Magical, enchanting, and sure to get you in the Christmas spirit, MIDNIGHT IN EVERWOOD will transport you to a world like none other. The descriptions and imagery in this novel were fantastic, sending my imagination on a joyous winter wonderland of a ride. Marietta's love for ballet was beautiful to witness and her determination to carve her own path truly inspiring. Her growth throughout the novel was evident and I love that! Kuzniar's supporting characters were also fun to witness and I found the budding friendships and romances to be delightful.

While I enjoyed this book, I will say I found it to be rather long and I did get kind of bored towards the middle. That's why it took me a couple of weeks to finally finish the book. I was hooked at the start then felt myself waning halfway through. Nonetheless, I am thankful for the joy this novel put into my heart for the upcoming holiday season. I am so ready for Christmas and everything that comes with this most wonderful time of the year!

Marietta Stelle loves to dance but her father doesn’t believe it’s appropriate for a young lady of her station to perform in public and has set the date when she must give up ballet and take her place in Edwardian society. When the mysterious toymaker Dr Drosselmeier moves in across the road, Mariette senses something strange and sinister about him—he too seems to have plans to imprison her in a role she doesn’t want. At midnight on Christmas Eve, however, Marietta stumbles through a portal into a magical land full of confectionary, wonder and terrible danger. With the help of some new friends, she plans her escape from Everwood but also from the cage her father has planned for her.

I haven’t read the original story that ‘The Nutcracker’ was based on, but I’ve seen the ballet several times. (Although I have to admit, the version of The Nutcracker I’m most familiar with is the Barbie movie!) What I particularly loved about this is that the author has taken the elements of ‘The Nutcracker’ and created something entirely new and wonderous.

‘Midnight in Everwood’ is an enchanting story that captures in prose all the romance and wonder of the original ballet, with a new protagonist who springs to life on the page with passion, courage and determination. I adored every delicious moment of this story.

Sometimes the easy path is harder than one might ever imagine

From the title, to the cover, to the blurb, everything makes one think of an enchanted story, a fairytale if you like. And it is. In many way it is just that: a charming story, full of wonder and magic and sugar, and reminiscent of The Nutcracker. Apparently it is a retelling of the The Nutcracker, something I was not aware of until I've read a couple of reviews upon starting reading it. I have to admit, have I known that beforehand, I might not have requested it. In fact the bulk of the story happening in the Everwood has been a chore to read(almost 2/3 of the novel, oops!). I found it soooooooooo boring and repetitive and annoying. I couldn't warm up to the love story and the scene at the end of the Everwood journey was a bit of an unpleasant surprise.

Luckily not everything is doom and gloom. I thoroughly enjoyed the use of language. Much of the enchantment of the story is constructed with language. So many gorgeous and unexpected words are being employed to sprinkle magic and rope us into believing in fairytales. Ultimately, and what I loved best, this is a female empowerment story. It has been done so well, so balanced, so believable. I appreciated Marietta's development: from a privileged girl to a woman who has the courage to follow her path no matter the sacrifices, who appreciates the value of friendship and is open to new experiences even if they may end up in pain and misery.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

During my years at school, I chose to do music as part of my exams and I had to listen and write about the composition of The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. Due to this, I was drawn to the premise of this story.

Marietta is a 20-year-old woman who longs to be a Ballerina in Nottingham which was a good start because there is more to the UK than London.

Unfortunately, this didn't hit the mark for me and I struggled. Everything was over descriptive and all came back to food. There was part of the book that doesribed what the corridor of the home was like.

If you do like flowery books then this is for you

This retelling of The Nutcracker sounded perfect for me but I really struggled to read this book at first.
I would find myself putting my kindle aside and picking up other books in place of this one but once I soldiered on, I soon became enthralled with Midnight in Everwood. I'm so glad that I persevered.

There’s nothing Marietta Stelle loves more than ballet, but after Christmas, her dreams will be over as she is obligated to take her place in Edwardian society. While she is chafing against such suffocating traditions, a mysterious man purchases the neighbouring townhouse. Dr Drosselmeier is a charming but calculating figure who wins over the rest of the Stelle family with his enchanting toys and wondrous mechanisms.

When Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate set for Marietta’s final ballet performance, she discovers it carries a magic all of its own. On the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, she is transported to a snowy forest, where she encounters danger at every turn: ice giants, shadow goblins and the shrieking mist all lurk amidst the firs and frozen waterfalls and ice cliffs. After being rescued by the butterscotch-eyed captain of the king’s guard, she is escorted to the frozen sugar palace. At once, Marietta is enchanted by this glittering world of glamorous gowns, gingerbread houses, miniature reindeer and the most delicious confectionary.

But all is not as it seems and Marietta is soon trapped in the sumptuous palace by the sadistic King Gelum, who claims her as his own. She is confined to a gilded prison with his other pets; Dellara, whose words are as sharp as her teeth, and Pirlipata, a princess from another land. Marietta must forge an alliance with the two women to carve a way free from this sugar-coated but treacherous world and back home to follow her dreams. Yet in a hedonistic world brimming with rebellion and a forbidden romance that risks everything, such a path will never be easy.

If you’re looking for a different kind of Christmas read this year, Midnight in Everwood could be it. This retelling of The Nutcracker will whisk you away to a fantasy land of snow and sugar and will be best read in front of a fire with a hot drink on a cold day. Sadly, I didn’t like it as much as I’d hoped to but I know other readers will enjoy it much more than I did (and judging by the early reviews, they already are).

The novel opens in Nottingham in 1906, where twenty-year-old ballet dancer Marietta Stelle is hoping to audition for a prestigious ballet company. Her parents, however, have other plans for Marietta; they want her to give up dancing and settle down into a conventional and respectable married life. The husband they have in mind is their new neighbour, the inventor Dr Drosselmeier, who has been delighting everyone with his wonderful clockwork toys – everyone except Marietta, who senses something cold and cruel behind Drosselmeier’s charming exterior. Trying to escape from Drosselmeier’s unwelcome attentions on Christmas Eve, Marietta hides inside a grandfather clock, but when the clock strikes midnight she finds herself trapped within the enchanted, snow-covered land of Everwood.

This book is being marketed as children’s author MA Kuzniar’s debut adult novel – ‘The Nutcracker for adults’ – but I think this is misleading as it feels much more like a book for teenagers. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it’s not what I expected and the book lacked the depth I would have preferred. I also found the writing style much too flowery; there are long descriptions of clothes and food and every sentence is packed with adjectives and similes, most of them related to cakes and sweets – voices are ‘smooth and rich as buttercream’, eyes are the colour of ‘butterscotch’ and expressions ‘soften like melted chocolate’. The sugary theme continues throughout the entire book and while I found it quite captivating at first, my senses began to feel overwhelmed with sights, tastes and smells! I can see, though, that this is exactly what other people loved about the book, so it really does depend on the individual reader.

On a more positive note, it was interesting to read a book set in Edwardian Nottingham, rather than the usual London. I wished we had seen more of that setting, but the majority of the story takes place in the magical land of Everwood (which is reached in a way that reminded me of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). Although Everwood seems enchantingly wonderful at first and a safe haven in which Marietta can hide from the sinister Drosselmeier, it quickly becomes clear that it is more of a prison, making this a dark Christmas read rather than a happy, festive one. The friends Marietta makes in Everwood – Dellara the fairy and Pirlipata, princess of Crackatuck – are imprisoned there too, and there is a feminist thread running through the story, exploring the various constraints on women’s lives, both in the fantasy world and in the real one.

I have to confess, I’ve never actually read the original ETA Hoffmann Nutcracker story or the Alexandre Dumas one on which the famous ballet is based. Maybe if I had, I would have appreciated this novel more.

You will fall down the rabbit hole into a completely different world with this book. It’s truly truly wonderful. Characters and whole lands that will have you invested in them, sweet treats that will have you salivating, and an underlying story, morals and values, that will have you turning the pages until that gripping conclusion. There is so much within this book – it’s almost impossible to do it justice in a review and you really do need to pick it up and see for yourselves!

Everwood is a gorgeous world with dark foundations and yet the beauty of this place shines through every page despite this. There are truly show-stopping scenes – descriptions that really bring to life the magic of this book. There is incredible attention to detail throughout – nothing is glossed over, everything is explored, described and painted so that it comes to life. You will be in Everwood – you will feel the delight and the terror. To create a book that reads like a film adaptation in its attention to the visuals is a true delight.

If you haven’t read The Nutcracker, you don’t need to – but visit it afterwards like I did because you’ll see so many of the wonderful inspirations and how M A Kuzniar made them her own through this magical retelling. Attention to detail continues in the cover design, artwork and special edition publications of this book too.

This book was a sheer joy to read, a magnificent page turner. If could give it more than 5 stars I would.

It ticked all the boxes featuring drama, romance, terror, excitement, thrills and most importantly, spectacular magic.

The language was superb, especially the descriptive writing such as the ballet dances, the balls and the outfits!

I was incredibly impressed with the relationships between characters and how they all slotted into Marietta’s journey.
King Gelum infuriated me, his cruelty developed hatred from me, but he was still written perfectly.
I was particularly fond of Frederick, Pirlipata and Dellara and of course, Legat. I am not one for romance, but I was so captivated by the beauty of their relationship. I would’ve loved for them to end up together, but at the same time I’m so proud of the woman Marietta became. I’m so proud of the way she followed her dreams despite all the odds against her.

Her adventures in Everwood reminded me somewhat of Narnia, and this book reminded me of why magic is important in books. This book is an important adventure that I think many adults should read so they can remind themselves that there is always hope, their dreams are not lost, and to believe in magic, believe in the impossible.

This was quite frankly, a very beautiful read.

Whilst I enjoyed reading this imaginative retelling of The Nut Cracker, I felt strongly from the start that this was more in the style of a T&YA version than an adult one. Nothing wrong with T&YA, I read quite a lot of books aimed at that age group and that formed the basis for my assessment.

This is a close to perfect book for when the weather turns bleak as it will have you shivering with both cold and delight. It definitely should be on the reading list of anyone who is wishing to curl up with a book that is more than a little different.

A new take on the classic nutcracker story, unfortunately it just failed to grab me and I struggled to get into it and failed to finish it.

This retelling of The Nutcracker is so magical and enchanting. The writing is beautiful and descriptive with wonderful storytelling and imagery. A gorgeous fairy tale story to get lost in.

This is a really lovely magical book that will leave you feeling warm and cosy inside. With a bit of history, fairytales, magic and romance it is a perfect winter read. If you loved the Caraval series then you’ll love this too.

Things I Liked:
♥ This book promised gorgeous, lyrical, writing and oh boy did it deliver. It truly felt like a fairytale and everything, from the setting to the tiny details, was super vivid. The atmosphere was absolutely spot on. It almost had a slight gothic horror vibe amongst the backdrop of a sugary winter.
♥ This was a really fun and unique take on the story of The Nutcracker. I can be a bit hit or miss with retellings, but the author told the familiar story in a fresh way that had me excited to turn the page.
♥ I really enjoyed the characters. Marietta had a lot of character growth in a short amount of time, and I loved seeing her connect with Delara and Pirlipata, and seeing how that friendship changed her over the course of the story.
♥ Although the romance didn’t play a huge role, I did really enjoy it.
♥ This book did a great job of discussing the roles women are often expected to fill without asking questions, and watching all of the incredible women in the story push back against this was wonderful.

Things I Disliked:
♡ I would have liked for the magic system to be a bit more in depth. It was really interesting, I just wanted more.

Overall Thoughts:
This is a must-have, cozy, winter read, perfect for fans of Caraval and The Wayward Children series. I can’t wait to pick up more of the author’s work in the future.

Content Warnings: Sexism, kidnapping, homophobia, forced marriage, torture, violence, rebellion, execution, death.

A slice of magic that our world truly needs right now, I found this book to be so joyous, intriguing and captivating at the same time.

Midnight In Everwood is a book that has grand designs, and the idea of a re-telling of The Nutcracker for adults is a perfect wintery sounding novel, ideal for curling up with a hot drink on a cold day. The author's ambitions should be praised - it is not easy to re-tell a classic. The ideas are good.

Unfortunately, the prose in this novel is really rather difficult to penetrate. In places, the book is so overwritten as to be almost unreadable.

Magic, music and ballet, what a lovely combination, I loved ballet as a young child but I had forgotten everything about it until I read this book. I will admit it took a few pages for me to get into this but after that I didn't want it to end. So well written and a real joy to read, well worth 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

Thank you so much to HQ and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay so I don't know much about the original story The Nutcracker but as soon as I heard about this book and saw this beautiful cover I knew I had to read it. This book was so beautifully written and everything I wanted it to be and more.

Marietta is such an amazing character who develops so much throughout the book. She stays true to who she is and what she believes in. It's something that motivates her to carry on and remain strong. I loved the empowerment in this book and the friendships she made.

I loved this enchanting world that Kuznair has created and I wish I had curled under my blanket with a hot chocolate whilst reading this one.

I completely recommend this book to everyone who loves retellings or just wants something magical to read this year!

How do I even begin to talk about how great this was? I will say that the book has a slow start and it did take me a little to get invested, but once the book hits around 28%, it really picks up in pace and it's a full-on rollercoaster. It has a lot of my favourite bookish elements and tropes in it, not limited to the following:

- nursing back to health: this is both platonic by friends AND romantic by a certain captain, which is what I call double fulfilment
- forbidden romance: I've always loved the whole royal x bodyguard trope, and it's kind of similar in this with Marietta being in love with Captain of the King's Army when he's absolutely off-limits
- kicking misogynistic butt (no explanation needed, really)
- ballgowns and royal parties
- winter vibes

I'd say this book is inspired by several different stories, the most obvious being The Nutcracker. There are also hints of Narnia in there for me, which I absolutely adore!

Mia Kuzniar's writing is just spectacular, it's so atmospheric and has you hooked instantly. It really does feel like you've been transported to Everwood yourself. I loved the characterisation as a whole and I'm pretty sure I could do with a book all about Frederick's exploits, too! I also have to say that you should prepare yourself for this book because you WILL get hungry. I have an intense craving for sugar cookies now.

Thank you to Mia Kuzniar, HQ and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Set in a romanticised version of 1909 Nottingham, this was a beautiful (even empowering) story with brilliant world building qnd imagery throughout. Perfect for fans of caraval or the night circus

I found this book quite intriguing. It’s not my ‘usual’ type of read, I’d describe it as a grown up fairy tale so it’s one where you are never going to relate to the characters.

It took me quite a long time to read as it is full of very rich descriptions, sometimes even a little too much?

It is very loosely based on the story of the Nutcracker. Marietta just wants to be a ballet dancer but is trapped in a life of privilege where she expected to marry a suitable fellow. Drosselmieir is an eligible bachelor who sets his cap on her, and when she refuses, condemns her to another world made of ice and sugar, where she becomes a pet of the evil king, forced to dance for him every night.

There are elements of romance, good triumphing over evil and of course more than a little sprinkling of magic.

At times I felt it was childish and struggled a bit but I couldn’t help admire the author’s development of the story and this adaptation. It’s a good 3.5 stars from me. Maybe one for fans of The Night Circus.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.