Midnight in Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar | Book Review

Author: M. A. Kuzniar
Published: 2021
Target Audience: Adults (Appropriate ages 15+)

When she danced, she had a voice. And nothing was more fearsome than a silent future.

Marietta Stelle longs to dance. Having trained ballet since she was a child, she dreams of auditioning for the Nottingham Ballet Company and finally having a say in her life. But with Christmas drawing nearer, Marietta's dancing days are numbered as her parents insist she take her place in society and marry in the New Year. However, when a mysterious new neighbour, Dr Drosselmeier, moves in next door, this heralds the arrival of magic and extraordinary new possibilities into her life.

Yet Drosselmeier's intentions turn out to be far darker than anyone could have imagined, and Marietta finds herself thrust into a strange new world. Everwood is a wondrous land of snow-topped firs, gingerbread houses, and a palace of frozen sugar and grand balls to which Marietta is invited to dance every night. But under the saccharine facade, something is deeply wrong in Everwood. Marietta will have to muster all her determination if she wishes to ever truly be free...

Excerpt:

She did not know how long she had resided within the palace for. Both day and night were cloaked in darkness; and each time she attempted to count, she found she could not remember how many had passed. Night after night, she pirouetted through yet another ball, the throne room a-spin around her, the time hazy, in one sparkling gown after another.

Though her cage was soft and glittering, she refused to allow her sugared imprisonment to rot away her willpower. She would not sit inside it, glazed in meekness and obedience. She would rattle the bars and find her way home.

Review:

'Midnight in Everwood' is a fantasy, coming-of-age story by author M. A. Kuzniar inspired by E. T. A. Hoffmann's 1816 story 'The Nutcracker and The Mouse King' and The Nutcracker ballet. It is an enthralling tale of magic, rebellion, and finding the resolve to hold on to one's dreams. The story begins in Nottingham, 1906, where readers are introduce to the obstacles Marietta faces in her every day life from her family and societal expectations, as well as her efforts to pursue her dream; She practices ballet until her toes bleed, placates her controlling parents, finds opportunities to slip her chaperone, secretly attends ballet auditions, pawns possessions to raise funds, and more. These moments reveal Marietta to be a clever, determined individual, but also someone who lacks life experience due to her sheltered, privileged upbringing. This characterisation risks alienating some readers, who may finds her personality and decisions to be occasionally childish for a 20-year-old woman, particularly due to the inconsistency of this attitude for the sake of contrived plot convenience. However, Marietta does learn throughout her journey, coming to recognise her naivety and resolving to find ways to compensate for it. These qualities make for a sympathetic protagonist whose personal growth will resonate with many readers.

However, 'Midnight in Everwood' is by no means a perfect book. Following her arrival in Everwood, Marietta accidentally becomes a prisoner of King Gellum, and is forced to dance incessantly whenever he commands. Yet the circumstances of her imprisonment feel like the result of multiple unlikely encounters and inexplicable decisions, rather than the natural consequences of organic character interactions. While narrative explanations are later provided to substantiate some of these events, the litany of contrived factors occurring in such short succession may leave readers with the impression that the author is just strong-arming characters into position. Indeed, frequently throughout 'Midnight in Everwood', the story will often directly tell audiences about character interactions or emotional progress that has supposedly occurred, instead of providing an immersive scene that enables readers to personally experience these developments. Audiences may find this an unsatisfying reading experience, and may adversely affect a reader's investment in the novel.

Additionally, many of the side characters are underdeveloped, or are missing from the story for such large chunks that they become forgettably interchangeable. Even Dellara and Pirlipata, Marietta's fellow prisoners and supporting characters, may be argued to be initially unremarkable. This is exemplified in Dellara and Pirlipata's introductory scenes, where opportunities to showcase their individual personalities and developing connections with Marietta are largely forfeited in favour of expository dialogue. Fortunately, this does improve as the story progresses, and it becomes a delight to cheer for these three women as they find ways to support each other and fight against their constraining circumstances.

The novel also suffers from pacing difficulties. Sections can feel slow or repetitive, reflecting Marietta's ongoing imprisonment and lack of agency as her time in the palace rolls into indeterminate weeks and months. While readers will enjoy the vivid and varying events Marietta performs at, as well as discovering how the small efforts of the three women build over time, this narrative pace will not suit all audiences, and may negatively impact reader engagement. Moreover, the penultimate conflict of the novel sees Marietta, Dellara, and Pirlipata sidelined from being active characters whose decisions directly shape the plot, to inert onlookers in the confrontation against King Gellum. The combination of a shoehorned duel, more exposition, and last-minute magical fix-it weakens the momentum of the ending, and undermines the three women's accomplishments in gaining their freedom. Thankfully, the story regains it's momentum for Marietta's final adversity, resulting in an emotionally satisfying ending.

Despite its flaws, 'Midnight in Everwood' is still an utterly enchanting story. The prose is beautifully evocative, blending elements of folklore alongside intricate descriptions of food, dance, and splendours to bring the fantastical setting to life. Furthermore, in contrast to its sugary, dreamlike aesthetics, the novel is elevated by an underlying darkness that permeates the narrative. 'Midnight in Everwood' features small instances of abnormality and horror that build a marvelous sense of unease around Drosselmeier. Like a slowly tightening noose, or a mouse trap slamming shut, Drosselmeier's incursion on Marietta's life exacerbates her personal and societal constraints, and conjures an insidious atmosphere of entrenched powerlessness. The interplay between fairy tale charm and social critique lends a maturity to the story that makes for an engrossing read, and serves as an effective foundation for the novel's core theme of rebellion. In addition to more straightforward incarnations of rebellion - such as armed uprising and clandestine civil disobedience - 'Midnight in Everwood' explores the concept of endurance as defiance. In circumstances enforcing helplessness and stolen autonomy, Marietta's decision to hold on to hope and endure her situation becomes, in and of itself, an act of rebellion. By combining this theme with a motif of dance as an expression of Marietta's burgeoning independence, the novel presents an absorbing commentary on the role of the arts in driving revolution.

Overall, 'Midnight in Everwood' is a marvellous tale of magic, rebellion, and courage that captures the imagination and will delight readers. M. A. Kuzniar also has a new book, 'Upon a Frosted Star', which came out in November 2023, and I am very excited to read that one too!