was 100% on board with the story and was excited to see how it would end, but when she chooses not to become the next "Sugar Plum Fairy," I was utterly disappointed. It was a perfect setup for a villain story.

Finally, why didn't we learn why her "godfather" left with "The Sugar Plums Fairies" son. We needed more backstory to sympathize with him along with Natasha towards the end. I also could have done without the historical additions. I felt it was unnecessary and kinda pulled you out of the story and the folklore vibe it has.

The creepy descriptions made me want this to lean more horror. I grimaced at parts and loved it. Johansen's writing is fast-paced and easy to binge. This book is a great transtion between fall and winter. If you want a book that's easy to read,dark themes, and features a HEA, this is for you.