The Kingdom of Sweets

A Novel of the Nutcracker

By: Erika Johansen

Narrated by: Grace Gray

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

This gloriously transportive reimagining of The Nutcracker tells the tale of twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against each another one fateful Christmas Eve.

Light and dark—this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while Natasha is relegated to her sister’s shadow, ignored and unloved.

But Natasha seizes the opportunity for revenge one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at the family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets.

Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts . . . and chilling bargains. But as Natasha uncovers the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

©2023 Erika Johansen (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The famous Christmas ballet takes a sinister turn in Johansen’s spooky retelling... It would be a simple thing to take the outlines of The Nutcracker ballet and make it grim, but Johansen is doing a lot of delicate character work here, primarily around envy, social limitations on women’s choices, and accountability. The world beyond the candy fantasy is satisfyingly creepy but also an effective landscape for exploring what happens when you ignore the rotten core of your deepest desires. An eerie and sophisticated dark fantasy." —Kirkus (starred)

"Johansen transforms a beloved holiday classic into a dark tale of vengeance.... Fans of artistically influenced, realistic historical fiction wrapped in moral allegory will relish Natasha's Nutcracker-adjacent narrative.” —Booklist (starred)

“In this gripping reimagining of the holiday classic, Erika Johansen shatters the sugar plum surface of the original Nutcracker to plunge deep into the shadows beneath. Twins Clara and Natasha are divided at birth by their unexpected godfather, Drosselmeyer, with one twin designated ‘light’ and the other ‘dark.’ But Johansen entwines love and hate, jealousy and pity, vengeance and forgiveness so tightly, it’s impossible to decide which twin to root for. Johansen gives readers the gift of a compelling and richly imagined story that will keep them turning pages until the last, fully realized twist.” —Liz Michalski, author of Darling Girl

Fantastical exploration of what makes us human

An engaging story interweaving fantastical and historical fictional. It’s a story about societal expectations, carving out one’s identity and finding one’s happiness, i loved it.

Fantastic narration

I’m not someone who particularly enjoys fantasy, but I love The Nutcracker and wanted to give this a try. The book was middle of the road for me, but the audiobook narration I listened to while reading the book was fantastic, one of the best audiobook productions I’ve listened to!

that was crazy

It was so good. There were so many ups, downs, no's, and yes's. The reports were I really connected with the characters and overall, this was just a crazy book.

Delectably Immersive

I have been waiting for someone other than Gregory Maguire to attack a retelling of the Nutcracker. Erika Johansen gives a gothic re-telling, that made me want to gorge on chocolate under the Christmas tree while reading.
I sat by the tree, with audio, wrapping gifts. This was a wildly different ride from crying during The Christmas Pig.
This book has a fun sleeping beauty meets nutcracker type of feel. The Nutcracker was a heavy tradition in my childhood that has carried deep into my adult life. I adore the symphony, I enjoy the ballet, and I ADORE all the illustrative versions.

As a kid, all I wanted was to wake up like Clara with my Nutcracker soldier in the Kingdom of sweets. I have always found it enchanting, magical, and mysterious. Johansen's writing felt so perfect. The descriptions were PERFECTION, especially twards the first two chunks of the book.I personally loved her take on the world and found her descriptions magically delicious. The plot as a whole is certainly not what perhaps anyone is asking for, and for that I think this will get rated harsher than perhaps it deserves.
The focus so heavily on twins and the main villain sometimes brought me out of the fantastical world I so deeply desired to be in. The gothic focus was beautifully written, however, it will certainly not be hitting the expectations of most folks who dive in.
All in all, this was a lovely read to sign off the year on. I'm fascinated to see what Johansen writes in the future, she is one I will be watching.


Concept 5/5
Setting 5/5 This book is heavily setting descriptive and focussed over character driven
Characters 3/5
Magic System 4/5
Magical Objects/creatures 5/5
Plot 3/5
Coherence 4/5
Romance -
Audio Reader 4/5

Final Verdict- Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination...

Another fantastic story

Well done! And I loved how it ties into the Tearling books. Narrator does a good job, as well.

it's an interesting tale

honestly, it's an interesting tail. I order 100% recommend it. I really thoroughly enjoyed it.

Beautifully written and narrated

This book is wonderful. I was transfixed throughout. The narrator did a wonderful job as well.

Lovely!

A cerebral retelling of “The Nutcracker” that pulls the reader in without resorting to the cheap tricks of porn or foul language so common in other modern fantasies. The characters were complex and showed growth throughout the book. The narrator was spot on.

Amazing imagery!

This story held my attention and interest until the very end. As I listened I was transported to the kingdom and it was wonderful, frightening, and beautiful all at once! Skillfully written and narrated. Thank you!!

Outstanding

I truly loved this book! The darkness and wonder engulf you as you read and I listened to it straight through.