Sugar Plum Princess

Forbidden Dancers, Book 1

De: Tayler Marie Brooks

Narrado por: Kristen Saburn

Clara Stahlbaum lived a life of ease and comfort. That is until her father passed away and her family lost their social standing. Now in order to secure their futures, Clara must travel to Frostington and obtain the status of lady-in-waiting for the spoiled, selfish Princess Alice.

Clara’s Uncle Drosselmeier has Clara escorted by a former soldier named, Peter Hoffman, whom Clara soon realizes is the rightful heir to the throne. Only he was overthrown by Arnold, a tyrannical ruler whom the people nicknamed, the Mouse King.

Clara finally arrives at the palace and learns of a plot to capture and kill Peter. Can she get a warning back to him in time? And where is this mysterious Sugar Plum Princess Clara keeps hearing of and why isn’t she here to save the people?

©2022 Tayler Marie Brooks (P)2025 Lisa Lynn Sandlin

A Short but enjoyable listen

This was a quick listen for me, just under 2 hours.
This was an enjoyable short retelling of The Sugar Plum Princess.

Clara is gifted a beautiful nutcracker charm necklace by her Uncle for her birthday. But it comes with a note that will change the future. She must travel to the kingdom Frostington to try to become the lady-in-waiting for King Arnold’s daughter Alice.

Peter is to accompany Clara to Frostington, he is the former Prince of Frostington, the rightful heir to the throne. And being hunted by The Mouse King.

Is Princess Alice an alie or the enemy?
Would Prince Peter be a better leader than The Mouse King is?
Will Clara get swept up into the trouble that is brewing?

The Narration by Kristen Saburn was highly enjoyable.
Kristen’s voice was engaging and kept me entertained as I listened to the story.
I ended up listening to this at 1.3x

This is a very short book and reads that way as things move and jump quickly, as I would expect in a short book. I can’t wait to read more by Tayler and listen to other audiobooks narrated by Kristen Saburn.

who is this written for?

The reading level seems to be for young children but some of the content might be more appropriate for older ones.

YA Retelling

Sugar Plum Princess by Tayler Marie Brooks is a great YA retelling of the Nutcracker. Kristen Saburn did a great job with the narration. The story is entertaining, interesting, and more. This story is good for older kids and preteen 9-13. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. Highly recommend