A review by readwithlissanne
Winterdream by Chantal Gadoury

3.0

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest review.

I literally jumped at the opportunity of reviewing a book like this, because I have loved the story of the Nutcracker for as long as I can remember.
I loved this retelling, although I feel like it could've been a little less sweetly written. Don't get me wrong, I liked the fact that the story focussed on the romantic connection between the Nutcracker and Clara, but I feel like so much more could've been done with the battles and the "scouts".

Clara is headstrong (which is one of my favorite traits for protagonists) but I feel like sometimes she deliberately wants to put herself into danger to prove her worth to the Nutcracker, even though she really didn't need to.

I kind of predicted from the start that Anton would be the nutcracker and that Irina would be some form of a spy for the mouse king. I was kind of disappointed by the fact that I could predict that to be honest.

Overall, I thought it was highly enjoyable and perfect for the holiday season, but I would've loved to have seen a bit more of darker scenes (the last battle felt like a bit of a breeze compared to other battles I've read about.)

3/5 stars