What a charming and beautiful Christmas tale. Full of magic and whimsy yet deliciously dark and twisted.
In this tale we meet Marietta, a privileged young woman who is fighting the constraints of society, yearning to follow her dream of dancing ballet rather than follow her parents dreams of her marrying well. It begins simply and sets the stage for her life and her consternation about the plan her parents have set out for her future. It all becomes devilishly more difficult when Dr Drosselmeier appears, he seems the perfect match for Marietta but there is more than meets the eye and she rightly so becomes extremely wary of him. When she is transported to another world full of ice and snow she realises the true essence of his frightening power.

Everwood is an enchanting town, beautiful charming and dangerous. The detailed and descriptive writing had me in the forest with Marietta, I could smell the delicious sugary scents, I could visualise the gingerbread houses and the Palace of ice. I wanted to be transported their myself!

This book engrossed me and pulled me into its sparkling depths. I read it snuggled under my blanket and didn't want it to end, a gorgeous tale of strength, personal growth and of course magic!

Thankyou to Netgalley and HQ for allowing me an ARC copy of this gorgeous book.

3.5 Stars

This was beautiful but missing something. It felt like two different stories crushed together and neither really got their time to shine. I adore Kuznair's writing but after the 10th or 11th description of food and/or dresses I was yearning from there to be more words dedicated to the story itself. Both the World she constructed were beautiful but we didn't really get any time to explore either. It felt like we rushed through both and they just lost something for me.

I really enjoyed the twist on the nutcracker and all the detailed references to Ballet but due to the two different settings I felt that what we really lost was the development of the different relationships in those two different settings. I wanted time to see the different relationships build. I wanted time for friendships to blossom, love to flourish and the animosity between the villains and our heroes to be carved out so we can celebrate the wins and commiserate the defeats along side the characters. I just felt there wasn't enough development of the characters for me to really appreciate those dynamics.

I will say it is the perfect book for this season though. The first half of the book takes place on the run up to Christmas in an Edwardian Nottingham and Kuznair does an amazing job of setting the tone and making you feel all the magical anticipation of the festive season. The second half whisks us away to Everwood, that again captures that frozen in winter magic that just makes you want to snuggle with a hot chocolate. I will admit to preferring the setting of the first half.

If you love the Nutcracker and Ballet and are looking for a magical tale to just snuggle up with a blanket and read then this is a perfect book for that occasion.

If you’re looking for the perfect book to curl up with this Christmas, look no further! Watching The Nutcracker ballet is a Christmas tradition for me, and M.A. Kuzniar’s re-telling of this fairytale is utterly enchanting and transports me back into this world.

‘Midnight in Everwood’ is set in Nottingham in 1906, where Marietta Steel, daughter of a prominent family, is getting stifled by her parents’ expectations. Marietta is a passionate ballet dancer, but her parents expect her to hang up her ballet shoes after this year’s Christmas performance and marry well. Her last performance will be staged at Marietta’s parental home. When Marietta steps on the set, which was designed by the enigmatic and slightly creepy new neighbour Dr Drosselmeier, she is transported to the magical world of Everwood, a snow-covered world of gingerbread houses and a palace made of spun sugar. When Marietta is taken prisoner by the evil king who rules this world, she must face her fears in order to escape the king.

A beautiful re-telling, set in a lush and rich fantasy world, and with a cast of strong characters. I particularly enjoyed the strong female characters who were willing to fight for their dreams and their independence. The story started off a bit slow, but it drew me in and by the time Marietta was transported to Everwood, I couldn’t put the book down.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for a review. I have since added a physical copy of the book to my bookshelves and already look forward to re-reading it at Christmas time.

🩰 Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina, but her family decided she must stop dancing, marry, and take her place in society after Christmas. When a mysterious toymaker, Dr Drosselmeier, constructs an elaborate theatrical set for her final ballet performance on Christmas Eve, Marietta discovers it carries a magic all of its own. As the clock chimes midnight, she finds herself transported to Everwood, a magical realm, where her dreams are used against her by an evil king. To avoid being trapped in Everwood forever, she must find a way to return home.

❤️ I liked:⁠
👭 Female friendship. I loved the bond between Marietta, Dellara and Pirlipata. The three women are so different but strong in all different ways. This is how they won against the king: their strength was their friendship, their power was the trust they had in each other.
✍️ The writing. It was simply stunning! So full of descriptions and of details... it literally transported me straight to Everwood with Marietta. I could see the white snow, smell the sugary treats and feel fear and resignation. It made me be part of the bond between the three women, and it made me whisper "Owww" when Marietta and Legat fell for each other.
💌 The relationships. Marietta and her brother. Marietta, Dellara and Pirlipata. Marietta and Legat. All the relationships are sweet but not overly described. Even the romance is not the focal part of the plot because it's not what this book is about. It's all about Marietta and her personal growth.
👧 Marietta. She is a kid at the beginning of the book, but she becomes a woman at the end. Everwood transforms her into a brave woman that can stand up for herself against her parents and against the conventions of Edwardian Nottingham.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 I loved this book so much. It's a fairy tale for grown-ups, a shade darker than usual, and absolutely perfect for Christmas. Once again, I can't thank #netgalley enough for making my first Christmas read so special.

“We are not so unlike, you and I. We’re angry girls with hearts made of glass.”

The perfect book to start the festive period, Midnight in Everwood is an ode to a childhood watching the Barbie nutcracker and a constant longing for well written strong women and female friendships in literature. A sparkling array of glittering descriptive landscapes of a fantasy world interwoven with historical fiction and a touch of romance in one ballerina’s dream to achieve her independence.

Escaping societal obligations and the twisted pursuit of those that wish to control her, Marietta finds herself transported from her hiding place at the chime of midnight chime on Christmas Eve. Lured by the possibility of freedom from what she’s left behind and blinded by the promises of nightly dances in sugar-spun palaces amongst snow-covered pines, Marietta finds that not everything that sparkles is beautiful. Now, she must face her fears and rise to cut the strings that seek to control her, even here, where the snow tastes sweet, and dresses drip with moving magic.

First, let's talk about the setting and structure that built such a magical journey. The book is separated into acts, adding to the showmanship at play and the nutcracker retelling. There was an incredible atmosphere when flicking through these pages, I felt transported to Edwardian Nottingham or the forests of Everwood, but between the perfectly written description and play-like structure, something rose above it all. It almost felt as though I could hear the music of the ballet, of the orchestra narrating Marietta across the pages.

All the characters written by Kuzniar are fleshed out and captivating, with clear backstories and lives of their own, even if we only get a glimpse into them, just as Marietta just glimpses into Everwood as a wanderer. However, the women in this book are in a class of their own. I adored the female friendships in this story. I’m not sorry about how much I will go on about this because I just don’t see this enough when reading, the lack of bitchy females and having women supporting women is like a breath of fresh air and, honestly, much more realistic. Nothing is rushed, despite this relatively short book, so we peel back the layered and unique characters naturally and friendships are forged over fire and battles against the patriarchy, as are the women themselves. Fighting for more than what they are given, but what they deserve in life. It’s inspirational.
There is romance, although I wouldn’t say it’s a main aspect of the story. More like it’s a part of Marietta’s story, an experience that see’s her grow as Everwood challenges her and transforms her from the sheltered and privileged girl from before. I loved that it always came back to her, that she prioritised her dreams over marrying or settling. Yet, I still found the love that developed heartachingly sweet and tangible.

I mentioned that Marietta starts her journey incredibly privileged, and in many ways naïvely so, but where that might normally put me off a main character, Kuzniar still managed to show the depth of Marietta’s character. Helped, I think, by her desire to not remain so, to challenge her own naivety privilege and be better. Her development throughout the book is both subtle and captivating. Quite simply I fell in love with her just a little bit.

I hope this convinces you to pick up Midnight in Everwood, to fall in love with Marietta and her journey as well. To cosy up in these winter months with a tale dipped in nostalgia, magic, hope and love.

MIDNIGHT IN EVERWOOD is a magical fairy tale of a retelling of the Nutcracker that is at once whimsical and dark. I read this curled up under a blanket, with Tchaikovsky's <em>Nutcracker</em> playing and a mug of dark hot chocolate to hand - and I cannot think of a more perfect way to read the book. It is gorgeously written, full of snow and ice, perfect for short days and long nights.

To further the fairy tale feel, and embrace the land of the sweets, most of the descriptions are using food metaphors (this is a book to read <em>after</em> you've eaten so you don't feel constantly hungry!) It's just so luxurious and decadent feeling, with a simmering undercurrent of <em>wrong</em> from the king and how he rules.

This book is a feminist reimagining of both the ballet and its (much darker and more questionable) source materials. Transported to Everwood for rejecting a man's proposal to "teach her a lesson", Marietta finds herself trapped by a king who wants the indulgence of lavish balls and everyone at his beck and call. He has imprisoned a woman who will not marry him and punishes Marietta when she stops dancing from physical pain. It is a story of discovering your own strength to stand your ground and chose to be the only one shaping your life, and of women fighting together to free themselves from possessive men.

The romance is a very slow burn, and is a subplot of the book, which was definitely very much my thing (and a nice change from reading two very explicit fantasy romances before!) I liked the really stoic love interest, and the layers slowly peeled back.

Overall, it is a brilliant adult debut, and I can't wait to see what Maria Kuzniar does next in adult (her MG is also stunning, and has a very different feel to this.)

3.5***

I would say that this book had quite a slow start. The first 30% is of Marietta in Nottingham. She is a young woman from a prominent family who is being stifled by her parents expectations of her to wed, when all she dreams of is dancing. When a new neighbour arrives, Drosselmeier, he sets his attentions on Marietta despite the feeling of unease she gets around him. Drosselmeier is so creepy and Marietta just wants to get away. However, Drosselmeier won’t let her runaway that easily, and in his cruelty, he sends her to Everwood - a place that is magical and has access to multiple doors, leading to multiple universes, however this magical place is also run by a cruel, tyrannical king who enjoys collecting objects. And she becomes one of them.

The above paragraph is basically what is known in the description of the book. However, this was actually the first 40-50% of the book so much of the plot is given away and I just prefer reading my books with a few more surprises. You do get to see how Marietta feels confined in her life and you, as a reader, want her to run away from it all.

While I did find the beginning of the book very slow moving, once Marietta enters the world of Everwood the writing picks up. The author does well in describing this magical, dreamlike place with its own tensions and rebellions arising. We get to see how Marietta develops bravery and her saving grace is the female bonds she’s able to form, as well as a forbidden love interest.

I loved the female friendship in this and seeing Marietta come into her own. I also really liked her developing romance with Captain Legat and how sweet this was.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc.

One of my favourite Christmas treats was seeing the ballet The Nutcracker with its colourful characters and magical story line. In Midnight in Everwood M.A Kuzinar re-imagines this beautiful story, setting it in Nottingham 1906 and the enchanting world of Everwood. Marietta longs to be a ballerina, to join a company and dance on the stage. However, her parents expect her to fulfil their expectations to marry well, so this Christmas is to be her last performance as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, before she hangs up her ballet shoes for good. When the illusive Dr Drosselmeir comes to dinner, with his magic and charm, Marietta is enchanted, especially when he builds the set for her performance in The Sleeping Beauty. But as Marietta takes a look at the set she finds herself in a new world filled with snow and houses of gingerbread and frosting, but the more time she spends there she realises that underneath the sugar coating lies a darker side. Marietta finds herself trapped in this world, deperate to find a way home.

As soon as I heard about Midnight In Everwood I had to pre-order it as The Nutcracker is one of my all time favourite fairytales. In this version, M.A Kuniar has created a darker version of the book suitable for an adult audience. There are all the favourite characters from the ballet, but maybe not as saccherine sweet as I am used to. Marietta is a young woman constricted by her palce in society, she is daughter to a Baron and expected to do her duty to the family and marry well as fitting her status. Marietta’s only freedom is her dancing, where she can express herself, to abandon the chains of hre family and be who she wants to be, something he doesn’t want to give up to be a wife. So far she has managed to avoid a suitor, but when the enigamtic Dr Drosselmeir moves in opposite their house she finds her head turned by his charm and the air of mystery that surrounds him; a magic that maybe sinister. In Everwood Marietta has to tackle a very different world, and a place where her dreams are used against her. I did like the inclusion of some of my favourite characters form the ballet including The Sugar Plum Fairy, but a very different version, and a nod to The Mouse King. These characters are so well known but I loved the fact that M.A Kuzniar made them her own, brought a darker side to them which was really refreshing.

I was drawn into this book from the first page and found myself totally immersed in Marietta’s world and in particular the magical Everwood. The snowy landscape, gingerbread houses, and a palace made of sugar and ice all make for a winter wonderland, but M.A Kuzniar creates an underlying sense of menace. This darkness was a welcome addition to the story, I relished this menacing undercurrent, the contrast of the saccharine sweet palace with the cruel King and the snowy evergreen trees that have dark shadows to entrap those caught in the forest. M.A Kuzniar’s prose is lyrical, it flows beautifully and her attention to detail captures the essence of the story. What I admired most is that she made this story her own whilst keeping the fundamental essence of the origional story.

Midnight In Everwood is going to be one of those books that I will get out to read every December to enjoy the magic again. The storytelling is wonderful, drawing you into to this enchanting world of snow and ice, with a darkness underpinning it. This truely is a spellbinding read, as delicious as the gingerbread houses, and one that put an enchantment over me; this is the perfect winter read.

Is Marietta doomed to be married off and no longer able to escape with her dancing?

Who exactly is this Drosselmeier and why does he wish to marry Marietta, which she flatly refuses to agree to. As a result she finds herself transported to the magical world of Everwood. A world made from sugar. Marietta is about to spend a wild time there where she is compelled to dance. However she also makes two very good friends in Dellara and Pirlipata (who are both prisoners of the evil king).

Marietta forms an attachment to the dashing captain Legat who has plans of his own.

Marietta may be having an interesting time but she does long to go home to Nottingham. So the women start to plan their escape. Will it work.

Not a genre that I read a lot of, but I found it to be highly engrossing.

Oh my goodness this book is absolutely amazing and I loved every detailed filled sentence of this book. So much so that I tabbed one of my editions so that I can go back and find my favourite passages all over again.

Marietta was an absolutely brilliant character and I adore her with all of my heart. She is strong and not afraid to stand up for what she believed in throughout the book, no matter who she was up against or what was at stake. Dellara and Pirilipata were absolutely amazing characters too and the trio that they formed with Marietta was unstoppable and I just loved them all so much. Legat too was amazing and I just loved his role and his relationship with Marietta becasue it was just so wonderfully fitted into the book. And of course, Drosselmeier was such an interesting character, all suave and charming on the outside and then twisted on the inside and I loved how it all unfolded throughout the book.

The plot was also amazing, I loved how it was based on the nutcracker but also different in some brilliant ways. The focus on dancing and the strength of women being at its heart was just so wonderful and it really made me incredibly happy. Speaking of, the satisfaction of watching Marietta follow her dreams was amazing and the final line was incredible. The whole plot was amazing and I just loved it all so much becasue it was such an incredible book and it was a page-turner that just had me wanting to dive headfirst into the world that Mia had created, and join in all the excitement with the amazing trio of kickass women at the stories center.

And the writing was stunning! It was so full of description and detail and I just absolutely adored it, becasue it was beautiful and descriptive and just had me absolutely transfixed and transported. I cannot express enough how amazing this book is and its inside match the stunning cover that is on the outside. Everyone should read this book this Christmas because it is perfect for this time of year.

Magical retelling of The Nutcracker.

Marietta is the main character, a ballerina whose family don't see that as something suitable for a young lady to pursue. In following her heart, she unwittingly finds herself in an enchanted land of danger and passion.

Interesting characters who populate a colourful scenery.

I'd probably market this as more of a Young Adult read, it had a more junior kind of vibe for me.

What more could you want this winter, than a gorgeous retelling of the classic Christmas tale The Nutcracker. This book is filled with magic and mystery and has earned it’s place on my winter reads shelf. This has to have been one of my most anticipated reads, ever since I saw the front cover and heard tales of the retelling this book would be based off of. I was very excited when BloggerHQ (Harper Collins Publishers) was able to include me on this amazing blog tour, I am very grateful to have this chance but be sure to check out the other accounts on this tour and their reviews as well!

Marietta is our strong female lead who is enamoured with everything that is ballet. She eats, sleeps and dreams about it, which is met with much disapproval from her father, and mother by proxy. So much so that this year, at New Years, she is to banish all thoughts of ballet and find herself a husband and settle down. This idea obviously does not sit well at all with Marietta who has set her eyes on auditioning for a position as a ballet dancer and leaving the idea of settling down with a husband, behind her.

The world building and magic system within this book is beautifully written and the story is all the magic and wonder that you could have hoped for. The retelling is wonderful and makes me want to book the theatre and go watch a ballet performance myself and then go on and have an adventure.

Again, thank you to the publishers for this chance to be on the tour for this book and the opportunity to read the arc in advance of its release. Please check out the other reviews and bloggers on this tour and definitely check out the book!

(sorry this review is posted late, I forgot about reviewing on netgalley)

This is an absolutely delightful book to read, for me it’s something completely different. Set in Nottingham in 1906, Marietta is passionate about dancing. She is coming up to 21 and her family want her to give up her dreams giving her one last chance to perform before her birthday. But then a stranger moves in next door and builds an elaborate set for her to do her performance. But Marietta realises that there is something not quite right about the set as she enters a door to the enchanting but dangerous world of Everwood.

The story is based on ‘The Nutcracker’ if you know the story it does help understand some of the small parts of the story. But it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the story. It’s not something you need to read before reading this book, I have never been into ballet but I know the story loosely. A lot of imagination has gone into telling this story that I believe could become a classic with its brilliant writing style you are drawn in.

I love how strong and proud Marietta is, she is determined and refuses to be oppressed by the people around her. This does at times get her into trouble, but she stays true to herself. The world building is so good, the words describing everything so perfectly you can picture it and feel like you are there. You become lost within the story. But equally, there are dangers and then it’s a place you wouldn’t want to be. What you may first see as lovely can soon become not so nice.

With a great cast of characters, the cruel and vindictive villain who you hate, to the protagonist that you feel compassion for, such a colourful set of characters.

This is a beautiful, well thought out, well crafted and plotted story. Completely different to anything else I have ever read. But something I would highly recommend if you are looking for something different.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #HQ for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Such an etheral read that I loved. The story is an adaptation of the Nutcracker and is an engrossing read. Marietta is described so beautifully depicting the chronological time period with the family domination. The story describes in mouthwatering glory the scenes in Everwood with fantastically clear smells coming thorugh. Such a story showing the effcts of being a pet prisoner and of Marietta forming a friendship with her two pet prisoners.
This brings Christmas to the foreground and I think that it should be read by all, especially women and girls at this festive time of the year.

A very Christmas-y read that takes you back into childhood.

I liked the plot and the magic of the fantastic world. I would like a little bit more background info about Everwood and Drosselmeier as I found it vague but the descriptions of Everwood was luxurious, detailed and lush and compensated for it.

I also liked a lot the women representation and the characters were interesting and well developed.

I’ll might only point out that it feels more like a middle grade read rather than a young adult but I would read it regardless! It really had me lost into a fairytale and put me into the perfect mood for Christmas!

This enchanting retelling of the Nutcracker just sucked me into its world of magic and wonder. Held in its spell, I couldn't put it down until I'd read every last word.

I fell in love with Everwood and all its deliciously dark treats. With writing so lyical and evocative I just didn't want to leave this magical world.

This was the perfect way to while away a winter afernoon or two, PJs on and a mug of hot chocolate.

Beautiful read. Full review will appear in my newspaper, book review column.

Thank you to NetGalley for the perfect read.

Midnight in Everwood is a magical retelling of The Nutcracker which is not a story I’m overly familiar with but I really want to see more adaptions now! Marietta is a wonderful and strong protagonist, she is determined and knows what she wants from her life which is vastly different to what her parents have in mind.

Marietta loves to dance, Kuzniar really captured a love of ballet in the language she uses throughout the narrative - I could picture all the dance moves while I was reading! I think ballet is a really magical form of dance with a lot of skill involved and I loved having that in my imagination with this winter wonderland setting; it definitely added to the depth of the story for me.

The relationships in the novel were clever but not overly described although I got a handle on Marietta’s love for her brother through their few interactions. Most of the conversations and actions were between Marietta and the two women also stuck in Everwood and that was great because on the other side of this, while Marietta spends some time with the captain, their romance isn’t used as an integral point of the plot or overly elaborated on which is another plus for me in this one as I enjoyed the relationships Marietta builds with the other women and how they were so very different but strong in all different ways.

Highlights for me in the book were:
The dancing
The various relationships - although not the main character, there are m/m and f/f relationships in the plot
The writing style - easy to read but thorough and the descriptions were lush and made me crave sweet things.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what Kuzniar releases next as Midnight in Everwood is a very niche genre and her style really worked for it. I also cannot wait to see the paperback version next year as the hardback is beautiful.

This is a retelling of the Nutcracker. Marietta longs to be a ballerina but her parents do not approve of this. A mysterious neighbour Dr Drosselmeier casts a spell that transports Marietta to the magical land of Everwood. Marietta has to try and escape from the king who captures her and uses her as a puppet.

The premise of this book really intrigued me. I thought the setting was well crafted and I could easily picture this wintery place. The plot was interesting but I didn't feel 100% invested in this story. I felt in places that the story moved a little too slowly. There were moments when the writing in this was really beautiful however I the overall story fell a little bit flat.

Overall this was an ok read for me. I was left feeling slightly disappointed as the cover is beautiful and I was very hyped for this one.

3.5 stars...This book uses extremely flowery language, and as such, is quite distracting early on...however when the book transfers to a different setting later on, this kind of language works very well...good read, expect magic, enchantment and picture postcard imaginary world.! Many thanks to Netgalley.co.uk, publisher and author for the chance to read and comment on the ARC.