Entertaining, but a little predictable. I liked the characters and this idea if a mysterious ball... But I don't think I was the right target audience for this book. You will love it if you loved Swan Lake as it's loosely based on that fairytale.

Atmospheric with very cosy and whimsical writing!

A story of magic, sisterhood, relationships and grief, this book was quite entertaining. I really liked the writing and the characters. The pacing got too slow around the middle, but I liked the descriptive writing and setting!

I will definitely be checking out this author's other books!

I’m not sure how this review is going to do this story justice. Magical, beautiful, inspirational and emotional are just a few of the superlatives I could use. I’m a huge fan of Midnight In Everwood and had high hopes for this from MA Kuzniar and let me tell you I wasn’t disappointed.
I read this with my great buddy reader friend, Lucy and we loved everything about this. From the quotes from traditional tales and fairytales to the beautifully descriptive writing, this story is wonderful. Forster and Detta are magical main characters and their love story one to remember.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and HQ for approving me for an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one with my fellow book buddies.

🎶I love a retelling so when I saw this was a combination of two brilliant stories I was very excited. M.A. Kuzniar’s writing is lyrical and beautifully blends these two stories together. The tragic and dark Swan Lake worked seamlessly against the 1920s backdrop of the Great Gatsby era.

💗As the romance between Detta and Forster developed I couldn’t help but feel that they were doomed. Their story had a star-crossed lovers feel to it but I remained hopeful. Forster was soon infatuated with Detta and the mystery surrounding the curse kept me very intrigued.

📖My favourite part of the story was when we heard from Detta and learnt more about her past. I could have had more sections from her POV, she was a fascinating character.

🧙🏻‍♂️This is a magical story filled with mystery, wonders and romance. I’m excited to see what M.A. Kuzniar writes next.

This is an enchanting and romantic retelling of Swan Lake blended with the Great Gatsby. There is also magic and beautiful, lyrical description.
The author creates a haunting atmosphere in this wonderfully wintery story which stretches several years and follows our two MCs, Forster and Detta. I liked the mystery around the invitations and Great Gatsby-style parties, but also, like the Great Gatsby, there is more than meets the eye to the celebrations.
I loved the imagery and the magic and the dual POV romance, but the plot could be a bit repetitive and the ending was a bit rushed but I enjoyed the story overall!

‘I’ll break your heart,’ she whispered.
‘It’s mine to risk,’ he told her.

Overall, this is a beautiful romantic story with lovely writing. Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an eARC of this book!

A beautifully written book with some gorgeous descriptive writing. The author did a wonderful job with this reimagining of Swan Lake and totally captured the atmosphere. It’s a haunting and sometimes quite heart-rending story and I was completely mesmerised and captivated by the storyline. There is the added tension surrounding the mystery of the curse and Forster’s race against time to try to solve it. I loved the setting of the book and the snowy and wintery climate, it was truly spellbinding and I was completely transported to those atmospheric moments on the frigid lakeside watching the graceful swan gliding on the water. This is the perfect winter’s tale for snuggling up with on a cold evening with a hot mug of cocoa.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the eARC for review.

The setting, the pace, and the era it’s set suit this fairy tale retelling so well. I found it dark and atmospheric and thought the ending was fitting.

I loved the mystery of the party invites – not knowing how they would appear and in what form. And the parties themselves are glitzy, glamourous, and decadent. I can just imagine the joy and hope they gave to those attending after those harsh WWI years.

The first year of attending for Forster goes mostly unremembered, apart from his dreams of a woman’s face. The second year he stays sober and is inspired to create his art. The third – well, three is always for recognition in fairy stories is it not?

I thought Forster was a fab lead character. Staid on the face of it, his creativity and artistry give a different perspective into his mind and show what a complex character he is. That reliable and staid part of his personality is what moves him forward on his quest. Never giving up, he explores every avenue to find an answer. I loved how the author describes Forster’s emotions in colours. Brilliant!

I enjoyed being drawn into the world of the ballerina and the dark undertow of magic (I caught the nod to Midnight in Everwood, anyone else?).

As in the author’s previous book, I enjoyed the writing style, one of my favourite sentences:

“………. as if it belonged to creatures that flew on gossamer wings and drank vials of moonbeams.”

Just magical.

Upon a Frosted Star is a heartbreaking love story and on another level it’s about friendship, forgiveness, and healing. It’s a reminder that at times, there’s strength of uniting with others rather than going it alone. And that an ending might not be what we hoped it would be.

If you enjoy a dark fairy tale, you’ll enjoy this.

Thanks to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the ARC of Upon a Frosted Star by M.A. Kuzniar.

This novel had a really intriguing premise with the connections with Swan Lake and Great Gatsby, and I do feel as if the book had a fairytale-like atmosphere to it. I enjoyed the magical elements of the book as I felt it was integrated really within the setting. The POVs of Detta were the most interesting to me, I really enjoyed reading about her side of the story, and wished there was more focus on her background. The prose and description of the parties and attire really made the book feel more magical and also created vivid imagery.

However, I can only rate this three stars as the pacing was very slow, especially the timing of the encounters between Forster and Odetta, throughout until the end. I felt the end though was very rushed, and I felt unsatisfying with little closure.

Though this novel had its setbacks, I did enjoy the writing style and magical elements of it.

Once a year, as the snow begins to fall on London, invitations arrive to a fabulous party held in a remote manor house. Attending for the first time, Forster is amazed and bewitched, by the opulence and magic of the evening, not least by the ethereal, enigmatic ballet dancer who steals his heart. Determined to find out who she is, he returns at a later date but finds nothing but an abandoned house and a lake on which a solitary swan is swimming. He must wait till the next winter before he can see his beautiful dancer again.

Through his love for Odetta, Forster finds inspiration for, and success in, his art, but they cannot be together until he can unravel the spell that ballet impresario Rothbard has cast over her

Upon A Frosted Star is a beautiful, heartbreaking re-telling of Swan Lake, with a sprinkle of Gatsby-inspired parties thrown in. The story is simple in some ways - we know who the good guys are, we want them to live happily ever after, and we know that Rothbard is undoubtedly evil despite the magical ballets that he produces - but the telling is captivating.



The only negative I could find was that at times things move along a little too slowly. Part of this is due to Forster and Odetta being only able to meet in winter, but I also thought there was a little too much unnecessary (in my opinion at least) detour into the relationship between Forster and his friends, Marvin and Daisy. I wanted the story to stay with Forster and Odetta, and their attempts to be free from Rothbart's evil designs

3.5⭐ A magical blend of The Great Gatsby and Swan Lake filled with mystery, intrigue and an almost gothic undertone.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, HQ and the author for sending me a review copy of this book. Here is my honest and unbiased review.

Having seen a couple of ballets including The Nutcracker and Swan Lake as a child and enjoying the author's previous and similarly magical book, Midnight in Everwood, I was excited to read Upon a Frosted Star. As described, this is a blend The Great Gatsby and Swan Lake with Detta, the ballerina turned swan character that draws from the Swan Lake story also serving as a gender-swapped Gatsby: the mysterious and faceless host of grand, magic filled parties that only happen once a year. The author brilliantly uses magical realism to blend the two, capturing the glittering decadance and mystery of Gatsby with the hauntingly beautiful yet twisted Swan Lake and captivating the reader.

I enjoyed the book and the pacing and liked the romance between the main characters but would have loved to have had more of Detta's POV. The world was beautifully created and Rothbard was as sinister and manipualtive as his namesake but I would have liked to see more of his past and to have delved more into the magic itself. I could really feel the emotions of the characters and at times the book was so heartbreaking I cried which is always a sign of a book being executed well.

This was set to have a higher rating however, for me, the ending felt quite quick, rushed almost, and it wasn't the satsifying end I wanted. I think I also reduced my rating of Midnight in Everwood for this same reason (although the ending being unsatisfying is more to do with my personal preference than a critique of the ending itself)

I liked this a lot was very romantic and i enjoyed the fairy tale references and the way everything was described but the plot stretched a little long but i enjoyed its themes and I actually did feel you could engage with the characters

I loved Midnight in Everwood so I was thrilled to see M A Kuzniar had written another book. I was even more thrilled to receive an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

Upon A Frosted Star is described as being The Great Gatsby meets Swan Lake and I think this is an accurate description. I loved reading about the mysterious invitations that appeared around the city whenever the first snows began to fall. The parties were grand and magical with the host being a enigmatic ballerina.

I adored the vivid, lyrical prose which created a real and magical fairytale feel. The descriptions of food were decadent and left me with a hunger to read on and on.

I did feel that the balance in the pacing was a little off. A lot of time was spent building up the story and then the ending felt rushed and disappointing. I like a slow burn, especially with stories like this one but I would have enjoyed the ending more if it were given a few more chapters.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairytales and magic.

An absolutely delightful dark fairytale, full of magic and wonder and a little heartbreak too. I absolutely adored this book. I pictured Odetta as a fierce, yet graceful girl and Forester was just the cutest loyal man staying by her side for all her days. Honestly, I was gutted for them at the end but their time together made it all worth it, it brought so much joy between them.

I loved the writing style and the vivid imagery in this book, Detta’s transformations from female to swan were just incredible. A wonderful book!

Enchanting and sad fairytale.
This is a reimagining of the Swan Lake. The story was sweet, but ultimately too slow-paced for me. It took me several weeks to finish because with every chapter it didn't seem the story progressed all that much and it was frustrating. I really wanted to love it: the writing style is enchanting and the story is emotional, but ultimately it didn't quite work. I don't know if it is the Gatsby influence, it might be.
Recommended only for those who like really really slow paced stories.

I loved the idea of a book based around Swan Lake.

Just like the ballet there are star crossed lovers who have to defeat an evil magician. Kuzniar’s books are essentially fairy tales for adults. Just like all fairy tells, dark and bad things can and do happen to characters.

I was really rooting for the lovers, and it became a bit of a page turner towards the end. I’m looking forward to seeing what other readers thought but I was personally disappointed with the ending and found it a bit of a cop-out and very fast. I could think of a much better ending, that still fitted with the authors final philosophy but that would also have been more satisfying for those that love the ballet.

Other than the ending it was a very enjoyable read. Even the new epilogue that’s been added to the final version doesn’t satisfy.

1920s London & Forster, struggling artist, finds an invitation to the most glamorous party of the year held by a reclusive & mysterious host. Upon appearance of the first proper snowfall of the year, the invitations appear without warning, simply inscribed with ‘Tonight’ & a clue to the theme. Forster attends the party with his flatmate, Marvin, & their friend, Rose & it's as magical as he could ever have dreamt. When he catches sight of a beautiful dancer who then disappears without trace, Forster knows that she is his muse & he vows to find out who she is. His search leads him to an abandoned manor house with a lake & a swan who sadly swims alone.

I absolutely loved the author's previous book, Midnight in Everwood, so I was so pleased to get a chance to read & review this reimagining of Swan Lake. The author still has that sumptuous turn of phrase (which can be an acquired taste), & the food is described so deliciously that I always crave a piece of cake or chocolate after reading. The cover is also lovely. The main issue with this for me was that Forster, the main narrator is a bit, well, boring. Detta's chapters fly by as her character is vibrant but Forster's are the same thing over & over: paint a bit, search for the party invite, attend the party, look for Detta, & repeat. They are a perfect representation of "She's everything, He's just Ken". It made the story not as compelling as Midnight in Everwood which is a shame. The ending was also a little abrupt - all that build-up & just a short epilogue.

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

What better way to cope with a heatwave than reading a book with plenty of snow? It certainly cooled me down!

The more I read of this book, the more spell-bound I became. This is a tragic love story woven in history with a bit of gothic thrown in there as well. At first I thought I would not like it because the plot moves so slowly but, as the mystery of the glamourous parties becomes unravelled, I felt as addicted as Forster.

Forster’s relationship is an addiction and I loved how he attempted to resist temptation. Yet, he is haunted by the woman he sees at these apparently random parties. The way that Kuzniar describes these gatherings are exotic and lavish. I loved the magic and fantasy elements that come through yet at the same time, Forster’s loneliness and isolation as an outsider becomes more prevalent at these events. It is one of these parties that changes Forster forever.

There is an increasing sense of urgency as the novel progresses. Solving a mystery, a curse and desiring the winter temperatures, Kuzniar’s re-telling of ‘Swan Lake’ was magical and haunting. I felt as invested in the story as Forster was with finding a solution, revelling in the flashbacks of the enchanting theatrical spectacle that is linked to Forster’s tale.

This read is perfect for snuggling up in the winter evenings, especially as the plot is so weather-dependent. The writing is beautiful and captivating; I was engrossed by the tragic fairy tale that saw romance mixed with magic. Kuzniar’s slow pace at the beginning just helped set the scene for a book that uses the passage of time as a countdown. Whilst life continues to move around him, it is like Forster is trapped and forever waiting.

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.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant book! The characters are so loveable, the plot was perfectly paced and the writing is so magical - it really reads like a fairytale!

I enjoyed reading this book, it had very likeable characters, the setting were well written and it all made for a good read. 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Estranged from his biological family after his father's death, Forester creates a family of his via his best friend Marvin.

Having initially been lacking inspiration for his art, finding an invite for the mysterious (and much sought after) winter party, introduces Forester not only to a muse but also a haunting mystery. One that will consume his waking moments and dreams.

Following the lives of Forester, Marvin and Rose, during the late teens and early 1920s, this enchanting tale of love and loss, with a dash of mystery and magic, keeps the reader engaged throughout.