The Enchanted Sonata

I finished this book in one day because it was so captivating I didn't want to put it down. I loved how the author incorporated a bit of the Pied Piper into this story. I think the two stories fit together very well. There was a nice slow build romance and great character development for the main character. The world building was well done and the imagery made it so easy to fall into this book. I love the Nutcrackers personality and how he felt he needed to prove himself worthy of such a privileged life. We also get a happy ending for the side characters and we get to see what motivates the villain. I highly recommend this book, especially if you love retellings and/or music.

I devoured this book in a day. With lyrical writing, complex characters, rich worldbuilding, and an explosive plot, The Enchanted Sonata is guaranteed to fly off shelves, I have not read such a good novel in a long time,

Thank you for the arc of this book, it’s a great retelling of the pied piper and the nutcracker, beautifully written, it whisks you away to a magical place.

Rating 5/5

What perfect read to start off the winter season than a retelling of my all-time favorite ballet The Nutcracker! I was so excited when I was blessed with an early copy and cannot express how amazing this was! The author craftily blended two tales - The Nutcracker and The Pied Piper. It was meshed so beautifully that I was lost in this new world and anxious to find out what happens to Clara and Nik. The adventure and magic illustrated immersed me into this world, and I found myself discovering the enchantment of it all with each paged I turned!

Clara's individual growth in this first book was so good especially once she got over Johann. I'm not much of a believer for instant love, so when she finally found her strength and courage and began to grow into her own person, I cared and respected her more than I originally did. Nik is a prince through and through. His desire to still put others first showcased how amazing he would become.

I am so ecstatic the author decided to turn this into a trilogy and cannot WAIT for the next book! You definitely need to take a chance on this - I promise it will be one of your staple reads every winter!

I love the nutcracker and I love Christmas and this book was awesome!! I’m just ready for the holidays now. It was a great retelling of a classic tale.

This book has been described as The Nutcracker meets The Pied Piper. Recently, I read a retelling of the latter, titled The Piper, and I fell in love with it. My feelings for this book were no different. I loved the enchantment and descriptions in this novel- it practically whisks you away into another world. The cover is just as beautiful as the inside, and I would highly recommend this enchanting tale to any fans of the aforementioned books!!

Whether a fan of The Nutcracker or not, this is an engaging take on the theme. Magic, music, adventure, danger, and love. Who could ask for more? Simply delightful.

Wonderful retelling of the Nutcracker. I found myself wondering what was happening next even though this is a story I am familiar with. Exciting twists and new characters make this a brand new classic.

Clara Stahlbaum has her future perfectly planned: marry the handsome pianist, Johann Kahler, and settle down to a life full of music. But all that changes when Clara receives a mysterious and magical nutcracker.
Whisked away to his world--an enchanted empire of beautiful palaces, fickle fairies, enormous rats, and a prince--Clara must face a magician who uses music as magic...and the future she thought she wanted.

The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork is retelling of the Nutcracker, which has been my all time favorite story, so of course I had to read it! It's perfect since the Christmas season is coming up soon too. It was well written, full of whimsical, musical magic... Plus the cover art is great! I absolutely loved this book!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheEnchantedSonata
Pub Date: 23 Oct 2018

First of all, thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

The Enchanted Sonata It is a retelling of the story The Nutcracker, which I have read many times and loved.
I have to say that this book is so beautifully written my imagination was in overdrive and I loved it.

I enjoyed literally everything about this book. The villain had to be my favourite character and I loved the fact there was such an amazing backstory for the villain.
I was so sad it wasn’t longer but While the book is not exactly huge page wise it has a huge plot that gets better and better!
I read it all in one sitting and found it very hard to put down.

Overall, I couldn’t have enjoyed this book more and would highly recommend to anyone who loves books about retellings.

4.5 stars

I was totally captivated by this book. The descriptions were beautiful and the way music was incorporated was so well done you could almost hear music playing while you read. I think incorporating The Pied Piper was a great idea and it worked out really well. It was definitely a perfect Christmas read. I haven't seen The Nutcracker ballet in ages, but reading this makes me want to see it again.

All the characters were very well written. I loved how Nikolai decided to prove himself worthy of being emperor instead of just demanding it. Also, his little snarky bits were pretty funny, especially with Mother Svetlana. And the part with the nuns and the guns? Hilarious. Clara was a good main character. She gets pulled into a world that isn't her own, and at first all she wants is to go home, but after hearing and seeing everything that's happened, she begins to realize how much more important it is to stay and help make everything right. I'm really glad the author showed us Erik's past, so that we could understand his motivations. I think it really helps a story when you can understand the villains motivations, instead of just having a villain with no explanation. All the other side characters were written really well, and the ending was satisfying and cute.

Also, the cover of this book is beautiful, and I loved how they used part of it for the chapter headings. This was a wonderful retelling and a perfect holiday book.

I absolutely adored this book!

From the creepy rats to the slow-burning adventure, this has quickly become my favorite holiday book that I’ve ever read!

I don’t know too much of the original Nutcracker Ballet, so I can’t speak highly on that, but from what I vaguely know about it, I think this retelling took many of the main characteristics of the story and created a Russian version that I loved!

There’s the main character that is a musical prodigy on her way to performing in the biggest Christmas event, and then we are slowly introduced to this fantasy world full of chilly weather, nutcracker toys, and a musician who is destined to end the prince’s reign.

There is so many adventures throughout that just brought the whole idea of the holiday season into the YA world.

I gave this one a 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend for the Christmas and Holiday season, especially if you love music, nutcrackers, and peppermints!

It’s two worlds that collide, and the ending just warmed my heart all the way! Ah, I can’t recommend enough!!

As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

I needed a book like this, at a time like this. I'm so glad I was able to read it. There are books that are so vivid and fast-paced, and purely magical, that they are the ultimate getaway from ordinary. After the last few months from h*ll, this was one of those rare bright spots. In short? The Enchanted Sonata was positively stunning and sweet. I could not put it down.

Heather Dixon Wallwork crafts a delightfully musical, re-imagined version of two beloved classics: The Nutcracker Ballet and The Pied Piper. Two titles I would have never thought to put together, but that work so, so well. The Enchanted Sonata is for the readers who love to dream and a total must-have for fans of The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert or ABC's Once Upon A Time.

The Enchanted Sonata is so gripping, and so full of energy, I could not put it down and shuddered anytime I actually had to. It follows the familiar themes of the stories it is based upon, but the end product is a new kind of story and wholly its own. Breath-taking, unique, yet undeniably familiar.

I really and truly loved every bit of this story and can't wait to read more. The characters are all well developed and easy to like, or hate, or be sympathetic with. I loved that the magic lay primarily in the music, in Clara and in the villain. Something about these little notes develops in true and complete magic, and it adds an extra layer to the story that I really enjoyed.

My favourite part of The Enchanted Sonata is, perhaps, the feeling that comes with it: wonder. You're intrigued throughout, there are moments of action and sweetness and joy and pain, but the wonder? I was filled with it by the time I finished this book and it soon became an incredibly bright spot in my day. If ever there was a book, about magic, that truly felt magical--The Enchanted Sonata is it.

This has been said a few times on Booked J, but I felt so enamored with this book it felt not unlike just sitting back and listening as someone took me back to those childhood fantasies. Whether this was because of the fantasy elements, the innocence feeling it sometimes held, and all those little luscious details or because it feels like something classic, there was something about The Enchanted Sonata.

Think: stories being told, at Christmas, just near a fireplace. It takes us back to a simpler time (which is hilarious because the book is not simple by any means) and boosts your spirits.

I thought the pacing was fantastic, and almost timeless. We know when it takes place. We know there is a fantasy world outside of all Clara has always known. We know something, inexplicably, ties them together. Still, The Enchanted Sonata felt of no time at all, and the pacing was so smooth you'd almost forget that the storyline is within only a few days worth of time.

If you are looking for an easy-going, but still bright and captivating, story of self-discovery, heroism, music and magic within ourselves (and others!) this is the book for you. It was cozy and warm; the perfect read to pick up and indulge in a little hot cocoa with this winter.

The Enchanted Sonata is vivid and magical, I am obsessed!

Plus, that cover art is just as stunning as the story. I only hope I have the money to get a physical copy one day soon.

Clara Staglbaum has her future perfectly planned to marry the handsome pianist Johann Kahler and settle down to a life full of music. But all that changes on Christmas Eve, When Clara receives a mysterious and magical nutcracker, Whisked away to his world an enchanted empire of beautiful palaces, fickle fairies, enormous rats, and a prince. Clara must face a magician who uses music as spells and the future she thought she wanted. The Enchanted Sonata, a retelling of the Nutcracker Ballet with a dash of the Pied Piper, will captivate readers of all ages.

I always enjoyed the story of the Nutcracker and was curious how the author would bring this tale to life in a different way. The blending with The Pied Piper of Hamlin worked well, and I actually stayed up late into the night to finish reading, because I simply had to see how it would end.

As always, the cover caught my eye, while the blurb got me curious, so I knew I had to read it.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it! It's absolutely enchanting.

A story within a story. Clara is a talented piano player and she has this major crush on another piano player, whom she wants to impress with her talent. She already has everything planned out - what she would be wearing, how she would perform, how Johann would fall in love with her.

But we don't always get what we want. Sometimes, we get exactly what we need and what could turn out to be better than what we wanted. Such is Clara's case.

With the help of some fairies and magic, she becomes part of a story, having to help out a prince who may or may not become Emperor, if he manages to save his people and his country from a villain who uses music and magic to prevent that from happening.

I don't want to say more, just this: read it. I laughed, I cried and I swooned. I will definitely reread it.

4.5 - 5 stars. I voluntarily agreed to read an early copy of this book via Netgalley.

I will start by saying I wanted to read this because of the author. Heather Dixon Wallwork (formerly published as Heather Dixon) wrote one of my favorite books, Entwined, so when I heard she had written a new book, I was all over it! I didn't even care what it was about, but the description of "a retelling of The Nutcracker Ballet with a dash of The Pied Piper" had me intrigued! I enjoy any sort of retelling, so I had to see what Mrs. Wallwork would do to enhance these tales and make them unique! Let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. This is going on my reread shelf as well as on my list of favorites.

Clara is a talented pianist ready to perform in the conservatory's Christmas concert and jumpstart the future she has dreamed of for years, but something remarkable happens on Christmas Eve. She is drawn into the story of a prince and his kingdom cursed by an evil magician, and without realizing it, she has been given a role to play.

This story is magical. The places, the people - I was entranced by the wonder of it all. I want to go to Polichinelle's candy emporium and visit the Abbey of the Indomitable Sisters. I loved Nutcracker's little quirks and spirit, and Clara's growth as a person.

I recommend this to everyone who wants to experience a little magic in their lives, as well as lovers of fairytales, retellings, and romance alike. It's the perfect read for the Christmas and winter season!