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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/product_reviews/pr_id/113841-Hiddensee-A-Tale-of-the-Once-and-Future-Nutcracker
ASIN: B01N9ZRNBG
ID #113841
Product Type: Kindle Store
Reviewer: Jayne
Review Rated: 18+
Amazon's Price: $ 13.99
Product Rating:
  Overall Quality:
Further Comments...
*reads first two pages*

My brain: I don't think this is a good idea. I have other books. Read other books.

Also my brain: But "Wicked"! But "The Nutcracker!" You love those things! You love twisted up stuff. C'mon, it's just the first couple pages! Give it a chance.

*reaches last page* screw you, stupid brain.

So, true story: I finished this book out of pure spite. I know what the author wanted to do. He just didn't deliver. Here's the short version:

*Nutcracker shows up 3/4 of the way into the book. Stays important for about 2/3 of that.

*3/4 of the book is a wildly disjointed mess of a variety of fairy tales, stories and tensionless love affairs. ANY of these separate stories would have made GREAT stories on their own. Instead we get the Sparknotes versions (if that) and we spend tons of time on really, really boring things instead of the really, really important and interesting things. It's like everything-and-the-kitchen-sink, but it all got broken in the move.

*The writing was all over the place, and so much of it was dangling sentences outside of dialogue, wooden dialogue, and cliches. Don't believe me? Here's everything you need to know about the writing:

"The tears stood in Dirk's eye in an automatic way, as without invitation tears will start from onions."

C'mon now.

Positives:

*Klara was an exceptionally interesting character, and was the only one I connected with (maybe Nazaran to an extent, but it was so obvious where that was going it was easy to just not get attached).

*The Nutcracker story itself (all, like, six pages of it) was interesting enough, and had it been expanded, would have been phenomenal. But no, we get bored to death for most of the book.

*Dirk's background could have been interesting, if he'd actually done much of anything or even remotely reacted in any logical or realistic way to the things being done to him (in terms of writing, I mean. Not much gets 'done' to him. Like I said, it's boring.)

Overall Assessment

This could have been a 20-page short story. It would have been fantastic, with a good editor who had an eye for what was important, and cutting the crap to the bone while fleshing out the really good bits. Backstory - yes. THAT MUCH backstory? No.

I'm not lamenting what I think he should have written. He can write whatever the hell he wants. He gave us at least six stories that failed spectacularly, led us nowhere, left us unfulfilled, and clipped the wings of the story we were promised - the Nutcracker part - for what? It's his book, we'll never know. Just know it does not live up to it's promises.

THAT COVER THOUGH. It really is beautiful to look at. KINDA LIKE A NUTCRACKER COULD BE.
Created Dec 06, 2018 at 10:00pm • Submit your own review...
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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/product_reviews/pr_id/113841-Hiddensee-A-Tale-of-the-Once-and-Future-Nutcracker