Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.

I couldn't. I DNF'd this. I just don't think it is for me.

Christmas nutcracker retelling.
Did anyone ever think to do this other than Verika? No. Does it work? Weirdly yes. But it was also far too long for the story it was.

First of all, let me say that I love The Nutcracker Ballet and was looking forward to reading a spicy retelling, and now on to the bad news I was unable to finish reading this book, There are two reasons why I was unable to finish reading and those were that I made the mistake of picking this book very close to its archive date and the other is because I prefer to read books on the Netgalley App on my phone. I struggled to read this on my phone because of the way the book's electronic file appeared through the NetGalley App, it was like someone uploaded a file that would be better read on a computer screen or something because I often found myself having to zoom on the page to read it.

From what I did read of the novel I found that the characters were likable and the story seemed like a great twist on a Christmas classic.

I read this over the Christmas period and I very much enjoyed it, though haven't had a chance to review it until now. This is a steamy rendition of The Nutcracker. As such it has a very frosty setting and some great one liners. I really liked this version of Klara, as she is very feisty and capable of standing up for herself. She is certainly no shrinking violet. I'll probably read it again next Christmas too!

This was so cute and so just everything! I really enjoyed this retelling and can’t read it again around Christmas time.

The cover and title were what pulled me into this story. I'm such a sucker for the colors used and the whole overall aesthetic of this book! I loved the world and the mc!

I am hooked with this book. A fantasy romance story full of magic. I really enjoyed that. I loved the plot and the chemistry of Jaemis and Klara.

This book had it all. Action, magic and sex. I recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

WoW loved this fairy book story. It’s a story of how a young woman meets her prince and the trials they go through to be together. Oh yes and any good fairy tale has a curse!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

This was a fun read! It had everything I love in a fantasy book - I enjoyed the magic, the characters, the plot too, even though it dragged a bit a times. Solid read, I'll check out the next books!

4****
I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book! It have everything you could want and more! Humans amd magik beings and places! I was thrown into this book not really knowing what was going to happen but the story was told so well I absolutely loved this!
If you don't mind saucy scenes this book would be a fab recommendation ❤

This was a good book, I love retellings, and this one about the nutcracker was enjoyable

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.5/5 stars, I have complicated feelings

Thank you to BooksGoSocial for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I remember seeing that this was a nutcracker retelling and I was so excited as I'm obsessed with both the original story and the ballet that is based on this same story. Growing up a dancer the nutcracker was one of my favorite ballets to watch so I am very aware of each piece of this story. While it is a retelling, a lot of this story just really didn't feel fleshed out and that's a bit of a disappointment. The world that the Nutcracker, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Mouse King come from is supposed to be fantastical and otherworldly, but in this rendition, it felt very flat. I didn't care for the lack of time spent focused on the world, even if they were visiting multiple places in this realm. It didn't contain that spark of magic that lots of great magical worlds have.

This was indeed a unique take on the story, and I really wanted to love this story, but I think towards the end things started to go wrong for my enjoyment of the plot as well. In the beginning, I enjoyed seeing how Klara and her family existed in the present day, as I really do enjoy modern retellings of classic stories and fairytales. However, once Klara entered the realm of the nutcracker, the plot really slowed down and all it focused on was the "pining" between Klara and Jaemis. This was not what I expected from the story, which is fine I was just hoping for a little more about the rest of the story besides just the spice that was presented.

Sometimes, things also just didn't make sense. The ending of the story rubbed me the wrong way especially, and I can't really pin down why. One problem might have been that there was a "final battle" that happened in the story, but it was placed at a weird time and it felt like there were multiple climaxes. I didn't really enjoy this, because while there was an interesting plot twist it just didn't feel climactic, everything was very anti-climactic which was disappointing. As well, things wrapped up in a weird way that I didn't really expect, and I felt that there could have been better explanations for some things that happened.

In terms of overall writing, I think it wasn't a bad story and could have definitely been better with a bit more attention to detail in multiple aspects. My biggest complaint about her writing style is that the dialogue between characters always felt a little forced, besides Klara and Jaemis as they were the main couple. Most of the characters were very one-dimensional which made me really sad because I love a lot of the characters from the original nutcracker story.

All that being said, it isn't a great book upon reflection but I didn't dislike every aspect of it. I really enjoyed seeing bits and pieces from the nutcracker as I'm obsessed with that story, and will definitely be seeking out more nutcracker retellings. But there were aspects of the story that just didn't click with me and I was expecting other things from the story. I'm really disappointed because I wanted to love this story, but I will keep my eye out for other nutcracker stories in the future.

[TW: drinking and drugs mentioned, imprisonment of family members, death of loved ones mentioned, betrayal, sexual scenes]

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what this author releases in the future.

Because this is a re-imagining of the Nutcracker story, there are many similarities, with some new additions to make it interesting and not too predictable. It was a little spicy and very romantic, which I always respect.
Overall, it felt like I was reading a lengthy fiction.
This was extremely tough for me to get invested in. There's a lot of information dump and conversation that just repeats itself. There is over-the-top instalust that is discussed A LOT in internal dialogue as well as by everyone around them and then acted on fairly quickly. They're obviously in love after that.
Too much internal monologue and information dumping at the outset is one of my pet peeves.
Given that some stories require this for world building, a lot of the time it isn't necessary and can overwhelm the story and the point the author is trying to put forth.

Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of eARC for my honest opinion.

A retelling of The Nutcracker, um yes, I had to have it. The Nutcracker story is one of my favorites Christmas stories and of course the ballet of it is amazing. So, when I saw a retelling of it, I knew that I had to read this.

I loved that the author stuck close to The Nutcracker but added their personal touches to it. I thought the world-building was done great. The plot does follow the beloved book and ballet of and so much more. I loved the twists and turns in the book, I thought at times her godfather was someone else and then to be given more information that took the plot a little to a different side and it never lost the wonderful feeling of a fantasy book. The author's writing style really helped me to feel like I was a part of the book instead of just reading it. There were a few typos in the book but I was not to the point where I was like huh. The romance is a slow burn, but it was done great where I wasn’t like OMG how much longer? Instead, it was more of Prince Jaemis and Klara having time to learn about each other and how to learn the differences of a human vs a fae. The characters were easy to connect with. I really enjoyed Klara, she acted like I would if I was thrown into an unknown world and I thought I was still dreaming. I like how she reacted to finding out that she was not dreaming at all but what she was feeling and seeing was all real. Her character is a strong, independent woman who is not scared to give everything she must to protect her loved ones and is not scared to go after what she loves. I thought Prince Jaemis was of course one good looking fae prince, I mean how many are out there that are just meh. He is loyal, courageous and of course he is cursed so he can be a little broody. I loved the chemistry between those two and let me tell you there are some spicy scenes in this book and I did say “Its about time” when it finally happened.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves retellings, fantasy, slow burn, spicy scenes, fated mates, cursed princes, one bed & forced proximity.

I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSoical for the opportunity to review this book.

I really enjoyed this book! The story is magical and the romance is a slow burn. It was a great read!

This book is a Nutcracker retelling and unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I read a couple of chapters but just couldn’t get into the story unfortunately. I will as always give it another try in the future.

A huge thank to Netgalley and Verika Sloane for giving me a chance to A Curse of Frost and Fate in exchange for an honest review.

First things first ,trigger warnings include : mature language, mild violence, use of hallucinogens, graphic sex
Secondly, tropes you can find in this book are insta love, fated mates, slowburn, there-is-only-one-bed

To start this review of, I need to establish that as a Nutcracker retelling, and so one could describe this book as a seasonal read, perfect to be read in December or on the peak of Christmas holidays. Since I read it in March -lightyears apart as seasonal reads go- it just didn't give off the right vibe to me and thats the main reason I rated it with 3 stars.
Other than that, the story was pretty decent and the writting was simple enough to make it a pleasan read. Klara and Jaemis' story was one of love at first sight just like in the original story, but with the exception of Jaemis' curse, which held him back from giving in to his passion for Klara, and vice versa, since Klara could only end up getting hurt if she developped feelings for the prince since her time in his world was limited.
The insta love/slow burn contrast didn't sit right with me in this story, but it was mended by the efforts of the side characters to push the couple together, which was a comic relief at the least, if not totally something new as far as the "meddling friends" trope goes at any romance.

Overall, it was a very nice story, preferably to be read around Christmas for maximised effect of immersive reading.

If you love fairy tales with love, magic, and adventures, then you cannot miss this retelling of the Nutcracker, which is one of my favorite Christmas stories.

Klara is an ordinary girl, who is thrown into a magical world and spends her entire time trying to understand and forge connections with everyone around her. Jaemis is the cursed prince, who feels a burden to save the world around him. They both try to fight this 'forbidden' connection between them, as they try to get Klara back home.

Although a slow start, I really ended up enjoying this. I would like to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would recommend it to everyone who likes reading fantasy, magical, and paranormal romance,

Looking forward to reading more from this author

A Curse of Frost and Fate by Verika Sloane was my first book from this author and I enjoyed the storyline and worldbuilding.