I’ll admit that I don’t know much about <i>The Nutcracker</i> other than it’s about, well, a nutcracker. However, <u>The Enchanted Sonata</u> sounded very interesting so I figured why not.

This wasn’t a bad book. It was actually really good, albeit very slow. I found myself skipping pages at a time and not missing a thing. There was <b>a lot</b> of world building, which isn’t always a bad thing. Just some of it could’ve been taken down a notch.

For example: the Nutcracker was described as wooden many, many times. His wooden hand. Wasn’t necessary!

If you’re really into music and the “magic” that music can bring, then I think this is perfect. It’s a cute magical story of believing and following your heart. Probably would’ve been even nicer to read during the winter season, too.

Such a magical re-telling of the Nutcracker, with a sprinkling of the Pied Piper. Heater’s writing is so vivid, it easily transports you to the world along side Clara.

Really enjoyed traversing the world, the battles were intense, and music being magic was so beautiful.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

A review of this title is avaliable through Goodreads - and later through my blog. The Goodreads link is available below!

I was so excited for this book because I adore The Nutcracker, but it’s safe to say I wasn’t very enchanted. I loved the world in which this was set, but that was probably the only magical thing about it. The characters were bland and I was bored throughout most of the book. It might be more appealing to a younger reader, but this one wasn’t for me.

The Enchanted Sonata was very lyrical and is a perfect book for wintertime. The nutcracker is one of my favorite ballets and Heather did a great job capturing it in a book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I really enjoyed this Nutcracker retelling. Especially the musical elements that Wallwork incorporates into her writing. I enjoyed the world but found that certain parts of the story dragged a little for me.

Overall, I would recommend picking up this retelling!

Fans of the ballet and Hoffman’s original tale will love this enchanting retelling of the
Nutcracker. With its beautiful prose, gorgeous descriptions, endearing characters and just the
right dash of budding romance, the Enchanted Sonata is one of those books that stay with you
long after you’ve put it down. Clara and the Nutcracker are amazing characters and it’s a
delight to read about their adventures as they make their way through the magical realms of
the Nutcracker’s world to try to break the curse that has swept over it. A grand adventure, a
love story, a magical curse and lots and lots of beautiful descriptions of music and candy…
This book has everything a fan of the Nutcracker could dream of, plus a plot twist or two. I
can’t recommend this book enough.

Heather Dixon is one of those unique writers who can capture a scene so vividly, you find yourself on the edge of your seat, gripping the book as the only leverage to keep you in reality, while you stand with the characters in a moment of unnerving tension, waiting for the worst - then one of the characters drops a one liner and you’re rocking in your chair, roaring with laughter.

I devoured this book in one day. One of the best reimaginings I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I love that Dixon chooses unusual and lesser thought of stories to bring into a new light. This is no different. Fans of the original Hoffman story and Tchaikovsky’s ballet will be delighted with it!

My thanks to NetGalley and Heather Dixon Wallwork for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

This was such a cute retailing of the Nutcracker. I really enjoyed this. It was very fast read and the author did a great job setting the world. You fall in love with the writing . I highly suggest this book. Great magical elements.

After a slow start when I almost put the book down many times for the amount of music information that makes little sense, at least to me, The Enchanted Sonata pick up and I can say is one of the best books of the year. The author does not force the relationship from the characters and convince us they have a reason for falling in love, hate, and every other emotion in line, something lacking in so many new books. The images from the nutcracker realm are not only striking and whimsical but make you wish to know the place, and, maybe, even stay there. That was so much better than the movie with the same principle in the movies at the same time. I hope to read more of this author.

DNF at 40%. I kept trying to pick it up and keep reading but it was just so slow moving and the writing style, while there was nothing inherently wrong with it, it just didn't feel right me. Don't take this off of your TBR just because of my thoughts on it. This book is definitely going to appeal to a lot of people.

Great retelling of the Nutcracker! The characters and world was well developed, the story had a good pace and kept me wanting to come back for more. The Nutcracker isn't my favorite story, but this story was fantastic! I hope Heather Dixon Wallwork does more retellings

I started learning how to play the piano when I was 6 years old. Sure, initially it was more of a chore than anything else but quickly it became something of an outlet. I loved creating something beautiful that way, so when I saw The Enchanted Sonata I was immediately drawn to it. Music, fairies and an enchanted empire? Sign me up! Thanks to Amazon and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Enchanted Sonata brings together a variety of different themes, stories and influences. Two main stories form the inspiration for Wallwork's novel and those are The Nutcracker and The Pied Piper. However, these two originate in their own way from the German tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. These stories provide inspiration for most of the plot and much of the characterization. This makes something of an adaptation out of The Enchanted Sonata, but since many people won't be familiar with the original tale, there is still much in the novel that will surprise the reader. (I also saw some notes of The Phantom of the Opera in parts of the novel, and especially in some of its characterization.) At the very heart of The Enchanted Sonata is music. It moves the plot forward, it wraps itself around the characters, but it is also in the very way Wallwork writes. The way she describes music is the very best thing about this book. I think that anyone with some experience in music will fall in love with The Enchanted Sonata for that alone, the clear reverence and adoration with which the book treats music.



As I said above, I adored the way Wallwork writes about music in The Enchanted Sonata. It is where she excels, alongside her descriptions of the landscape. All of the novel seems set inside a snow globe, a perfectly adorable, cozy and wintery landscape full of snow-topped pines, candy factories and imperial palaces. It was a perfect winter read, in that sense, purely because of its setting. However, there are a few things in The Enchanted Sonata that feel amateur-ish. Much of the characterization is flat. Clara was an okay main character but her motivation, her "perfectly planned future", are slightly ridiculous and I almost found myself offended on her behalf. The dialogue is sometimes oddly modern or childish, which doesn't fit with the fairy tale-esque backdrop. The writing in general could have done with some heavy editing since some sentences didn't really make any sense. These things would often take me out of the narrative and led to some frustration, but even despite them I did adore the atmosphere of The Enchanted Sonata and couldn't help but keep reading.

I did like The Enchanted Sonata, even if it's severely flawed in certain aspects. However, it has a lovely atmosphere and makes for a perfect little winter read that doesn't require too much from you, except some patience here or there.

This was the book I needed in winter. It's exactly the kind of book you'd want to cuddle up with, with some warm tea and a fire.

It was refreshing to read a book that not many people have written about. I really enjoyed this book.

If you are looking for the perfect dash of wonder during the Christmas season, «The Enchanted Sonata» will be just that. It combines the best features of a fairy tale, music and the belief that anything magical can happen during Christmas time.

Clara Stalbaum, daughter of the renowned pianist, cannot imagine her life without music. And also, without Johann Kahler, a handsome pianist Clara has been dreaming about. She has it all planned. She even created her new piece as a tribute to him, and when he hears it, he won’t be able to resist the charm of her music.

But fate has prepared a different path for Clara.

Taken to the magical world of enchanted kingdoms, fairies, princes and delicious chocolates, Clara has to make difficult choices that will change her life forever.

Infused with lyrical writing, «The Enchanted Sonata» is a perfect feel-good Nutcracker retelling that will put you right into the Christmas mood.

It was a very warm story that left the feeling of the fairytale, crackling fire, and first snow. But it was far from a perfect book. The writing was awkward, there were a lot of repeated words, silly comparisons and just clumsily constructed sentences. Maybe my copy didn’t go through the last edits, but I really hope that the editors took their time on the final version of this book.

2.5/5 stars

At first I enjoyed the beginning of this story, but it became a little bit fanciful to me. I thought there wasn't much development of the characters and that they seemed two-dimensional at times. The idea was interesting, but execution was lacking for me.

I'm sad. This wasn't that great, and most of the time I was really bored. After a while I was just not interested in it and I felt that it wasn't what I had hoped it would be. In the beginning I was confused about it and couldn't figure out the time line and such. I think since I love the Nutcracker I had my expectations high for this novel, and in the end that is what made this not that enjoyable for me. The writing was good, but the storyline wasn't what I hoped it could be.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy.

I picked this ARC because of the stunning cover and it was well-written retelling. I will be checking out more from this author in the future!