I've been a little obsessed with ballet ever since I was a child, so I absolutely jumped at the chance to read this magical book. Marietta Stelle is a girl ahead of her time. She desperately wants a life where she is free to indulge in her love for ballet, but her parents see a different future for her, one with a high place in society with children and a husband, one where her dancing is a thing of the past. When a mysterious man moves into the neighbouring house Marietta's parents see this as the perfect chance to marry her off but, though enchanted at first, the more time Marietta spends with Drosselmeier the darker and more dangerous he comes across. Determined to have her he agree's to create the stage for her final Ballet performance, but it's even more magical than it looks. As the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Eve Marietta finds herself transported to a different world, a magical world. Everwood is like the stories from her old fairy tales brought to life, with magic spells, dangerous creatures and gingerbread houses. Determined to escape her fate back home Marietta tries to catch the eye of the King of Everwood, who takes an unhealthy liking to her. She quickly realises her mistake, but not quick enough. Now a captive of the King, forced to dance at his whim, Marietta must make alliances if she is to make it home to her family. But in a world brimming with magic and rebellion, can a girl with no magic of her own really stand a chance.

Marietta was a character I had a complicated relationship with. At the start of the book I adored her punchy and no nonsense attitude, her constant battles with her parents and her inner battle between doing the thing she loves and living up to her parents ideals definitely made me empathise with her. However, when she first arrives in Everwood she almost turns into the spoilt princess that society has tried so hard to make her, determined she knows everything, even in a world filled with magic. She gets over this personality swap pretty swiftly, realising her mistake and admitting that she was wrong, but it threw me a little to see her switch personality types so swiftly. Throughout all she endures, she carries a strength inside her, she is determined to answer to no man be it a King or her father, and her characters growth is definitely something I enjoyed following.

Though this is wholeheartedly Marietta's story, Kuzniar treats us to a well built cast of side characters, some that I loved, and others I wanted to see suffer a rather painful death. Dellara and Pirlipata were by far my favourites. They are the women that Marietta is roomed with in the palace, and two people who know what it is like to suffer under the King. I found myself drawn to them, even Dellara who at first is harsh and standoffish to Marietta, but when you learn their stories, you understand their reasoning for keeping her at arms length. I also loved Frederick, Marietta's brother and the only person in her life who understands her dreams. Every single character is effortlessly brought to life and all have something pivotal to add to Marietta's story.

This book made me incredibly hungry when reading it, the descriptions of the food, and even the magical buildings had my mouth watering. In fact, Kuzniar's descriptive writing in general was off the charts, I especially loved the scenes when Marietta was dancing and found myself effortlessly visualising the moves and dances in my head. I was easily enveloped in the story. It was magical, haunting and a little creepy in parts but I never failed to get pulled into the scenes and setting, feeling as if I'd travelled to Everwood myself. I haven't seen or read The Nutcracker so I can't say how close of a retelling this is, but I can say that you don't need to know the original story to enjoy this.

Fans of slow burn, enemies to lovers... this one might be for you. I loved seeing the relationship develop between Marietta and Legat, though their love was forbidden with Marietta being the King's possession, their scenes together were some of my favourites, and though not overly happy, I adored how their story ended. I also really enjoyed seeing the parallels between how Drosselmeier and the King treated her, to her relationship with Legat. Seeing Marietta having the power in that relationship rather than feeling powerless.

Midnight in Everwood is a little slow starting, but once we get to Everwood the story picks up pace and makes for a magical and enchanting tale. I will definitely be checking out Kuzniar's other works, and would love the chance to return to this world and these characters over again if we got the chance.

YOU’LL LOVE THIS IF YOU LOVE…

The Nutcracker
Ballet
Magic
Fantasy
History
Fighting the patriarchy
Headstrong women
Romance
Winter/Christmas
MY THOUGHTS:

This book was an incredible and magically Edwardian fairytale whirlwind from the beginning to the end.

I absolutely loved Marietta’s character. She is such a headstrong and independent young woman, intent on getting what she wants and following the path of her dreams. What I really enjoyed about her was just how much she grew and changed over the course of the story. She’s resourceful and yet she manages to recognise her flaws and try to overcome them as the story progresses. She also becomes stronger, learning more about herself and making friends along the way that help her in so many ways. I absolutely loved her story, and I wish there was another book coming so I could read even more!

If you know the plot of the original Nutcracker story then you’ll have a pretty good idea of the bare bones of this book, as well as the historical and magical vibes of this book. But, I think what I loved the most about this book was how Maria has taken the best things about the Nutcracker story, including the dastardly Drosselmeyer, and turned them into something that is all her own. It felt both nostalgic and original in the best kind of way.

This originality in the plot is only enhanced by the characters in this story. There is such an interesting cast of other characters alongside Marietta that I loved. Other ballerinas, two women who Mariette meets when she steps into the alternate reality, the King of the Kingdom she enters, as well as the Captain of the guard (who is without a doubt one of my favourite characters). I love how these characters interact and how the story builds around them and rests on their interactions and their private moments.

What tied the whole book together for me was the magic. It’s not wholly obvious at first exactly what the magic in this book is, but it’s the kind of old world, fairytale style magic that I’ve loved since I was a child. Objects imbued with magical properties, sugar-coated incantations and spells (a lot of the time literally) and alternate realities and worlds. It’s the kind of magical story that picks you up and whisks you away before leaving you wanting more back in your own reality.

WHY IT WAS A 5-STAR READ FOR ME:

The reason this book is a five-star read for me is pretty much because there was absolutely nothing about this book I didn’t like. The magic, the characters, the world and the plot. Everything married and tangled and wove together into a gorgeous tapestry of a book that I didn’t want to put down or let go of.

This book has one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen. When I found out it was a 'retelling' of the classic story, The Nutcracker, I really wanted to read it. However, it wasn't quite the romantic magical fairy tale I was hoping for.

Midnight in Everwood is set in Nottingham in 1906. Marietta Stelle dreams of becoming a professional ballerina but, as her parents are well-to-do, she is expected to have an arranged marriage to a man of equal status. Her new neighbour, the creepy Dr Drosselmeier, has impressed her family with his gifts of 'magical' clockwork toys; now he's built a stunning set for Marietta's last ballet performance on Christmas Eve. As the grandfather clock strikes midnight, Marietta hides from Dr Drosselmeier inside, only to find herself in a winter wonderland...

This is one of those 'perfectly good book but totally wrong reader' scenarios. From the cover, I was expecting a romantic fairy tale retelling of The Nutcracker, in the same way that Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver was a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. However, while Midnight in Everwood does have elements of The Nutcracker, it is not a retelling but more 'inspired by'. There are also elements of other well-known stories such as The Red Shoes, Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The first third of the story is about Marietta's life in Nottingham, showing how privileged she is (I loved the descriptions of her fabulous gowns!) but how she is also trapped by that privilege. Her life has been planned out for her by her parents and will be continued by her husband. As much as she rebels against this with her ballet lessons (considered shocking for an upper-class Edwardian girl) she is quite naïve. When she arrives in Everwood her first thought is to relish her freedom, ignoring the fact that she might be walking into a pretty trap. Marietta has many hard lessons to learn about family, friendship, love and sacrifice before she can earn her own happy ending.

Midnight in Everwood would suit anyone who loves ballet and historical novels about women fighting for their right to lead the independent life they want. It's not quite the magical fantasy the cover suggests, despite the luscious descriptions of the sweets in Everwood. I would have preferred more fairy tale magic, more romance, and an ending more in keeping with the original ballet, but the story is still worth a solid four stars.



Thank you to M.A. Kuzniar and HQ for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Utterly enchanting.

This is a retelling of The Nutcracker I believe (I’ve not read it, only watched the ballet I forget how many times..), and it absolutely enchanted me, it’s a perfect read as the weather turns colder, thoughts turn to snow, hot chocolate, etc, etc.

The scene setting is delectable, the writing conjures up scents that had me heading for the sweet cupboard, the story is romantic, cruel, full of friendship, and a dose of evil of course.

This story absolutely enchanted me, it really is the only description for it.

My thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Nottingham, 1906 see Marietta Stelle about to cast caution to the wind & audition for an opportunity to train as a ballerina. Her parents have other plans & want her to give up her dreams & marry, & when the mysterious Dr Drosselmeier, moves into a neighbouring house, they are quick to invite him to dine at their home. Their plan works & Drosselmeier becomes infatuated with Marietta, but she feels that there is something odd about the man. His work as toymaker is unparalleled, filled with wonder & magic, but the man himself has a darkness around him. Marietta finds out how dark when he offers to create a set for her final ballet performance on Christmas Eve, & he transports her to a strange land - Everwood has magic, buildings made of icing sugar & candy, but it is ruled by a tyrant. Can Marietta escape & return home whilst evading Drosselmeier's plans for her future?

If I had to describe the writing style of the book, I'd say sumptuous with every page brimming with delicious descriptions. It's a style that's not for everyone but I found it an enchanting world, one that it was easy to lose oneself in reading about. Marietta was an intriguing main character who shows the reader the constraints that her society put on women (needing a chaperone to venture out shopping or to her ballet practice for example), & her feminist ideals of being able to choose for herself, although she did stray towards being too headstrong at times, & brought trouble upon herself where a milder answer would have sufficed. I initially did not know it was a retelling of The Nutcracker, but after a quick read up about it, I could see where the author was coming from. I would have awarded this the maximum 5 stars if it weren't for a couple of things; one where Marietta puts others at risk to see the person she has fallen for, & two, the ending seemed a little too quick & easy compared to the rest of the book, therefore, I rated it 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5).

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HQ, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A Nutcracker retelling?... Ummmm, yes please.

This wonderful novel is set in 1906’s England and follows Marietta Stelle, a young adult who is passionate about ballet but is about to be forced to give it up by her family when she turns 21, because they want her to get married and be the loveable wife any husband would be lucky to get, and that does not involve hours spent at the ballet studio. Enter the creepy Dr Drosselmeier, and Marietta finds herself sucked into another realm bursting with sugar, ice and people warning her to leave, does she listen? No she does not. She ends up as a guest of the King and finds herself in his palace, which is said to be inescapable… good luck girl, good luck.

I got through this gorgeous retelling very quickly because I just couldn’t put it down, the author did such an amazing job at staying true to the original tale of the Nutcracker while simultaneously recreating it is such a beautiful and magical way, which is not an easy feat to achieve. The world building and descriptions were absolutely incredible, I mean at one point my mouth was actually watering while I was reading the food descriptions, holy cow they actually made me hungry. I wanted to dive into the pages of this book and experience the magic and atmosphere for myself because it was just so beautifully written. @cosyreads is a very talented writer and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here. Definitely an author to watch!

Thank you so much to @hqstories for gifting me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was slow to start but once the story went to Everwood it was very magical.

A bit over the top at times but that’s what fairy tales are all about.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review #MidnightAtEverwood

Midnight in Everwood is a magical novel that is filled with wonder and magic. It is bursting with such amazing descriptions that suck you right into the world. The descriptions of a world filled with sweets and confection made me hungry and made of a lush world full of fantasy with an incredible plot to keep you reading on. I felt that the characters were well-rounded and likable throughout this book and I really wanted what was best for the main protagonist Marietta. It was super fast-paced and when I picked it up I felt that I could get through loads without realizing it. It was the perfect winter read to get you right in the mood for Christmas and something I highly recommend reading for the Christmas season.

An enchanting and atmospheric tale with characters to root for, an intriguing plot, and sparkling prose. I really enjoyed immersing myself in Edwardian Nottingham and thought Maria Kuzniar conjured up the worlds - both historical and magical - in a lovely way.

A retelling of The Nutcracker in 1906. Marietta is weighted down with family duty when she just wants to follow her love of ballet. A winter wonderland that will sweep you off your feet. Highly recommend.

Congratulations! Your review for Midnight in Everwood, captioned
below, has been published. Visit
<https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=75557> to view your
published review.

Please share your review via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest,
Instagram and other social media venues. Include the #FFreview
hashtag or @FreshFiction in your posts.

Midnight In Everwood follows Marietta a ballerina who enters a magic world for her final performance before she is forced to give up her passion to marry a man by her parents. The story is a retelling of The Nutcracker. I have to admit I’ve never read The Nutcracker before, but in all honestly I feel it doesn’t really matter whether you have read it or not as the story stands on its own.

What first drew me to this book was definitely the stunning front cover and a promise of a new magical world and characters that I would fall in love with. And although I got all of these things I did find this to be a little difficult to get through I found the storyline to be slow and a little repetitive in places.

The first half of the book is much slower and does pick up but not until we are introduced to the magical world. It’s not until about the halfway point when we actually get introduced to the magical world, which for me was a little too long to have to wait. Although the magical world is well done, I did feel like something was missing, but I can’t quite pinpoint what was missing for me.

Although I wasn’t feeling the slow burn romance trope between the characters overall I thought most of them were well written. There were a few that felt a little underdeveloped and a little predictable and these are the ones I struggled to like.

I was really hoping to love this book, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Don’t get me wrong Midnight In Everwood is not a bad book at all it just didn’t blow me away!!

If you’re planning to read this book I would say definitely give it a go as you never know you may absolutely fall in love with it like so many others!!

I would like to thank the publisher HQ and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

If you want to read a story in which you can lose yourself, this is one to read. It was so full of descriptions which were so magical and to imagine.

How the story was told was fabulous and it felt like you could touch and eat sugar coated palace and village of Everwood.

The relationship between Marietta, Pirlipata and Dellara was lovely, characters so different but together they were strong.

Their empowerment, I felt was a big part of this adventure, a delight to read.

Highly recommend this book.

For fans of "The Toymakers" and "The Night Circus" (two of my favourites!), this book does NOT disappoint! It has a wonderful atmospheric quality and it's a cleverly told winter's tale. Absolutely enjoyed this, especially with copious amounts of tea. Thank you so much for this ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The premise of this book was intriguing - a vaguely feminist retelling of the Nutcracker based in Nottingham (I grew up in the East Midlands, and it's not often you see Nottingham featured in literature). I thought the main message of the narrative was good - believe in yourself and don't let other people stop you from achieving your dreams. However, I felt the two pieces of the story didn't mesh together all that well, and I found myself wishing the Everwood section was just the whole story. That aside, I did enjoy most of the plot and particularly the Everwood characters.

If I could give Midnight in Everwood infinite stars I would. It’s a magical, sweeping fantasy with a fierce dreamer in Marietta. It is dark and atmospheric and full delicious descriptions of hot chocolate. You feel the struggle of societal expectations clash with ballerina dreams. The villain is every inch the vile nightmare you expect and yet, I still felt chills every time he spoke. I loved the romance between her and Lestatand the ending made me hopeful.

Thank you so much for the ARC.

A retelling of The Nutcracker with a gothic, haunting twist, this is a very different type of christmas story that transports you to a world like no other.

I will say that it took a couple of chapter for me to get invested but as the book goes on, the pace picks up and I was IN. The pace of this story is slow but oh so rewarding. If you're the kind of reader that finds extensive detail boring or tedious, this isn't for you. A lot of the book is absolutely saturated with dance, fashion and pure luxury.

The story is beautifully woven and full of decadent, wondrous descriptions that are utterly captivating. I got myself so lost in the story and the magic of it all. The author has given a lot of time and attention to world building and scene setting as well as filling the book with many ballet terms and luscious, opulent imagery.

If you are a fan of small intimate gestures, the lingering, a slow burn forbidden romance and particularly HANDS (a la Mr Darcy - if you know, you know) then this is right up your street but you have to stick with it because this comes later.

I feel like this story really encapsulates the energy and feel of the original story. The intensity, the jeopardy and the romance. I loved it.

Marietta has only one dream- to become a ballet dancer. However, having being brought up in a conservative, patriarchal family, she only has one destiny and that is to be a wife. Her life is almost like a 'gilded cage': she has been given everything but freedom.

Her fate is sealed when the mysterious doctor Drosselmeier moves into the neighbourhood and casts his magical spell onto Marietta's family. Marietta's dancing days are numbered. Once Christmas is over, she would be married and take her place in society.

Not according to Marietta- she has no intentions to give up her independence and share the world with a man she feels nothing towards. What is more, she knows that there is something strange and dark about him, which her family cannot see as they are so spellbound by him.

When they are finally on their own, after Christmas Eve dinner, Marietta refutes him, and trying to escape, she gets locked in a Grandfather Clock- what is to be a centerpiece Drosselmeier conjured for her role as Aurora.

In a true fairytale fashion, as soon as the clock chimes midnight, Marietta finds herself stumbling upon snow-topped trees, a sugar palace, and the world of Everwood that cannot be real. She soon gets noticed by the nefarious king and is forced to dance for him becoming his plaything. Drosselmeier's dark magic still haunts her. However, Marietta's strong, independent spirit, using the help of the King's most trusted, starts constructing a cunning plan to deceive him.

#midnightineverwood is like a fairytale for adults, written in a sophisticated language that abounds with emotion, heart fluttering from beginning to end, that will teleport you into a world hard to leave behind and make you hope for A Christmas Carol style ending.

Thank you @netgalley, author and publisher, for an advanced copy of this novel.

A different kind of Christmas story. This retelling of The Nutcracker was imaginative and intriguing. I felt it was written for a teen/ young adult age group rather than adult fiction . I found this book slow to get into but rewarding with perseverance. An enjoyable read with some great imaginative touches
Thank you to Netgalley, and HQ books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year but unfortunately it fell really flat for me. Mainly because of the writing style. The story itself was full of good ideas and a new twist on the nutcracker story but it was so flowery, so overly descriptive, so excessively full of metaphors and similies that it distracted from the story.