The Kingdom of Sweets (US Ed.)

Twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against one another on a fateful Christmas Eve

Light and dark—this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while ignored and unloved Natasha is relegated to her sister's shadow.

But the opportunity for revenge announces itself one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at their family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets.

Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts... and deadly bargains. But as Natasha unspools the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

About the Author

Erika Johansen grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She went to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania before attending the celebrated Iowa Writers Workshop, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. She eventually became an attorney but she never stopped writing. Her debut was the international bestseller, The Queen of the Tearling. This was followed by the acclaimed The Invasion of the Tearling, The Fate of the Tearling and a prequel, Beneath the Keep. Erika now lives in England.

Reviews

"The famous Christmas ballet takes a sinister turn in Johansen's spooky retelling... It would be a simple thing to take the outlines of The Nutcracker ballet and make it grim, but Johansen is doing a lot of delicate character work here, primarily around envy, social limitations on women's choices, and accountability. The world beyond the candy fantasy is satisfyingly creepy but also an effective landscape for exploring what happens when you ignore the rotten core of your deepest desires. An eerie and sophisticated dark fantasy." —Kirkus (starred)

"Erika Johansen's The Kingdom of Sweets puts a disturbing twist on the classic Nutcracker, transporting readers into a world where dark bargains lurk beneath ornate facades. Johansen explores the casualties of the era's gender and beauty politics, and every display of the excesses of the Russian Empire comes with the knowledge that revolution is only a few years away.... The Kingdom of Sweets has hidden depths: Lyrical and terrifying, it is just as likely to disturb as it is to enchant." —BookPage

"Johansen's worldbuilding is absolutely breathtaking... A heart-pounding journey of love, betrayal, vengeance and forgiveness. Whether or not you enjoyed the classic story of the Nutcracker—or if, like myself, you'd never actually known it—you're sure to enjoy this dark retelling. Renowned fantasy author Erika Johansen offers an illuminating look into the nature of vengeance and forgiveness—in ourselves and throughout history." BookTrib

"In this stand-alone novel, Johansen writes a beautifully twisted version of The Nutcracker, exploring the nature of revenge and its costs in horror-tinged fantasy. Recommend to fans of V.E. Schwab and Hannah Whitten." —Library Journal

Dimensions: 13.3 x 2.1 x 20.4 cm