Twins, Clara and Natasha, are born on Christmas Day. Droselmeyer, a magician, appoints himself their godfather. He declares that Clara is light, and Natasha is dark. In spit of Droselmeyer’s ploys to turn the girls against each other, they grow up close. Things come to a head on their seventeenth birthday. Natasha has had a passion of Conrad for years, but on this birthday it is announced that Clara will marry him.
One of Droselman’s gifts is a nutcracker that he gives to Clara which will allow her to enter the magical kingdom of sweets. Furious, Natasha follows her sister into the kingdom and meets the Sugar Plum fairy who is also full of secrets.
This is a dark retelling of the Nutcracker fantasy. The story is filled with greed and selfishness. I can’t say that I liked any of the characters. I felt sorry for Natasha always living in Clara’s shadow, but she didn’t rise to the height of a sympathetic character.
The plot is somewhat slowed by the author’s repetition of the girls’ background. For me it detracted from the story. The setting in the Kingdom of Sweets was marvelous. I thought the descriptions of the delights were the best part of the book.
Thanks for the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.
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