This gloriously transportive reimagining of The Nutcracker tells the tale of twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against each another one fateful Christmas Eve. Light and dark—this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while Natasha is relegated to her sister’s shadow, ignored and unloved. But Natasha seizes the opportunity for revenge one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at the family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets. Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts . . . and chilling bargains. But as Natasha uncovers the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

Imagine a world made of candy. That's where Princess Pepper lives... until the kingdom's most precious treasure, the magical Lollipop of Light, disappears! Pepper and her licorice knight, Sir Licorice, set off on a quest through candy cane forests, peppermint seas, and marshmallow mountains. They dodge traps, solve riddles, and even make friends with a grumpy yeti! But a twisty secret awaits them. The Lollipop isn't just candy – it holds the kingdom's magic! Can Pepper outsmart the mischievous Gummy Goblin and save her sugary world? Get ready for an adventure bursting with sweets, surprises, and the power of friendship!

"It's carnival time in Enchantia! But when Holly and the White Cat go to the Land of Sweets they find that everything is topsy-turvy! Can they put things right before the Lollipop Carnival begins?"--Cover.

A chronicle of confectionaries throughout the centuries—from honeycombs to Haribo. “There is much to get your teeth into within these pages.” —Best of British Magazine We all remember sweets—objects of pure delight and the endless cause of squabbles, fights even, hoarding and swapping; a chance to gorge, suck, crunch, and chew. But they’re by no means just a nostalgic thing of days past, and it’s not only children who love and devour sweets—gobstoppers, bulls eyes, licorice, seaside rock, bubble gum, and the like; grown-ups of all ages are partial to a good humbug, or a lemon sherbet or two—in the car, (annoyingly) at the cinema or while out walking—wherever and whenever, the sweet is there, the sweet delivers and the sweet rarely disappoints. Sweets then are ubiquitous and enduring; they cross age, culture, and gender boundaries and they have been around, it seems, forever. This book tells the story of sweets from their primitive beginnings to their place today as a billion-pound commodity with its sophisticated, seductive packaging and sales, advertising and marketing. It explores the people’s favorites, past and present; but there is also a dark side to sweets—and this book does not shy away from the deleterious effect on health as manifested in obesity, tooth decay, and diabetes. It delves into sweet and candy shops in supermarkets and markets, retro sweet shops, fudge makers, vintage sweets online, sweet manufacturing, chocolate, the grey line between sweets and “medicines” ancient and modern. It goes round the world unwrapping sweets from different countries and cultures and it examines how immigrants from all nations have changed our own sweet world.

Discover the real story behind Disney’s latest blockbuster adaptation The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and the iconic Nutcracker Christmas ballet, as told by Alexandre Dumas ‘How could you imagine, silly child, that this toy, which is made of cloth and wood, could possibly be alive?’ The nutcracker doll that mysterious Godfather Drosselmeyer gives to little Marie for Christmas is no ordinary toy. On Christmas Eve, as the clocks strike midnight, Marie watches as the Nutcracker and her entire cabinet of playthings come to life and boldly do battle against the evil Mouse King and his armies. But this is only the start of the tale. Read on for enchantment and transformation; enter a world by turns fantastical and sinister, a kingdom of dolls and spun-sugar palaces, and learn the true history of the brave little Nutcracker.

“A suspenseful, multilayered tale of how the sparks of revolution are kindled, and of those who strive to ignite them.”—Cassandra Clare, #1 New York Times bestselling author As a kingdom descends into darkness and new alliances are forged under fire, a battle begins over a prophecy that will change the course of history in this much-anticipated stand-alone prequel to the bestselling Queen of the Tearling trilogy. The Tearling, founded as a utopia, has collapsed and reverted to feudalism. As the gap between rich and poor widens and famine threatens the land, rumors of a prophecy begin to spread: a great hope, a True Queen who will ascend and save the kingdom. But rumors will not help Lazarus, a boy on the verge of manhood, trapped in the clandestine underworld known as the Creche. Enlisted from his earliest days to kill without mercy, he has never seen sun or sky, not until a quest for vengeance propels him aboveground. There he finds a calling amid a royal court rife with intrigue and danger, where he meets Niya, Princess Elyssa’s handmaid, who is not who she appears to be and whose true identity will spell death if revealed. With a righteous rebellion gathering inside her kingdom, Princess Elyssa finds herself torn between duty to the throne and her growing loyalty to the Blue Horizon, a group of fierce idealists who promise radical change. Elyssa must choose quickly, for threats beset her on all sides, and the powers wielded by an uncanny seer and her shadowy master are preparing to decide the Princess’s fate for her. It is only a matter of time before Lazarus, Niya, and Elyssa will be called into the service of something greater than they have ever imagined: the fight for a better world.

"Told with brains and heart" —Michelle Gable, New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment "Bristles with charm and curiosity" —Winston Groom, New York Times bestselling author of Forrest Gump "A wholly original and superbly crafted work of art, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is a masterpiece of the imagination." —Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times bestselling author of The Life List and Sweet Forgiveness "Charlotte's Web for grown-ups who, like Weylyn Grey, have their own stories of being different, feared, brave, and loved." —Mo Daviau, author of Every Anxious Wave Ruth Emmie Lang teaches us how to find magic in the ordinary in her magical realism debut Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance. Orphaned, raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin, Weylyn Grey knew he wasn’t like other people. But when he single-handedly stopped that tornado on a stormy Christmas day in Oklahoma, he realized just how different he actually was. As amazing as these powers may appear, they tend to manifest themselves at inopportune times and places, jeopardizing not only his own life, but the life of Mary, the woman he loves. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird. Although he doesn’t stay in any of their lives for long, he leaves each of them with a story to tell: great storms that evaporate into thin air; fireflies that make phosphorescent honey; a house filled with spider webs and the strange man who inhabits it. There is one story, however, that Weylyn wishes he could change: his own. But first he has to muster enough courage to knock on Mary’s front door.