REVIEW: Midnight in Everwood (M. A. Kuzniar)

Book: Midnight in Everwood

Author: M. A. Kuzniar

My rating: 3/5.

Premise: Nottingham, 1906. Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina but she is obligated to hang up her ballet shoes and marry in the New Year. When the mysterious Dr Drosselmeier purchases a neighbouring townhouse, it heralds the arrival of magic and wonder in her life. Although Drosselmeier's magic is darker than Marietta could have imagined.

A retelling of the Nutcracker with a gorgeous cover....well the publishers just saw me coming didn't they! I'll admit, because I love the Nutcracker so much, my review is biased. Sure, there were some things I didn't like - it was a tad slow, the characters were a tad flat, and some of the characters had very modern ideals that felt out of place in 1906. BUT I loved the atmosphere. I could smell the marzipan streets. I could feel the magic. I adored a badass sugar-plum fairy! Also, the romance and the bittersweet ending. Urgh, I lapped it up. A side note: I'd say this was more a YA retelling than the adult one it's marketed as (not a problem for me, it was just lighter than I was expecting). Overall, a lovely Christmas read.