Book Review
Title: The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical
Rating: DNF
I didn’t really know anything about Kingdom of Back despite it being on my TBR and shelf for years other than it is a historical fantasy about the sister of Wolfgang Mozart which was intriguing. The opening of Kingdom of Back was intriguing and magically blend the historical fiction and fantasy genres and I hope that continues throughout. We are introduced to Nannerl Mozart, the older sister of Wolfgang, she is being trained to play music by her father in the hopes of raising their family’s status but when her chance comes she fails because she is distracted by her brother. Nannerl ends up making a wish that night to be remembered for her music which leads to a dream about the Kingdom of Back. She soon forgets about the magic land but after she realises that her brother has the same talent for playing that she does but has perfect pitch to go with she remembers the music from the Kingdom of Back. That night she is telling her brother a story about this land when the boy from her dreams appears and takes her music book asking her to meet him the next night to return it and we know from a little earlier he will help her if she helps him but deals with the fae aren’t always good.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Nannerl is beginning to realise the extent of her brother’s talent especially when he proves he can almost instantly memorise long pieces of music and take to almost any instrument straight away. Despite her love for her brother, Nannerl can’t help the envy and anger she feels towards her brother. After the boy took her notebook she needs to get it back and is drawn into the Kingdom of Back where she learns his name is Hyacinth and he is a Prince and wants her help in reclaiming his throne. This screams a deal with the fae to me and this becomes clear once they receive word that both Nannerl and Wolfgang are to perform for the Emperor and Empress in Vienna. On the journey there, the carriage loses a wheel and Wolfgang is slightly injured in the process and Nannerl is beginning to question what Hyacinth wants with her but is constantly drawn back by the music. One day in Vienna she realises how much of her future hangs on this performance and the magic Hyacinth put into her notebook compels her to write her own composition, a world women are barred from in this time. Wolfgang learns of the piece claiming the notebook is singing to him but Nannerl begs him to keep it a secret and he promises but I have a feeling something is going to happen that is going to jump start the true story soon.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Nannerl and Wolfgang prepare to play for the royals and Nannerl is extremely nervous haunted by her earlier failure, however, Hyacinth is there to help. It was interesting to note that Nannerl is telling this story in the future as she makes comments about future events like how the Empress’ daughter goes on to become Marie Antoinette when she couldn’t know that. Hyacinth helps Nannerl play to a level she has never reached before and shoots their family into the immediate circle of the royals and makes them well known among the general population but this does mean he is calling in on her promise to help him. After returning home, he lures both Nannerl and Wolfgang into the Kingdom of Back and asks them to retrieve a night flower from an underwater cave where the Queen of Night is bound. He claims she is a witch and wants to use them for evil things but Nannerl experienced the magical music around her stronger than it ever was with Hyacinth and while the Queen does scare Nannerl she is beginning to question Hyacinth’s motives.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Nannerl and Wolfgang are beginning to grow older but Nannerl is noticing it more than her brother. She feels her eighteenth birthday sneaking up on her and knowing that her time performing for the public is drawing to a close especially when she begins puberty. Meanwhile, she is taken once more into the Kingdom of Back to perform a second task for Hyacinth but she is questioning him more and more. After retrieving a sword from a ogre, she realises that despite Hyacinth claiming it was a hunter and ate people, the creature seemed nothing like that in reality and I am beginning to believe with certainty that Hyacinth is actually the villain of the story and he has tricked Nannerl into helping him.
At the halfway mark I decided to DNF this book, purely because I was really bored. While I loved the setting and characters, the only time things seem to happen is when they are in the Kingdom of Back and that seems to be rarely at the moment. This coupled with the fact I don’t tend to do well with historical fiction led to this decision and it makes sense considering the reasons I put off reading it for so long. I will give the Warcross duology a chance in the future but for now it seems that Marie Lu isn’t an author I really enjoy right now.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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