A review by mindy_m
Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar

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.