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bookwyrmknits 's review for:
Midnight in Everwood
by M.A. Kuzniar
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This Nutcracker retelling is rich with decadent prose as it tells a story that's very close to the original while remaining a unique story in itself.
The part I liked best about this retelling was finding the little nods to the ballet. The toy soldiers. The mice. The grandfather clock. The sugar spun castle and the references within to the original vignette dances of the ballet. Also, Kuzniar's prose is delectable, as sweet as sugar itself. However, as a Nutcracker retelling, I wanted to get to the fantasy part a lot sooner than we did. (The first 30% at least is set in historical England, and if this had been billed as a historical fantasy I would have loved it. But I was impatient for my retelling.) I guess I also had thought this was a YA book, when in truth it is an adult book, and so I had expected a little more innocence to the book's tone.
I think, however, that while there were things that bugged me, there was one thing that annoyed me to no end—and that is that in the productions of the ballet I have seen, Drosselmeyer is always a good guy. A bit weird, but ultimately good. I realize now that the E.T.F. Hoffman story which was the source material for the ballet may give him a different (or enhanced) role, but up until I read this book I wasn't aware there WAS any source material for Tchaikovsky's ballet. I certainly didn't know that in the Hoffman story Drosselmeyer was a bit of a creep. And so reading him as one in this story really threw me for a loop, and nearly caused me to DNF the book a few times. Don't get me wrong: this is on me, not the book. It's definitely a case of me expecting something different than the book was intended to be.
Long story short, this is a book that can be a fun read if you're looking for rich prose and a seasonal read. It is set very firmly at Christmas; the true fantasy part of the story happens at midnight on Christmas Eve, just as it does in the ballet (and, I assume, the Hoffman book). It starts off as a historical novel where female and gay characters are trying to find ways to live their true lives in their constrictive society and morphs into a fantasy retelling, but it is definitely on the darker side with some of the topics it discusses or implies. Do read it if it sounds appealing to you, but don't expect the lighthearted tone of the ballet.
The part I liked best about this retelling was finding the little nods to the ballet. The toy soldiers. The mice. The grandfather clock. The sugar spun castle and the references within to the original vignette dances of the ballet. Also, Kuzniar's prose is delectable, as sweet as sugar itself. However, as a Nutcracker retelling, I wanted to get to the fantasy part a lot sooner than we did. (The first 30% at least is set in historical England, and if this had been billed as a historical fantasy I would have loved it. But I was impatient for my retelling.) I guess I also had thought this was a YA book, when in truth it is an adult book, and so I had expected a little more innocence to the book's tone.
I think, however, that while there were things that bugged me, there was one thing that annoyed me to no end—and that is that in the productions of the ballet I have seen, Drosselmeyer is always a good guy. A bit weird, but ultimately good. I realize now that the E.T.F. Hoffman story which was the source material for the ballet may give him a different (or enhanced) role, but up until I read this book I wasn't aware there WAS any source material for Tchaikovsky's ballet. I certainly didn't know that in the Hoffman story Drosselmeyer was a bit of a creep. And so reading him as one in this story really threw me for a loop, and nearly caused me to DNF the book a few times. Don't get me wrong: this is on me, not the book. It's definitely a case of me expecting something different than the book was intended to be.
Long story short, this is a book that can be a fun read if you're looking for rich prose and a seasonal read. It is set very firmly at Christmas; the true fantasy part of the story happens at midnight on Christmas Eve, just as it does in the ballet (and, I assume, the Hoffman book). It starts off as a historical novel where female and gay characters are trying to find ways to live their true lives in their constrictive society and morphs into a fantasy retelling, but it is definitely on the darker side with some of the topics it discusses or implies. Do read it if it sounds appealing to you, but don't expect the lighthearted tone of the ballet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Stalking
Minor: Confinement, Violence
Our MC at one point is punished by the evil king for refusing to dance for him. He withholds her meals for a long time... longer than I expected, honestly. She gets help from other characters and survives the experience, but if food is a trigger for you be careful with that section.