tarahux's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so good! I loved the element of history mixed with a fantasy world. The beginning was a little strange but overall, Kingdom of Back had me hooked from the very beginning. The descriptions were very vivid, and even the small characters were developed very well. This book was one that made me truly think I was in the world of the book. As someone who has always been a big music person, the element of bringing music in was fascinating to me. Honestly, this is one of my new comfort books that I could definitely see myself rereading plenty of times.
leahegood's review against another edition
4.0
What if the imaginary world of your childhood was real and impacted the real world? What if a lost prince offered to grant your deepest wish, if only you help him with a quest of his own? What if that kingdom, the quest, and your wish began to hurt those you love most?
Summary
This story is narrated by Maria Anna Mozart, affectionately called Nannerl, older sister to the renown Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Nannerl is a child prodigy and musical genius in equal measure to her brother. All her life, she has used music to try to connect with her distant, authoritarian father. When her brother's genius is recognized, she feels her connection with her father slipping away. Worse, composition is considered a man's work. Nannerl longs to writer her own songs, but she knows they will never be remembered. If her father discovered them, they might even be destroyed. And so she makes a wish. She wants to be remembered forever. She wants what is hers.
In the Kingdom of Back, a fairy world shared by her and her brother, a lost prince offers to become Nannerl's guardian. He promises to ensure she is remembered forever. In exchange, she must help him with a series of tasks. At first, their visits to the kingdom are whimsical and fun, but as time progresses, Nannerl begins to sense sinister undertones. What will the fulfillment of her wish cost? Is it worth the price?
Thoughts
This story reminded me of [b:Fawkes|36576048|Fawkes|Nadine Brandes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513275599l/36576048._SY75_.jpg|58318394] and [b:Romanov|40590407|Romanov|Nadine Brandes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538508130l/40590407._SY75_.jpg|63034726] by Nadine Brandes. It tells a true story of history, but interweaves magical, fantasy elements. It was fascinating to learn about Mozart's forgotten, but equally talented sister. In the author notes, Marie Lu comments that she learned about Nannerl when she became curious about the girl who often appears alongside Mozart in paintings. From those paintings and further research, Lu imagined a close sibling relationship.
As someone who grew up as best friends with my younger brother, I could identify with and fully enjoy the well-portrayed relationship between this sibling pair.
Content
Overall, this book was very clean.
Language: A few times, Nannerl will explain that someone swore, but the profanity is never spelled out.
Romance: As Nannerl matures into her late teens, her attention is caught by a young man who attends one of their performances. She later agrees to exchange letters with him and hides this from her father.
Substances: None
Violence: Nannerl's father slaps her once. There is some low level fantasy action in the Kingdom of Back (example: a river serpent shot and killed and blood seen in the water afterwards).
Religion: Nannerl exists in a primarily Catholic culture, though it is not a focus of the story.
Summary
This story is narrated by Maria Anna Mozart, affectionately called Nannerl, older sister to the renown Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Nannerl is a child prodigy and musical genius in equal measure to her brother. All her life, she has used music to try to connect with her distant, authoritarian father. When her brother's genius is recognized, she feels her connection with her father slipping away. Worse, composition is considered a man's work. Nannerl longs to writer her own songs, but she knows they will never be remembered. If her father discovered them, they might even be destroyed. And so she makes a wish. She wants to be remembered forever. She wants what is hers.
In the Kingdom of Back, a fairy world shared by her and her brother, a lost prince offers to become Nannerl's guardian. He promises to ensure she is remembered forever. In exchange, she must help him with a series of tasks. At first, their visits to the kingdom are whimsical and fun, but as time progresses, Nannerl begins to sense sinister undertones. What will the fulfillment of her wish cost? Is it worth the price?
Thoughts
This story reminded me of [b:Fawkes|36576048|Fawkes|Nadine Brandes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513275599l/36576048._SY75_.jpg|58318394] and [b:Romanov|40590407|Romanov|Nadine Brandes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538508130l/40590407._SY75_.jpg|63034726] by Nadine Brandes. It tells a true story of history, but interweaves magical, fantasy elements. It was fascinating to learn about Mozart's forgotten, but equally talented sister. In the author notes, Marie Lu comments that she learned about Nannerl when she became curious about the girl who often appears alongside Mozart in paintings. From those paintings and further research, Lu imagined a close sibling relationship.
As someone who grew up as best friends with my younger brother, I could identify with and fully enjoy the well-portrayed relationship between this sibling pair.
Content
Overall, this book was very clean.
Language: A few times, Nannerl will explain that someone swore, but the profanity is never spelled out.
Romance: As Nannerl matures into her late teens, her attention is caught by a young man who attends one of their performances. She later agrees to exchange letters with him and hides this from her father.
Substances: None
Violence: Nannerl's father slaps her once. There is some low level fantasy action in the Kingdom of Back (example: a river serpent shot and killed and blood seen in the water afterwards).
Religion: Nannerl exists in a primarily Catholic culture, though it is not a focus of the story.
hannchilada's review against another edition
5.0
So, Kingdom of Back got stuck on my currently-reading shelf for longer than I care to admit. It had some initial pacing issues, but upon finishing the book I found it kind of haunting. Nannerl as a character felt hauntingly familiar.
I don't know who the real Anna Maria Mozart was, but I think Lu succeeded in creating a character that resonates across time and boundaries. You can read a longer review on my blog
I don't know who the real Anna Maria Mozart was, but I think Lu succeeded in creating a character that resonates across time and boundaries. You can read a longer review on my blog
taylorreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
It started very slow but the ending was great. I really sympathized with Nannerl. I am a photographer, its how I see the world and if I was told I couldn't do that just because of my gender.. I feel like my soul would wither and die. I wonder how much mankind has missed out on over the years because women were kept from reaching their potential. I would like to read more about forgotten women of history.
kenna_ainjo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
vbarrett17's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 STARS
First of all, I have to start by applauding Marie Lu. I have a soft spot for her because her debut series ("Legend") is what sparked the book monster that I am today. I have so much respect for her. She tackles multiple genres and produces beautiful work in everything that she does!
With that being said, this novel was exquisite. "The Kingdom of Back" is a historical fantasy that is centered around Mozart's older sister, Nannerl. I learned so much about her and young Mozart! They BOTH were talented musicians AND composers. The reason we do not hear much about Nannerl is because in their time period, composing music was a man's profession.
I really enjoyed the family aspects, specifically the sibling bond between Nannerl and Wolfgang. They were very close to one another and their love showed in even the smallest interactions. They encouraged each other and protected each other with such ferocity.
Where the fantasy element came into play was a separate world called, the Kingdom of Back. It turns out, the siblings created this world with their imaginations to pass the long travels as they toured around Europe to perform in real life! Marie Lu weaved together this mystical land with the desires of Nannerl to be known for her music in her fictional story in a very unique and exciting way! I think it is best to go in this novel without much background knowledge, so I will leave it at that.
The only critique I have is I wish the fantastical element was more concrete. It felt almost like it wasn't real and more dream-like in the story. I wish the readers had more time learning about this interesting kingdom. Also, the book's timeline spans for nearly a decade (excluding the epilogue), and it is not written in specific detail of when things happen. Months take place within a paragraph. I know the characters are becoming older, but I wish I knew what stage of life they were in for certain scenes to bring more clarity. Other than that, I had a wonderful time reading this novel!
Marie Lu poured out a ton of research into this novel, and I think she portrayed Nannerl and Wolfgang's story well. I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end to find out more about her inspiration in this story and listening to Mozart's compositions to put you in the mood!
First of all, I have to start by applauding Marie Lu. I have a soft spot for her because her debut series ("Legend") is what sparked the book monster that I am today. I have so much respect for her. She tackles multiple genres and produces beautiful work in everything that she does!
With that being said, this novel was exquisite. "The Kingdom of Back" is a historical fantasy that is centered around Mozart's older sister, Nannerl. I learned so much about her and young Mozart! They BOTH were talented musicians AND composers. The reason we do not hear much about Nannerl is because in their time period, composing music was a man's profession.
I really enjoyed the family aspects, specifically the sibling bond between Nannerl and Wolfgang. They were very close to one another and their love showed in even the smallest interactions. They encouraged each other and protected each other with such ferocity.
Where the fantasy element came into play was a separate world called, the Kingdom of Back. It turns out, the siblings created this world with their imaginations to pass the long travels as they toured around Europe to perform in real life! Marie Lu weaved together this mystical land with the desires of Nannerl to be known for her music in her fictional story in a very unique and exciting way! I think it is best to go in this novel without much background knowledge, so I will leave it at that.
The only critique I have is I wish the fantastical element was more concrete. It felt almost like it wasn't real and more dream-like in the story. I wish the readers had more time learning about this interesting kingdom. Also, the book's timeline spans for nearly a decade (excluding the epilogue), and it is not written in specific detail of when things happen. Months take place within a paragraph. I know the characters are becoming older, but I wish I knew what stage of life they were in for certain scenes to bring more clarity. Other than that, I had a wonderful time reading this novel!
Marie Lu poured out a ton of research into this novel, and I think she portrayed Nannerl and Wolfgang's story well. I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end to find out more about her inspiration in this story and listening to Mozart's compositions to put you in the mood!
atra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
yajisfr23's review against another edition
5.0
Is this my first 5 stars??! This was my first historical fiction/fantasy. I haven’t read fantasy in a long time, i was afraid i wasn’t going to enjoy it as much, but to my surprise i did. This book was so enchanting, it was truly an escape for me as well when the Mozarts stepped into the Kingdom of Back. Amazing, i loved it, so wholesome, charming, and touching.