The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

 Book: The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Rating: 4 Stars

Reader: Yasmin, Grade 12

 

The Kingdom of Back is a story unlike any I’ve seen before, with a unique meld of historical and fantasy elements and a unique setting with its own mystery and magic attached to it. This story is a historical fantasy set in Austria during the childhood of the renowned pianist Amadeus Mozart. However, the book takes an unexpected turn and focuses on his older sister and her own adventures and struggles as a musician, with a magical twist. Nannerl is also a musical prodigy, yet when her brother begins to show signs of genius, she is cast aside by both her father and the world. From this springs her desire to be remembered by history forever. However, society forbids Nannerl from composing her own songs,a ‘man’s practice’. Nannerl finds herself entangled with a mysterious prince from a mystical world, and she makes a deal with the prince: in exchange for gifting her an otherworldly melody in her dreams and a chance at fame, the Prince asks for Nannerl’s help in reclaiming his kingdom- yet not everything is necessarily as it seems. Nannerl soon finds herself unsure who she can trust and how far she is willing to go to get what she wants. The overall premise of this story is intriguing, and the author seamlessly combines historical events with vivid descriptions of fantasy elements. One shortcoming was that certain events at times felt illogical or needed further explanation in order to fully make sense in the context of the story. However, this didn’t hold the book back from being impactful, especially with its satisfying ending. I would highly recommend this book