The Kingdom of Sweets

A Novel of the Nutcracker

De: Erika Johansen

Narrado por: Grace Gray

Twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against one another on a 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 ignored and unloved Natasha is relegated to her sister’s shadow.

But the opportunity for revenge announces itself one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at their 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 deadly bargains. But as Natasha unspools 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.

An Unseen Thread of Good vs Evil - Eerie Whispers of the Other

Hints at the invisible connection between twins, even when they are try to separate themselves.
I loved the story and the woven tapestry of fairytale fantasy with very dark fantasy.
The story was well written and portrayed. Many chills ran up my spine. I especially loved the voice and character of The Sugar Plum Fairy/The Spade.
Every character walked a fine line between good and evil. It was an intricate web of guilt, deceit, greed, lust, want, entitlement, consequences, sorrow, jealousy, and so much more.
Heed this warning: be careful what you wish for - so often we only think we know what we want - consequences will follow.

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.

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!

Amazing retelling story

I absolutely ate this story! This was so great! The retelling of the nutcracker is just so great. How interesting and in-depth the author goes into the feeling and emotions of the main characters is impressive. I cannot believe all the different turns this dark retelling takes. And then once you think the story is coming to an end the last twist is unleashed. So good. Will 100% recommend people to read this book! Just so good!!!

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.

Alice in wonderland meets…… something

This book was not what I expected. It turned and moved so much it didn’t make sense to me. Perhaps I struggled with Candy people, and make believe lands of sugar plumbs and chocolate fountains.
It’s a story of betrayal, murder and jesters, far away magic and make believe lands.
I love a good story that’s off the beaten path. But this was to far off, and a DNF. I just couldn’t do it.

Story line

Nothing other then I wanted more I didn’t want it to end but it was amazing thank you

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...