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Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite
The Nutcracker King by Eustacia Tan is a novella with a style reminiscent of classic fairytales. The line between reality and fantasy blurs as the two worlds begin to collide. The events of the novella take place eight years after the defeat of the Mouse King, and the Nutcracker still hasn’t broken the curse that turned him into wood. He longs to be human again and marry Marie. Every night he whisks Marie away to the Marzipan Castle where she attends parties and eats candied fruit. The Mouse King is familiar, but the story of the Nutcracker takes a new approach. The world of candy and dolls has a dark secret that Marie slowly uncovers. Family loyalty and honor is called into question as the Nutcracker suspects a traitor may be against his ascension to the throne.
A tale rich in the inspiration of childhood and fairies, The Nutcracker King is surprising, creative, and a great follow-up to the story of the Mouse King. Not the Disney versions prominent in pop culture, but the original oral tales written down by storytellers like the Brothers Grimm and Madame d’Aulnoy. The story is aimed at young adults, but any lover of dark tales will enjoy this one. It’s delightfully dark. It takes the idea of a happy other world of magic and shows a dark undertone that begins to manifest through one of the characters. Tan creates a world that masterfully blends the childhood imaginative world of candy and toys with the reality of Marie’s human world. Eustacia Tan delves into the psychological idea of right and wrong by using various character perspectives.
