A smutty faerie version of the nutcracker. This book was fun and caught the spirit of the nutcracker story without feeling like a Christmas story. Based on the nutcracker story, it is still its own world with multilayered characters and world building. The introduction of faeries and magical creatures was a fun addition to the story, and smut readers look no further as there are several scenes throughout the book to keep you satisfied.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for this copy in exchange of an honest review.
A winter tale, a nutcracker retelling, a kingdom under a spell, a cursed prince.

This is an adult version of the nutcracker.
It sounded so promising, has a gorgeous cover and the nutcracker being one of my favorite tales and with the plot so enticing, I thought I would really like this book. But unfortunately I didn’t find myself vibing with the writing at all. It was too fast and a bit unnecessarily long, the main characters felt very superficial and the story lacked construction and world building. The amount of cringe in this book was high.
It had potential but the execution was felt short.

Slow burn, too slow for me, I just couldn’t get into it, the writing was not the greatest. I wanted to like the story but I couldn’t get through it, I DNF

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

tl;dr The plot of the book is a bit split in two, where the plot and sub-plot switch places. Those being: stop the bad guy, save the world--and: sex???? Is it possible???? Can we?? What if the author writes that we do, but says that we didn't, and we spend several chapters figuring out how to have the sex we already had??

Honestly, sub-par book for me. Way too much telling and not showing, no emotion or depth, and too much face/chest flushing and nipples hardening. Way too much plot was focused (wasted imo) on them avoiding sex, despite already having had sex, and then trying to figure out if they can have sex, then having sex again. Many many times.

Not tl;dr:

The plot itself had potential to be pretty fun. A retelling of the Nutcracker tale with some twists to things. But the author does a poor job at immersing you into the world. Most of the writing was telling, things like, "He did this," or "She felt this emotion," with little else. It almost read like an outline where details were supposed to be added later.

Klara, our MC and famous/wealthy travel vlogger (I cringed too, yes), is thrust into a world of fantasy and magic that happens to resemble her favorite fairy tale--The Nutcracker. She learns of the prince's misfortunes and wants to work together to both get her back to her home while also saving his.

And to be blunt--there is hella insta-lust here, with both characters. Like non-stop. Obsessively. Too much. An abnormal amount. It got insanely annoying tbh. (This is not a slow burn. I saw some reviewers saying this. No. They are in love the moment they lock eyes and have sex almost right away.)

Speaking of, it's a little...weird, that so much of the plot is dedicated to the "tension" between the two leads and them having not had sex...despite them having had sex? I don't know if the author only counts penetration WITH ejaculation, like, inside, as sex, (which is weird in and of itself, to say the least) but like, they literally did everything but that. Like, literally everything but that. They had sex. I don't know why every character, including the two of them, is acting like they didn't.

And speaking of, it's also really weird that he thinks the curse he has is like an STI. Which is his motivation for "not having sex" with her (despite...you know, already having sex with her). (The author knows they didn't, like, have to include that, right?? Like, no one would've thought that. Not a plot hole to address.) Just the sex topic in this book is super weird and awkwardly done. And there is just too much "omg boobs, omg hotness" with no depth that it feels like I'm reading a book with teenagers rather than 30 year olds.

(I will also mention, after he becomes aware that the curse won't harm her, "sex" becomes "making love" once he can ejaculate in her. So I guess in the end...I have no idea what this author thinks sex is. My partner joked how it's sad they never ended up having it x'D)

This really reads like an early draft that needs a lot of clean-up. I noticed there was a couple spelling and grammar issues, though this is an ARC, so that's understandable. So maybe some plot bits will be fixed up for the final release??? But as is, it's very rough and very difficult to get through. I started skimming pretty often because so much, and I cannot get this across enough, is just sex. Them lusting for each other, them having sex, them being sad for not having sex, them trying to find out if they can have sex, them being happy they can have sex, having more sex, just...I'm over it. x'D

The "main" plot with the bad guy is 1000% more interesting, but that doesn't say much, since there is a lot lacking there too. There is no emotional depth, I don't feel anything for the hardships the prince has had to experience. We're constantly told he has a lot to deal with right now, and told that he's sad, and told that he misses his old life, and told that he's angry about his curse, and told this and that. Short quick sentences that don't go into any detail. Please let me feel SOMETHING for these characters.

It's also impossible to picture what any character looks like. Everyone is basically described the same, like a Ken or Barbie doll, perfect and beautiful, just different hair, apart from the villains, which are ugly in some manner. Though I do appreciate the author's attempt at trying to include more character 'depth' with the side-characters, but all that depth amounts to the same thing as the main characters--relationships and sex. Seriously, a good chunk of the book and character details is everyone being horny or in love.

For how long this book is, not a lot happens. This should've been trimmed, so much could've been left out. Like other reviewers have pointed out, the writing is very juvenile. This definitely needs several more rounds of editing.

I saw other reviewers mention their dissatisfaction with the MCs falling for a (very obvious) trap laid by the villains. I can't say I found it unbelievable, given what we know of the characters. They definitely didn't seem smart enough not to fall for it. 🤷‍♀️

The very end, though what I predicted, was probably the best part for me, but that might've been since it wasn't about sex for once. x'D But for real, I did like that it was something the reader could deduce, and previous plot devices were followed through on. (Her attachment to the nutcracker doll was also cute.)

I can't say it's one I'd recommend, at least not in its current state, unless you know what you're getting in for.

This retelling of The Nutcracker was a great idea and interesting concept, but I found myself confused as to who the intended audience was. I know this is a romance, so it would be geared for an adult audience, but the dialogue of the characters at times felt so juvenile that I kept thinking they were actual children. Especially in the beginning when the family is gathered for Christmas Eve and 20+ year olds are speaking in a way a 8 year old would speak in a classic movie. For that alone I had a hard time making my way through this book. Unfortunately I just couldn’t keep going after 25% of the way. The world building was lacking, our main character is supposed to be almost 30 years old but seemed to act like a teenager, and my least favorite trope (insta love) was used right off the bat. This simply was not my cup of tea, but if you like things like that then this is the book for you. I think this book would have potential if it had been workshopped a bit more.

As far as retellings go, this one places somewhere in the middle. The concept was creative but didn't draw me in and keep my attention.

I enjoyed this spin on such a classic tale and one of my personal favorites at that. Jaemis and Klara are a beautiful take on a well-known pairing. The lore was beautifully interwoven into modern times and the world building and array of characters was stunning in detail.

My only wish is that it was split into a duet possibly as it did feel fairly lengthy as time went on. I didn't mind the lighter moments and introduction to backstory for side characters, it just would've helped to split it up some I think.

Thank you to Netgalley and Verika for the chance to Arc this.

Who doesn’t love the Nutcracker?

A Curse of Frost and Fate is a wonderful fantasy retelling of the nutcracker. Klara isn’t sure if she dreaming or the magical world she’s transported to is all a dream.

I enjoyed the world building, this retelling was different than some of the others I’ve read this Christmas.

There are some spicy scenes, but they are easy to flip past if that’s not your thing.

I enjoyed the description of the different magical entities that live in the realm that Klara goes to. I loved the chemistry between her and the Prince.

If you like a HEA - check this one out!

I followed this story easily enough, it kept me engaged and interested but not overly excited. The spice was a minimum and the love happened to fast for my personal taste. Overall I enjoyed it.

I've always been obsessed with the Nutcracker. since I was little. Especially Barbie and the Nutcracker. It was what got me hooked on the story, so I delved right into this.

It was initially a slow start, and it did suffer a bit of insta-love but the story was magical enough to make up for it and the characters were likeable (except from Klara and the slightly spoiled air that wafted from her, but I could move past it). For me, there wasn't much spice, but that's not hugely important if I enjoy a story enough. I think the dual POV also helped up the like factory of his book.

It was, however, far too long. Some books need to be lengthy to ensure everything important finds its way in, but it wasn't necessary here. I felt at times like I was reading a story the author just didn't want to end, which I can understand, but it did make for a slightly frustrating reading experience.

As for the writing...it was...okay. Heavy emphasis on the okay. It was not great. This book needs a heavy, heavy edit. There were a lot of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes peppered throughout and the use of some words that didn't fully make sense to me in the way they were being used. There were a couple of words/sentences that made me reread, say "...what?" out loud and then Google to make sure I was correct in that the words were being used incorrectly. Nothing that a good edit wouldn't fix.

I think this would have been a little more magical for me if I'd read it just before Christmas, as opposed to after it, but it's not bad for what it is.

As a kid, I was made to watch The Nutcracker so many times, I ended up disliking it. This book has made me a fan once again. Thank you for that.

This is as such a fun premise for a novel, I wish that it had been a little more on spot with the execution. The characters were interesting, magic system was good. The romance was definitely Insta love which isn’t a bad thing but in this instant it seemed too rushed and not paced in any way. The plot while interesting seemed to drag in parts and I struggled with the ratio of romance vs action and adventure. I would definitely reach for another novel by this author.

Estás preparando/a para una historia llena de fantasía y pasión ? Es una re versión del cuento Cascanueces que no dejará de sorprenderte 💞

I loved every word of this book, it has everything you need for a cosy Christmas read with a little bit of added spice.

I love a classic retelling and this one is up there in my top 10

Hopefully we’ll get to see more of Galindria in the future.

This was one I grabbed from NetGalley as something I could read in my downtime at work. It was cute. I loved the nutcracker as a child, and thought an adult version could be fun! There were a few things through the book at just weren’t for me, which is why I rated it in the middle. I also think it was exceptionally long-winded in areas and could have been probably 100 pages shorter? Lots of good imagery in this one though! Also, a little twist on how the nutcracker was written which was cute!

Wasn’t too bad. The first part was quite good, and then it just dragged a bit. Felt like it was too long, and I ended up lacking motivation to read it all.

I was excited to get my hands on a Nutcracker retelling and while this story had some great bones and concept, I felt it was a little lengthy. With that said, I adored how things are played out between the romance and the way things played out. I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

Ok, I have started and re-started this book. I have struggled to stay reading and engrossed into this read. I had some issues with the kindle version of this download. I could not see any words with the black background (my usual setting) and had to change to the lighter one. The way the book is lay-ed out seems to bother my brain as well. It seems choppy and for the life of me, I could not fix it! I felt That a lot of the beginning of the story seemed “long winded” and in general just struggled. It is very rare that I DNF a read. Unfortunately, this is one of those times.

This book was an interesting, exciting, nutcracker retelling. I liked how parts of the original story were kept but i also liked how some aorta were added to keep the book from being predictable. This book was filled with romance which made it very enjoyable to read. My main issue with this book is how long it is. I think this book definitely could’ve been made shorter and was very very dragged out. I believe this book could’ve been better if it was more of a slow burn rather than be insta love. I wasn’t a big fan of the fmc either. Overall, I don’t think this book was bad but definitely not the book for me.

A Curse of Frost and Fate was an enjoyable take on the Nutcracker. I found the characters well-written and the setting fantastic. It is a perfect story for the holiday season.