The description sparked my interest and I love giving indie books a chance. It was executed differently than I expected, I give the author props. It was an interesting read, not my favorite but interesting none the less. I have never read a story like this before but there was room for growth.

It is not often that I wish to see a book turned into a movie (why ruin a perfectly good book?) but this a book that more than deserves to dance the silver screen with all of the beautiful (and, in some instances, terrifying) imagery that Mrs. Wallwork paints within these pages.

This is retelling of the Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, with a smidge of Pied Piper added in. Clara is a pianist, like her late father, and thrilled to finally perform in the annual Christmas Concert... and impress Johan, the pianist she has admired for years. All of her carefully arranged music and plans change when a mysterious package is found underneath the Christmas tree: a Nutcracker with a book: Clara and the Nutcracker Prince. Clara is swept away into a fantasy land where rats are the size of wolves and (somewhat useless) fairies, and Nutcracker is determined to save his people and prove himself worthy of being Emperor.

There are militant nuns (who may or may not engage in somewhat illegal activity), a candy shop that becomes the center of a military operation, and an abundance of characters you can't help but fall in love with and root for.

A very nice Christmas read, enjoyed with apple cider and gingerbread, or anytime of year with a copious amount of chocolate.

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review*

I haven’t read the Nutcracker before now, but I have listened to Tchaikovsky’s epic piece and I can see exactly how that work inspired this one. The ENCHANTED SONATA is a beautiful, magical, surreal retelling of the classic.
I thoroughly enjoyed this work, and I’ll be watching for more work from Heather I’m the future!

I was so excited for this book! It’s the perfect read for the Christmas Holidays!
The world Wallwork immediately established was magical and intriguing. There is a sweet childishness to it and yet, at the same time, there is danger and adventure. That is a terrible explanation. But just read the book! Then perhaps you will understand.
The characters were colourful and dynamic. Clara began as a child who could only see her dreams of marrying the handsome and accomplished pianist Johann Kahler, but as the story progresses, she grows into a brave, kind, and sweet woman. The Nutcracker… I loved him. He was chivalrous, fearless, and gentle and had an adorable sense of humour. I really liked how the narrative switched between POV because this gave it a faint storybook feeling.
The plot was gripping and was paced really well. I didn’t find myself lagging behind trying to catch my breath or crawling along at a snail’s pace half asleep.
Now about Wallwork’s style of writing… How to describe it? The first word that comes to mind is warm. And then we could add magical and pleasant. She has a way of writing that pulls in a reader and places a charm upon them. Despite this, though, there were a few things that could be polished up. For example: “Their parents slept on, stirring a little for the draft from the open doors, but they did not stir.” There were also a few words missing here and there.
This book has flourishes of The Nutcracker (obviously), the Phantom of the Opera, the Pied Piper, and Beauty and the Beast. Maybe that’s just me making those connections, either way, I loved the spectrum of the plot.
Lastly, this was a clean read. The exclamations went something like, “Oh, cabbage!.” Or “He’s just a great pancake-head.” Honestly, I find that kind of cute…
I definitely recommend this novel! It was an enchanting read!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was utterly magical.

A retelling of the Nutcracker ballet, intertwined with the story of the Pied Piper, takes the form of a sensory-driven novel that pans out like a mystical movie in front of your eyes.

This novel is simply magic and music come to life.

Admittedly, I was unsure of this book going into it. My musical knowledge is weak, and I'm generally not the most intrigued by retellings. However, the vivid imagery pulled me in immediately.
I was, dare I say it, enchanted by this story.

The characters instantly are divine and charming, and the world building oh my goodness. I could not get enough. Easily the best story I've read all of 2018. I'm so blown away by this author's voice and descriptive language used throughout this book.

I really wanted to love this book. I love the Nutcracker ballet and the story of the Mouse King. I though the book was a bit childish. The msytery of the magic didn't excite me all that much. It would be a good book for a younger adult reader.

3.5 stars

This was an enchanting and magical book. Great to read during the holidays.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

THE ENCHANTED SONATA | ★★★★★

THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!!!!

Heather Dixon-Wallwork is my favorite author. Her books are few and far between, each taking four+ years between release, but are they worth the wait.

With The Enchanted Sonata, Mrs. Dixon Wallwork (she just got married! Yes I read her blog RELIGIOUSLY) she decided to go a different route than traditional publishing, which she’s been successful with, but would have added more long months to the release date. Instead, this time, she went indie.

And she’s SO talented. Lemme just talk a bit the physical book itself. I bought myself a copy before I got approved on Netgalley, so I read my copy. And IS IT BEAUTIFUL. The typography cover and art, the interior design, and all the formatting was done in THE WALLWORK-SHOP (omg I can’t imagine a better name for a workshop than the Wallworkshop). I’ve always been a huge fan of her artwork so having a full book with everything created by her was so special!

Now let’s move onto the actual book. It’s sooooo MAGICAL. A retelling of the Nutcracker about Clara Stahlbaum, a prodigy pianist who, on Christmas Eve, is scheduled to have her debut concert before her first love (who may or may not know her name) and her entire German city. But, that night, she comes home from rehearsal to find a mysterious, unmarked gift underneath her Christmas tree.

Lo, it holds a nutcracker! And a tiny book. The book describes a magical tale about a prince who’s kingdom is under attack from giant rats and all the children in the land have been put under a spell: they’ve been turned into toys. And the prince, the Empire’s only hope, has been turned into a nutcracker. The very nutcracker Clara holds in her hands.

Clara reads on through the night, and when the book stops–Clara is transported to the land she’s read about, where she finds herself in the nutcracker prince’s kingdom, facing a war between giant rats and a curse that must be broken with the thing that created it: music.

This whole book can be summed with one word: precious. The atmosphere is delicious; there’s a land of sweets in the luxurious candy shop, there’s beautiful onion dome palaces, and the whole land is sparkling white with snow and dripping with the music that Heather Dixon Wallwork so lovingly describes. The whole world is drenched in music notes and onomatopoeia and it’s practically alive and breathing. Everything is so lovingly crafted, every pretty word and bold description is just so voicey and delectable!

Clara is such a sweet main character, with all her flaws and her growth. She is suffering from the loss of her father two years prior and, as he was the one who introduced her to music, she uses music to fill the void he’s left behind. That, and the love of her life, Johann Kahler, a star musician at her conservatory. At least … she thinks he’s the love of her life. Right?

Which brings me to Prince Nikolai, our nutcracker. He is PRECIOUS. Protect him at all costs. Nikolai wants to serve his country as his late father, the beloved emperor, had when he was alive. But the curse on his people–and himself–is out to see that he never will. When he finds Clara, he finds hope that he’ll be able to save everyone.

There aren’t many Nutcracker retellings out there and the few I’ve read have been severely underwhelming. However, The Enchanted Sonata is of a decidedly different category. Heather Dixon Wallwork’s writing gift lies intertwined with retellings. She crafts magical stories with a glittering, tangible soul. As a person who adores retellings, I can say for certain that she is the master. If you’re looking for a story to get you in the Christmas spirit, this is the book for you!

The Enchanted Sonata is a fantastical YA retelling of The Nutcracker mashed up with The Pied Piper. This is a fun read for the holiday season as Clara finds herself in another world on Christmas Eve. The story hits all the right notes with a prince turned into a nutcracker, an army of giant rats, and a magical world of sweets. I liked the way that music was part of the story and how that led into a version of The Pied Piper. The world building is excellent, and the romance is sweet. I'm happy to have received a copy from NetGalley, and recommend this to fans of YA fantasy.

This was a delightful retelling of the Nutcracker! I just loved it. It was so vivid and such a fun romp through the Nutcracker world. The characters were well developed and so likable. I was rooting for Clara and the Nutcracker from the start. A sweet confection and one I will be revisiting during future Christmases. Would highly recommend!

What is it?

“The Enchanted Sonata”is a musical retelling of the classic Nutcracker story with a cameo from The Pied Piper.

Subject

Clara is a young girl who is also a brilliant pianist. She has composed a special piece for the Christmas concert and has been dreaming of how she will end up with the man of her dreams by the end of it. However, her plans are ruined when she receives a magical book and a nutcracker just the night before the concert, and is transported to a magical land where she is the only person who can save the city from an evil magician who has turned all the children into toys with his music.
This is a story about loss of loved ones, the feeling of wanting revenge and how much it affects our lives, music and -most importantly- love. The characters are well-realised and they make you care about them. Description of the winter scenes along with another sensory elements like gingerbread smells and chocolate adds to the festivity of the story.

Overall [♥♥♥/♥♥♥♥♥]

First of all, i loved the idea of music being magical in a literal sense. The story did not disappoint when it comes to making the reader feel warm inside and giving all the christmassy feels we all love and want. However, there were some things that made me question why i was trying to finish the book…
The things with retellings is that you should have something different, something new to offer to the reader. I didn’t really get that from this story. Everything was predictable and the writing-style with the added musical parts were not enough to keep my attention. The other thing that bothered me the most was the portrayal of the Nutcracker. I know that there needed to be something more than just a piece of wood but the way Clara “appreciated” some physical attributes of the Nutcracker was just disturbing.
I also had a problem with the way Clara was in love with Johann (the pianist she wanted to marry) but with the story progressing Nutcracker started making the same remarks i had about this not-healthy relationship, so i guess it was okay at the end. My favourite was Erik Zolokov, the magician who had turned all the kids to toys and sent the whole city into chaos. He was mysterious, charming in a way most villains tend to be and just interesting. He and his story might have been the most interesting part of this retelling.

My biggest concern however, is this embedded gender-segregation throughout the whole book. The way women characters acted around men, the language being used (describing the colour of Clara’s dress as “feminine blue”, using the adjective “masculine” to talk about the auras’ of the soldiers, etc) I don’t know if this was a conscious decision or not but it bothered me a lot.

✧♬✧♬✧♬✧

So in the end, i have mix feelings towards this book. The pacing of the story is not that fast and it can feel dull at points, however the last few chapters are thrilling and heart-warming. If you are looking for a light-hearted holiday read, especially for a younger audience, this book will do the job. And in the end, isn’t the holidays all about feeling good? (∪ ◡ ∪)

I honestly had so much fun reading this book! It was so whimsical and the perfect read for around Christmas time. I read this within a day, because I was so entertained that I almost couldn't stop reading. It was so cute!

What a great magical tale. Ideal for this time of year. It's wintery and heartwarming. The writing is rich with descriptions, and you can really enjoy the story as if you were there.

The Enchanted Sonata is the Pied Piper/Nutcracker mashup-retelling (with a sprinkling of Phantom of the Opera) that you never knew you needed! It’s a lyrical, magical tale that’s perfect for Christmas.

I loved this book so much I stayed up til midnight to finish it – and if you know how much I like my sleep, that is really saying something. The Nutcracker’s never been one of my favourite stories, but I really really loved the way that it was made fresh here – this is definitely a story you can read without needing to know any of the background as it hangs together as its own story perfectly. There’s a real sense of magic in the story that sweeps you along – I smiled at the various references, but never felt that they detracted from the originality of this story.

There are a few bizarre sentences scattered throughout the book, and I’m not sure if these were just errors, or meant for effect. But the occasional jarring (/nonsensical!) sentence actually highlighted for me how flowing the rest of the prose was. Our main character, Clara, has devoted her life to the piano, and music forms the basic of the Pied Piper character’s magic – well, reading this felt like listening to a sweeping piece of music. The scenery, especially the snowy scenes and those in the amazing chocolate house Polichinelle’s, is gorgeously drawn, which makes it easy to lose yourself in the story. This is a very visual book, and it feels like an old-fashioned fairytale.

I loved the device of the book within a book – at the beginning of the story, Clara receives a nutcracker toy and a storybook from an unknown person, and begins to read about Prince Nikolai, only to find herself thrown into the story! This meant that we got a great look at Nikolai’s character before he was transformed, and made him a lot more sympathetic than an eight-foot wooden soldier could have been. This also allows Clara some wonderful moments of bafflement at the world which she has fallen into – I found this really amusing. I loved her horror at the size of the rats, and her reaction to the badass nuns – oh, and her awe at the chocolates available at Polichinelle’s! It just felt really magical. Erik, the Piper character, was a proper fairytale villain, but I was fascinated to find out more about his background. I loved the nod to the Phantom, with him living in the bowels of the Opera House.

I don’t really know how to describe how utterly magical this felt while reading it. It felt like the book equivalent of sitting down in front of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty as an adult – a rich visual experience tinged with nostalgia and fairy magic and a little bit of amusement at the naivete of fairy tale characters. It made me go ‘aww’ out loud at two points towards the end, and well, any book worth losing sleep over must be very good indeed! If you’re looking for a magical, musical winter read, then The Enchanted Sonata is a must. Five out of five cats.

I'm an avid reader of fairy-tale retellings and this book has blown me away! This is the first Heather Wallwork book I've read, but now i'm putting all her books on my tbr!!! Since I read the synopsis to the book I knew I had to have it and boy let me tell you that this was no disappointment. 

This book was marvelously written and was chocked full of magic and wonder! The main character was so beautifully written and i loved watching her grow as a person to see what she wants versus living to fill an obligation. You see her get swept away and learn to make choices for herself and learn what it is to truly grown up stand up in the face of adversity and how one can save themselves.

The way Heather wrote about music is this novel was absolutely captivating. Never before has someone written about music with such magic and realism that it could take my breath away and floor me. 

The Pied Piper and The Nutcracker retelling tied so well together. Heather was elegant and how she melded two beloved classics together. I absolutely loved the characters in this novel. Even our main villain is one I loved to hate but ended up loving when I got this backstory! And of course our dashing hero had me swooning! Sure there is a little instalove but what YA isn't these days? I mean this book was perfect and made for the best Christmas read!!!!

This book contains all the best elements for a successful fairy tale. An untested hero, an unwitting heroine, a mystical land with fickle fairies, creepy beasts, dark magic, and a hateful nemesis. Throw in a confection or two, stir in a some elements of several well known stories, raise the tension a notch or three, and you have the perfect way to spend a few hours with a cup of cocoa, freshly baked cookies, and a thought to be pondered “What makes music .....magic?” Listening to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite while you float away to the Waltz of the Snowflakes, Waltz of the Flowers and the Dance of the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy may be the inspiration needed.

A very special story. My time was well spent in the land of Imperia.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon for a copy.

3.5 stars.

In this loose retelling of The Pied Piper and The Nutcracker, pianist Clara is pulled into another world that's been enchanted by an evil musician. Along with the prince (Nutcracker), she embarks on a quest to undo the spell, save the kingdom -- and hopefully get home in time for an all-important concert in the "real" world.

I picked this story up craving something light and wintry for the season, and in that sense it completely delivered. The setting, characters, and tensions were engaging -- enough that, even while I was annoyed by some narrative choices, I still wanted to keep reading. I found Clara charming and the Nutcracker sympathetic.

In the past (with Entwined) I've found it a little hard to place Heather Dixon Wallwork's work. Bits of it seem a little mature for middle grade, but the depth characters and content is kept very light. I think that, as a middle grade reader, I would have enjoyed this book and seen little wrong with it. A more mature reader might feel a bit talked down to, though: The number of flashbacks and use of the fairy book all seemed to be a device to make sure the reader absolutely could not miss any information, while also giving the characters easy answers to the various mysteries in the story. So much of the intrigue in the plot was answered by a flashback or a chapter in the magical book, when it would have been much more engaging had the characters used more agency to claim their answers/resolutions. At least, that was how I felt.

(I also was not invested in the side plots, including a side romance... at all. Sad to say. In the end, the amount of happy endings pushed the story past cute into a dangerously sweet zone. Which, perhaps, is fitting, given the setting.)

All this said -- I still enjoyed the story, and it kept me reading. I'd recommend this to younger readers, especially those interested in music or fairytales.

I was given a free copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

he Nutcracker and The Pied Piper are two of my favourite stories, and when I saw that they had come together in The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork, I was thrilled. This book is fast-paced, and it contains a cast of characters who are each well developed. A perfect holiday read.

What a truly enchanting book.
I was completely swept away by this story. Its a beautiful tale with elements of
fairy tales such as the Pied piper, Nutcracker and Christmas Carol.

Clara is a very talented Pianist and her talent takes her to places she never could even dream of. Even if she does have her future completely planned out in her head. This take follows her and how she meets the Nutcracker prince and with the adventures they go through finds out that the future cannot always be planned.

Heather Dixon Wallwork's writing is truly beautiful; it hold a musical flair in itself and I felt that I was being played an intricate piece of music throughout the book.

A perfect Holiday read!

3.75 - 4 Stars - First thing to know. I am obsessed with The Nutcracker. When this book came out, I knew that I needed to read it! I loved how the tale was reshaped into a story of a young ruler trying to save his kingdom, and a young pianist finding her talent. I thought that the world was extremely vivid. I liked to imagine this fairy tale land filled with snow, candy, and glass-spired buildings. While I am never super fond of killing off creatures that aren't sentient, they did seem to have quite the (massive-sized) rat infestation, and the lead villain was relatively interesting. I was impressed by the magic of music in this book, and the author's knowledge of music and composition. My favorite thing about this book was probably being swept up in the world and beautiful descriptions. I didn't like that Clara's motivation for a lot of the book was her love interest, but at least she grew, acknowledged it, and it became healthier at the end.