What if your favorite childhood story, one of magick and romance, was real? On Christmas Eve, Klara finds herself whisked away to the magical world of Galindria, cursed by darkness in this present-day retelling of The Nutcracker. She believes Prince Jaemis (cursed by Mogran the Mouse King), the realm of magick he calls home, and the fae creatures she meets all to be a dream; one inspired by her favorite ballet and perhaps a bit too much to drink. Still, she can't deny the instant connection she feels when the cursed prince enters her life; a connection that could spark her biggest adventure yet.

Verika Sloane's attempt to create a magical world based on a familiar tale is commendable. The world-building isn't so complex that you get lost, with a blend of familiar fae creatures (like the Sugar Plum Fairy) alongside a few new ones each offering their own interesting histories. Her descriptions of Galindria are beautifully attention-grabbing and engaging--enough that you can fall into the world of Galindria while keeping one foot in reality (much as Klara does at the start of the book).

The romance between Klara and Jaemis, however, feels a bit rushed, even for such a long novel. The couple was more interesting while their sexual tension simmered. Once it reached a full boil, the smut (which was a bit uncomfortable to read, given the word choice) seemed to take over the plot. Once the couple "makes love" (an antiquated term I wasn't expecting to hear from Klara, who became more heart-eyed than heroine with every page), they're too distracted by one another to see the crystal clear answers directly before them. The story dragged on a little too long, especially since the conflict's resolution is blatantly clear early on.

Klara and Jaemis, who grew up in different worlds, did learn how to learn from one another's strengths and perspectives, though. Klara is willing to take adventurous risks in the name of love, while Jaemis never makes the mistake of seeing Klara as a damsel in distress in need of saving.

That being said, the story could have used some restructuring. While the entire plot seemed to drag, the romance was rushed. Everything from the smut to the "I love you's" felt ingenuine, forced. There are a number of word choice mistakes that seem juvenile, and some concepts were over-explained.

If you're looking for a Christmas-y read and a happily ever after, this cute retelling of a classic tale is right up your alley. However, there's plenty of room for growth between the plot and writing style.

I was very excited to discover this book and was my first Nutcracker retelling. I loved the Nutcracker influence and the additional elements to keep it fresh. I loved the spice and the romance aspect to keep the reader engaged. I enjoyed this story.

This book was engaging and interesting enough, but it was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors and was entirely too long – unnecessarily so. The story's cute, and by the end I surely was invested in seeing where the characters ended up, but it was extremely frustrating to read.

As I said, this is a re-imagining of the story in the Nutcracker, so there are many similarities, with some new additions to keep it interesting and not too predictable. It was a little spicy, and very much romance filled which I can always appreciate.

I think just truly not the book for me hahaha. The writing is all over the map—it's both juvenile and pretentious, which is a weird combo for a romance book let me tell ya. The cringe factor was present for me, but that might also be because I willingly read Nutcracker smut. Not my jam, but could be yours!

I enjoyed this retelling of The Nutcracker, with its expansion on the world of the ballet and its characters. Sloane managed to elaborate on a familiar story and make it feel new and interesting again.

I have quite mixed feelings about this book. What struck me first was the title, it blends into other fantasy books and I would have liked a more unique title. The book itself is unique and I think the title should match that. I did enjoy the Nutcracker elements and the uniqueness of the book. However, I also believe the book is too long. Somehow everything seems rushed but the book's page count does not match it. I thought the love story could have a been a bit slower since, again, it seemed a bit rushed. I also found that there were words that seemed overly complicated and did not fit into the book/sentence. Other that that I found the book quite enjoyable and I didn't think about not finishing it which is a good sign. The nutcracker elements is probably the best and most central part of the book and if I could add half stars to make it 2,5 I would. Don't get me wrong, the book is good, but I just hoped for something more.

A wonderful take on the nutcracker, I absolutely loved this story and couldn't put it down. It's definitely got festive feels at Christmas time, brilliant.

A good easy fantasy read! I felt there was enough world building to really help the story and I read it in one sitting. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for access to this book

I was really excited for A Curse of Frost and Fate because The Nutcracker has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. It also helped that a few reviews I had already read had mentioned that there's a decent amount of spiciness in the story. However, once I actually received my ARC and began to read I found it hard to look past the amount of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors (I'm sorry, my family has always pointed out that I am part of the "grammar police"). I also found it hard to believe these characters were adults and not teenagers. It felt pretty juvenile. However, if you like spicy... this definitely provided some heat.
Overall, even with my love for The Nutcracker, this just did not do it for me.

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.