Wow! This is NOT The Nutcracker you remember from childhood! Erika Johansen’s retelling of the classic and beloved holiday story is deliciously, tantalizingly dark and edgy.

Twin sisters born on Christmas, Natasha and Clara, are set on drastically different paths from the moment their godfather, Drosselmeyer, declares one “dark” and the other “light.” As the years pass, Drosselmeyer is an unshakable presence in the family’s lives, always lurking on the edges, turning up at the annual holiday party with gifts that leave everyone wondering and astonished.

The jolly clown of the original story is dangerous and leering in THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS, created with human joints and knuckles and keeping to the shadows no matter where Natasha moves. The Nutcracker toy is fierce and dedicated but with an edge of fear and a hint of threat. When Drosselmeyer’s magic transports the sisters to the Kingdom of Sweets to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy, nothing is what it seems. Clara is enchanted, but Natasha sees the truth underneath the sweet sugar lining.

THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS was a captivating and creepy spin on one of my favorite holiday stories. I highly recommend it!