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Marietta Stelle loves ballet more than anything, but after Christmas, she will have to set it aside to fulfill her role as a proper young lady in Edwardian society. Even as she chafes against the suffocating traditions, a mysterious potential suitor moves into the neighboring townhouse. Dr. Drosselmeier manages to win over Marietta’s family with his enchanting toys and wondrous mechanisms. He even constructs an elaborate set for Marietta’s final ballet performance — one that holds a magic all its own. On the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, Marietta is transported to a snowy forest full of firs, frozen waterfalls, and gingerbread villages.
Hopelessly lost, she is rescued by the handsome captain of the king’s guard, who escorts her to a frozen sugar palace. At first, Marietta is enchanted by the glittering world of opulent balls. But soon she finds herself trapped by the sadistic king, who confines her to a gilded prison where she is forced to dance for his enjoyment. She’s not the only one the king has claimed as his own, though. In such a beautifully treacherous world, Marietta and the other two women in his clutches will need to form an alliance if they ever hope to carve a path to freedom.
More is at stake than mere escape, however. With rebellion knocking at the palace gates and a risky forbidden romance sinking her into further danger, Marietta will have to redefine her dreams and determine what she wants most for her future.
Midnight in Everwood is an adult retelling of The Nutcracker set in the early 1900s. There are a lot of ways I could describe the writing: whimsical, sensory, confectionary. It is beautifully atmospheric. At the same time, this holiday book is so decadent and filled with such sickly sweet prose it could become tedious.
However, there is something truly enchanting about Midnight in Everwood. The magic system is beautifully done, introducing readers to a truly fantastical world where anything can happen. Overall, the attention to magical details, as well as the lush descriptions, depictions of close friendships and sisterhoods, and bittersweet ending are reminiscent of the worlds of Caraval or The Night Circus.
Rated: Moderate. There is no profanity. Sexual content includes a few sexual innuendos and jokes. Debaucherous balls describe some people as being clothed in “little if anything at all,” and couples of all genders are found making out in alcoves. Characters kiss. One heated kiss leads to a sex scene with poetic, mostly vague, details. Women are forced to entertain for a king at the cost of their own bodies. One scene alludes to a woman who was sexually abused. Characters endure taxing physical strain, starvation, and beatings. Marietta witnesses an execution where a man is pushed from a great height. A sickness threatens the lives of the villagers.
