3.5 star read for me.
I loved the cover of this book, and I requested an E-ARC before even reading what the story was about. Thank you to NetGallery and the author for the E-ARC.
I enjoyed the nutcracker retelling with a nice bit of smut on the side. The story was enchanting and the romance was very sweet, I like the whole fated mates troupe but felt that this was a little rushed.
The book could have been shorter but I enjoyed the vivid world building, cast of characters and elements of magic along the way.
A good escapism read for December.

This is a spicy reimagining of the Nutcracker universe and so I was really looking forward to reading this and getting stuck in.
Klarna finds herself sucked through a veil into the Nutcracker realm where she meets Prince Jaemis. A cursed prince who needs to save his kingdom and his royal parents from the Mouse King and Queen who have taken over his lands.

I enjoyed the general plot of the story and I did enjoy the pacing. I did find some things hard to grasp such as the love between Klara and Jaemis after two days and although this is an ‘enchanted love’ I did find myself rolling my eyes a little. If you like graphic sex scenes then this is right up your alley. I found Klara to be likeable and did like the different POVs between her and Jaemis it added more depth for me. Altogether a good story and a decent escapism tale.

**** Spoiler****
I did lose my way when right after waking from a dark magic coma within moments of laying her eyes on him they were bang at it and that was abit too far out of my reach for me!

The Nutcracker always creeped me out as a kid (I still hate the dolls that come out at Christmas time), and I found this just as creepy in ways I remembered from my childhood.

I am very glad that there was a 'happily ever after' but the graphic sex and stuff was too much for me. This should be marketed at people in their 20s, not over 18. The smut was far too much for my liking,

3 ⭐️ Nutcracker Retelling

This book was engaging and interesting enough, but it was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors and was entirely too long – unnecessarily so. The story was cute, and by the end I surely was invested in seeing where the characters ended up, but it was extremely frustrating to read.

As I said, this is a re-imagining of the story in the Nutcracker, so there are many similarities with some new additions to keep it interesting and not too predictable. It was a little spicy, and very much romance filled which I can always appreciate.

Overall, though, it felt like I was reading a very long fanfic – and I usually don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way, but… it's not good, really.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️.5 / 5

*Thank you Net Galley for the eARC*

I’m sorry, I really tried but I just couldn’t get into this book. I really didn’t like how the main character spoke and I couldn’t get the plot into my head properly.

I've been obsessed with all things Nutcracker since a child. So when I saw this book I quickly requested to review it. As luck would have it, here I am lol. I read a lot of fantasy/romance and they all pull from very similar myths. Fae, vampires, werewolves, witches. This book, while still being full of magic, did it in a way that made it unique. I really enjoyed that. I loved the story. There was action, a curse, and great sex. The characters were well developed. I was rooting for Jaemis and Klara once they locked eyes.

I loved the cover and the premise of this book.

However, that is where my love ended. I couldn't force myself past the first chapter. It was riddled with formatting errors, grammatical errors, and was in need of more proofreading/editing. There were sentences that I had to read multiple times to get the author's meaning.

As it stands, I can't, in good faith, recommend recommend this book, so I will refrain from posting my review outside of NetGalley.

I’m wondering if I read the same book as everyone else because I’m just not feeling this! The NutCracker was one of my favorite films to watch when I was younger, and growing up, I attended many re-enactments. Therefore, I thought it’d be a given that I’d love this story but I was bored throughout and not even the curse cast upon Prince Jaemis gave me pause. Klara’s powers felt very convenient, and I normally love when seemingly ordinary humans discover they have magical powers, but I felt her elemental magic to be a cheapskate, rather than genuine. It felt a bit gimmicky, like a Disney special. I do think the book improved from beginning to end, however.

I would give this book 3.5 stars. I found Jaemis’ dialect/way of speaking a little to jilting. It got better as the book progressed but every once in awhile stuck out. I would have given it 4 stars otherwise.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was unique. I read a lot of fantasy/romanatsy and they all pull from very similar myths. Fae, vampires, werewolves, witches. This book, while still being full of magic, did it in a way that made it unique. I really enjoyed that. I loved the story. There was action, a curse, and great sex. The characters were well developed. I was rooting for Jaemis and Klara once they locked eyes.

Beautifully written story. I enjoyed the characters and the story. I look forward for more from the author!