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Winterspell | February 25, 2015

By Claire Legrand (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 2014)

As Marissa Meyer states on the jacket, this is not your grandmother’s The Nutcracker. Winterspell opens in snowy New York City, 1899. Clara, the mayor’s daughter, feels trapped as her father has all but relinquished his title to the powerful gang Concordia. And since her mother’s brutal murder, Clara must rely on herself and her godfather, Drosselmeyer, to protect her broken family. She secretly hones her fighting and stealth skills with her godfather as a means to escape her current situation, though Drosselmeyer is not from this world.

In his workshop, Clara is drawn to a statue of a young prince brought from his home world. Disaster strikes on Christmas Eve when mysterious beasts invade Clara’s home and capture her father. During the ensuing battle, the prince, Nicholas, is freed from his statue, and he urges Clara to journey with him to the world of Cane to rescue her father. Together, Clara and Nicholas come to grips with this warped world ruled by a mad faery queen. While Nicholas fights to regain the throne his family lost, Clara discovers more about herself and this land than she bargained for.

With luscious writing, Legrand takes a beloved tale and twists it into something sinister and beautiful. Clara is an interesting character to follow; she has agency, which she never gives up even when others attempt to make decisions for her. Don’t be fooled by what appears to be a holiday read, Winterspell can and should be enjoyed at any time of the year.

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