i feel like i don’t really have any strong feelings about this? it was cute and definitely one of the more unique retellings of the nutcracker that i’ve read, but a lot of it wasn’t very memorable to me. i did particularly enjoy rowenna miller’s worldbuilding, with the enchanting 1900’s paris and its whimsical mirror world, the anderwelt. i also really appreciated how the clara was kept in the dark along with the readers, which made the experience of eventually falling captive to the hidden world of magic much more adventurous. the slow reveal of the system behind the anderwelt made new information much more digestable, but the majority of the plot still felt a bit predictable.

3 stars! thank you to netgalley and orbit books for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Palace of Illusions offers a whimsical and atmospheric vision of a magical Paris at the brink of the 20th century, but its charm doesn’t always match its pacing. Clara Ironwood is a grounded and likable heroine, and the dual-world concept, especially the mirror-world Paris, is imaginative and visually rich. However, the story sometimes struggles to maintain momentum, with stretches that feel more like unfinished thoughts than plot progression. The mystery surrounding the magic and the shadowy threat lacks urgency, and the emotional stakes remain somewhat muted. It’s a beautifully built world, but the narrative never fully unlocks its potential.

Characters: 3.5⭐️
Setting: 4.5⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 3⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 4⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3⭐️
Overall rating: 3.75/5⭐️

Whimsical. Atmospheric. An absolutely enchanting retelling of the Nutcracker. The beautiful imagery really relies on the reader’s childlike imagination. Really fun and entertaining. I enjoyed Clara’s narrative and her discovery.

Very unique twist on magical realism.

My biggest critique is I wish the side characters were more fleshed out. I felt disconnected from them.

2.5⭐ | 0🌶️
Set in early 1900s Paris, this novel follows Clara, a young clockmaker invited to design the Palace of Illusions for a prestigious exhibition. It’s a story that blends invention with wonder, rooted in a world that slowly reveals its magical underside. When Clara’s mentor disapproves of her decision to go, they part on bad terms—though not before he leaves her with a mysterious object, a key to the Otherworld.

This book had everything to draw me in: a compelling premise, historical flair, and a heroine chasing her ambition. But the execution fell flat for me.

While the prose occasionally captured the magic of discovery, I struggled with the pacing and character logic. Clara is presented as logical and grounded, yet her choices often felt impulsive and confusing. Her reactions, especially toward someone who clearly holds answers she seeks, lacked coherence and left me frustrated. The story reminded me at times of Alice in Wonderland but Clara’s internal voice didn’t carry the same charm or consistency.

The inclusion of French and German throughout the text, while perhaps meant to add texture, disrupted the flow and added unnecessary friction. As someone fluent in French, even I stumbled at times, which made me wonder how others might fare.

Much of the conflict hinges on miscommunication or an unwillingness to communicate at all, and key moments felt artificially delayed to serve the plot. I also found the final act cluttered with events that didn’t add much, and I wish the Otherworld had been explored more deeply instead.

Despite a few endearing side characters, I never connected with Clara—and that made it hard to stay emotionally invested. I genuinely wanted to love this book, but in the end, it was a heavy read I had to push myself to finish.

4.5 stars! the whimsy i needed in my life rn… such a fun and different retelling of the nutcracker mixed with a little alice through the looking glass MY FAMILYYY

thank you netgalley for the arc!!

Atmospheric and the retelling that I had no idea my shelves needed!
I enjoyed The Palace of Illusions by Rowena Miller for its uniqueness....but I really struggled with the pacing and the plot was just adequate?

Everyone is in preparation for the 1900s World’s Fair in Paris. There are the Lumiere brothers’ moving pictures and Loie Fuller’s serpentine dance fusing art and technology. Clara Ironwood, a very talented clockworker, is there as well, working on the Palace of Illusions, an intricate hall of mirrors that is one of the centerpieces of the world’s Fair. Clara, who had been an apprentice to her Godfather before this, receives a hideous nutcracker from him for Christmas, Upon further examination she finds a key - a key that unlocks a secret, second Paris, where the Seine is musical, fountains spout lemonade, and mechanical ballerinas move with human grace. However, danger soon follows - and Clara doesn't know who to trust. Suspicious men begin to approach her outside of work, and she could swear a shadow is following her. The magic of the two Parises are colliding and Clara must find the strength within herself to save them both.

This book was delightful. The author did such an excellent job with word-building and character development, that I felt like I was truly there. This book reminded me in so many ways of the Christmas movie we watch every year "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms", only with a bit of a darker spin to it. I adored Clara and how courageous and intelligent she was. She was a bit stuffy until her friend across the hall, Annabelle, got her loosened up and having a bit of fun. When Clara's sister Louise came to stay with her, I didn't care for her at all at first, but she mellowed out by the end of the book. Then of course there is Nathanael, another handwerker like Clara. At first Clara was convinced he was out to steal her key but by the end, she knew better and was in love with him. I also loved the stories scattered throughout told by her Godfather. They read like a bedtime story. If you love fantasy fiction, or even just a really good story, then you should definitely check this out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

1900s Paris, Magical Realism, a destructive mystery, and <i>The Nutcracker</i>

3.5 rounded up

In this retelling of <i>The Nutcracker</i> Clara's titular gift from her godfather unlocks a magical realm where the "City of Lights" is even more dazzling. A place where magic is real!

Inventors and artisans from all walks of life have pulled out all the innovation and wonder they can in preparation for the Parisian World Fair. However Clara's godfather has them all beat; a gifted nutcracker has produced a gateway to another Paris, one where illusions are commonplace and magic is everywhere you look. The wonders of the hall of mirrors—Clara's own contribution to the fair—make the <i>Palace of Illusions</i> feel quaint rather than awe-inspiring.

Yet exploring this fascinating mirror Paris has its own share of dangers, as ominous figures begin to stalk the young woman in both worlds. There are some who want the magic all for themselves and have little qualms in violent acts that serve this end. Clara must be brave and witty to not only survive what is to come, but ensure both versions of Paris remain standing. Part exploration of a magical secret society of crafters, part mystery pertaining to the greed of modern industrialism.

This is a story about stories. About dreams and pursuing them no matter what society at large feels about them. About finding joy in the little things to inspire more grandiose designs. About legacies and the continuation of wonders while making up for past mistakes.

If you enjoyed the whimsy of <i>The Night Circus</i> and how the magic system grounds itself in the practical, you'll likely enjoy your time here. This is a bit of a slower read, focused on lush descriptions of the other world and musings on Paris during the lead up to the World's Fair. This fantasy is certainly historical and has elements of mystery and wonder. If you want a cozy read with moments of darkness, perhaps give this reimaging a chance!!

This book is long and a bit slower paced than I would have preferred, hence the lower rating. However I don't believe it's poorly crafted by any means. This just isn't the perfect time for me to want to delve into a story quite like this, a pitfall of ARC deadlines/book release dates.

Thanks to NetGalley, Orbit Books US, and Redhook Books for this free copy of "The Palace of Illusions."

This re-imagining of "The Nutcracker" spins a completely fantastical, romantic, suspenseful tale of magic, alternate worlds, family, and danger in 1900 Paris.

Being a fan of "The Nutcracker" since I was a child, I especially enjoyed this tale where the excitement of technological advancements, mechanical skill, and magic are intertwined and beneficial for each other.

Author Miller created vibrant, lively, memorable characters in Clara, her sister Louise, their grandfather, and the whole host of friends they meet in Paris who help them to thwart the sinister "shadows" from the mirror world.

The Palace of Illusions takes place in 1900 Paris, France and you immediately feel transported there. The winter/christmas time descriptors are beautiful and as someone who’s been to Paris, feels real.

This is a Nutcracker retelling and we get to follow Clara, a clockmaker, who has been tasked to work on the Palace of Illusions for the World Fair. We get a very realistic situation with Clara being a woman in a technical field during this time period.

This book ended up not being for me and I think it has to do with the structure / conversations and how… forced or uncomfortable it seems. Difficult to explain, but the tone of characters was not my favorite, it felt rigid but perhaps that could be due to the time.

This was such a unique book, inspired by The Nutcracker and taking place in early 1900's Paris with glimpses into a magical other world overlaid onto it.

The descriptions of the other world were so whimsical and wonderful, I was always so excited to see new places just to see what incredible things would be there!

The FMC was a very different main character which I enjoyed. Bad with people, completely obsessed with her work, and lacking a lot of fun in her life. Watching how she opened up but still stayed true to herself during her adventures was lovely.

While this was a slower-paced book I still found the plot exciting, trying to figure out what was happening to the other world while also preparing for the world's fair exposition.

Overall this was a fun read that somehow felt nostalgic to me, like reading a whimsical book from my childhood.

Thanks to the publisher for the copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The Palace of Illusions by Rowenna Miller is a third person-POV historical fantasy reimagining of The Nutcracker set in Paris before the 1900 World Fair. Clara and her sister Louise have come from America and arrived in Paris for Clara to assist in the construction of the Palace of Illusions. But a mysterious nutcracker sent from her godfather allows Clara to enter a magical world and for her to start putting some of the magic into her own creations.

I would definitely put this as a reimagining as it contains a lot of elements of The Nutcracker, such as the gift of a nutcracker and ballerinas that are references to the Land of Sweets, but they aren’t used in a way that follows the storyline closely enough for me to think of it as a retelling. I think some of this might be that I have always interpreted The Nutcracker as something of a romance because my first real exposure to it was an animated film that focused on the relationship between Clara and the Nutcracker. But taken purely from the ballet itself, I would still call this a reimagining because the features that I would associate with the Lane of Sweets came sooner than I remember them being in the ballet.

One thing I really liked is that Clara and Louise are German-American so they aren’t super familiar with all of the nuances of Paris and faith in Europe but they have retained certain parts of their Germanic heritage, such as still being Lutheran. It creates this dynamic where Clara knows some things, parts of Paris are familiar to her in some ways, but other parts are very new and she lacks the background to understand everything she’s told. It’s a very realistic depiction of being the child of an immigrant.

The pacing is on the slower side, but the worldbuilding and character aspects were balanced so nicely that I felt the book flew by. There’s a decent amount of worldbuilding and maybe I’m just very familiar with The Nutcracker, but I never found it overwhelming. I loved the balance of the fantastical and the historical in how it’s all built and would love to see that even more because I feel like historical fantasy usually takes the historical and makes it fantastical instead of building both the historical and the fantastical and they are sometimes one and the same and sometimes they are very separate. It was cool.

I would recommend this to fans of historical fantasy that are also reimaginings and readers of fantasy looking for something set in Europe in the turn of the twentieth century.

The Palace of Illusions is a whimsical retelling of the Nutcracker set against the backdrop of turn of the century Paris. Clock maker Clara Ironwood works with her godfather to create a mechanical wonder for the World Fair. At Christmas, Clara discovers a mirror world through the godfather's gift of an old Nutcracker and she learns that all that glitters is not gold, that danger hits behind beautiful things.

Not only have I enjoyed many of Rowenna Miller’s books in the past, but I’ve long been on the look out for a good re-imagining of “The Nutcrakcer.” And while this one wasn’t perfect, it is by far the best version of this story I’ve read so far!

As always, Miller’s style of writing is excellent. In this book in particular, her prose stood out most in the descriptions of not only the magical version of Paris, but also the real world itself. For the latter, she does incredible work of grounding the story in the specifics of the time and place, noting architectural details of Paris and many of the unique aspects of the city at this time. On the other hand, she does an incredible job with the creation of the fantasy world that mirrors this Paris. It’s easy to understand Clara’s almost inescapable draw to this place, especially given her focus on creation and invention, two themes that are heavily explored in this book.

I also really enjoyed the complicated nature of Clara’s relationship with her godfather. It wasn’t the primary focus of the story, but I think there were some really nice subtle points made about the strength of adult/child relationships and the ways they can be strained as life progresses. The other main relationship in the book was the romance, which, again, wasn’t a huge part of the story but was still quite sweet. It had a nice slow burn arc and it wrapped up nicely in the end.

I did struggle with Clara at times. She’s clearly presented as a very intelligent character, and while it’s understandable that she would be drawn into this magical world, there were several moments where she made incredibly silly decisions. In these moments, she read more like a teen character than the adult woman she was meant to be.

I also think the pacing was a bit hit and miss. The story starts out fast enough, with the introduction of the fairytale elements being introduced quite early on. But as the story continues, the pacing really started to drag towards the middle. Readers’ enjoyment of this section will really come down to how much they enjoy the lyrical style of writing and the many scenes that are more focused on the whimsical parts of this world.

I definitely think this is one to check out if you’re especially interested in “The Nutcracker,” and it will also likely appeal to fantasy fans who also enjoy historical fiction. As I am both of these, I largely enjoyed this read! It is on the slower side, however, so readers focused on fast-paced reads may struggle with it.

Rating 8: A lovely re-imagining of the classic “Nutcracker” tale!

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on June 18

What a fun retelling of the Nutcracker story! I enjoyed her Torn series, and this one picks up with the magic of Paris! Filled with engineering, fantasy, a wee bit of romance, this was a delightful retelling of the classic story we all know.

Boy did this book hit the right spot at the right time! I’ve been reading quite a few dark and heavy books lately so reading a cozy-adjacent fantasy mystery with caring characters was a perfect reprieve.

The FMC was imaginative and stubborn, which I love. Her new-found friends were fun and supportive. Even the love interest was a sweet addition. I especially loved the relationship she has with her sister as it grows throughout.

What shines brightest in this story though is the way Miller describes the other Paris or otherworld or anderwelt. She was heavily inspired by the beauty and grace of Swan Lake and the whimsy of the Nutcracker, and it absolutely shows. I was transported into this world of creative imagination and the atmospheric prose made me yearn for this fictional otherworld.

In such an atmospheric story, I highly appreciated the themes of destruction caused by individual and corporate greed. It really made me think about how we as humans treat the earth where creation and wonder are encouraged, yet too much of our involvement and a few bad actors can ruin it all.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a lighter read with a beautiful setting and a little mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a great twist on a historical fiction! Set in the 1900 Paris World's Fair, Clara finds herself in a completely new city with only her work to keep her company. When she is sent a gift by her godfather, though, she discovers an parallel Paris full of magic and whimsy. She quickly is caught between the two and has to find out who she can trust and who can help her save the magic in both Parises. This book was warm and sweet, picturesque and nostalgic. While a little slow at times, it is still a very compelling story with well-developed and interesting characters.

Set against the backdrop of the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, this is an atmospheric, fantastical story of one young woman's contributions to the palace of illusions, a hall of mirrors to be showcased at the fair, and her discovery that idea of mirrors and illusions goes deeper than she could have ever dreamed. She'll find that their is a whole parallel Paris that contains magic and innovation alike, and she'll find that some people will do anything to have what is not rightfully theirs no matter what the cost. She'll face danger, fear, and the unknown; but she'll also gain allies who will help her navigate this new world, and together, they'll work to save what's good and bright and to banish the darkness for good.

This was a whimsical story with an interesting premise and a parallel world that I'd love to visit myself. The interplay between the serious, practical Clara, and the completely magical experiences she has is lovely. It's a great reminder that things are not always as simple as they seem and that for even the most practical and grounded among us, magic can change hearts and lives. Although I did think the pacing was a bit slow at the beginning, I was glad I stuck with it because things pick up quickly, and I flew through the second half of this book with no problems. For anyone who enjoys magical realism, or fantasy, especially with a strong historical context, this is a must read.

DNF at 25%. Unfortunately there just wasn’t enough stakes or conflict, and very little plot. Overall, this book was taking a really long time to get good, with no sign of getting to a real plot/conflict.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own!

3.5 - The Palace of Illusions was a mysterious and whimsical loose retelling of The Nutcracker, taking place in 1900 World's Fair Paris. The main character, Clara, is a talented clockmaker working on the Palace of Illusions for the world's fair and finds herself thrown in to a mirror world that is full of magic and unique creations. The author's language was descriptive and beautiful, helping readers to visualize the atmosphere which the story was taking place. It took me almost 50% of the book to really get into the story to care and feel connected to what was happening. I was a bit thrown off during my read because it felt like around the halfway point Clara's personality shifted quite a bit very quickly, which was not a bad thing but did feel abrupt.

I did really enjoy this story once I was connected to it, and only wish the ending gave the readers more. I would recommend this book to others!