12 days.4 realms.Break the curse.Or turn into a nutcracker.Princess Clara thought she knew the main threat to her freedom.She was wrong. At seventeen years old, Clara isn’t ready to marry, and yet that’s what she must do as the crown princess of Austria.However, getting to know the foreign princes visiting her kingdom becomes the least of Clara’s worries when she touches a bespelled nutcracker … to know the foreign princes visiting her kingdom becomes the least of Clara’s worries when she touches a bespelled nutcracker and unleashes a deadly curse. She has twelve days to feed the nutcracker the magical nut Crackatook. If she fails, her soul will become trapped inside the toy for all eternity and her body will turn to wood.
Instead of relying on her suitors or the king’s men to find the cure, Clara saddles her unicorn and sneaks out of the palace. Her childhood friend Philip notices her leaving and makes her choose between returning to the castle or allowing him to come along.
Reluctantly, Clara agrees to him joining her, and soon, they are off to lands filled with mythical creatures.
Will they survive all trials and find the Crackatook in time? Or will Clara’s soul become trapped in the nutcracker and her body turn to wood?
Filled with adventure, love, magic, and a strong heroine, this clean YA Fairy Tale is the perfect festive read!
If you like K.M Shea, Melanie Cellier, and Kiera Cass, you’ll love this!
Buy it now and join Clara on her journey to break the Nutcracker Curse!
The Nutcracker Curse is the first book in the Cursed Fairy Tale series. Each book can be read as a standalone. However, for greatest enjoyment, the novels should be read in order.
Book 2: The Bluebeard Curse is now available for preorder and will be released on the 15thof December
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Absolutely Magical.
This is Fairy Tale retelling at its finest!!
Princess Clara is uncomfortable being hemmed in by her positions expectations. She wishes she could run free & not be honour bound to choose a Prince to marry, but her Father is insistant! As her Mother died in childbirth he has always been overprotective but after his 2nd wife attacked her he’s become much worse!
On the night of her Ball to introduce her Suitors, Clara becomes cursed. The curse was contained in her old toy Nutcracker. She hadn’t seen it for 10 years and as it was inherited from her Mother she just couldn’t help but pick it up!! She now has only 12 days to break the curse or she’ll turn into wood & her soul will be trapped forever inside the Nutcracker!
Clara decides she can’t leave it up to the four Prince Suitors & the Royal Guards to break the curse, it feels like something she must attempt to do herself. She’s caught sneaking out by her bestfriend, Philip, he insists on accompanying her, plus he’s a Royal Guard so can help protect her too!!
What follows is two friends relying on one anothers trust & deep friendship to get them through some dangerous & deadly trials. Magical Kingdoms that seem to want to thwart them at every turn, plus some seriously messed up priorities come to light from some people!!
The REALLY sad part is that this was all started because of 2 scared little girls, who cared deeply for each other, and a Mouse!!
I loved this book, It’s pure escapism at its finest. Although it isn’t set around Christmas the Nutcracker theme lends itself perfectly to this season The romance aspects are spot on. The world building, as always with this Author, is fab A highly recommended 5 star read
Debbie, 1970, UK
The Nutcracker Curse was enjoyable and fun to listen to, and even though it took me by surprise with how much I wanted to follow the story, it just means that I’ll have to check more of this author’s work 🙂
I really liked the story, and the character growth we get to witness in Clara. Her quest definitely grabbed me and made me cheer for her, but I found it also interesting to have Griselda’s POV since it definitely enriched this story. While it’s true that some of the tasks seemed to be easily solved at times, looking back at the story as a whole, I think the author did a great job at developing the story within the 12-day frame the curse had set.
The narrator did a wonderful job bringing all the characters to life. Her performance of the emotions was well done (from excitement and happiness to dread and fear), though I think there were a couple of nuances that could have been better. Still, I loved how easy she made it to know which character was speaking, especially with Clara and Griselda both narrating the story, but also with the voices of the king, Philip, the princes, etc.
Overall, this is a great story that hooked me from the start and never let go. Also, the blurb is right and it’s perfect for fans of K.M. Shea, Melanie Cellier, and Kiera Cass, as well as any lovers of Fantasy out there. ~4.75 stars
Content: there are a couple of passionate kisses but that’s it (the first one with her in only a wet nightgown, but there are no wandering hands. However, this book made me appreciate when other authors just leave it at “as the kiss deepened” instead of explaining what tongues are doing, as was the case with this story).
As for language, there’s a couple of d**n or d***it.
I was never that interested in The Nutcracker before. The closest I’ve come to seeing it was when I saw a parody of it put on by a local ballet company. I was familiar enough with the story, though to see were Ms. Ryerkerk re-imagined the tale. The the addition of some characters and the adjustment of others make this a really well thought out retelling. The great character growth the heroine undergoes and the world building make this a very satisfying story.
fantastic
The Nutcracker Curse” by Margo Ryerkerk is a tale of one Clara is the Princess of Austria…who after touching a cursed nutcracker the night of her ball …sets in motion a horrible curse that will…IF not broken…turn her body to wood and her soul trapped in the nutcracker forever …so Princess Ciara sets out upon a quest to break the curse and find the Crackatook! Can she and her loyal friend Phillip be successful in their endeavor in time?!? Will the Princess ever be free to marry?!? Read and see. Much enjoyed and Highly Recommended. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It is time for Princess Clara to pick her prince charming and marry. Clara is not ready to give up her freedom but her father is being very persistent. A ball is being held in Clara’s honor with Princes from other kingdom’s attending hoping to catch Clara’s attention and be picked as her Prince.
Clara sees an old wooden doll, a nutcracker that belonged to her mother that she hasn’t seen in a long time. The nutcracker is cursed and unleashes a deadly curse. Clara has twelve days to find a magical nut to feed to the nutcracker or she will be turned into the nutcracker with her soul trapped inside of the wooden doll.
When her father hears about the curse he enlists the help of the visiting princes to help find the Crackatook hoping to help make Clara’s choice of a husband easier.
Clara is not ready to turn her faith over to the visiting princes so she decides that she is going to go on the hunt herself. When her best friend and also one of her father’s guards Philip sees her sneaking out of the castle he confronts her. Philip wants to take her back to the castle where she will be safe but Clara will have no part of that so Philip gives her an ultimatum either he goes with her or he will take her back. With that ultimatum Clara allows him to go along for the ride besides he can help protect her.
Clara with her trust worthy unicorn, Philip and his horse Ace start out on the adventure of a lifetime. Their travels take them to other realms where they must face trials that will hopefully help them to find the Crackatook. They have a long hard journey a head of them. They will meet some good and bad magical creatures along the way that may or may not help them.
The Nutcracker Curse has been a very enjoyable journey through magical realms with magical creatures and with some great characters. I will have to say that I enjoyed The Nutcracker Curse way more than I ever thought I would. Margo Ryerkerk is one of those authors who know how to make a story explode right off the pages into magical worlds.
The Nutcracker Curse is filled with a magical adventure with lots of twist on every page. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read more in this magical universe and more of Margo’s work.
If you like fairy tale re-tellings then you are going to fall in love with The Nutcracker Curse.
I made it through this, tho at times I wanted to put it down. There was enough to keep me reading, but the writing is chunky and stiff.
I liked the overall plot, and the characters were, for the most part, adequately interesting and consistent, so that works.
This book was given to me by booksprout. I am leaving this review freely. I loved this story. This book has everything you are looking for magic, action, love, family, and etc. Give this book a chance you will not be disappointed. Hope to see you on the other side. We all want to find out that we are stronger than we think.
The Nutcracker Curse by Margo Ryerkerk is the first book in her Cursed Fairy Tale series. This story is the author’s beautifully written version of the classic story of the Nutcracker. This story follows to young women as one struggles with the fight for her life and the other fights to come to terms with what it is that she truly wants in this world. Her own dream? Or the dream that her mother had for herself. Clara is a princess and through Griselda’s misplaced jealousy and envy is cursed. She has twelve days to break the curse or become a nutcracker for eternity. Griselda is a young woman who through no true fault of her own is exiled to prison for the rest of her life, but is out for revenge.
The Nutcracker Curse is a beautiful story that follows Griselda and Clara on their separate quests. The story mostly focuses on Clara as she scrambles to do what she must to solve the riddles and free herself before time runs out. Her journey won’t be easy as there are many obstacles she must face. Some are just a part of the journey and others are those who seek to use her to obtain power for themselves. This story is engaging from start to finish. The author has done a wonderful job writing this story. The author stays true to the classic tale while giving it a unique twist that makes it truly enjoyable.
I appreciate the developments that the main characters go through. The author gives the reader suspense, drama, mythical creatures, fortitude, and of course a beautifully blooming romance. I appreciate the twists and surprises that the author gives the reader in this book. It keeps the novel from becoming too predictable and keeps the reader engaged.
The author does leave a few things left unresolved. I’m curious as to what happened to the princes. Did they all go home? Did any of them attempt to return to Austria? The author does point out in the end that one thread of the story is left unresolved, but that it will continue in the next book which I am looking forward to reading.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I am an avid fan of the classic stories that we are all familiar with and I am happy to say that the author does the retelling beautifully. All of the elements you expect to be there are there and enhanced. If you are looking for a unique story to read then I highly recommend you grab this book up and start reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
She has to marry as she is queen but she touches a cursed nutcracker and now she has to break the curse of she will become locked in the nutcracker. She goes to do it and she has 12 days to do so. Follow her as she tries to break the curse
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
In the spirit of Christmas, I always make certain to read the Nutcracker, so when this book came to my attention I couldn’t pass it over. What a splendid retelling! Suitable for both adults and younger audience, this book takes a unique approach to a classic tale and captivates the reader from start to finish. Congratulations to Ms. Ryerkerk!!! I’ll definitely read more of her books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Nutcracker Curse by Margo Ryerkerk is a great story to read. This story is book number 1 in this series and I am so glad I read this story about a fresh take on an old fairytale. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves rading about fairytales.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There was a lot of challenges, storyline was pretty engaging, fantastic enjoyable characters helped add intensity to the book.
I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. It was so good!! It was full of different challenges and dangers for Clara to overcome in order to try to break the curse. I don’t want to give any spoilers but will say that this is such a good book and it has so many different adventures and conflicts that you don’t want to put it down.When you reach the end you will definitely want to grab the next in the series because this was an excellent start to Margo Ryerkerk’s new Cursed Fairy Tale Series!
Super read
Margo Ryerkerk’s The Nutcracker Curse, the first in her new Cursed Fairy Tale series of standalone stories, is pure unmitigated fun. Read the publisher’s blurb on this one as it tells you all you need about the plot without spoiling anything. Clara and Philip have a most wondrous adventure in this perfectly plotted and superbly written tale (are those enough superlatives? – they are heartfelt, and I didn’t even mention the wonderful supporting cast). But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises – the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
The Nutcracker Curse by Margo Ryerkerk a five-star read that will twist you. This is the first novel in the Cursed Fairy Tale series and what a start, bring on the next one already!! This may just be my favourite by this author and I loved her Adere series, but this just seemed to have a magical adventure and a great tale woven through the pages. Clara was such a sublime character that she will captivate you and astound you with her strength. I assure you if you get this novel you will be ordering the second one by the time half way through this one.
I always loved fairy tales but didn’t know I still had it in me until I’ve read this new version of a famous tale. It was a nice change and I really enjoyed reading this. It has everything that makes an excellent fairy tale -princess, princes, stepsister, hero, love and… curse which leads to a dangerous journey to not only break the curse but to find out who and what you are! I’m sure now I love a retelling fairy tales! Impatiently waiting for the next tale. Well done Margo!
The book is a good teen and young adult paranormal romance read. The characters are good. The story is a retelling of a fairy tale, and is a good spin on the traditional nutcracker.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.