I read 50 pages of this story and really enjoyed the fantastical aspect of it. Unfortunately, as I kept reading the story moved quite slowly and there wasn’t enough happening to keep me entertained, which is why I stopped reading.

I enjoyed this story. It was cute and easy and quick to read. I liked the characters and the setting, it was a very good winter read. The writing was good and the story was easy to follow and it kept my interest throughout the whole story.

I am a major fan of the Nutcracker, and I thought this was book was definitely a treat! I thought that The Nutcracker did not need a sequel, but this book proved me wrong! I loved the romance between Marie and the Mouse King. The story is very well-written and feels like a fairytale! Sugar and Snow is also a perfect Christmas read! Therefore, I recommend this for fans of An Enchanted Sonata, Winterspell, and Winterdream!

Thank you to netgalley and the author and publisher for allowing me access to the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Apologies for the late review life has been hectic.

this is a cute nutcracker retelling that is short and sweet and reads like a middle-grade, I enjoyed the easy reading of this book and how fast I read it all in one sitting this was good overall and I would recommend it.

The familiar Nutcracker story is present at the beginning of the novel but that changes after a few chapters and the story takes on a new role.
I really loved this version taking on Marie's adventure with the Mouse King.

This lightning-paced sequel to The Nutcracker was such a pleasure to read.

Picking up years after the original tale, "Sugar and Snow" sees Marie returning to the magical Land of Sweets after her niece, Clara, is kidnapped by a most familiar foe.

But this at once familiar tale from Irene Davis progresses into an intriguing story of villain redemption, with an enemies-to-lovers twist.

And although this quick, and at times half-baked, holiday read may not become canon, it certainly was a thrilling ride.

If you love stories with magic in them, or are a fan of The Nutcracker, this story is for you!! Sugar And Snow takes place about 10 years after Marie takes her first trip to the Kingdom of Dolls. She has been waiting for her Nutcracker to return, but when he does, as a human, he's not what she remembers. And maybe there is more to the story between him and the Mouse King, as he has also returned.

I enjoyed reading this book and it made for an easy Christmas read. Marie, now almost grown, still believes in everything that happened to her that night when she was 8, even though nobody else does. As Marie takes on a new adventure with the Mouse King, will she find what she is in search for?

This is the first book in a 3 part series. I can't wait for the next 2 to come (the 2nd one is set to be released June 2022), but this book could have worked as a stand alone book.

I rate this book as 4.5🌟!

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

#reading2021 #winterreading2021 #booklover #booksofinstagram #netgalley #Christmasreads #TheNutcracker #fantasybooks

"I've seen many curses, but you maybe the first blessing I have known."
You're telling me the bad guy turns out to be the good guy and gets the girl? YES PLEASE! You're telling me the bad guy was actually misunderstood and has a tragic past? Yes Please!
Sugar and Snow is a retelling of E.T.A. Hoffman's The Nutcracker and The Mouse King, which was later turned into a ballet. The Mouse King was defeated by the Nutcracker and he had promised little Marie to come back and take her to the Kingdom of Dolls. But what if the Nutcracker had just been a person luring kids to the dream of a fairytale with no guarantee of happiness? What if Godfather was doing something sketchy in the Kingdom of Dolls? What if The Mouse King was the real hero? What if everything sweet (literally and metaphorically) about the Kingdom of Dolls came with a price to be paid? With the conglomeration of all these fascinating ideas, the author has woven a plot full of adventure, romance and Christmas vibes. The good thing? It doesn't end with just this book, we've got sequels coming our way.
Initially, the character of Marie lacked a substantial amount of the main character vibes. But as we turn pages, she develops into a badass young woman who leads the way and from a Victorian romance scenario, things get a little spark and it blooms. Though, one might notice that the adventure is heavier than the romance.
Often stories with the theme of time lapse cut some slack on mentioning some realistic details, it becomes fantastical and not relatable. But our author, very tactfully deals with the situation here and mentions that the physiological changes were going on in their own pace even if the time in both worlds were different. Very small detail, but brings out the beauty of the plot. The plot becomes heavy on symbolism as well.
Overall, this book kept me hooked. With great anticipation of more adventures and the little tang of romance, this book was the perfect blend. I'm very eagerly looking forward to read the second part of this fantastical journey.
Recommended to: anyone looking for Christmassy books, enemies to lovers trope, bad guy gets the girl trope, fairytale retelling.

"Sugar and Snow" is an extension of the story of the Nutcracker, this time following an adult female lead. Marie, star of the original Nutcracker fantasy, is at a Christmas party with her brother, now a soldier, and his friends, as well as her extended family. That family includes her niece, Clara. Marie is alarmed by one of Fritz's soldier friends--he seems so reminiscent of someone she knew from her Nutcracker experience. Suddenly Clara's in peril, and it's time to fire up the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy again.

What's good: If you enjoyed the original story of the Nutcracker, if you just enjoyed the ballet, the author's ability to weave together her sequel with the original material is charming. It does feel as if you're re-entering a world of candy delights and mystery. Some of the author's choices are especially intriguing--I can't be more specific without falling into spoilers.

What's iffier: The story starts off with adult Marie and her references to her Nutcracker past include some original material. It feels a bit as if you jumped into the second book of a story. (I even double-checked this, as the book is part of a planned trilogy--but no, it's the first book.)

Overall, I admired the author's imagination and ambition to take on the Nutcracker story and rebuild it anew while still retaining its magical heart.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this as an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

ARC received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the perfect book to curl up with on a cold night. I really enjoyed getting to look at the story of the Nutcracker from the perspective of an older character. One who has gone to the Land of Dolls, returned, and wishes to go back someday. Both the main characters had a good amount of depth to them as well. There are only two things I wish more from this book. One, would be the length. I felt like it would have been a much stronger book if it was just a tiniest bit longer. Second, I wish the nutcracker had a larger role to play. His story was a little murky towards the end. Though, this all might be added to with the next book in the series. A book I am certainly going to pick up because of just how much I enjoyed this one.

A nutcracker retelling/continuation yes pleas! I was excited for the cozy story that unfolded. It was dry in the beging but picked up speed about 30% in. Would I recommend-I sure would.

A retelling of the beloved ballet the Nutcracker, Sugar and Snow is a lushly detailed, vividly descriptive book that sucks us into the land of the sweets. This book is more of a retelling of the original story, versus the stage ballet, but fans of both will enjoy this. There is an underlying romance but not very heavy in the plot.

Marie has been home for 10 years after going to the land of the sweets, now and adult. Marie is still waiting for her Nutcracker Prince to return for her, but he never shows. On Christmas Eve, Marie meets her brother's friend Lt. Lang. Her niece, Clara, is taken and she must journey back to the land of the sweets to rescue her. Lang is along for the ride, but he isn't who he appears to be.

There is a great redemption arc for the Mouse King, betrayals and danger, enemies to lovers and more. The story isn't very deep, which works fine for a retelling. It is a fun holiday treat to read this and is enjoyable. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

What a magical addition to fairytale retellings. It's not often you come across Nutcracker tales and this is surely one to add to the books. The story Davis tells is bittersweet and magical till the end. A great addition to any bookshelf!

* Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! *

I'm a simple gal. I see a fairytale retelling on Goodreads and I add it to my tbr. Easy. I've loved the Nutcracker since I was a kid- especially the Barbie adaptation. I saw this on NetGalley and requested it *immediately*.

This was such a fun book to read. It has rivals to lovers, a super dreamy fairytale setting, and of course it's set in a time where a woman adventuring alone with a man who isn't family is scandalous.

The story takes place a decade or so after the original story of the Nutcracker takes place, and ever since then Marie has been dreaming of the day that her Nutcracker Prince will return for her to take her back to the Kingdom of Dolls. Of course, no one in her family believes her when she speaks of her prince and the kingdom. When her niece Clara goes missing Marie knows that the Nutcracker has taken her to the Kingdom of Dolls, and she knows that she has to bring her back.

I loooooved the characters. Especially Lang. Except for when his mustache was mentioned. I kept imagining him without one and when I was reminded that he has a mustache my imagination wasn't as fun.
Marie was a fun protagonist. I love that she was a little sassy and overall a strong main character.

I enjoyed this book very much. I have no complaints about it, it was short and sweet and I'm excited to read the next one when it comes out.

4.5 stars

This book is my absolute everything. Don't wait, just go read this. Like, now. Why are you still here? *shooing motions*

I absolutely love Sugar and Snow, and immediately upon finishing I wasn't sure which I want more - the next book, or to start back at the beginning and read this one again! This is the first book in a trilogy, but it ends in such a way that it could be a stand-alone (so no cliffhangers, yay!) I have a deep and abiding love for The Nutcracker and am so here for all the quality Nutcracker content, and I also love a good villain, so when I saw this is a bit of a love triangle between Marie, the Nutcracker, and the Mouse King you'd better believe I had high hopes! And I'm so pleased to report those hopes were met AND THEN SOME.

I love genre romance and I love fantasy, so I am always on the lookout for a great fantasy romance. The tender buds of the relationship between Marie and Lang are so wonderful in this, and I can't wait to see how their relationship continues to grow in the next book. I also really love the research Irene Davis put into this book, and her notes in the Author's Note gave me some great resources to check out the original story. I haven't read the original story (I didn't know there was one! Just the ballet, whaaaaat) but there is enough information implanted into Sugar and Snow that even not knowing all the origin story (like the Nutcracker's curse and the story of the Mouse Queen) wasn't a detriment because enough information was so seamlessly woven into the story that I thought it was entirely the author's invention! (Now that's skill.)

As I said this is book 1 in a trilogy - here is the planned release schedule for all three books. I CANNOT WAIT for Hawk and Hound!!
Book 1: Sugar and Snow (Available November 18, 2021)
Book 2: Hawk and Hound (Available July 2022)
Book 3: Curse and Crown (Available November 2022)

A cute little retelling of the Nutcracker. There is less romance then I thought there would be after reading the description. But it’s a nice quick read for the holiday season.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

There were things I really loved about this book, namely the premise and the lovely descriptive writing, especially in the Kingdom of Dolls with marzipan castles and spun sugar clouds. On the other hand, it was much heavier on the fantasy adventure than the romance, when I wanted more romance. I wish the characters had been developed a little more. And the first person present tense was a little jarring for me because it didn't mesh with the fantastical tone.

A Nutcracker retelling? Please count me in!!!
I watch my favorite Nutcracker ballet every year, my favorite since childhood, and I'm glad I was able to get a copy of this book just a few days before publishing day.
I was not expecting the plot twists (I guess I didn't pay too much attention to the blurb jaja) and I really like it! Definitely going to buy it! It's a nice and romantic story about Marie and the Mouse King, which is the first of a trilogy. Can't wait for July for the second part.

The base is the original story by Russian author E.T.A. Hoffmann, which makes sense for this retelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the oportunity to read this great book.

As the official synopsis indicates, this is a unique retelling and continuation of The Nutcracker story. I admit I am mostly familiar with the ballet adaptation and not E.T.A. Hoffman's original work, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Hoffman's story actually continues beyond the moment Marie awakes from her dream and has a more complex plot. (And now I want to read the original work!) The Nutcracker ballet is actually an excerpt of part of Hoffman's story and Alexandre Dumas's adaptation of Hoffman's work. Davis's retelling transports the reader to 10 years after Marie travels to the Land of Sweets.

I thought the writing in this is good, if not a bit formal. But consider that this story is set in the 19th century when conversation and descriptions are a bit more stuffy; so, I think the writing style appropriate. Though not uncommon, there are a lot of descriptive passages compared to time devoted to dialogue. These passages don't bog the story down, but I feel that this stole time away from character development. I also feel that the excuses and explanations Marie gave her mother were a little weak. On both of these accounts, I have conflicted opinions.

On one hand, this is a retelling of a story, a fairy tale, if you will. So I don't necessarily think all characters need to be deep or develop significantly. Nor does all dialogue need to be strong and logical. On the other hand, I think I would have enjoyed reading it even more if there had been more character development. I wouldn't go so far as to say the characters are two-dimensional. But I think if Marie had more and/or longer interactions with others, they'd read as more substantive characters. For example, I would have loved more dialogue with the Nutcracker prince. Marie finds him disappointing; I think additional dialogue with him could provide an opportunity to explain himself and provide another point of view.

However, overall, I enjoyed reading this retelling. It was a quick read and a great choice for the upcoming Christmas season. Davis throws in a slow burn YA romance (enemies to lovers), which is a nice plot pace setter. Marie is a strong female character, which is always something I appreciate. She can't do everything herself, but she certainly takes an active role in rescuing her niece. I also loved the descriptions of the Land of Sweets. The world-building is confined to Marie's home and the Land of Sweets, but there's still plenty of imagination--giant swans, a rose water lake, a monster who eats sweets. Not to mention Davis brings in the complexities of Hoffman's original story, causing Marie to question who she believes and whose side to take.

This was definitely a nostalgia read for me. It looks like this is book one of a trilogy, and I do think I'll continue with it. I'm intrigued to see where Davis will take the story after the recovery of her niece. I am not familiar enough with Hoffman's original work to know if there are more elements from it to incorporate; whether or not there are, I look forward to Davis making this story even more her own.

[This will be cross posted to my blog, www.aliteraryescape.com, in early December.]

I liked this book and enjoyed the concept! It's more of an expansion on the traditional Nutcracker story than a retelling, which makes it interesting. I did like some of the characters, but I can say that I absolutely disliked the nutcracker (this was intentional). It was interesting, though, because the author also made me sympathic toward the character. This book was decent, it just wasn't my favorite book ever. I know this is the first in a series, but it works well as a standalone. I might check out the other books since I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers romance!