The Enchanted Sonata

I love Heather Dixon’s Entwined, and I just knew the Enchanted Sonata would be just as good. I wanted a well written, well loved, and very joyful yet thorough story to read… and this book delivered! It is a beautiful story that even those who don’t understand music well can fall in love with and still feel the music throughout (study up on basic music and piano facts, and it'll be even better!)The text is large, and the cover is thick and smooth.I love Heather because her books are neither graphic nor sensual, but still are filled with depth and reality and color. The characters leap off the page and take such genuine and real forms that my “normal reading characters” appearances and voices don’t need to come out. It was so refreshing and good. The story and pace are wonderful and pretty unique. You won’t guess just everything, but you are never confused or feel foggy about the story.And, as a follower of Christ, books like this increase my love for Him. Books that reflect God’s creativity and beauty help me see Him more clearly (as all art and creation were originally designed to do) and love Him. Our God is so sovereign and so good, and books like this deepen my affection for the God who stepped down from Heaven to bear my sin and shame, rose again, and offers me to live in His living hope. And, books like this remind me that eternity will be even more grand and magnificent than I could ever imagine! If Heather can create and show us Imperia, how much more will God’s eternity be greater!

I was initially given a free digital copy of 'The Enchanted Sonata' by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review (thank-you!), but after reading it I fell in love and bought a hard copy of my own to add to my book collection. 😊'The Enchanted Sonata' by Heather Dixon Wallwork is a whimsical, hybrid tale of 'The Nutcracker' and 'The Pied Piper' that reads like a classic fairytale from the likes of The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. That means that there’s a hint of darkness in all that sweet. And that darkness threatens to topple an entire empire.TES follows Clara, a gifted ingenue pianist who is crushing hard on older superstar pianist, Johann Kahler. He’s like a Beatle or a Jonas brother. And Clara is convinced that if she masters her piece for the upcoming concerto, Johann will fall head over heels the minute he hears her play. So, it’s pretty inconvenient when Clara is sucked into a mysterious book - a book from an anonymous gifter, at that, along with a nutcracker doll - and sent to Imperia, a kingdom whose children have been turned into toys by a song no one but they can hear. A place where music is literal magic, where the forests glitter and the air smells of gingerbread and peppermint.And where its future ruler, Prince Nikolai, has also fallen victim to this horrific curse.Clara doesn’t have much time to wonder at this new land she’s been transported to - she just needs to figure out how to get back home so she doesn’t miss her concerto, and the chance to seize True Love for herself. But, then she meets Nikolai and the people of Imperia. Clara - and her life - will never be the same again.Can Clara find the power inside to defeat the musical monster lurking in the dark, trying to take down Imperia? Will Prince Nikolai ever get the chance to show his people what kind of leader he really is? Or will all fall to ruin?I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story. I loved Clara’s character development - we watch her grow up and really earn herself a steely spine from beginning to end. We watch Prince Nikolai grow confident in his ability to lead his country. And to say nothing of how beautiful and immersive the descriptions of Imperia are. A land with magic, mesmerizing scenery, faeries, and large rats that remind me of the R.O.U.S.’s from The Princess Bride? Yes, please!The villain of the story - an evil magician - is human and layered, which makes the story even more compelling. Grey zone villains are life. When you can understand where the bad guy is coming from with his actions, can empathize with the glimmers of that aforementioned humanity, you know you have a good, multilayered story (with multidimensional characters) on your hands!Wallwork’s love of music is sprinkled all throughout the pages of TES, and that passion is contagious, making the story come to life.The only downside I’d say would be that there were some places with a dash of rushing, as well as moments of telling, not showing. But, it didn’t much take away from the story. I still thoroughly devoured it.TES is a heartfelt love letter to music, a journey of self discovery, and a love story sweeter than Franz Liszt’s ‘Love Dream.’ I give it a solid 4 1/2 stars! Highly recommended!

This was the cutest, sweetest story! I enjoy the Nutcracker ballet, but felt meh about Disney's movie retelling, so I was slightly nervous I'd end up feeling the same about this book. But all of my reader friends whose opinions I trust the most and whose tastes are similar to mine loved it, so I needn't have worried. This story was totally unique from the Disney retelling and even the ballet (while holding on to essential elements from the ballet) and I adored what the author did with it. A brave, 8 ft nutcracker with a great sense of humor, wolf and bear-sized rats, fighting battles with peppermints, music being actually magic, and a young heroine who's sweet, brave, and talented, but imperfect enough to be relatable. What more could you possibly want? Oh, yes, you might also want a cross-over retelling of the Pied Piper, and this has that, too!How do I even express how much I enjoyed it? I read at a pace much faster than is normal for me because I HAD to know what happened. I loved that Clara broke from the mold of stereotypical kick-butt heroines with her kindness and sweetness, but was still brave. Clara was also imperfect, which meant she was able to learn a lesson and grow as a person, and I loved that, too. Nutcracker's sense of humor made me laugh out loud several times, and the romance (which didn't completely overwhelm the adventure of the story, I will happily add!) was so stinking cute!I even liked what was done with the villain and that he had a reason for what he did, twisted though that reason was, and actually had some things in common with the Nutcracker so you could see how they could easily become similar people if Nutcracker had made the same choices. The side characters also had their own personalities and things going on with them, and I enjoyed seeing their stories resolved as well. And somehow, the author managed to integrate a Pied Piper retelling into the Nutcracker retelling in such a way that it made perfect sense for the story world and the story as a whole. I'm not even a huge fan of the original Pied Piper, but I loved what she did with that element, too.What more can I say except that I want all of my bookish friends to treat themselves and read this fun book! This will definitely be a story I read at Christmastime over and over for many years to come.

I really enjoyed this fairytale. The details were fantastic, the characters enjoyable and relatable. The story line was unique. Great read!

O livro em si é um encanto, maravilhoso! Porém é uma pena que a Amazon tenha enviado o produto com capa manchada e mesmo os avisando, nada me responderam.

I loved to get lost in this world! Sweet, romantic and magical for a rainy day. Such a comfort read.

This retelling of The Nutcracker is everything I could ever wish for in a fantastical and whimsical Christmas read.On this beautifully crafted journey through a delightful eastern european inspired candyland we get to know a full cast of wonderfully flashed out characters and enchanted world building. Our protagonists are sweet, quirky and wholeheartedly lovable. Especially Prince Nikolai stood out with his awkward humor, good natured heart and humility.This story is infused with magic, a snowy winter-wonderland, a candy emporium and most importantly music. Even though I barely know anything about the terminology used in music I could almost hear the sonatas accompanying the story like its own character.The Enchanted Sonata is a wonderful winterly and dazzling read for anyone wanting to escape into a magical kingdom filled with sweets and music during the Christmas holidays.Needless to say, that I absolutely adored this book and the ending gets 10/10 on my “satisfying ending barometer”.

Instantly became one of my favorite books! A beautiful fairy tale about courage and the purpose in life