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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Way spicier than I normally read but overall I had a great time with this one. It was fast-paced and kept my attention throughout, which is saying something because I read this over the holidays in the middle of being busy prepping for Christmas and other winter gatherings. I will say, that even though it’s marketed as a Nutcracker retelling, it reads more like ACOTAR with the lightest sprinkling of characters from The Nutcracker, so adjust your expectations going in that it might not be as Nutcracker-y as you were expecting. Overall, I would recommend this one if:
- You’re looking for an easy book to read during busy times.
- You’re a romantasy fan
- You love smut and spice
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
alilbitofeveryth1ng's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Rape
tguccione's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Torture, Grief, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
arbramirez's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
no thoughts, just smut
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault
ieemee's review
2.5
I was expecting a cute romance retelling of the nutcracker but this is more on the dark romance spectrum a lot of SA discussion. So I wasn’t prepared also I think I’ve found my personal ick in this book. So this may have been wrong book wrong time or even wrong book wrong person - hopefully this book finds its reader
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Misogyny
luckylolabug's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
The small highlight: Despite the book not being written well, I like Fin as a character and his relationship with Clara. They feel like equals and its not shoved in your face. Though it feels weird that I'm invested in the guy who basically sells the Fae equivalent of weed and LSD to other Fae. He's constantly claimed to be morally Grey but I don't see it. Hes a far better person than his cousin.
Now for everything else:
You could skip most of Louisa's chapters and still not miss much, honestly. Her dynamic with the Nutcracker prince was a chore to get through. They have the same argument a million times, and he treats her like garbage only to turn around and gaslight her when they get together. Hard pass.
(Also the vampiric tendencies are painful and it's clear the author has a thing for vampires with how many allegories there are)
For a book that's probably 75% smut or people being horny, it's not written well. I found myself cringing at almost every attempt at dirty talk or something that I assume is supposed to be hot. ("My heart was wet for him" Really, Rebecca?) It also reads oddly male gazey when focusing on Louisa while the segments with Clara aren't nearly as dick-centric, which is odd. It felt like two different authors wrote the different couples.
The plot weirdly enough moves too fast and also too slow at the same time. They get into the thick of things very quickly and almost every altercation is resolved pretty immediately. But there's also LONG segments where I was begging for ANYTHING to happen (usually because it was another argument between Louisa and Lir).
The ending is incredibly anticlimactic, is fixed way too quickly, and everyone is happy. Yay? For all the times it mentions trauma, everyone seems pretty content to bury it by the end. Maybe because they're too busy burying themselves in someone else to care.
Now for everything else:
You could skip most of Louisa's chapters and still not miss much, honestly. Her dynamic with the Nutcracker prince was a chore to get through. They have the same argument a million times, and he treats her like garbage only to turn around and gaslight her when they get together. Hard pass.
(Also the vampiric tendencies are painful and it's clear the author has a thing for vampires with how many allegories there are)
For a book that's probably 75% smut or people being horny, it's not written well. I found myself cringing at almost every attempt at dirty talk or something that I assume is supposed to be hot. ("My heart was wet for him" Really, Rebecca?) It also reads oddly male gazey when focusing on Louisa while the segments with Clara aren't nearly as dick-centric, which is odd. It felt like two different authors wrote the different couples.
The plot weirdly enough moves too fast and also too slow at the same time. They get into the thick of things very quickly and almost every altercation is resolved pretty immediately. But there's also LONG segments where I was begging for ANYTHING to happen (usually because it was another argument between Louisa and Lir).
The ending is incredibly anticlimactic, is fixed way too quickly, and everyone is happy. Yay? For all the times it mentions trauma, everyone seems pretty content to bury it by the end. Maybe because they're too busy burying themselves in someone else to care.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Sexual assault and Trafficking
coffeepotoo's review
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
i didn't like it very much. i actually thought the worldbuilding was fairly imaginative and it wasn't as cisnormative as this genre tends to be but the pacing gets extremely rushed early on and there's a lot of iffy misogynistic implications regarding one of the main characters and her love interest. the "enemies to lovers" thing is extremely forced and based on pretty much nothing, so i just found that aspect of the book incredibly frustrating.
if you're really into this genre and you'd like it with some more interesting worldbuilding you might enjoy this, but personally by the end i just kinda felt exhausted. definitely not a plot-heavy book, and the plot itself gets wrapped up very quickly once both the main couples are together. i could see someone enjoying this book but i really did not.
if you're really into this genre and you'd like it with some more interesting worldbuilding you might enjoy this, but personally by the end i just kinda felt exhausted. definitely not a plot-heavy book, and the plot itself gets wrapped up very quickly once both the main couples are together. i could see someone enjoying this book but i really did not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape
koistyfishy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ohh this was utterly toothsome and I enjoyed it so much! A Court of Sugar and Spice was a deliciously delectable and delightful treat, that was that perfect fix of "sugar and spice" but defiantly naughty.
This dual-POV Nutcracker retelling follows two sisters, Louisa and Clara. Who after their father dies are sent to live with their Godfather Drosselmeyer. They soon find that not everything is what it seems in the house. One night following a bloody splinter, Louisa temporarily breaks the curse on a Nutcracker doll to reveal he is actually a captured and cursed Fae Prince. The sisters offer to help him break the curse completely so they journey to the Fae Realm; where they discover, in the Prince's absence, the Seelie Kingdom has been overrun by the Rat King's forces. To aid their quest and retake the kingdom, the group enlist the help of the Prince's cousin, the seductive and flirty gender-bent "Sugarplum Faerie".
The main thing that made me love this book is the worldbuilding and descriptions of the setting. It was beautiful, transcendent and gorgeous. I could so easily picture the world in its glowing and luminescent glory. It was scrumptious, filled with vivid colour, brightly coloured people, trees, and delicious smells of vanilla and cinnamon. None of this would have been possible if Rebecca Kenney did not have an amazing ability for writing. She is by far climbing to the top of my favourite Authors for a reason because I JUST LOVE HER BOOKS, WRITING AND CREATIVITY! She manages to take an idea and give it such a unique and inventive spin that I will EAT IT UP like a kid in a candy shop!
This is actually the love story of both girls so I am going to split this into the two couples
❆Clara and Fin❆
I just love them! I eat my words and distaste for insta-love with these two. While there was definitely insta-"lust" between these two characters, Clarawas sweet, demure and complicated. She had been creatively repressed by her father, forced to find shame in the fact that she wanted to paint. Then bring in Fin (probably the BEST CHARACTER IN THIS BOOK BY FAR). He was perfect and even more so, PERFECT for Clara. He was the first person to actually see who she was, not who she pretended to be. He was smart, kind, generous and unapologetically sexual, but I loved it! I found myself wanting to skim Louisa and Lir's scenes, just to get back to Clara and Fin, because whilst they were in dangerous and perilous situations, the levity Fin brought to the chapters was AMAZING!
❆Louisa and Lir❆
These two are probably the reason why I brought the rating down. I have no problem with a woman who loves sex and is proud of her sexuality and body, but when you make your entire PERSONALITY your like for sex and use this as the thing to define yourself...that is where I tend to be a little put-off. Whilst she is very quick thinking and strategic, I found myself annoyed at her more times than I could count, especially since she also tried to make herself feel better by bringing Clara down. Lir was incredibly unlikeable and I did not see his appeal or charm until the last 10% of the book. For the majority there was nothing redeeming about him as a character as he says hurtful and mean things to Louisa WHILE SHE IS HELPING HIM and then tries to excuse his behaviour for "I feel so much for you that it scares me so I am trying to push you away". No dude....If you weren't Fin's cousin I might have left you as a doll if it was me.
Let's talk about the naughty parts of this book 😏 There is A LOT of it in this book, and it starts very quickly - it ranges from light touching to consensual"running through a forest" fantasy acted out.... My only issue is...I have this awful moral catch-22 that the times when some of the scenes occurred, seemed a little strange and if I were hypothetically in the story in their place, probably would have gone "NOW, is not the best time to have sex" example: Clara and Fin are captured by the Rat King and put in his dungeon and sex is the only thing making captivity bearable???
It has some good trope moments in it too:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ One Horse Reindeer
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ One Bed - WITH Body heat for warmth
▶ He falls first (kinda)
▶ Fae/Human Romance
Overall, this was exactly what I needed and another amazing book by Rebecca Kenney to add to my list! I cannot wait for A Court of Hearts and Hunger(Officially out 31 March 2023) where I get to spend more time with Clara and Fin ♥️♥️♥️
❆Quotes❆:
The one that sticks in my mind the most
This dual-POV Nutcracker retelling follows two sisters, Louisa and Clara. Who after their father dies are sent to live with their Godfather Drosselmeyer. They soon find that not everything is what it seems in the house. One night following a bloody splinter, Louisa temporarily breaks the curse on a Nutcracker doll to reveal he is actually a captured and cursed Fae Prince. The sisters offer to help him break the curse completely so they journey to the Fae Realm; where they discover, in the Prince's absence, the Seelie Kingdom has been overrun by the Rat King's forces. To aid their quest and retake the kingdom, the group enlist the help of the Prince's cousin, the seductive and flirty gender-bent "Sugarplum Faerie".
The main thing that made me love this book is the worldbuilding and descriptions of the setting. It was beautiful, transcendent and gorgeous. I could so easily picture the world in its glowing and luminescent glory. It was scrumptious, filled with vivid colour, brightly coloured people, trees, and delicious smells of vanilla and cinnamon. None of this would have been possible if Rebecca Kenney did not have an amazing ability for writing. She is by far climbing to the top of my favourite Authors for a reason because I JUST LOVE HER BOOKS, WRITING AND CREATIVITY! She manages to take an idea and give it such a unique and inventive spin that I will EAT IT UP like a kid in a candy shop!
This is actually the love story of both girls so I am going to split this into the two couples
❆Clara and Fin❆
I just love them! I eat my words and distaste for insta-love with these two. While there was definitely insta-"lust" between these two characters, Clarawas sweet, demure and complicated. She had been creatively repressed by her father, forced to find shame in the fact that she wanted to paint. Then bring in Fin (probably the BEST CHARACTER IN THIS BOOK BY FAR). He was perfect and even more so, PERFECT for Clara. He was the first person to actually see who she was, not who she pretended to be. He was smart, kind, generous and unapologetically sexual, but I loved it! I found myself wanting to skim Louisa and Lir's scenes, just to get back to Clara and Fin, because whilst they were in dangerous and perilous situations, the levity Fin brought to the chapters was AMAZING!
❆Louisa and Lir❆
These two are probably the reason why I brought the rating down. I have no problem with a woman who loves sex and is proud of her sexuality and body, but when you make your entire PERSONALITY your like for sex and use this as the thing to define yourself...that is where I tend to be a little put-off. Whilst she is very quick thinking and strategic, I found myself annoyed at her more times than I could count, especially since she also tried to make herself feel better by bringing Clara down. Lir was incredibly unlikeable and I did not see his appeal or charm until the last 10% of the book. For the majority there was nothing redeeming about him as a character as he says hurtful and mean things to Louisa WHILE SHE IS HELPING HIM and then tries to excuse his behaviour for "I feel so much for you that it scares me so I am trying to push you away". No dude....If you weren't Fin's cousin I might have left you as a doll if it was me.
Let's talk about the naughty parts of this book 😏 There is A LOT of it in this book, and it starts very quickly - it ranges from light touching to consensual"running through a forest" fantasy acted out.... My only issue is...I have this awful moral catch-22 that the times when some of the scenes occurred, seemed a little strange and if I were hypothetically in the story in their place, probably would have gone "NOW, is not the best time to have sex" example: Clara and Fin are captured by the Rat King and put in his dungeon and sex is the only thing making captivity bearable???
It has some good trope moments in it too:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ One Horse Reindeer
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ One Bed - WITH Body heat for warmth
▶ He falls first (kinda)
▶ Fae/Human Romance
Overall, this was exactly what I needed and another amazing book by Rebecca Kenney to add to my list! I cannot wait for A Court of Hearts and Hunger(Officially out 31 March 2023) where I get to spend more time with Clara and Fin ♥️♥️♥️
❆Quotes❆:
The one that sticks in my mind the most
“Nowadays, people call me Sugarplum because I have the same delightful quality as these fruits. I’m deliciously flavored, and I taste different every time.”
“You—you mean your personality?”
“No.” His lashes lower, hooding his eyes. “I’m not talking about my personality. I’m talking about my cum.”
❆Clara and Fin❆
He breaks the hot torment of the kiss for a moment, and in that moment I say the words against his lips. “I love you.”
No more than a frenzied breath, but he hears me. His hand tightens on my hair, and he crushes himself against my body, his words hot and hoarse in my ear.
“Only you,” he grits out. “Only you, ever.”
❆Louisa and Lir❆
“Your scent,” he says. “It’s like nothing else I’ve ever encountered. It’s—it’s mine. It’s my scent. That’s the only way I can describe it. It’s not the way I smell, but it belongs to me, it’s—tailored to me, designed to be the one fragrance I can’t resist.
I need you—not your body, not only that, but more. I—I admire you, Louisa. I admire your confidence, your keen mind, your beautiful enthusiasm for everything, your courage in crisis. I long to be like you. I wish I could lose myself entirely in you.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
ashley_est1988's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
hannahs_library__'s review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, and Murder