Member Reviews

"The Kingdom of Sweets" is a mesmerizing reimagining of "The Nutcracker," weaving a tale of envy, magic, and the bonds of twins. Erika Johansen's storytelling transports readers to a world of light and dark, where Clara and Natasha's destinies are intertwined by a cursed birthright. Natasha's thirst for revenge propels her into the Kingdom of Sweets, an enchanting alternate world, where she discovers the power of the Sugar Plum Fairy and uncovers chilling truths about her destiny.

This novel skillfully blends earthly and magical elements, human and diabolical forces, offering a gripping narrative that explores choices, destiny, and the boundaries between two worlds. "The Kingdom of Sweets" is a captivating exploration of sibling rivalry, power, and identity, delivering a fresh perspective on a beloved tale of fantasy and enchantment.

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While darker takes on fairy tales aren't uncommon, 'The Kingdom of Sweets' impresses with an imaginative transformation from the fanciful story of 'The Nutcracker' into a true horror story, boasting writing that can make a surreal nightmare out of a Christmas party where the shallow upper-class tries to fill their emptiness with booze, drugs, and sex- and that's before the wizard with the dangerous magic shows up! One of the most unsettling parts is the protagonist and narrator: a bitter girl, with troubles that would evoke anyone's sympathies, who becomes as dark in deed and thought as the demonic fae whose deals poison the lives of the cast. The true horror of this story is where the faults in society and what it demands from women intersect with the demonic arts.

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✨Book Review!✨
“The Kingdom Of Sweets”
Written By: Erika Johansen
Published by: Dutton
Netgalley ARC
Release date: November 28th, 2023
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
•••
Natasha and Clara were born on Christmas Eve, twins, who at their Christening were separated by magic in to light and dark by a terrifying magician named Drosselmeyer. Natasha cursed forever as the dark sister and Clara blessed as the light sister. Throughout their childhood, Natasha envied Clara for what she was; beautiful, lovable, naive; while Natasha was unwanted, saw darkness in every person and space she came across, and unattractive but also smart and cunning.
•••
When Drosselmeyer brings gifts to their annual Christmas Eve party; a nutcracker, a ballerina and a clown; it’s clear to Natasha that these toys are not ordinary, but are full of magic. When the boy Natasha loves agrees to marry Clara, a dark, vengeful journey begins that will change both of their lives forever…all with the magic given from a simple nutcracker. This nutcracker offers them entry in to the dreadful Kingdom Of Sweets, where nothing is as it seems.
•••
Netgalley describes this book as a “gloriously transportive reimagining of The Nutcracker”. It is dark, a bit horrifying, full of magic and old fairy tales while also well written and interestingly different.
•••
This book was sent to me by Netgalley as an advanced readers copy and will be release in late November. Just in time for a wonderfully spooky winter read!

1- Characters: 10
2- Atmosphere/Setting: 10
3- Writing Style: 9
4- Plot: 9
5- Intrigue: 9
6- Logic/Relationships: 8
7- Enjoyment: 9

Total Score: 64
64/7 = 9.14
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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The Kingdom of Sweets presents a rare gem among retellings, offering an enchanting Nutcracker adaptation that veers into uncharted territory. Departing from the original, this fantasy gothic tale introduces flaw-ridden characters in a darkly twisted narrative that still carries echoes of the classic.

Twins Clara and Natasha, cursed by sorcerer Drosselmeyer, lead contrasting lives—Clara basks in beauty while Natasha resides in shadows. A gift of a nutcracker propels them into the decaying Kingdom of Sweets, where saccharine surfaces hide underlying decay. Johansen's lyrical prose constructs an immersive world, while the narrative's self-contained brilliance provides a gratifying ending that lingers in thought.

This book stands as a testament to Johansen's talent for crafting something entirely new and fresh from a well known classic tale. A must-read for those seeking an unexpected twist on a beloved tale.

Thank you to Penguin Group and Net gallery for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Wonderful fairy tale remake of The Nutcracker. The writing is excellent, I was drawn into the story line from the very beginning. I love the gritty, dark atmospheric tone of the plot. Although the twins are light and dark, darkness is strong in this book, focusing on the "dark" twin, her dark outlook on life, and the darkness in her world. I have been aware of this author, and will be reading her other books.

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Unfortunately, I am not the correct audience for this book.

I could never connect with any of the characters. Readers are not meant to be fond of all of them, but I didn't care about their stories. The plot itself didn't capture my interest either. It was slow and went down to many rabbit holes. Even the addition of real historical events annoyed me. This was just an unengaging read.

Honestly, I am tired of these dark, twisted fairytale retellings in general now. They are no longer fun to read, but expected. Johansen's Queen of the Tearling series gets much love and I thought it would be worth it to give this new to me author a try, but alas! The trend has been beaten to death.

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We’re all familiar with the beautiful, beloved Clara- but what of her dark twin, Natasha?
I was thoroughly entranced by this retelling of The Nutcracker; Erika Johansen weaved dark and twisted notes into this classic tale that swept me off my feet and into the Kingdom of Sweets itself. I found myself stepping into Natasha’s world with ease as the author did a phenomenal job at building the world around these characters. Erika’s writing is detailed, precise, with consistent voice and tone aligned with the setting and characters. There were many twists and turns that had my jaw on the floor, hand over my heart, and the way she tied it all together left me shedding some tears. I love this book, and I cannot wait to add it to my shelves.

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This was a much darker book than I had anticipated. I enjoyed the Queen of the Tearling series and this book definitely has Johansen's flare. The vibes really reminded me of the Christina Rossetti's poem "Goblin Market" with the dark underlying message and imagery. This was intriguing and addictive.

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I think I missed the meaning of this story. Greed? Gluttony? Random Christian propaganda?

My main thoughts:
I distinctly remember a strong emphasis on beauty in the Tearling trilogy, but not in a good way. Like Johansen's former books, Kingdom of Sweets is deeply rooted in the outdated and harmful beliefs of slut-shaming. This goes past the MC thinking women in non-traditional relationships are sinful whores, and transcends into the belief that all conventionally attractive women are inherently evil, including her own sister.

I would include a direct quote, but I am not allowed to do so. However, within the first 10% of the book, Johansen writes that all sex workers are evil and married women are good. I could write a novel on how harmful this is, but I would like to think that any reader of this review has the social competence to dissect this viewpoint on their own.

This continues into Natasha as a character. She is the absolute most insufferable I'm Not Like Other Girls girl. She constantly degrades femininity, and thinks her own niche interests such a the unbelievable READING is so much more productive than that bimbo Clara's blasphemous doll collecting or, dare I even write this, partying!

(Dear Natasha, the reason your parents like Clara more than you is because she isn't drowning in self pity and loathing! It's not because she's prettier than you!)

On top of all of this, the main tension revolves around a man, and a boring one at that. Every single plot point goes back to him, and Natasha has barely any personality outside of him.

Overall, this book has a huge superiority complex and reinforces girl-on-girl hate. What happened to women supporting women? I think Erika Johansen should read Little Women and learn a thing or two.

(I think the ending is supposed to subvert the anti-feminism of the first 70%, but it did not work for me.)

Adjacently, Natasha refers to Mikhail as "the scarred boy" for most of this book rather than by his name, which she learned early on. Just no.

What I will give to Johansen is that she is a very vivid writer. Her visuals are amazing. Unfortunately, that is the only redeeming quality in an otherwise thematically frustrating book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This book was DARK, and I loved absolutely every minute of it. I was expecting a light retelling of the nutcracker (and living out my dreams of being in the barbie nutcracker movie of my childhood) and instead I found myself immersed in something deep, creepy and oh so delicious. I absolutely LOVED the ride that this book took me on, and will be looking for more of Ms. Johansen's work!A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

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This book was nothing like what I was expecting at all, in a good way. I love the story of the nutcracker and this dark version has everything I love about a re-telling. The addition Clara's twin sister who is the "dark" side to her light and how these twins were "blessed" by Drosselmeyer at their birth adds depth to the story and the Sugar Plum Fairy turning out to be evil was delightful. The atmosphere of this book and how the author paints vivid scenes makes you feel like you are with Clara and Natasha as the navigate The Kingdom of Sweets, the castle, the dark forest, and their home city. I really could not stop reading this because I had to know how it all ended. It is the right amount of creepy that makes you feel chills as you read. I also thought this was a great standalone and the story wrapped up perfectly, which with so many series these days I feel is hard to do.

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This book was not what I expected at all, but not in a bad way. More so a gothic horror retelling as opposed to fantasy world building. The closest comparison I can think of would be What Moves the Dead, by T. Kingfisher. But this book goes above and beyond with its world building. While the Nutcracker is obviously a classic piece of art that everyone is familiar with, the Kingdom of Sweets puts an entirely unexpected twist on the familiar tale. The novel does an excellent job of making you feel the emotions of the moment - angry on behalf of the protagonist, scared when a certain terrifying event is occurring, and even feeling bittersweet throughout it all (pun not intended). All in all, really enjoyed a chance to read this book. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity.

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Well this was a lovely surprise! I had my reservations. Since I was a small child I have loved the Nutcracker - loved everything about it. I was very intrigued by this book's premise and I was not disappointed. What a fantastic job Ms. Johansen did in bringing the Nutcracker's world to life! I felt she did a very good job at keeping this story fresh, interesting, original - while honoring the traditional Nutcracker story. She did an excellent job at world-building, and I could imagine myself there with the characters. A wonderful addition to an old childhood favorite, I heartily recommend this. I think you will be enchanted too.

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This was so dark and twisty. I loved the retelling of The Nutcracker and Natasha’s character was so well written.

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We all know the classic story of The Nutcracker, but I can say you will not see this one coming. Keep in tradition of tue classic moments this is anything but normal!

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I really enjoyed this book. Having read Johansen's other books and loved them I wasn't sure about this new title but it was great. It will be super easy to get people interested in this title.

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I found Kingdom of Sweets to be delightfully dark and bizarre, but I don't know if it's just been years since I've watched The Nutcracker or what, I had a hard time following the plot. Natasha and Clara are twins, deemed dark and light by their godfather, Drosselmeyer. Natasha is tired of playing second fiddle to Clara, who always gets what she wants. They end up in a magical land where Natasha is given a choice to take control of her life.

The Sugarplum Fairy is delightfully eerie, and the Kingdom of Sweets is well fleshed out with wonderful description. However I feel like the story took me down a lot of different rabbit holes unnecessarily. I did like how it wrapped up in the end, but it felt chaotic. Also WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CLOWN?

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A good dark take on The Nutcracker. Our MC is Clara's twin and has lived her whole life as the "dark" twin as deemed by Drosselmeyer. When the magic of the nutcracker transports her and Clara to the Kingdom of Sweets, she discovers the seedy underbelly of the magical land. Leaning into the dark, she takes the chance to claim the life she's always wanted, but as with everything, it comes at a price.
The best part of this was probably how it took such an unexpected twist about halfway through. The magic was unique as was a decent amount of the story compared to other works that have come out recently.
I do wish some of the magical bits were more fleshed out, so I could more easily visualize what was going on. Overall, fun read.

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The story was weird, exciting, strange, and I loved it.
I honestly struggled between rating this book 5 stars or 4 stars, ultimately I went with 5 stars, because I did read it in one sitting, and the story kept me inthralled the whole time. The only reason I considered rating it 4 stars instead of 5 was because of how weird the plot was, it jumped all over the place, and a lot of the times I found myself asking “what the hell is going on?” But as I think back, that is what kept me reading, I really did want to know what the hell was going on lol. The story was weird, exciting, strange, and I loved it. The book also had a very cozy and content ending. I highly recommend this book!!

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Pretty good book! Very entertaining and I liked the theme of the story. The characters are great and I really enjoyed the dialogue. Definitely want to read more by this author.

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