Goodreads Summary: This Christmas Eve… no creature was stirring…
Except, maybe, a mouse.
At long last, can true love break the Nutcracker’s curse?
For Clara Stahlbaum, this Christmas means the end of her youth. A daughter of the aristocracy, Clara is expected to give up her dreams of adventures and the extraordinary for more normal days as the wife of a cruel Viscount.
But when magical Uncle Drosselmeyer returns with his wondrous, dancing contraptions, and one...special gift for Clara, she is beckoned to the land of Winter Dream, where she is thrust into the greatest adventure of her wildest dreams. But will she be able to break the Nutcracker's curse?
Uncle Drosselmeyer’s apprentice, Anton, is handsome as he is mysterious. But what is it about him Clara finds so alluring?
WinterDream is the perfect read for the holidays! Just in time for a day in, curled up with cocoa and Christmas music.
Join Clara on an all-new adventure in this magical retelling of The Nutcracker.
I always wondered what a retelling would be like. I've admired the ballet since I was a little girl, and I gobbled up every movie about the story that ever came out. My favorite has always been Barbie in the Nutcracker. I loved it so much that I even got the complete set of dolls one Christmas!
But I digress.
While there are many incarnations of this classical holiday tale, I can confidently say that WinterDream is my favorite. Gadoury's story is powered by the magical whimsy of the ballet, which I love. It follows the usual fashion, in which we are introduced to Clara and her family during a Christmas celebration. And the Stahlbaum's throw the best parties, trust me.
Enter Uncle Drosselmeyer. A man we barely know, but that is not the case in WinterDream. His character is fleshed out, he's mysterious and colorful. As is his wardrobe.
The, of course, there is the iconic gifting of the Nutcracker.
Clara is then whisked away to WinterDream, after an engaging battle that will foreshadow the darkness that lingers in the sleeping Kingdom beyond her own world.
All in all, I fell in love with the 'love' story. It was everything it should have been: sweet, innocent, and a little awkward. I especially loved the ending, which was the perfect way to wrap it all up and my heart couldn't be happier! Apart from the lighter sides of the story, I also really enjoyed the darker parts. There's a twist you won't see coming and it's as dastardly as you can imagine. I had a hunch, and I was pleasantly surprised when it all came together!
I worked with Gadoury on her previous title, Blinding Night, and I was eager to get my hands on a copy of WinterDream. I know how well she works with words and her retellings are always fun to read.