Genre: Fantasy fiction, Magical realism
Key Stage: Year 9+ (this is an adult retelling of the fairytale and does content some violence/mature content but nothing graphic).
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Midnight In Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar (2021)
Plot: Inspired by The Nutcracker, Midnight in Everwood is set in 1906 Nottingham following a young woman who is passionate about ballet but is frowned upon by her family and society. They demand her to give up her dreams but before Marietta is supposed to give her final performance, she is whisked away to a magical world full of secrets, sweets, snow, and one that is ruled by a sadistic king, when the clock strikes midnight.
Positives: I adored the description of the setting, both in the fantasy world and in the real one, it was the perfect story for winter, December especially. This book reminded me of a fairytale read as a bedtime story. It was so comforting and enchanting, I just wanted to lie under a blanket and immerse myself into the wonderful world. The novel felt graceful, elegant, but also fragile, much like ballet, and it created images of silk, pearls, swans, rain, wishes, and candlelight by the moon. I honestly felt warm while reading this even with the beautiful details of snow. In addition, the women in this story were so incredibly strong and independent, however that didn’t mean they couldn’t have any romance or friendship.
Negatives: Despite being enamoured at the start and with the writing, I thought the middle part of this book was quite slow and dragged on for a while that I began to lose interest in what was happening. This was more of a light read and didn’t make me feel that many emotions, so I would still recommend it but it might not be for everyone
Reviewer: Rose, Year 9