Upon a Frosted Star is a dazzling and enchanting novel that weaves mystery, romance, and a touch of magic into a beautifully atmospheric tale. M.A. Kuzniar’s lyrical prose and immersive storytelling create a dreamlike reading experience that feels both whimsical and deeply emotional.

The story follows a protagonist drawn into a world of glittering parties and an elusive winter ball, where secrets lurk beneath the surface. The novel's setting is breathtaking, capturing the magic of winter landscapes and the allure of high-society glamour. Kuzniar’s attention to detail makes every scene vivid, from the shimmer of snowflakes to the twirl of a dance under starlight.

At its heart, Upon a Frosted Star is a story about longing, self-discovery, and the pursuit of something just out of reach. The characters are richly developed, and the romance is tender yet filled with tension, making the emotional stakes feel real and compelling.

With its blend of magical realism, mystery, and an irresistible touch of fairytale charm, Upon a Frosted Star is perfect for readers who love beautifully written, atmospheric stories with an air of the fantastical. Fans of The Night Circus or The Starless Sea will find themselves captivated by Kuzniar’s enchanting world.

DNF at 30%

The author writes beautifully, they're truly brilliant at creating stunning settings for their stories. But this just isn't for me, sadly I found it lacking in plot and we didn't learn enough about our POV character outside of his obsession with odette for me to continue reading

Once more M.A Kuzniar has created a gloriously magical story, with wonderfully whimsical descriptions, complex flawed characters and a unique twist on another well-know Ballet.

<i>’’It began with a murmur of delicious excitement, a champagne-fizz of anticipation, a tickle of imagination.”</i>

I do adore Kuzinar’s beautiful writing style, but I personally found this story a bit slow. I found it took a while to really get in to the story as first we are discovering our MC Forster, a struggling artist, who becomes enraptured with these magical once-a-winter parties and their mysterious host, then we get introduced to our FMC Odette in a VERY slow way between past and present events as Forester tries to find out more about the enigmatic host that has stole his mind (and helpfully been his muse), before finally focusing on the mystery of Rothbert and his magical theatre.
I enjoyed the (very brief) nods to ‘Midnight in Everwood’, and how both stories are skilfully set in the same world.

This was a beautiful heart-aching tale of love, loss, curses and hope that lovers of Stephanie Garber and Erin Morgenstern will devour.

I'm not sure what happened with this one, but I just really struggled to get into the story. The characters felt a little flat, and just didn't work for me. That being said the authors writing style and atmosphere she creates are divine!

Amazing story so magical perfect for Christmas and winter m a kuzniar as always weves a tale of magic and wonder it's like being in narnia I love it

Another incredible retelling, this time of Swan Lake and it captured my interest from the very first few pages. Exquisite storytelling that I truly wanted to savour. Just read this book!

For some reason this didn't go over onto my kindle and the file is now archived. Will have to pick up a copy in the future as this is one I wanted to read but just never did.

It is put together well, slightly magical and engaging. I enjoyed it, you can tell the authors heart is in this book.

I loved this magical tale and the gothic foundations. It was a great read and well-written. If you are after a winter’s tale, then look no further.

Having really enjoyed Midnight in Everwood, I was keen to read this which is based around Swan Lake. It didn't grab me in quite the same way but it's a lovely read in any case.

Unfortunately, the style this and Midnight in Everwood, by the same author, is something I just can't engage with, so despite really hoping for the best from this one I just couldn't finish it. I am so disappointed with these two YA retellings from an otherwise favourite author, but the use of imagery to create an evocative atmosphere felt so over the top and contrived to me, and emphasis was placed on that over everything else, the plot moved very slowly, the characters didn't feel real to me, and some of the imagery felt overdone to the point that some of the sentences stopped making sense, a few times reading the arc I thought they were errors, but, having now looked at the released version, they have made their way into the final book,

The repeated comparisons to sweet and cosy treats meant that my interest waned pretty quickly and some of the similes just didn't seem to make sense to me, like why compare buttercups to egg yolks apart from to say they were yellow, which had already been written "buttercups gleamed yellow like hidden yolks" , but they weren't hidden, they were clearly gleaming yellow, and why would hidden yolks be a good comparison for the atmosphere? On the next page, 'a sudden fit of curiosity...seized his imagination in dazzling yellow', there's 'honeyed stonework' which in itself is a nice description, but combined with 'the days trickled by like warm honey', and 'sudden contentment in warm butterscotch-yellow, like a toffee melting on your tongue', linked with the place name 'Wurthercliffe' just took me out of the stories and conjured up packets of Werther's Originals, so that I found myself increasingly irritated rather than immersed in the atmosphere.

Odette Lakely as a name was too on the nose for me, the choice of name might be explained on page, but I had to stop reading at 25% because I was finding it such a slog and realised how little I cared about what happened to any of the characters, if it isn't, it's a great coincidence that she should be named so aptly for her fate.

Despite my rant, this is all personal preference, if the doubly emphasised similes conjur up feelings and places for you from the first few pages, then you will likely love this book, it continues in much the same way as it starts, or at least it does for the first quarter.

I would however like to recommend Maria Kuzniar's middle grade Ship of Shadows series, they are a 5-star read for me, great plot, great characters, great LGBTQ rep for younger readers, and a really engaging story, so if, like me, these holiday-themed retellings aren't for you, I would still give the authors other books a go, I really love them.

When the snow falls the invitations arrive for the party of the year but who is the mysterious hostess and what is her secret? Upon a Frosted Star is a wonderful twenties fairy tale with Swan Lake as its inspiration. The novel is so evocative of the time and place; the parties are magical and luxurious and I would grab an invite if I could, There is also quite an air of melodrama to the plot which I enjoyed. It is a magical melodrama for a snowy weekend.

That said, some of the characters did feel a bit under developed. I loved the relationship between Forster Marvin and Rose but I did not feel the same about Detta. I think the fantasy elements of the book took away a chance to explore her character. However it was still hugely enjoyable and I did buy it as a gift for a friend at Christmas!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC. All the views are entirely my own.

This book is full of enchantments and magic, with beautiful prose the author pulls you in to a world of Gatsby style parties and matches the beauty and tragedy of ballet.

I was utterly immersed in the story but I did find the plot overly long to the point where it began to feel like the descriptive writing was further slowing down the plot, particularly the chapters from Detta’s point of view.

Still, I’m glad I preserved because it was the perfect winters read and the beautiful imagery will stay with me.

“When the nights deepened, swallowing daylight by the hour. When winter whispered its frozen song across the land. When the promise of snow could be tasted in the air. Then, and only then, would the grand doors to the manor house on the cliff be flung open to the night.”

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Upon a Frosted Star’ by M.A. Kuzniar. I subsequently purchased its hardback and audiobook editions.

In 2021 I read and fell in love with ‘Midnight in Everwood’, Kuzniar’s debut novel that was a reimagining of ‘The Nutcracker’. Here the ballet theme is continued, focusing upon Swan Lake creating an enchanting tale that was a perfect winter read.

In 1922 struggling artist Forster is walking with his roommate Marvin through London when they see papers fluttering down. Each one reads: ‘Second star to the right and straight on ’til morning.’ Forster is perplexed though Marvin knows that it is an invitation to a very special party at a manor in the country.

They arrive at the glamorous party and Forster sees a ballerina, with whom he becomes instantly fascinated. In 1923 Forster is on tenterhooks until the day he and Marvin discover new invitations, this time with a theme linked to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s recently published novel, ‘The Beautiful and the Damned’. So it’s all jazz and flappers and of course he meets the mysterious ballerina again.

Marvin discovers that she is Odette Lakely, owner of the manor. Yet she and her aristocratic parents had been listed as lost on the Titanic though she claims that she is no ghost. Her story is revealed to be much stranger and involves her time as the principal ballerina with Rothbart’s Theatre of Enchantments. No further details to avoid spoilers.

While this is not a direct retelling of Swan Lake, it contains many elements from the tale, including the transformation of a woman into a swan and the presence of Rothbart, here a theatre owner, choreographer, and illusionist. Yet is he more?

In between his encounters with Odette Forster’s relationships with his friends are explored as well as his career as an artist in London and France, where he meets Picasso.

In general this felt a darker tale than ‘Midnight in Everwood’ as indeed the tragic elements of Swan Lake contrasts with the lightness of The Nutcracker. I felt that M.A. Kuzniar perfectly evoked the glamour of the 1920s period setting.

Overall, I found that ‘Upon a Frosted Star’ was a stunning mix of ballet, a mysterious curse, modern art, and Jazz Age glamour. It was beautifully written with rich descriptions throughout.

Highly recommended.

I found this book to be okay, I think this type of writing and storytelling can be a hit or miss for me. This is a shame as I hoped to be in love with this book, but I never realised Midnight in Everwood was by the same author which is one on my radar and will still try reading as well.

I found this book very slow to get into - I enjoyed the language and evocative atmosphere. I enjoyed getting to know Forster and Detta - her back story was beautifully portrayed.

The secondary characters - Rose and Marvin - did not really make an impact on the story and I would have liked to know more about Rothbart - the villain of the piece.

A slow burner and a sad ending.

After reading Midnight in Everwood, I was attracted to Upon a Frosted Star. There were certainly both Great Gatsby and Swan Lake inspirations in this book, and I think that it was a positive to draw upon both sources. Kuzniar's writing style is very easily readable, and the classic retellings bring new life into old stories. Overall a fun read!

"Upon a Frosted Star" presents a beautiful yet somewhat shallow dive into a world of cursed love and magic. While the writing is gorgeously evocative, I expected more depth from the characters and their emotional landscapes. The dual POV adds an intriguing layer, and the unraveling of a mystery keeps the plot engaging. A unique retelling of Swan Lake, this book is recommended for fans of enchanting tales, cursed love, and those who revel in magical narratives.

4.5 stars

UPON A FROSTED STAR is a dark, seductive tale set in the 1920s and threaded with a tragic, fairy tale magic.

The book is Swan Lake meets THE GREAT GATSBY, full of the glamour of the 1920s and the heady search to find oneself but instead gets lost along the way. It sparkles with champagne and jazz, but there is a darker side, one that's more seductive, as Forster falls in love and tries to break a curse.

Most of the book is told from Forsters perspective, following his discovery of Odette and how they fall in love, then his quest to break her curse. Alongside this, there are also chapters from her perspective narrating what happened in her past that led to her being cursed. I liked seeing it from her perspective, slowly peeling back the truth of Rothbart and his shows.

It's such an atmospheric book, with that fairy tale feel but also a lot of menace. Though Rothbart is not in it much physically, he casts a long shadow. Odette's home and the time between the snows feels very liminal, the entire book with an ethereal quality that makes it feel just out of touch, like a distorted reflection of our world.

I loved how this ended. It's not how you expect, and maybe some might feel it undermines the promise, the expectation of genre, or makes events before seem pointless, but that is what I love about it. It's a dark fairy tale in the vein of Grimm where things are twisted and broken (though beautiful).

It is a splendid second adult novel and I look forward to seeing what else M. A. Kuzniar writes.

Wow - I haven't read this author's first book, but now I am so desperate to, because this was some of the most gorgeous, evocative writing that I have ever read. I thought it was incredibly magical, it's the perfect wintery book (I felt completely immersed in this frosty, sparkling version of the 1900s). I would love to attend one of these mysterious events, they sound incredible and even just the way the author describes food is stunning. Everything was so decadent, and I just loved this world.

The characters I have to say, were a little... lacklustre, in comparison. I did like them, but sometimes, particularly Forster, I struggled to feel any of his emotions; he felt quite subdued, and even more so when you place him next to the vibrant Detta, or even his friends Marvin and Rose, as you could easily feel the tension and pining between them.

I would absolutely recommend this however; it was compelling, immersive, and the stunning imagery alone makes this worth reading. I also really want to go and see a ballet performance now!