Winterspell by Claire Legrand

Winterspell

by Claire Legrand

Darkly romantic and entirely enchanting, this reimagining of The Nutcracker from Claire Legrand brims with magic, love, and intrigue—and “includes a Victorian mob princess/warrior heroine, an alternate New York City, steampunk faeries and an epic multigenerational battle” (Kirkus Reviews).

After her mother is brutally murdered, seventeen-year-old Clara Stole is determined to find out what happened to her. Her father, a powerful man with little integrity, is a notorious New York City gang lord in the syndicate-turned-empire called Concordia. And he isn’t much help.

But there is something even darker than Concordia’s corruption brewing under the surface of the city, something full of vengeance and magic, like the stories Clara’s godfather used to tell her when she was a little girl. Then her father is abducted and her little sister’s life is threatened, and Clara accidentally frees Nicholas from a statue that has been his prison for years. Nicholas is the rightful prince of Cane, a wintry kingdom that exists beyond the city Clara has known her whole life.

When Nicholas and Clara journey together to Cane to retrieve her father, Clara encounters Anise, the queen of the faeries, who has ousted the royal family in favor of her own totalitarian, anti-human regime. Clara finds that this new world is not as foreign as she feared, but time is running out for her family, and there is only so much magic can do...

New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer (Cinder) says “this is not your grandmother’s Nutcracker tale.”

Reviewed by lindsey on

3 of 5 stars

Share
First of all, I just have to say that the cover is stunning. Also, the quote on the cover of the book is correct - this is definitely not your grandmother's Nutcracker tale.

Winterspell wasn't at all what I expected when I began reading it. Even though I've seen the ballet, I wasn't familiar enough with the story of the Nutcracker to really be able to catch all the bits that tied in to this retelling.

The book is dark and gritty, and filled with magic, peril, and hope. It is a time of danger and corruption, and Clara is at the center of it all. There's also more to her peculiar Godfather than meets the eye. On Christmas Eve, Clara's feeble sense of safety is shattered, and she is faced with a decision: follow her beloved statue, who has only recently come to life, or listen to her Godfather. Her choice leads her to a land that is even more perilous and corrupt than the one she left behind.

I had a really hard time rating and reviewing this book. I think it's harder to review a book when there's no strong feeling tied to it. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great, either, and I've struggled to try to get my thoughts out. It started out pretty strong, but it slowly started to unravel as I read more of it. Some of the characters were a bit flat, and I had absolutely no attachment to most of them. A couple of the main characters were intriguing and fleshed out a little more, but I don't think we really got to know them as well as we could have, and that was a bit of a disappointment.

The author did a good job of never letting me feel comfortable while reading. The danger and uncertainty that Clara felt was palpable all the way through the book. Though some of the scenes with Anise seemed a bit odd and out of place, I understood what the author was trying to convey with them. I thought Anise was one of the more interesting characters, and would have liked to learn more about her.

Possible spoiler: However, the final battle scene between Clara and Anise seemed lacking, and was quickly finished. It was a little anti-climatic, and I felt as thought the outcome was only decided by accident.

Even though this wasn't my favorite book, I still thought it was very well-written. It has a little of everything: magic, romance, battle, conflict, faeries, with a bit of clockwork and steampunk mixed in.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 November, 2014: Finished reading
  • 7 November, 2014: Reviewed