The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Two siblings. Two brilliant talents. But only one Mozart.

Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish--to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she'll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age--her tyrannical father has made that much clear.

And as Nannerl's hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true--but his help may cost her everything.

In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically-told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

If someone had told that I needed a Mozart fantasy historical retelling in my life I'd probably say something intelligent like “ What? Uuhh sure? But why?” And then promptly forget about it because mom brain. So I'm very grateful for 1. The books beautiful cover. 2. The chance to read the First Look on Bookish First that led me to quickly using my points to secure this ARC.
It's my first Marie Lu book (sad, I know), but it certainly won't be my last.
The story was magical but real ( I guess that's where the historical fiction part comes in). Nannerl is a very talented musician with a time where a composing is forbidden for a female. So that means she'll perform until she gets married. She is very hard in herself and wants nothing more than to be really seen by her father and to be immortalized through her music. Insert her little brother, Wolfgang, who is now also showing major talent at a very young age and has the fortune of being a boy.
In between all of this we have Hyacinth and the Kindgom of Back. He comes from a magical land to offer Nannerl her greatest desire. Of course this comes with a price. And it absolutely will begin too.
I thought hard about not giving it four stars and perhaps 3.5 instead. But in the end I didn't. Even though at times the pacing seemed off and I wasn't too big a fan of the ending..it jumped 25 years and to be honest I was caught off guard and I really wanted to be in the Kingdom of Back more...I loved how original the story felt. I loved that Marie made me want to learn more about the real Nannerl. I loved her strength and passion for music but also her and Wolfgang's bond.

Mozart + the movie Labyrinth- David Bowie = The Kingdom of Back.

That was so beautifully written.Having been disappointed by the Warcross duology and [b:Rebel 42121526 Rebel (Legend, #4) Marie Lu https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557505626l/42121526.SY75.jpg 65927270], I picked up this book with low expectations, wondering if the magic of Marie Lu's writing is wearing off on me. But I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is. It has the perfect blend of fantasy and reality, while staying faithful to history and also portraying the hardships a woman had to endure at the time. Nannerl is a fantastic lead with a lot of contradicting emotions, making her very realistically human. The book makes it clear at the beginning that this is her story, and it definitely delivers in that sense since the story really does put its main focus on her all the way to the end.My only complaint is about Nannerl's love interest Johann, who really doesn't make enough appearance to establish relevance. Like, what is the purpose of his character? Is he the Johann Baptist Franz von Berchtold zu Sonnenburg who became Nannerl's future husband? I doubt they're the same person but if he is, I wish the book explained his identity properly because it feels like he only appeared to add spice to Nannerl's adolescence and then disappeared just like that.But anyway.Marie Lu should write more fantasy.