Marie Lu: The Kingdom of Back | Lina
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes a historical YA fantasy about a musical prodigy and the dangerous lengths she'll go to make history remember her—perfect for fans of Susanna Clarke and The Hazel Wood.
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.
I have always been fascinated by historical what-ifs and untold stories, the fact that, ultimately, what we know of history is mainly because of stories that someone else has told, someone who might have wished to downplay or overplay or altogether change their own role in them. Stories that always come down to the point of view.
In The Kingdom of Back, Marie Lu explores one of those concepts—a story within a story about Mozart’s only surviving sister and the role she might have played in young composer’s life. It’s a story of fairytales and secret kingdoms, princelings and childhood fantasies, but also of a young girl desperately wishing for her story to be heard, for her work and talent to be acknowledged in a time in which women’s role in the society was minorized. Lu truly did a splendid job of portraying Nannerl’s inner struggles and her complicated relationship with her brother, as well as her passion for music and composing. What made it even more interesting for me is how much of what happened in the story are actual historical facts, that Nannerl—real Nannerl—herself told to the writer of Mozart’s—Woferl’s biography. All historical facts aligned, it seems as though there could be more to that story than first meets the eye, and while we might never know what truly transpired centuries ago, I think The Kingdom of Back is a worthy replacement.
My wish had not changed. It had only grown thorns. “I want what is mine,” I said. My talent. My work. The right to be remembered. The memory of me to exist.
This book reminded me how good of a fantasy writer Marie Lu actually is. She will always be my go-to writer when it comes to anything sci-fi/dystopian, but that kind of makes me forget how great her other works are as well. Her writing style is so simple and elegant, yet unassuming that you don’t even notice it weaving its web around you until it’s too late and you’re already way too deep in to go back. That’s what happened to me with this book, at least. One moment I was casually reading between chores and the next thing I knew, I read the whole second half of it in just one sitting. Not that the book is that long or anything (because it isn’t really), but after how long it took me to get to that point, I was kind of surprised to see how quickly I finished it. It didn’t start off as a page-turner for me—partly because I was otherwise preoccupied at the time and in a bit of a reading slump, and partly because the beginning it lacked that something for me—but it sure as hell ended as one.
The Kingdom of Back is a cute, fun read that’ll cheer you up and make you think about stuff, which I think is (was?) a perfect combo for these quarantine times. Besides, it’s too short for you to sleep on it ;)
“Just Mozart?”
“Yes. For both of us. We are both Mozart, are we not?”
“Yes. For both of us. We are both Mozart, are we not?”
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