(TW: Spicy Fantasy Romance, 18+, Kinky, Some Non-Con Play & Elements, Possible Spoilers)
Before we get into this, I just wanted to say that I know, the new post schedule said that book reviews would be coming on Fridays, and here we are Saturday morning. While I’m not someone who participates in Black Friday, or even leaves my house unless medically necessary, or some other emergency comes up, I did spend most of yesterday glumly moping around the house because, I honestly felt like shit. I was in the full throes of a migraine, and while I did have a few reviews that I could have put up from the books that I’ve been reading lately, I really, really wanted that first review to be A Court of Sugar and Spice, which is the book that Rebecca F. Kenney, the author, and one of my favorite authors sent me last week with a gorgeous little PR book box, if you haven’t seen that post yet, I’ll leave it linked right here for you to check out.
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Review: ☆☆☆☆☆
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Where to even begin, aside from telling you that this is by far the best book that I have gotten my hands on this year. Not only did it have the sexy, spicy scenes that you’re expecting from a Rebecca F. Kenney book but, it has one of the best plots of any retelling that I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on by far. If you didn’t know, A Court of Sugar and Spice, is a Nutcracker retelling, which is something that I can honestly say that I have never seen before. It is also a book about Faeries (and if you know me, you know that I love anything that has to do with the Fae.) Now, I don’t know how she does it but, the author continuously provides us with retellings of classic stories and finds a way to make them better.
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If you’re expecting a full Nutcracker ballet, you might end up a little disappointed. But if you walk into this openminded, and ready to experience something new… you’re in for a damn treat. The story is told from two perspectives, quiet, artistic Clara, who at first comes off a bit mousy and reserved, and her wild, boisterous sister Louisa. The two could not be more different, Louisa is loud and proud about her sexuality, having absolutely no shame in it, whereas Clara is the more reserved of the two. Clara is also the eldest, though at times, you might think otherwise, due to her inherent shyness. The two sisters are forced to go live with their godfather Drosselmeyer, an old friend of their father’s after his passing, where they will live until they’re married off and then given full access to their inheritance.
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In Drosselmeyer’s home is where Clara and Louisa encounters what their godfather calls his inventions but, they are not as they seem. Through learning the truth, the girls embark on a journey and adventure of a lifetime, into Faerie, where they learn more about themselves than they ever could have hoped to learn otherwise. Quiet Clara is given the chance to enact her wildest fantasies with the ruinously beautiful Sugarplum Faerie, while Louisa tries to help the Nutcracker Prince regain himself, and his kingdom, all the while being pursued by Drosselmeyer the Faerie Hunter, and maybe worse the Rat King and the monsters of his Dread Court.
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My girl was not joking when she said A Court of Sugar and SPICE. Damn. This was honestly, such a well done and inventive nutcracker retelling, still reminiscent enough of the original story to be familiar, and yet at the same time it was so much its own story. I loved the sisters, and the way that they were both unforgivingly themselves, or learning how to be their own people, without the strictness of their father’s rules. Clara is given the chance to explore her artistic inclinations, and Louisa’s art of strategic seduction is truly put to use in the best way. All the while, the Nutcracker Prince was a calm, steady balance to the Sugarplum Faerie’s bold, chaotic nature.
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I would definitely rate this as a five-star read because, I would with absolute and utmost certainty love to see more of these characters and this world. I would love to learn more about Faerie, and the kinds of creatures that live there, as well as what happens to Clara, Fin, Lir, and Louisa after their adventure is over. How does Louisa take to being Queen? What happens to Fin and Clara when the story ends, where do they go, and what do they do? Then again, I find that all of the best stories end up leaving you wanting more.
Until next time,
-Sky
Skyla N. Lambert
Author | Blogger | Bookworm | Book Reviewer
E. skylanarissalambert@gmail.com
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