The 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. I especially enjoyed the writing style and descriptions of music. I would definitely recommend this book for the holiday season, even if you are unfamiliar with the two original stories.

This book is a cross between The Nutcracker and The Pied Piper, and it tells the story of a girl who must reverse the spells of an evil magician who has turned everyone into toys. At first, I wasn’t sure how the two stories would fit together, but it actually makes perfect sense, and the stories work well. This book is action packed as Clara works to save the kingdom under time constraints, and I loved the musical aspects throughout. This is the perfect book for the winter season.

In The Enchanted Sonata, the reader is exposed to a variety of different perspectives which help to develop each character. I enjoyed getting to follow along everyone’s journey, especially Clara’s. What I appreciated were the bits of backstory for the villain which clearly outline his motives. It makes the story so much more engaging as well as believable. It is not always that we are provided with an origin story, so I was happy to see one in this book.

One of my favourite aspects of the story is the writing style. As music plays a big part in the story, there are many descriptions of music that are so breathtaking. It is easy to see the author’s passion for music with each note played. The beautiful writing is not just limited to music however, the setting and the characters are also vividly described. This makes the book come to life, and it is easy to get lost in the pages.

The Enchanted Sonata is a spectacular retelling of two of my favourite stories. The characters are well developed, and the writing style is very descriptive. I would definitely recommend this book, not only to YA readers, but to some middle grade readers as well. It is perfect for a holiday reading list.

*Thank you to Ms. Katie Schnack of Smith Publicity (via NetGalley) for approving my request to read this eARC, in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler-free review. Every thoughts, feelings, and opinions about this review is solely MINE. *

​This novel tells about the story of Clara, a musician who dream to successful just like her handsome pianist crush, Johann Kahler. On the eve of christmas, she received a mysterious gift that ultimately leads her into a magical adventure.

I have read so many retellings and this is one of those that really hit my bookworm heart; two retelling: The Nutcracker and Pied Piper are blended so beautifully. I love how the author describe both Clara and Prince Nikolai's worlds; and how the villain was so cunning that I have to curse him while reading. I like the pacing of the novel, definitely hard to put it down as page after page are full of adventures that I completely submerged into that world. The atmosphere throughout the entire story is so perfect for this christmas season.

There are a few things that I find a bit off while reading. Though I like the pacing of the novel, I find that there are some scenes that I feel flat. Also since this is a retelling, it is obvious that the story will be predictable. I only wish that it will go deeper, explore more about the magic or enchantment, and of the characters (more).
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
This is a retelling of 2 tales set somewhere in Russia; so perfect for those who are looking for a light, christmas-y read.

This was an amazing read. I couldn't put it down. I was absorbed by the characters. This is my new favorite telling of Nutcracker. A fantastic read especially for this time of year.

A very magical story that’s perfect to read during Christmas time.

A really fun and heartwarming retelling of The Nutcracker, with adorable characters. I adored reading the backstory of the villain and the relationship that blossomed between the Nutcracker and Clara. I also really enjoyed how the story centred around music, and oh my all the descriptions of the delicious chocolates gave me something major cravings after!

I will start by saying I wanted to read this because of the author. Heather Dixon Wallwork (formerly published as Heather Dixon) wrote one of my favorite books, Entwined, so when I heard she had written a new book, I was all over it! I didn't even care what it was about, but the description of "a retelling of The Nutcracker Ballet with a dash of The Pied Piper" had me intrigued! I enjoy any sort of retelling, so I had to see what Mrs. Wallwork would do to enhance these tales and make them unique! Let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. This is going on my reread shelf as well as on my list of favorites.

Clara is a talented pianist ready to perform in the conservatory's Christmas concert and jumpstart the future she has dreamed of for years, but something remarkable happens on Christmas Eve. She is drawn into the story of a prince and his kingdom cursed by an evil magician, and without realizing it, she has been given a role to play.

This story is magical. The places, the people - I was entranced by the wonder of it all. I want to go to Polichinelle's candy emporium and visit the Abbey of the Indomitable Sisters. I loved Nutcracker's little quirks and spirit, and Clara's growth as a person.

I recommend this to everyone who wants to experience a little magic in their lives, as well as lovers of fairytales, retellings, and romance alike. It's the perfect read for the Christmas and winter season!

This book was such a joy to read. It was so much fun and I loved the mixture of The Nutcracker and The Pied Piper. The main characters were great and kind. I loved watching them grow throughout the novel. It is such a great winter read. It made me even more excited about the holiday season. The plot of this story was fantastic. It was filled with adventure and character development. I loved every single word of this book. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

A Nutcracker retelling, mixed with influences from other beloved fairy tales, The Enchanted Sonata was a story with a very promising concept. However, the whole book was so badly edited, that it made it impossible to read pleasantly.

Much of the storytelling didn't even use proper English. Flow and correct language is important to a book. Unfortunately, The Enchanted Sonata failed to captivate my attention and tired me out.

Before picking up this book I knew basically nothing about The Nutcracker or Pied Piper. I was almost ashamed at knowing nothing about them, so when I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I had to read it.

The Enchanted Sonata is a wonderful story about music, magic, and being true to yourself. The book starts off with Clara preparing for her upcoming piano concert. She’s trained all her life for this exact moment, and she is ready to share her own music with the world. The night before the show, Clara and her family exchange Christmas gifts and among the gifts is a story book. Neither Clara, nor her mother or little brother know where the book came from, but they feel compelled to read the story. Along with the book came a nutcracker, that seemed to be the main character of the book. As Clara discovers the story of the nutcracker, she gets transported into Nutcracker’s world, a mystical land where rats are as big as horses, fairies exist and music has strong magical powers.

I really loved the way this book started. I’m always fascinated by stories within stories, and this happens a few times during this book, where the flow of the main plot is interrupted by a new story. I wasn't sure at first about the author's choice to put two different fairy tales together, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well they went together.

Both Clara and Prince Nikolai embark on the journey of a lifetime, and each has their own lessons to learn from the experience. While Nikolai learns to stand up for himself and put all of his knowledge to use and not allow his uncle to make all of the decisions for him, Clara learns to see people for what they really are. There's this beautiful scene on a train between Clara and Nikolai where he tells her what he thinks about her crush on a famous pianist that most likely doesn't even know she exists. And while that statement made Clara mad and it hurts her, it's also her wake-up call, because she starts to question her feelings, how real they are, and if they're really about the pianist or about something else entirely. Clara in turn helps Nikolai become the worthy ruler he hopes to be, someone worthy of the title he stands to inherit.

We also get to learn about this mysterious person set on hurting Prince Nikolai, what drives him, what made him compose this music with such big, evil powers. I love the fact that we get to see his point of view, because it kinda made me understand why he was doing all of those things. He needed someone to blame, and Prince Nikolai was, unfortunately, the perfect target.

The book has a very cinematic feel, and I am hoping that someone discovers it and turns it into a movie. The atmosphere was just perfect for the holiday season, and the author did a great job at building the world of Imperia. The book is basically a love story to music, the power that music has over us. Music is everywhere, and although it may not have the power to turn people into toys, it impacts people in so many ways.

There's also a little love story thrown in there, and I thought it was super sweet. The only thing I wished was a little bit different was the ending. It seemed a little bit rushed, compared to the tone and pacing of the rest of the book.

All in all, I really loved this story and I truly recommend it to you guys, especially during the holiday season. It's the perfect book to start off the holiday reading, if you ask me. I will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

It’s a fairytale retelling you didn’t know you needed.
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W hen the flute played that night, only the children could hear it.
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A quirky, incredible, amusingly twisted The Pied Piper of Hamelin and The Nutcracker retelling, following the perspectives of the Emperor of a dreamlike land, an outsider whisked away from her home and of course the piper …with way too many toys and nutcrackers scattered about.



The story sets off with a talented pianist, whose world revolves around pianos and concerts. & certainly not being landed right into a frivolous, magical but deep in mayhem kingdom. Every child in the land has been turned to toys and every soldier a Nutcracker, by an oddly smiling man who appears with a flute. Kingdom in chaos and the royal guard stack of nutcrackers, Clara with a Princely nutcracker at her side fight their way through to undo the curse, get back home, her big show and have her happily ever after…nut things get more tangled up than she can imagine.

This was such an entertaining read, I didn’t expect it to be so adventure filled, humorous, and a fulfilling story.
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“You hwill follow me!” You did not disobey someone who added h’s to their w’s.
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The world is ridiculous, magical, carrying the fairy tallish tones of description while keeping it relevant with the dilemmas characters face in the book. The resolutions the characters try to find are both plausible and bizarre, so it never really loses touch of being an outlandish land real life quandaries.

Each characters has their own quirks, even though the gloomy atmosphere it doesn’t fail to keep it amusing.



Clara is confused…but she can’t turn down her chance to help upright this alien world, after all she wasn’t alone. I enjoyed the banter between Clara and the Nutcracker, it portrayed both youth and maturity of the characters; Nutcrackers awkwardness and Clara’s bewilderment as their friendship blossomed and how both got to unveil much more of their own potential all in the process of breaking the curse.
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“Do you know that feeling,” he said, “when you stick your finger in your ear, and wiggle it around a bit?”“Um,” said Clara. “It feels a lot like that.” Clara decided to be silent for a while.

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There’s the right amount of action, you get adequate share of Clara’s girly moments with the Nutcracker’s moments of fear of failing and not bwing good enough. and how they grow as the story progrssed.

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the sweetness of a fairy-touched romance reminded her of Johann, and his beautiful music. It wouldn’t be long now. “You’re a romantic, Miss Clara?”
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He just needed a chance. Something to prove he could be a good emperor. He needed to... to lead a battle charge...or join the regiments on the southern border or... or something.
--

We even get to see the side characters growth too without it feeling detached or surplus to the story. …I thoroughly enjoyed all of this.

Ive come across this authors books previously and never really got around to pick any of them up, but now Im looking forward to seeing more of her work,

I think I owe The Enchanted Sonata all the credit for getting me into the Christmas mood this year. I’m usually somewhat of a Grinch who wants to love Christmas, but just can’t. I think that might be due to the lack of Christmas books in genres I love to read (hit me up if you have any Christmas book recs), but all that has changed this year thanks to this beautiful Nutcracker retelling. I managed to read this one in a few days, and it kept me interested the entire time. The Enchanted Sonata even got me into the most Northern Christmas mood I’ve ever been in, unfortunately now I really want a winter Christmas.

One of the key reasons I requested this book was because it is a Nutcracker retelling, and I love the Nutcracker. Thankfully, The Enchanted Sonata is very faithful to the story that I know, so it was well and truly a delight to read. Of course, it’s not just a rehashing of the story, the inclusion of a little Pied Piper retelling made the plot very intriguing. Though I did find it slightly predictable, I never found it boring, and I was always excited to continue on when I picked it up every night.

Another thing I really loved about The Enchanted Sonata was the pacing in the beginning. I really appreciated that the book didn’t take too terribly long to get into. I personally hate books with slow beginnings, and for some strange reason, I thought this book would have a slow beginning, but it didn’t and I was absolutely delighted. The pacing was generally good throughout the whole book. Though there were a few moments that I thought it was slightly slow, it never slowed down enough for me to be dissatisfied with it, and as I mentioned before, I was constantly excited to continue on.

For some reason, I feel like this book was super short, but I just looked on Goodreads and it’s listed as 375 pages long, so it’s by no means a short book, however, for the length, I felt like the characters were quite underdeveloped. I really wanted to learn more about them, and dig deeper into their psyches. I feel like I didn’t form a really tight connection with them, and I also wish the plot was just a little bit deeper and more complex. Having said that, I understand this is probably more of a light, happy read, and a deeper plot is probably not what the author was aiming for.

All in all, The Enchanted Sonata is an enchanting read, and that’s what I enjoyed most. The world is immersive and magical, it’s like reading a Disney movie. I wish the book would open a magical portal and suck me in, just so I could roam the snowy streets, and maybe spend an inordinate amount of time at Polichinelle’s Candy Emporium. The Enchanted Sonata is everything I could have asked for at this time of year, and I’ll probably end up rereading it closer to Christmas. But for now? I think I’ll go and get myself some candy canes and dig out that Nutcracker candle I have tucked away in a box somewhere.

I gave The Enchanted Sonata four out of five stars.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was beautiful, although I felt sometimes that the timeline was a little off, especially at the beginning. I feel like when the author was telling a story through the storybook that some of them went on for so long without a break. Otherwise, it was very well done and the story was quite original.

Ebook was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a charming story! I'm a sucker for the Nutcracker (especially the Barbie version!), so I was very excited to read this story, and it did not disappoint. So many retellings these days try to make these stories darker and edgier, and I was so glad that this book did not take the story in that direction. I really needed this book right now. There were some parts that were predictable, but I honestly didn't mind it. Perhaps what I loved most were the characters. I thought Clara and Nikolai/Nutcracker had a wonderful dynamic, a relationship that felt very real and sincere. The ways these two (and Erik as well) were shaped by and managed their grief throughout the story was so meaningful. I loved the dialogue as well. The little vocal tics of even the most minor characters, Nikolai's awkward speech (and I loved him for that, it really sounded like me when I speak) all enchanted me. And this book made me laugh several times, which I am so grateful for.

Overall, this was a story as sweet as the Polichinelles's Candy Emporium.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review; all opinions reflected below are my own!

I was so happy when I heard my request for this book had been approved as I could not have picked a better time to read this. It's the perfect read for this period leading to winter and Christmas!

I have so many thoughts at the moment, even though I finished this book yesterday and I've been thinking about it all day today, but I will try to be as thorough as possible without spoiling the fun for everyone who has decided to give this go.

This book was so beautiful.

I have come up with some section in an attempt to group my thoughts better.

A. Context

What added a bigger value to this book for me were the various references to stories that are known to most of us. This is a mystical tale that combines - obviously - the tale of the Nutcracker with the Pied Piper of Hamelin tale. The core element of both stories are present and they're explored in depth and they're given proper attention. It was extremely interesting to see how well these two stories could connect and how both contexts could be intertwined in such an effortless way. The two original tales have German origins, to which the reader is exposed through Clara; however, the Russian element (due to the famous ballet - music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) was also present in the kingdom part of the tale. I love how well the two co-existed and were connected to each other.

Another part that amazed me was the background story of a certain character that reminded me of <spoiler>the story of the Phantom of the Opera</spoiler> . I was so pleasantly surprised and excited to get this little "cherry on top" as it made me view this character differently.

B. Descriptions

Having read many books that feature a good amount of descriptions, there comes a point when truly enough is enough. However, this wasn't the case with this novel. I came to love and anticipate its descriptions. They were vivid and enjoyable and they made the entire experience almost synesthetic. I remember distinctly the descriptions of various forms of candy and chocolate that ended up making me crave something sweet in the middle of the night. They weren't tiring and they were enough to help you picture both world well enough. When you have exposition to two different worlds, there is a danger of having an overwhelming amount of descriptions. Yet, this book did everything right.

C. Characters and Ending

Ah, my lovely characters. What left a positive impression for me was how well established the characters are. This includes both main and secondary ones. We get everyone's story, you get the stories behind families, groups of people, people present and absent. Obviously, there are moments when the primary characters are prioritized but that does not lead to the secondary characters being portrayed as less important. I love how Wallwork took the time to explain everyone's story as, by the end, literally everything fell into place. You do not have plots left untouched or unfinished, you do not have questions; rather, you're left with this excitement and (personally) a tiny hope for an additional novel.
I was very much happy with the ending. It made my little heart warm and I was happy with the plot development.

D. After thoughts and Extra Bits

As I mentioned earlier, this book had been on my mind all day and I've been mentally revisiting some of its interesting elements. My favourite being the various literary and philosophical themes that appear throughout.
We get an exposition to the Romantic-Victorian movement from innocence to experience and the realization of themes that the characters were ignorant before as well as the association of music with enchantment and the overall realm of the mystical, which was very prevalent during the Renaissance. Music had both positive and negative connotations, depending on the context in which you found it, and both sides are explored in this novel.

E. Concluding Thoughts

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to whoever is ready for the most enchanting journey and for characters that will stay close to your heart. I am so happy I decided to read this and I will definitely pick it up again sometime in the future and see what else I can pick up.

Thank you very much for reading this review and I can't wait to see what you all think!

In this retelling of The Nutcracker we get to see so much more of the story that Heather Dixon Wallwork has spun around the original. Clara Stahlbaum is a pianist that hopes to catch the attention of her famous male counterpart Johann Kahler through her performance at a Christmas concert. The night before however, on Christmas Eve, she is transported into the land of Imperia where she encounters magic, evil rats, and a prince-turned-toy Nutcracker. It was delightful fun to read and perfect for the holiday season.

Dixon Wallwork is able to completely capture the story not just in words but the sensation of the music she describes. I have never before read a work where music is incorporated so seamlessly into the narrative. What's truly great about it is that it carries the essence of the music in the story inside the words of the plot and the descriptions of the music. You don't need to know music to feel the sensation she describes. The Enchanted Sonata is itself an enchanting piece of art.

If you are looking for a feel-good, holiday-related book, this is for you! I really liked this story. A mix of The Nutcracker and The Pied Piper might sound like an odd combination, but the author found a way to make it work. The setting of the novel was lovely, and it truly put me in the Christmas spirit, making it a perfect read for this time of year. The ending was also adorable, and it put a smile on my face.

Unfortunately, this book seemed very rushed. I didn't feel any connection to the characters because nearly no time went into developing them. I would love to read a slightly longer version of this novel with a little more character and world-building. There were also grammar mistakes, missing words, and redundancies riddled throughout, which sometimes snapped me out of what was otherwise a very magical, enchanting world.

Regardless, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light read for this holiday season.

I don't know where to begin! I LOVE THIS BOOK.

The synopsis intrigued me but the book was beyond anything I imagined. First, I absolutely love the lyrical writing and the world-building. I finished the book in one reading because I was so engrossed in the world and magic of it all. I did not want to leave Imperia.

Second, the characters. I loved them. Clara and the Nutcrackers are easily lovable. I especially loved how Nikolai tried hard to prove that he is worthy of being an emperor. The side characters are equally entertaining and added more to the story. Thank God they all got their happy endings they deserved. I have to say that the three main characters; Clara, Nikolai, and Erik are complex characters and we were introduced to the different layers of their personalities throughout the book. Which for me, makes the book more interesting.

All in all, I'm SO in love with the book and this book will make a marvelous Christmas/winter read.

Ps. Thank you to the publishers for giving me this book! I can't wait to read more books from this author! x

4.5/5💂‍♂️💂‍♂️💂‍♂️💂‍♂️💂‍♂️

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This review is all what I felt about the book. You may feel or may not feel the same.

On Christmast Eve, Clara, a young pianist received a mysterious christmast gift with a gleaming red paper and a shining silver ribbon under the Christmast tree Fritz, Clara's brother, brought home. In the gift, laid a handsome Nutcracker with a broken left arm and a book, the book read Clara and the Nutcracker Prince. That christmast gift sent her life upside down. With that, Clara brought to Imperia, a beautiful world of forests and palaces with colourful domes. The book told us the journey of Clara and Prince Nikolai (the Nutcracker) to restore Imperia. Imperia had been turned into chaos by a flutist named Erik Zolokov. Erik turned children into toys and soon he turned the soldiers too. Also, he made rats entered Imperia. He used music to turned them into toys and made rats entered Imperia. The book also told us about the building romance of Clara and the Nutcracker.
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The characters are well written. The character growth is also developing, especially Clara's. I like how Heather describes the story. It is so beautiful and humorous. The world she builds also beautiful. She makes me feel the world because she describes it in details. I'm attached to this book so much. The romance is also pretty. It makes me uhs and ahs and aws. It's not the cheesy romance thing. Other than that, the story is fast paced. I can't put my phone down. Thank you, Heather. I'm enchanted by the story, the world, and the writing. The last two chapters making me sad and moved. I shed tears. OVERALL, THIS BOOK IS ENCHANTING LIKE THE TITLE (see what I did there 😏). MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2018. :')
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Thank you for writing this book, Heather. I love you! Thank you for providing me this ARC, publisher!

"But I do know that in the face of bitterness and disappointment, when our souls cry out in despair and anger, that we might fight it. As we fight everything in this life-with nobility, courage, and grace. That is what makes a true prince."

Clara’s world is turned upside on Christmas morning when she finds a mysterious present under the tree wrapped in velvety red wrapping, topped with a glistening silver bow. She opens it to find a handsome nutcracker and a strange book along with it. As she opens the book to read it, she immediately realizes the story is more than meets the eye.

The story is played out in front of her of another world inhabited by a young prince named Nikolai who is on the verge of becoming emperor of Imperia. Tragedy strikes one night when every single child across all the kingdoms are turned into toys from rocking horses and candy, to dolls and toy pots.

This book is literally the definition of magic. There’s an evil magician, fairies, a talking nutcracker, giant rats. I was absolutely enchanted by this world. A world described as a blur of jewels and glittering forests but don’t let that fool you into thinking this book is all gumdrops and spun sugar, it has its very dark moments. There are very gorey battles and heart breaking scenes.

Also the entire book is centered around MUSIC! It is built upon this aspect that music is magic and it is needed to save the world. Clara herself is a pianists. She was taught as a child by her now deceased father. The evil magician even carries around sheet music so when he plays his flute, dark and sinister things become reality.

Speaking of the evil magician. What a fantastic character. He was dark, beautiful, mysterious, and even had an entire backstory chapter which settled my love for him. He had so much misplaced passion and had such a complexity to him.

This is a nutcracker retelling and I’ve personally never been interested in the story which leads to my knowledge of it being minimal but I adored this story and had no problem getting comfortable with it.

4.5 stars

I was totally captivated by this book. The descriptions were beautiful and the way music was incorporated was so well done you could almost hear music playing while you read. I think incorporating The Pied Piper was a great idea and it worked out really well. It was definitely a perfect Christmas read. I haven't seen The Nutcracker ballet in ages, but reading this makes me want to see it again.

All the characters were very well written. I loved how Nikolai decided to prove himself worthy of being emperor instead of just demanding it. Also, his little snarky bits were pretty funny, especially with Mother Svetlana. And the part with the nuns and the guns? Hilarious. Clara was a good main character. She gets pulled into a world that isn't her own, and at first all she wants is to go home, but after hearing and seeing everything that's happened, she begins to realize how much more important it is to stay and help make everything right. I'm really glad the author showed us Erik's past, so that we could understand his motivations. I think it really helps a story when you can understand the villains motivations, instead of just having a villain with no explanation. All the other side characters were written really well, and the ending was satisfying and cute.

Also, the cover of this book is beautiful, and I loved how they used part of it for the chapter headings. This was a wonderful retelling and a perfect holiday book.

I read and received this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review has also been posted to Goodreads and my blog.


This novel had me at The Nutcracker and Pied Piper retelling. Literally screamed my name till I requested it. It looked wonderful.

The writing is a mix of good and bad. Of the good, the descriptions are gorgeous and the humour is on point. Of the bad, there's a lot of telling and many lines and phrases don't make sense; not a case of nonsensical flowery language - rather, it's just simple bad grammar that desperately needs another round of editing. For example, consider these sentences:
- "grasp her bearings"..... is grasp really the right word to use?
- "tight" is used instead of "tightly", and it sounds so awkward.
- "The melody prickled over him, sweat shining on his forehead, on his last bound to the piano, he stumbled and hit the ground at a clatter."...... The punctuation is totally off, and "his last bound" and "hit the ground at a clatter" is a jumbled mess.

The writing style is also very childlike (there are a number of exclamation marks that purposefully seem to stop the sentences from being taken too seriously). But the same time, I think the childlike tone suits the story. It has this whimsical innocence - from the characters to the actual story, it sounds young. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.


❝ Killing someone...it broke you inside, didn't it?"

❝ Music is interesting, isn't it?... Gently played, it can soothe one's soul. It can rouse one to fight in a battle; it can conjure memories of those lost. I could even make someone fall in love with you. Or plunge you into the depths of despair."


The plot is fun. It's uncomplicated, and it's fast-paced. I also loved the snowy, fairytale setting and atmosphere and I truly commend Dixon for capturing that ethereal, storybook imagination of the original The Nutcracker tale. It sparkles from the very first page.

Above all, however, I really enjoyed the pure loveliness of the novel. It's so sweet, so innocent...so easy. I love how warm-hearted it is. Yes, it could be darker, could be more mature, but sometimes you just need to know that the good guys will be good guys and that they'll defeat the bad guy in the end. Sometimes you just need a good-hearted little heroine who saves the day. This story gives us that assurance, and personally, I welcomed it.

The characters are nothing outstanding. Clara is very sweet and easy to love, but she's the stereotype of the innocent, naive, angelic heroine. At least she isn't annoying, though. I liked her. I also really liked Alexi and Zizi - they're probably my favourites, although they are definitely flat characters. Nikolai I didn't like. His personality is so inconsistent; as the Nutcracker he's like a totally different person compared to the quiet, noble little human boy we see at the start. I never got a grasp on who he really was. It's like the author was never sure, either.

I never shipped the romance. Honestly, it seems out of place. I would've preferred Nutcracker and Clara's relationship to remain one of friends, because of the childlike tone of the story and the age of their characters. A romance seems too old for the story.




The Enchanted Sonata is a sweet and inventive tale full of heart. It's pure and lovable, although not particularly written well.