The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen – a Review

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Bookbub

 

Description:
A darkly magical take on The Nutcracker where two sisters, cursed from birth, are forever changed one memorable Christmas. . . .

Light and dark—this is the destiny placed upon Natasha and Clara, the birthright bestowed by their godfather, the mysterious sorcerer Drosselmeyer. Clara, the favorite, grows into beauty and ease, while Natasha is cursed to live in her sister’s shadow. But one fateful Christmas Eve, Natasha gets her chance at revenge. For Drosselmeyer has brought the Nutcracker, an enchanted present that offers entry into a deceptively beautiful world: the Kingdom of Sweets.

In this land of snow and sugar, Natasha is presented with a power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who is also full of gifts . . . and dreadful bargains. As Natasha uncovers the dark destiny laid before her birth, she must reckon with powers both earthly and magical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

 

 

Review:

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen is a retelling of The Nutcracker. It is a very dark story about a twisted tale between cursed twin sisters: one light and one dark. At their birth on a Christmas, they are cursed by their godfather, Drosselmeyer.  Clara is beautiful, everything light, and loved by all.  Natasha is dark, not attractive, always living in the shadow of her sister.  When they turn 17, Natasha is shattered when her boyfriend, Conrad is stolen by Clara to wed. 

Natasha hatred for her sister becomes darker, especially with Clara’s betrayal.  Drosselmeyer has brought the Nutcracker, an enchanted present that offers entry into a deceptively beautiful world: the Kingdom of Sweets. While in the Kingdom of Sweets, Natasha makes a deal with the Sugar Plum Fairy, to get her revenge on Clara, in return for the Fairy wanting to destroy Drosselmeyer.  Natasha will take over Clara’s looks and light life, as she feels she deserves this life, as well as Conrad; she also kills Clara, or thinks she has.  

Years pass, as Natasha finds herself not happy with her life as Clara, and she begins to see her evil decisions cause more harm than she ever imagined, with things of the past coming back to haunt her.  The beautiful world in the Kingdom of Sweets is in reality a decaying world, and once Natasha realizes Clara is still alive, but living under terrible conditions, she knows she has to find a way to change everything back. 

I was not a fan of most of the characters, including Natasha and Clara, as most of them were not really likeable.  The ending was nice, with both sisters, though never close, managed to find a way to salvage their own lives.

The Kingdom of Sweets was a depressing kind of retelling on the Nutcracker theme.  It was dark and gruesome throughout; with characters mostly evil. This was a gothic  story filled with magic, curses, family twists, in a tangled world of evil, hatred, bitterness.  The Kingdom of Sweets was well written by Erika Johansen.  

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

Share

Nevermore (Chronicles of Red 1-4) by Crea Reitan-Review Tour

Nevermore (Neverland: Chronicles of Red 1-4) by Crea Reitan-Review Tour

NEVERMORE
Neverland: Chronicles of Red #4)
by Crea Reitan
Genre: adult, paranormal, romance
Release Date: April 14, 2022

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3tJUaI3

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Ira is a Fixer, a child raised and trained to “fix” broken fairy tales by an organization the Fixers refer to as DeadEnd. Because once you enter a fairy tale, there’s no getting out.

Ira has been assigned to Neverland. You know Neverland, where Peter Pan lived because he didn’t want to grow up. Neverland, with fairies and pirates. Neverland, which has consumed thirty-one Fixers before Ira and has been dubbed “toxic” by the Operators of DeadEnd. But Neverland needs to be fixed. It’s been toxic so long that every Neverland story in the real world is being transformed into something entirely not child friendly.

Ira comes from a long line of Fixers. Every female in her family for four generations had been Fixers. She’d been at DeadEnd since she was seven. And when she was assigned her world, Ira was ecstatic. She studied every rendition of Neverland, loving the new adult twists. She was psyched to see what was in store for her.

But when she enters Neverland by falling endlessly through the stars, she is not at all prepared for how dark and broken it is. There are some children, but the violence far outweighs the lighthearted, fun, make-believe world she’d imagined. And Peter Pan… well, he was not at all a child anymore.

She was equally disturbed to find that pirates, fairies, and mermaids were the least of her worries. And disheartened to discover that she has no idea what the true problem is. Where the toxin comes from. What had broken their fairy tale. Never mind how to fix it.

However, Ira was not at all disappointed to be surrounded by wonderful men. All of which were big, gorgeous, and interested – except for the elusive Pan. But who should she choose? Can she trust them? Will they help her fix their world, or are they only interested in climbing into her bed? And why was there a weird lack of women in Neverland?

Everything seems endlessly messed up and is getting less clear as she moves along. It isn’t for quite some time that she realizes the fairy tale she’s been sent in to fix has actually been infected by another…

•••••

REVIEW:The final chapter in Ira, Elidih, Shade, Akule, Lirit, Nev and Pan’s story is finally here!

This is the fourth and final book, so reading the previous three books is a must as it will make this one clearer.

Ira has had a real battle trying to find the knowledge and the battle skills to beat the wolf that’s trying to kill the lost boys! Constantly fighting with Pan doesn’t help either, but moments have them looking at one another with more than hate in their eyes (but it doesn’t last long!)

The battles in this book are intense and vibrant in their details. I’d watch this as a movie or series (might have to be an +18 ?) it’s kept me locked to the pages until the eyes can’t stay open any more (?)

Demons and vampires are added to Ira’s problems, and when Pan suggests they visit the fairies ?‍♂️ to sprinkle dust over Ira to help her fight the wolf, it all just a little too much for her!

Throw in Pan stirring things up with her group of men, you have to wonder when Ira will snap with Pan!

I’ve mentioned Nev (Never Say) as one of Ira’s partners, and we do have a few more, but I have a soft spot for Nev (being the first person Ira meets) he’s the glue that keeps them together, he’s also the voice of reason, but that’s not to say he doesn’t get jealous when men look at Ira (who aren’t part of her ever growing harem) I also liked how he is with Pan (he’s the only one allowed to call him Peter) and how he keeps pushing Pan to accept Ira.

So will Ira be able to bring together different factions of NeverLand together to fight the wolf? Maybe if she wasn’t fighting pirates and vampires all the time she might succeed.

I honestly was kept guessing with the story, yes you could predict a few things that would happen, but the death of a character did catch me by surprise! And the fact Ira and Pan didn’t fall for each other straight away.

With each book Ira grows as a character, becoming more aware of herself and the powers she’s beginning to wield. Her confidence does take a knock or two, but she rolls with the punches, never letting the toxins that are trying to destroy NeverLand get her down.

I have to admit I’d not read this author before. But I’m definitely going to find out if Ira’s friends (from her home world) have books.

The whole series was just great.

I liked how Pan and Ira didn’t click immediately, in fact through the whole series I did wonder if they could even be friends let alone lovers!

Cleverly written and executed perfectly. I’d recommend reading this series in order, and I’d recommend you read them now ? I’ll never look at NeverLand and Peter Pan in the same way again ?

Copy supplied for review

? Reviewed by Julie B.

NEVERWITH
Neverland: Chronicles of Red 1
by Crea Reitan
Release Date: September 2021

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

REVIEW:This is a four book series, a few triggers in this reverse harem dark romance.

It’s based on the Neverland story (think Peter Pan and crew) but this is no child’s fairytale, this is definitely adult only!

Ira is a fixer (their job is to fix the problem that occurs in a world) I liked the rules that the author had given the “fixers”

-This is a one-way door. Once one enters, the door seals shut. It will only open again when one fails. Otherwise, should one succeed, the door will vanish forever.

-Your sole mission is to set the world right again. There is a wrong afoot, not necessarily the “evil” you might anticipate, but something has knocked the world off balance. Your one and only job, your sole purpose in your life once you walk through that door, is to set the world right.

-As stated in Rule 1, this is a one-way door. You will not be returning, nor will you ever have contact with anyone Outside ever again. Again, your primary goal is to fix the world. But remember along the way that you will need to build a life there. You won’t be coming back. Period.

-Yes, you can die. You are subject to whatever the laws of their universe are. Those who have gone before you have likely died while on their mission.

I really liked the other characters that started their journeys with Ira before travelling into other problem worlds (need to see if they have stories out!) strong women who have trained for years to fix whatever has broken. These worlds have had many “fixers” so are these women the people to mend the worlds that need fixing?

We meet Pan, and he’s not happy to see her. Everyone else, but not him. And the lost boys, well they aren’t boys anymore, they are now young men (so Neverland is ageing them).

Ira needs answers to the many questions she’s has before she can formulate a plan to fix NeverLand.

The first couple of chapters almost made me put the book down, it felt a little jumbled (just persevere) but once we get down to the story, it’s full steam ahead, there is fighting, action, drama and a fair amount of romance. But it’s not Ira and Pan, it’s Nev (short for Never Say).

When Ira finds out that the problem is a beast that is the cause of the break in the fairytale. But finding it is causing problems. Can Ira and her group of “lost boys” actually find the beast?

It does end on a cliff hanger, so I’m eager to see where we go next…..

________

NEVERSHADE
Neverland: Chronicles of Red 2
by Crea Reitan
Release Date: February 16, 2022

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

REVIEW:With the ending from book one still fresh in my mind, I couldn’t wait to see Ira find herself and the beast. To come into her own, the years of training should hold her in good stead.

Ira has collected a few men along the way, and it’s still ironing out her hate/hate relationship with Pan (boy there is some real tension there and it could go either way!) I get the feeling he’s jealous and so tries to discredit Ira and makes her life hard in general! He should be the one to save NeverLand and I think he’s jealous of the closeness Nev and Ira have (the lost boys are grown men with “needs”) She needs to find balance as this will be her home forever if she fixes the problems NeverLand have, or she’ll die trying! (Just like the other fixers before her have tried)

This book has dark elements that certainly weren’t in any fairytale I read about the lost boys and NeverLand. The characters are well thought out, we also have merfolk, pirates, lost boys, faeries, and things that go bump in the night! We have magic, we also have a little folklore thrown in. We have moments between Pan and Nev which were so cute (Pan almost redeems himself with the way he feels about Nev) we have the fiery/antagonistic relationship with Ira and Pan, and then the relationship with Ira and Nev (which is going from strength to strength)

I like how we get inside everyone’s mind. Each being so different makes the characters easier to remember and to keep separate (lots of characters tend to make the book chaotic) .

I’m really enjoying Ira’s journey to “fix” Neverland and the help she finds along the way. (She’s getting quite the harem) ? I would definitely recommend you read book one first as there is lots going on.

Be warned the book ends really sudden, and on a cliffhanger!!

Book three please…..

_______

NEVERBLOOD
Neverland: Chronicles of Red 3
by Crea Reitan
Release Date: March 23, 2022

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

REVIEW:Book three continues at the same pace books one and two did, so you’ll definitely need to read the previous two books before diving into this one.

Pan and Ira still aren’t getting along, poor Nev is in the middle trying to keep the peace and both people he cares about from killing each other! We also have the rest of her harem dynamic to contend with, and it does get a little confusing.

It’s is still trying to find and fix the problems with NeverLand (the fairytale is broken, and it’s not full of lost boys, they are growing up and becoming angry young men!). But fixing the problem is not as easy as Ira first thought. It seems there is something else at work too! Could Pan be behind it?

We do spend more time with the group and how they interact with one another. There are a few sad moments, and there are a few light hearted moments, but Ira is definitely the center of attention.

And now we are almost at the end of the book and the series, will book four gives us the answers we desperately need, or will Ira become another casualty in this broken world? Will Pan ever accept Ira in his world? Can they work together to figure out how to save NeverLand?

I need book four to find this things out…..

Copies supplied for review

Crea lives in upstate New York with her dog and husband. She has been writing since grade school, when her second grade teacher had her class keep writing journals. She has a habit of creating secondary, and often time tertiary, characters that take over her stories. All of her RH relationships end up being heavily polyamorous – meaning it’s not just all the men for one woman. There’s also some M/M action going on. When she can’t fall asleep at night, she thinks up new scenes for her characters to act out. This, of course, is how most of her meant-to-be-thrown-away characters tend to end up front and center – and utterly swoon-worthy! Don’t ask her how many book boyfriends she has…

When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don’t even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!

Author Links:

Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/creasgodlings
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/crea.reitan
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/creareitan/
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@creareitan
Website:www.creareitan.com
Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/creareitan

Share