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hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a dancer myself, I quite enjoyed this retelling of the Nutcracker. I loved the way the author spun characters and ideas from the original into her story. Lots of world building, which I like, but I can see how this might put some people off. I felt immersed in a sugary sweet land and could almost taste and smell it. Beautiful writing. However, the descriptions and flowery prose did slow down the story considerably and I found it slower paced than what I’m used to, hence the deduction of a portion of a star. I did love the way the author included both dancing descriptions and confections throughout the story so that even the most banal of scenes continued both the performance as well as the feast. I’m not sure that someone with zero ballet experience would find these as endearing though. All in all, I would say I enjoyed this lovely toe dip in the fantasy world of Everwood. I would recommend to fans of fantasy as well as historical fiction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Grief
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Read This Book if You Like:
- 💃 Strong Female Characters
- ❄️ Winter Stories
- 🧚♀️ Fantasy
- 🦁 Narnia Vibes
- 🪄 Magic
- ⚔️ Tense Plots
- 🩰 Dance & Nutcracker References
WHAT I LOVED:
- Feminism - It was amazing to see the theme of feminism play out in this story with strong female characters who don’t bend under two patriarchal worlds and strong female friendships. I loved that there was a strong emphasis on breaking free of society’s constraints on women and taking back your power. I think this was executed beautifully, and this was inspiring to read as a trauma survivor who at times struggles to speak her mind. To see scenes where the characters do not give up, refuse to bend to their abuser’s will, and keep going despite all odds to become victorious and fight for their freedom is awesome!
- Marietta - Ets has her flaws, but I loved her! She has such a strong spirit and refuses to be broken. She keeps hoping and working hard to free herself and her friends at all costs, and you know that she (not to mention Dellara and Prilipata) would lay down her life for them. She stands up for herself, becomes stronger as the plot continues on, and doesn’t lose her courage or her fire. Again, very inspiring to read as a trauma survivor and someone who values reading such strong female leads!
- The Ending - I really loved the ending.
It wasn’t unexpected that she would return to her world, find a way to vanquish Drosselmeir and go after her dreams while escaping her parents’ controlling grasp, but I actually really respect the how the storyline played out with Legat. There’s something beautiful about her going back to her own world to face her own demons and chase her dreams while he does the same, as do Dellara and Prilipata after they gain their freedom. It’s inspiring to see a romantic subplot where the MCs don’t end up together because they want the best for each other and are encouraging each other to thrive in the ways that they both know they need. It also conveys how Marietta can stand on her own two feet, which is so awesome given the era this book is set in. The fact that she goes out on her own to start her own life and chase her dreams of becoming a ballet dancer is freaking fantastic and so inspiring! Granted, I know I’m not alone in wishing we got more of her and Legat, and contradicting everything I’ve just said, I wouldn’t have minded if they ended up together. 🥺 They’re just too sweet. It’s bittersweet, but I so respect and love the ending anyways even as my romance-reading heart would love to see them together.
WHAT I LIKED:
- Female Friendships - Marietta’s bond with Dellara and Prilipata is great to see unfold in the story and I love how she learned how to form female friendships and open up more through her bonds with them. It gives women warrior, Amazonian vibes (particularly towards the end) and I’m all for it. Their personalities were also so fun to read, particularly Dellara’s dark personality in contrast with Prilipata. They really did feel like a mini sisterhood together.
Also, I loved the Marietta sought out more female friendships with Victoria and Harriet at the end of the book to honor them after leaving Everwood. Way to go girl! Getting out of your shell and forming bonds with new girls who could become your besties! Love that for you! - Creative Worldbuilding & Plot - Everwood and Celesta as a whole are really cool worlds! They’re so enchanting to read about! I loved the descriptions and how interesting it was to read about a confectionary world. The visuals were stunning.
- Romantic Subplot - Okay, I have to show Legat some love. It was nice to have a dash of romance thrown into the mix. He also was really supportive of Marietta, her dreams, and her search for freedom. He treated her as an equal and reminded her of her strength, he respected her, which I like. I would have liked to see more of them.
Also, the sex scene at the end felt very rushed. I would have liked to see their relationship drawn out more before we got to that moment. In all truthfulness, I’m not even sure we needed a sex scene. I think more romance would have made for a better build up to that.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
- Pacing - It was so hard for me to get through this book! I read it for book club, but there were several times this past month where I just put it down. It felt very slow towards the beginning and I don’t like how it took so long to actually get to Everwood. It felt like the real main plot didn’t start until 1/3 of the way through the book, and the setup seemed to take forever. Granted, once you get into the middle it does speed up, but it still felt like a long read and I tend to go for faster-paced books personally so it’s not as much my style.
- Writing Style - Again, I feel like the writing style made this a slower read. There were a lot of descriptions, which I did like when talking about the settings and worldbuilding using visual language, but it did feel very cerebral. I also understand this is historical fiction, so it may just be that this wasn’t my thing as I tend to find historical fiction too cerebral and hard to get through due to the writing style.
- Heavier Plot - This is a personal dislike for me - nothing against the book because it’s tense and it’s meant to be that way. It’s a beautifully written story and honestly a good book. I just didn’t like the heavier topics
like abuse and confinement and slavery that were handled in the book given that this was described as a “cozy read.” Usually, I view cozy reads as light and relaxing. This is not that. Still, it’s a great book. Just not my usual relaxing read I love, so not as much my personal liking. Also, as someone working through PTSD, I really value my books being relaxing, easy reads, so that’s my current style. Years ago, that might have been different but for now, I have my tastes and this didn’t hit the spot as much as my usual reads do - but that’s unique to me and my personal needs. However, if you’re someone who loves heavier, more intense reads with some action in the plot and a lot of angst (not really romantic angst, more just general angst), this is totally for you!
I think Midnight in Everwood is a good book. For a debut (I think?) it’s a wonderfully written story that takes many twists and turns and once it gets started, really takes you on a whirlwind. I would say that it belongs more in the fantasy section since it is more action-packed and isn’t as cozy as some readers might argue. At least, with the abusive environments, heavy topics (war, physical abuse, emotional abuse), and multilayered plot, I wouldn’t personally call it a “cozy read.” But for people who love fantasy and perhaps like Sarah Maas (granted I think her worldbuilding is much more elaborate than this - no offense, but it’s a contained story as a single novel so there isn’t as much room for elaborate worldbuilding), I think you might find this charming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Grief
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Blood, Stalking, Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't know what to expect with this book, but I ended up pleasantly surprised! The book has adventure, found family, female friendships, realizing one's dreams. There's adventure and some evil men. But most importantly Marietta is just trying to figure out who she is. Is she the daughter her parents expect her to be, making an advantageous marriage or is she the girl who loves to dance? Maybe she's something else altogether.
I adored Marietta's journey of discovery and who she slowly becomes. This is definitely a book for anyone who loved Caraval, female friendships, and making your own life.
I adored Marietta's journey of discovery and who she slowly becomes. This is definitely a book for anyone who loved Caraval, female friendships, and making your own life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Sexual harassment
TL;DR: The overall story and ideas were good, but the execution was lacking. I still had a decent time reading it, but a lot of nit picks.
If you read a lot of young adult and enjoy it, you’ll probably love this book. It’s very wintery and is perfect for this time of year. If you like Erin Morgenstern but want more plot, or if you liked Caraval, I’d definitely recommend this. Completely different plot than those (no magical circus), but similar feel.
First, this should not be marketed as adult imo. This read v e r y YA. The main character, Marietta, is very naive and acts like a teenager. The only thing making it adult is Marietta is 20 and there’s one sex scene. Though that scene uses non-descriptive metaphorical language (which I personally found a bit funny).
I didn’t love the writing. It feels a bit amateur in some places. I hate to rag on fanfics because some fanfic authors are really good, but this felt like the type of romance scenes I would find in a sub-par fan fiction. The scene where Marietta found the rebellion’s headquarters, for example. It was way too easy and quick and Legat barely reacted before casually introducing her to the leader/his mom, then joking with Marietta. As well as the sex scene. They felt like a fan fiction scenario just to get them into a certain interaction/to progress their relationship, at the expense of them acting unrealistically, if that makes sense. There were several obvious typos I’m unsure how the editor didn’t catch. It’s overwritten in some areas, where it will spend an entire paragraph focusing on some small detail not actually relevant to the scene but it reminded Marietta of something from her past (big pet peeve of mine). And the dialogue felt very forced ‘old timey proper’. It didn’t feel natural.
At certain points Marietta gets mad at <love interest> for absolutely no reason, seemingly just to create drama for the sake of drama. It’s like the author was going for a hate-to-love thing, but there wasn’t really any reason for them to hate each other. It was almost as if Marietta’s attraction to him was coming out in the form of anger..? Which makes no sense to me.
I felt like we were told rather than shown the progression of Marietta, Dellara and Piripata’s friendship. I didn’t really feel their sisterly connection in the way I think I was supposed to.
I did however like when Marietta used ballet moves to fight, cheesy as it was.
If you read a lot of young adult and enjoy it, you’ll probably love this book. It’s very wintery and is perfect for this time of year. If you like Erin Morgenstern but want more plot, or if you liked Caraval, I’d definitely recommend this. Completely different plot than those (no magical circus), but similar feel.
First, this should not be marketed as adult imo. This read v e r y YA. The main character, Marietta, is very naive and acts like a teenager. The only thing making it adult is Marietta is 20 and there’s one sex scene. Though that scene uses non-descriptive metaphorical language (which I personally found a bit funny).
I didn’t love the writing. It feels a bit amateur in some places. I hate to rag on fanfics because some fanfic authors are really good, but this felt like the type of romance scenes I would find in a sub-par fan fiction.
At certain points Marietta gets mad at <love interest> for absolutely no reason, seemingly just to create drama for the sake of drama. It’s like the author was going for a hate-to-love thing, but there wasn’t really any reason for them to hate each other. It was almost as if Marietta’s attraction to him was coming out in the form of anger..? Which makes no sense to me.
I felt like we were told rather than shown the progression of Marietta, Dellara and Piripata’s friendship. I didn’t really feel their sisterly connection in the way I think I was supposed to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Forced institutionalization
Starvation
adventurous
dark
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was fine, but that was all it was really. I liked the idea of a retelling of The Nutcracker, so I really hoped I would enjoy this. However, it was just fine.
The characters were 2 dimensional: their personalities were their passions or their titles and thar was about it. The language, granted this is set in the early 1900s, was just too dated, and at times it felt like it had been attacked by a thesaurus. Which brings me onto another point of repetitive word usage. As much as I appreciate the magical worldbuilding involved for this story, everything was too sickly sweet: butterscotch, candy cane, peppermint, sugar, vanilla, marzipan. These descriptions were quite simply overused to the point where i need to take a break from seeing the words anywhere. Speaking of early 1900s, the awareness of privilege: Marietta has a gay brother, whose sole existence really is being gay. Harriet is Black, and thats pretty much that. In Everwood, gay people are considered scandalous but accepted. It just felt like these characters existed merely to check the diversity box, or for Marietta to constantly check her privilege because these characters "have it worse". It felt disjointed, like as if that was the sole point of those characters.
I enjoyed the storyline of the strength of women and independence and following their passions instead of marrying. I enjoyed that there was a small love story. I didn't love the fact that there was one small sex scene, because that seemed misplaced in a book that read rather young. That definitely could have been edited out.
I don't know what to think of it really. It was a nice retelling in some places, descriptive, adventurous, kinda romantic. Definitely could have been shorter in some places. But otherwise repetitive and disjointed.
The characters were 2 dimensional: their personalities were their passions or their titles and thar was about it. The language, granted this is set in the early 1900s, was just too dated, and at times it felt like it had been attacked by a thesaurus. Which brings me onto another point of repetitive word usage. As much as I appreciate the magical worldbuilding involved for this story, everything was too sickly sweet: butterscotch, candy cane, peppermint, sugar, vanilla, marzipan. These descriptions were quite simply overused to the point where i need to take a break from seeing the words anywhere. Speaking of early 1900s, the awareness of privilege: Marietta has a gay brother, whose sole existence really is being gay. Harriet is Black, and thats pretty much that. In Everwood, gay people are considered scandalous but accepted. It just felt like these characters existed merely to check the diversity box, or for Marietta to constantly check her privilege because these characters "have it worse". It felt disjointed, like as if that was the sole point of those characters.
I enjoyed the storyline of the strength of women and independence and following their passions instead of marrying. I enjoyed that there was a small love story. I didn't love the fact that there was one small sex scene, because that seemed misplaced in a book that read rather young. That definitely could have been edited out.
I don't know what to think of it really. It was a nice retelling in some places, descriptive, adventurous, kinda romantic. Definitely could have been shorter in some places. But otherwise repetitive and disjointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Torture
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Retelling of The Nutcracker
I was really excited about this and overall enjoyed it. Couldn't help but feel a little disappointed however.
Marietta longs to dance, but her parents have stated that once she turns 21 she must hang up her dancing shoes and marry. Her mysterious new neighbour Drosselmeier, a skilled inventor pays court to her and her parents are thrilled. After a confrontation he sends her to a magical world, Everwood where she becomes prisoner of the king who forces her to dance.
The world was whimsical and sweet with a dark undercurrent and fit the fairytale narrative. There were one to many references to food and sweets to describe things. I get what the author was doing but it felt a little over done. I enjoyed the friendship that grew between Marietta and the two other captive women. I don't think having two villains worked, especially as one is absent for much of the story and is mentioned in passing. I was also rather nonplussed by the romance, it was sweet but rather dull. My enemies to lovers ass was hoping for a romance with Drosselmeier 🤣
Had some things that worked, and some that didn't. Entertaining overall.
I was really excited about this and overall enjoyed it. Couldn't help but feel a little disappointed however.
Marietta longs to dance, but her parents have stated that once she turns 21 she must hang up her dancing shoes and marry. Her mysterious new neighbour Drosselmeier, a skilled inventor pays court to her and her parents are thrilled. After a confrontation he sends her to a magical world, Everwood where she becomes prisoner of the king who forces her to dance.
The world was whimsical and sweet with a dark undercurrent and fit the fairytale narrative. There were one to many references to food and sweets to describe things. I get what the author was doing but it felt a little over done. I enjoyed the friendship that grew between Marietta and the two other captive women. I don't think having two villains worked, especially as one is absent for much of the story and is mentioned in passing. I was also rather nonplussed by the romance, it was sweet but rather dull. My enemies to lovers ass was hoping for a romance with Drosselmeier 🤣
Had some things that worked, and some that didn't. Entertaining overall.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, War
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Torture, Blood, Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content, Murder
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If my winter theme didn't make it obvious, I have loved The Nutcracker since childhood, so I have been anticipating this retelling with great excitement. I read it with a winter storm brewing outside my window, Tchaikovsky dancing from my speakers, a mug of hot chocolate steaming in one hand, while sharp, dangerous magic wafted up from my e-reader. The perfect ambience.
The book's strength is its imagery, painting a decadent other world built of sugar with a whisper of danger. It's easy to understand why Marietta is mesmerized into staying. Whether it's the vibrant fashions, flavorful confections, or the opportunity to live and breathe dance away from Edwardian strictures, this world tempts all the senses while its otherworldly splendor hooks into the mind. In fact, I have never read a fantasy so devoted to conjuring magical smells and tastes, areas often overlooked in evoking unfamiliar locales. I applaud the comprehensive approach.
I also appreciated that layers of privilege are discussed right on the page: class, lgbt, race, and gender concerns are addressed within the historical context. Unfortunately, the execution was a bit clunky even if the intent was good.
The plot didn't dazzle me. We have a standard tyrant king and rebellion story with characters that were perfectly fine but lacking in depth. Mariette's relationship with her brother has potential to be powerful but gets little space in the story. The friendships among the three captured women stand out as the most compelling, but I still found them severely underdeveloped. The romance plot was yet more tenuous with little time or energy put into making it feel as special as the world framing it.
I felt iffy throughout, but the final pages left me with an ultimately negative reaction. After a lot of waiting and ball montages, the three prisoners finally put their escape plan into action. I was appalled when Mariette risked her freedom and that of her friends for a romantic assignation. It then featured my least favorite fantasy ending after "it was all a dream" or "and then their memory was wiped." I won't say what trope it is because ~spoilers~. I think it's an empowering and meaningful end, so this is not a moral or quality objection. It's just a stylistic choice that chafes at my particular sensibilities.
If you're all about fantasy worlds with keen attention to experiential detail, I think that is the strongest element of this book.
The book's strength is its imagery, painting a decadent other world built of sugar with a whisper of danger. It's easy to understand why Marietta is mesmerized into staying. Whether it's the vibrant fashions, flavorful confections, or the opportunity to live and breathe dance away from Edwardian strictures, this world tempts all the senses while its otherworldly splendor hooks into the mind. In fact, I have never read a fantasy so devoted to conjuring magical smells and tastes, areas often overlooked in evoking unfamiliar locales. I applaud the comprehensive approach.
I also appreciated that layers of privilege are discussed right on the page: class, lgbt, race, and gender concerns are addressed within the historical context. Unfortunately, the execution was a bit clunky even if the intent was good.
The plot didn't dazzle me. We have a standard tyrant king and rebellion story with characters that were perfectly fine but lacking in depth. Mariette's relationship with her brother has potential to be powerful but gets little space in the story. The friendships among the three captured women stand out as the most compelling, but I still found them severely underdeveloped. The romance plot was yet more tenuous with little time or energy put into making it feel as special as the world framing it.
I felt iffy throughout, but the final pages left me with an ultimately negative reaction. After a lot of waiting and ball montages, the three prisoners finally put their escape plan into action. I was appalled when Mariette risked her freedom and that of her friends for a romantic assignation. It then featured my least favorite fantasy ending after "it was all a dream" or "and then their memory was wiped." I won't say what trope it is because ~spoilers~. I think it's an empowering and meaningful end, so this is not a moral or quality objection. It's just a stylistic choice that chafes at my particular sensibilities.
If you're all about fantasy worlds with keen attention to experiential detail, I think that is the strongest element of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Kidnapping, Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail