*4.5 stars*

The Palace of Illusions is a beautiful, glittering retelling of The Nutcracker that both captures the nostalgic magic of the original tale and gives the reader an entirely new story. I’ve loved The Nutcracker since I was small; my Nana had a lovely illustrated edition of the book she would read to me, and when I was old enough, she took me to see the ballet live. There is a specific kind of awe and beauty that The Nutcracker brings, a truly magical feeling that lives on in your imagination long after you have read the book or seen the ballet; and this feeling is something I chase in every Nutcracker retelling. I think this book came the closest of any retelling to reaching that magical feeling of the original for me.

Clara is a talented clockmaker working on an intricate mirror exhibit for the Paris World Fair. When she discovers an enchanting alternate Paris hidden behind her city, she finds that magic is real, and she can use it in her mechanical inventions. But where this is light, there is also darkness, and as Clara explores the boundaries of her new power, danger lurking in the glittering, magical city begins to leak across the border into her own world.

My favorite thing about this book was the beautiful, dreamy writing style, and the atmospheric settings; I was drawn into the story from the very first page, and although it’s not a short book, it never felt long. (In fact, I wouldn’t have minded it being a little longer; I think the ending could have been extended a little without the story suffering.) The settings felt so magical, and there was a childlike sense of wonder I experienced along with Clara as she explored the alternate Paris. The characters are well-written, though I felt the villain’s character and motivations could have been a little more fleshed out. Overall, I loved this book; the author is very talented, and I’m excited to see what she writes next.

I would recommend The Palace of Illusions to fans of The Nutcracker, as well as to readers who enjoy historical fantasy, magical worlds with vaguely steampunk leanings, and atmospheric writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

WOW this was some beautiful writing. Such amazing atmosphere and an immersive setting had me hooked from the beginning, and the beautiful way the story unravelled really impressed me. I think the pacing towards the end got a little too quick and easy for me, as I got closer to the end I kept thinking "how are we gonna wrap all this up soon" and I found I was a little disappointed in the conclusion because it was just too simple.

That being said, the book itself was amazing, the taste of a romance inside the fantastical historical story was lovely and I really loved being swept away in this world.

Wow, this story was so lovely and atmospheric and mysterious and magical. I loved every moment! Clara was a fantastic main character to follow, and her journey had me enthralled. There was a ton of depth and layers to this story that I didn’t expect going into it. It’s the type of read you’ll really need to pay attention to. It’s smart, it’s clever, it’s deep, it’s interesting. I loved it.

There’s were so many things about this book I should’ve liked. The time period, the whimsy, the almost steampunk aspect, Paris, and winter. Yet, nothing clicked for me. I didn’t feel attached to any of the characters. I never felt hooked into the story. I struggled trying to decipher what the real conflict was in 40 percent into the book. While I was intrigued and enjoyed the “other world,” that was about the only thing that hit for me. I can appreciate the writing and the creativity, but the pace was too slow for me.

There were many elements and plot point that I found enjoyable but there was something fundamentally missing from this book that kept me from becoming invested in any of the characters or the overall story. I struggled to get through this because all of the characters felt flat, yes we knew a little backstory but it didn’t feel like we really knew them.

I loved the timeframe and world jumping but it felt more clinical than fantastical. The world that they characters jumped into where they could create anything their minds could imagine was missing its magic. It didn’t feel as otherworldly, fantastical, or as magical as it was probably intended to.

The minor bit of romance was fine but didn’t make me weak in the knees. The villain of the story, his motivations, and what he was doing may have been time accurate felt lackluster and was tied up pretty quickly once revealed.

Fans of a darker shade of magic would probably really enjoy this.

I’ve been looking for a retelling of the nutcracker. This one used all the elements but placed them in such a way that it formed a completely new story out of it.
I loved the stories within the story, the fairytales Clara’s Godfather told her growing up and the truths they concealed. I loved all the details, like castles made out of marzipan, sugarplums, and the descriptions of Paris.
But the story itself didn’t draw me in. Clara is an interesting enough character, but the plot dragged and the end felt hollow to me. I’ll give it credit for its creativity, but the execution was lacking.
(Thanks to Netgalley for the arc)

Thank you Rowenna Miller, Orbit Books and Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for a review.

I wonder why she didn’t just write or telegram her godfather to ask about Nathanael, so she would know if he was who he said he was.

Despite that, I really enjoyed this fantasy adventure novel.