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Claire Legrand

Claire Legrand

New York Times bestselling author of darkly magical books

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Winterspell

March 2, 2014 by

Winterspell

Release Date: September 30, 2014

The clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince…but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.

New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor’s ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother’s murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.

Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.

Her home is destroyed, her father abducted—by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they’re to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets—and a need she can’t define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won’t leave Cane unscathed—if she leaves at all.

Inspired by The Nutcracker, Winterspell is a dark, timeless fairy tale about love and war, longing and loneliness, and a girl who must learn to live without fear.

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A bounty of lust, gore, and moral dilemmas, [Winterspell] is sure to please fans of dark fairy tales.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

In this unique retelling of The Nutcracker, the author weaves the original story and characters together seamlessly with a rich setting and spins a romantic and dark new tale.

School Library Journal

What a mesmerizing whirlwind of a story! I was simultaneously horrified and enchanted by the land of Cane, with all its passion and mysteries, magic and mechaniks. Claire Legrand’s writing has the grace of a ballet, but this is definitely not your grandmother’s Nutcracker tale.

Marissa Meyer
New York Times bestselling author of Cinder

The story of The Nutcracker receives a sinister steampunk twist in an engrossing retelling. Legrand’s story is rich in fantastical realism…

Publishers Weekly
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PRAISE

In this unique retelling of The Nutcracker, the author weaves the original story and characters together seamlessly with a rich setting and spins a romantic and dark new tale.

School Library Journal

The story of The Nutcracker receives a sinister steampunk twist in an engrossing retelling. Legrand’s story is rich in fantastical realism…

Publishers Weekly

[Legrand]’s fantasy epic is stuffed with enough thrilling battles, simmering romantic tension, and dramatic pacing to keep readers on the hook.

Booklist Online

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Summerfall

If you’ve read Winterspell and wonder what happens first, please enjoy the prequel, Summerfall.

Homecoming

If you’ve read Winterspell and wonder what happens next, please enjoy this free epilogue.

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