Rating
Synopsis
A retelling of the Nutcracker.
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. 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 ally 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.
Review
I fell in love with this story from the first page. I believe that this is the first retelling I have ever read (that I am aware of anyway), and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s beautifully written, drawing on the style of Edwardian texts and language, making it true to the era in which it is set. It also pulls in the language of sweets and ballet, using words we associate with them to add to the descriptions.
It’s a story that sets your mind pirouetting and your taste buds wishing for the sweets of Everwood.
The story is about following your dreams no matter what society demands of you and no matter what others have to say about it. It’s also about being true to yourself and finding your courage, all of which you need to have to get what you want in the world. There is also a theme of friendship and finding first love.
It also has a commentary about privilege and understanding our personal privilege in life and being aware of it.
It’s a story filled with great characters that you can’t wait to read more about. Set in a magical setting that we all know from The Nutcracker and other retellings of it. It brings in the beauty and wonder of a winter Christmas, and it is a book that is worth reading at that time of the year.
Quotes
‘When she danced, she was a conjurer, writing spells with the whirls and arcs of her body. Her dancing was hers and hers alone, not for the enticement of any man, nor her father to wield as a weapon against her. When she danced, she flew on gossamer wings that lifted her away from the dragging weight of her family’s expectations. Enticed her with a glimpse of an alternative path to the one she was obligated to tread. When she danced, she had a voice. And nothing was more fearsome than a silent future.’
‘“Only the most magical things happen at midnight. When mortal folk are dreaming, safe in their beds, it is then that the sprites and goblins creep out, and the air crackles with wild magic.”’
‘“Dreams hold power and, when one truly believes in them, it feels as if there isn’t anything on this earth you might not achieve.”’
‘She wished she had never lost her belief in magic. Never set it aside when she grew older, and it was no longer charming for her to still hold such beliefs.’
‘Nor could she elucidate why she felt such anger burning inside her, why her breath hitched when she looked at him, why she longed to raise her voice and shout and lose her fingers in his tangle of hair.’
‘“Life’s too short to deprive yourself a little extravagance.”’
‘The one where she’s turned to find the Captain looking at her. And he had kept staring at her. And she’s noticed. The Gingerbread Ball.’
‘“There is never any sense in hiding feelings; they will only embed themselves further in your heart until they’re impossible to dig out.”’
‘He looked deep into her eyes. “Wherever I would have gone, whenever this life may take me, I shall find you again, you may be certain of that. It is in the stars that we shall meet again.”’
‘“Be safe and strong. Never dull your sparkle for anyone else, flame fiercely into your own glittering future.”’
‘“And I shall never stop thinking of you,” He said. “No matter how many Kings and Queens come and go, how many stars join the skies, my heart shall be yours forevermore.”’