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.

©2023 Erika Johansen (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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

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!!!

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!!

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.