Being half German, I've grown up on the Scandinavian folk and fairytales and love them. The Kingdom of Back isn't a fairytale retelling but a completely original story based on the real Mozart siblings. I find that a lot more interesting than the usual fairytale retellings that are so popular. The cover art is pretty and completes the Scandinavian fairytale vibes within the story.

The characters are interesting and keep you guessing the whole book. Little Wolfgang's pure heart would make anyone melt. His relationship with his sister Nannerl is so sweet it'll make your teeth hurt. Their father made me really mad many times though. My heart ached for Nannerl. Her father was so awful toward her and doted on Wolfgang. He constantly reminded her that she was a girl and couldn't compose music. Her father was so controlling that if he even had a little suspicion that she was composing music there would be hell to pay. Little Wolfgang encouraged her to write anyway and would leave the ink, quill, and lose leaf paper where she could use it when their father wasn't around. Wolfgang had savant skills for composing music and playing any instrument he touched. As he grew up, their father paid special attention to him and set up concerts with Wolfgang as the star and Nannerl barely mentioned.

All Nannerl wanted was to compose beautiful music and her greatest fear was to be forgotten. Society's oppressive attitude toward women caused Nannerl to make a deal with a powerful creature that would make her work famous. Instead, her world gets turned upside down as the creature drains the life from Wolfgang by giving him an illness. Horrified, Nannerl realizes the creature is killing her little brother to make way for her to be the one in the spotlight instead of Wolfgang. She had naturally felt jealousy toward her brother because he was doted on for playing the same music she could with the difference being that he was a boy. The love for her brother is stronger and she does anything it takes to save him, not caring anymore if anyone will remember her.

I can't imagine what it would be like to listen to the Mozart children perform. When I was a dorky high schooler all I listened to was classical music. No boy bands for me, just old men that have been dead for over 100+ years. There's a certain magic in classical music that you won't find in music today. Fantasy and fairytales just feel like they should be paired with classical music. It may be because a lot of those type stories and music were written around the same time period and in Europe.

I really liked this as an audiobook. It was a quick listen for me but there is a lot of magic packed in it and somehow it never felt rushed to me. The Kingdom of Back is a clean historical fantasy that anyone can read or listen to. Happy reading! 📚