Midnight In Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar Review

An enjoyably enchanting reimagining of The Nutcracker, partially set in Edwardian era Nottingham and filled with dazzling settings and magically festive delights—Christmas can’t come soon enough!

Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina, but her dancing days are almost will be over after Christmas (which is to be her last performance.) At the wishes of her family, Marietta must give up ballet (the most treasured thing in her life), marry a suitable husband and take up her place in society.

But the arrival of the mysteriously handsome toy maker (and new neighbour) Dr.Drosselmeier, heralds the arrival of magic and wonders that Marietta has never seen before. Though, Drosselmeier’s magic is far Darker than she could ever have anticipated....

When the toy maker constructs an elaborate theatre set— worthy of her final performance, Marietta discovers it carries a magic of it own. For when the clock strikes midnight, Marietta finds herself in an unfamiliar land of snow topped trees and frozen sugar palaces filled with sugar spun webs of lies and secrets—though the sweetness only seeks the mask the kingdoms’ decay under the rule of a tyrant.

Midnight in Everwood was such an enjoyable and charmingly inventive take on a well loved classic, though I do have to warn the deliciously tempting descriptions will leave you craving the sugar laden comfort foods of Christmas.

The writing had a lyrical quality that was really enjoyable and the whimsy of Everwood was exceptional, if you loved the clever blend of historical fiction and magical realism in The Night Circus then I’m pretty sure you’ll love this.

The characters were very nicely written, and I loved the strength Marietta showed when faced with a troubling situation.Marietta’s unrelenting naïveté in the first half of the book, however was a little annoying.

The pace was spot on and the plot undeniably compelling, I just couldn’t put it down-the only thing that hindered my enjoyment was the continuous ballet jargon (the names of particular moves,etc.), I know absolutely nothing about ballet besides how incredibly difficult it is and how elegant it looks,so I couldn’t really picture what the dances mentioned or decribed looked like without having to search online. Though,this isn’t really a problem with the book and more with my lack of ballet knowledge.

Overall a really enjoyable and fun read, I’d definitely recommend to fans of Erin Morgenstern, Stephanie Garber and The Nutcracker.

And also a massive thank you to HQ and NetGalley for the digital arc.

Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar is out 28 October 2021

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5