Nannerl Mozart loves music, playing her clavier (piano), and telling her little brother Wolfgang stories. Her father doesn’t approve of the fantastical stories their mother used to tell them when they were very young, so they became whispers before bedtime.

Now that Nannerl is the storyteller, one night she tells Wolfgang of a magical land where the trees are upside down with their roots in the air. There are deep pools below them which you must be wary of. Wolfgang asks who lives there, and they decide on a boy – a princeling! On many nights they return to this magical land in their imaginations, after her many hours of practising. Her stories grow more detailed, until they are part of her dreams – or is that where they came from in the first place?

Nannerl lives for her father’s favour and approval. He is her teacher, expecting her to practice every spare moment of every day – planning on her being responsible for changing their fortunes. But when Wolfgang asks for a turn on her Clavier, the results are astounding.

Their father is over-joyed at his prodigy children, and they are soon to perform for royalty. After being the sole musical focus of her father’s, she has fleeting moments of unease. Will Wolfgang’s exceptional ear and memory for music overshadow all her own work?

She makes a wish to herself – She doesn’t want to be forgotten. Even without being spoken, this wish is heard by someone – or is it something? The princeling of her dreams is now visiting her in her waking hours, transforming her room, or even outside, into his fairy Kingdom of Back. His name is Hyacinth and he vows to help her with her wish, if she will help him too.

Fame comes their way, and her father’s approval with it, just as Hyacinth promised. But soon he is back, needing Nannerl’s part in their bargain. As the years pass, Wolfgang’s music is cherished by their father and he organises his children’s performances all over the world, even as their health suffers. Or is it from the Princeling’s secret influence over their lives?

Hyacinth has grown too, and Nannerl isn’t sure about her wish any longer. If fact, she wishes she hadn’t made it at all. She must claim her life back and save Wolfgang’s too, but must come up against the Kingdom of Back and reveal the truth. Who really is Hyacinth?

Quick Review

A lush, beautifully written novel of music, history and fantasy, blossoming from the author’s interest in Mozart and her discovery of an older sibling who was as accomplished if not even more so than her soon to be famous brother. Child prodigies Nannerl Mozart and her little brother Wolfgang travelled the world performing. To keep themselves occupied, they would make up stories.

This has morphed into the land of The Kingdom of Back. This fantasy world is so lavishly described and elaborate, I could almost feel the soft, green moss growing beneath my feet, and the sting of the tiny jealous fairies on my skin. A beguiling boy Princeling called Hyacinth promises to fulfill a secret wish of Nannerl’s, but she is soon to learn at what cost. Stunning.

Author – Marie Lu

Age – 13+

More Titles by Marie Lu

(Fantasy, Music, Siblings, Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vienna, Travel, Practice, Composing, Secret, Promise, Deal, Bargain, Magic, Fairy Realm)