panI was underwhelmed by this book. The general concept of the story was great. I actually liked a lot of the little touches that hinted at The Nutcracker. That being said...I didn't like much else about it. The pacing of the story left me bored. I had to push myself to finish it. Then the relationship between characters felt underdeveloped. Same with a lot of the story. Some parts just seemed thrown together. I don't think this is the book for me.
pickThis was another book club choice. I ended up liking the story of Herr Drosselmeyer. At least, the next time I see the Nutcracker Suite, I will have an origin story to noodle over 🙂
pick• fiction • fantasy • dark • mysterious • tense • magical • 368 pages • 5-Stars
The Kingdom of Sweets is a captivating fairytale. It is a dark and magical retelling of The Nutcracker about two sisters cursed from birth and a mysterious world of snow and sugar. The sisters (Clara and Natasha) are forever changed one memorable Christmas ... ⬇️
so-so⭐️⭐️💫
I was into this at the beginning - I especially loved the vivid imagery of the Kingdom of Sweets - but it lost my interest by the end. The author writes in the acknowledgements that writing for her has become “an often grueling exercise in endurance”, and I feel like that shows. It‘s kind of also how it felt to read it. 😬 #BOTM
so-soThis is the first of the Penguin Little Clothbound Classics that I‘ve read and it won‘t be the last. I‘ve attended The Nutcracker many times but have, oddly, never read the story it is based on. I can say that I didn‘t enjoy the story as much as the ballet, but am still glad I read it. The other two stories in this book all deal with similar themes of imagination and seeing what isn‘t there/ghost stories.
so-soThis is a bizarre little book, possibly made more bizarre by translation. Am I glad I finally read it? Yes. Will it be on repeat in my holiday reading rotation? Probably not.
pickI liked parts of this book.I‘ll admit that other parts were just outside of my grasp of understanding.Parts seemed very deep,and I‘m sure there was more to them than what I read into them. I have a feeling this is one of those books that needs to be read more than once. I did find it darkly magical. I was looking for a good Christmas read. Not sure I found it in this story. I think I‘d have understood it more if I knew more about the Nutcracker
Merry Christmas!!! Santa came (more like the best #litsypenpal) and brought me so many goodies. Teas, crochet kit, a lovely candle, and some good-looking books! Yay, I love bookish Christmas! Thank you so much @Litlady for the fabulous gifts! I'm definitely reading The Nutcracker very soon. I'm going to a musical of The Nutcracker this week. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
pickI like the concept of a Nutcracker retelling and this plot line of a kingdom of sweets. It‘s a slow pick though because everyone was so unlikable. Typically, I have no problem disliking my MC‘s, but I need to either empathize with their situation or have fun trash-reading their despicable-ness. Neither of those happened here. I mean Clara - I need to root for Clara!
