Reviews

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: The Graphic Novel by Natalie Andrewson

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hanna_k_n's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

a beautiful and charming adaptation

fishfish's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

taylizart's review

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adventurous lighthearted

4.0

Let the holiday book love commence! The graphic novel retelling of the beloved Nutcracker classic is both fantastic and surreal. Organized into 14 chapters, the story of Marie and Fritz Stahlbaum has all the characters readers have come to know - or discover: Fritz's Hussar soldiers and Marie's doll, Miss Clarette, the wicked Mouse King and his army, and the Nutcracker. The story unfolds like a fever dream, shifting between Marie's dreams and the wide-awake storytimes told by their godfather, the children's uncle Drosselmeyer. It's manic, often creepy, and a new spin on the classic tale. Give this to your adventure and fantasy fans. An author's note talks about the original story versus the adaptation that Natalie Andrewson 'wanted to tell'.

A frenetic adventure that's going to be read at Christmastime and beyond.

samschnell19's review

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A delightful Christmas tale with stunning artwork

rachelhelps's review

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4.0

The E.T.A. Hoffman Nutcracker is one I re-read every year, so I'm very familiar with the story. I support Natalie Andrewson on Patreon and I was so excited to read her graphic novel adaptation. I think she might have been trying to be too faithful at the beginning, because there was kind of a lot of text from the book and talking heads. But as Andrewson changed the story, the book started to really flow and I felt like the changes made what was originally a bizarre and surreal tale into something coherent, where there was a whole character development arc for Clara. I loved how she connected the story of the hard nut to the nutcracker Clara had.

This is a weird complaint. I know orange is kind of a vintage Christmas color, but I was kind of surprised that there was SO much orange in the book. Christmas decorations and celebrations definitely are just part of a setting and the story itself doesn't seem particularly "Christmasy." I'm still trying to put my finger on it... maybe it's that the backgrounds are lacking at times. Still, this graphic novel is quite the accomplishment for one person! The borders on the chapter headings are adorable. I hope Anderewson continues to develop her sequential art skills and I would love to read an original graphic novel by her.

hannuhreads's review

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4.0

4 stars.

Super weird but also cute. Like what the heck did i just read.

kellen_green's review

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3.0

An interesting approach to the classic Nutcracker ballet in the form of a Comic/ Graphics Novel.

A fast read that presents the story in a child friendly manner and that would probably hook a new young audience (and some reluctant older ones) to the world of musical stories.

An ARC if this book was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.