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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
tingletangle's review
2.0
Actually I do like the christmassy universe of the nutcracker. But this book is too filled with descriptions of frail, glittering, enchanted, gossamer, marzipan, vanilla, fairy, sugarplum, magic, chocolate, fur, powder, silk, sparkly, delicious, soapbells, bright, pristine, stars, globes, gold, glassy, and the like which are repeated throughout. A bit too much.
mindy_m's review
3.0
It began beautifully. I was captured by the drama of a ballerina forced to be a proper lady, who is then enraptured by the mystical Drosselmeier and all of his creations. I was even captivated by the new landscape unraveling before us readers as she came to the new world. But then... Everything fell away. The characters who come to resemble the Rat King, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Nutcracker, and perhaps a female Cavalier are all laid out for us to see. While I do enjoy these variations, I found the king to be lazily written. At first, he's a tyrant through and through, but then he grew lax in his tyranny over his pets. Supposedly he's very taken by the main gal (Marietta); however, his torture of her relaxes completely after the one incident. And then there's a romance that ventures in here... Not that it's of any real surprise, but BOY HOWDY! This book is not suitable for young folk. Between the torture and the woodland scene... *Cough* Anywho, the castle bit seemed drawn out for far too long and the magic was surely lost. And then there are a few things given/told to her that lead to the ending being a little bit open. I understand why it ends the way it does, but I'm also not won over by it. The book held a lot of promise that fizzled out and grew tired of itself. I'm really glad that I read it, but I will absolutely not need to read this again.
evmb_c's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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
3.5
jessica_reading_writing's review
3.0
Okay so I admit I bought this book because of the gorgeous cover. It's not my usual type of book at all and once I began reading it I realised why. The writing was so formal and stiff. Historical fiction really isn't my thing. Yes, it was magical and Christmassy but oh wow I was not expecting the plot to be as dark and sinister as it was. The ending picked up the pace but wow the first third of the book nothing happened!
Pretty cover, a decent story, but a bit dull. Not for me I'm afraid.
Pretty cover, a decent story, but a bit dull. Not for me I'm afraid.
abyssno2's review against another edition
3.0
2.75
Po prostu bardzo średnie fantasy, nie wzbudziło we mnie żadnych emocji. Gdybym nie czytała jej w okresie świątecznym to prawdopodobnie podobałaby mi się jeszcze mniej. Ubolewam nad obojętnością romansu i finałową walką, o ile można ją w ogóle tak nazwać. Eh
Po prostu bardzo średnie fantasy, nie wzbudziło we mnie żadnych emocji. Gdybym nie czytała jej w okresie świątecznym to prawdopodobnie podobałaby mi się jeszcze mniej. Ubolewam nad obojętnością romansu i finałową walką, o ile można ją w ogóle tak nazwać. Eh
artemisia976's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? N/A
5.0
caitlinlorenzana's review
1.0
I really, really wanted to like this book and thought it had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I found myself feeling ill with a lot of the sweets-related comparisons and descriptions.
The plot itself was intriguing in the beginning, but the characters themselves never felt truly fleshed out enough, and I ended up DNFing about 3/4 of the way through.
The plot itself was intriguing in the beginning, but the characters themselves never felt truly fleshed out enough, and I ended up DNFing about 3/4 of the way through.