The Kingdom of Back is a beautifully told historical fantasy (Is this what we mean by magical realism today?) inspired by Nannerl Mozart, Wolfgang’s older sister. Their father teaches Nannerl the piano and she becomes known in her own right as a musical prodigy but is eventually joined and somewhat eclipsed by her younger brother. Nannerl knows that her success is bounded by being a woman of her time and that when she grows up her musical days will be over. The siblings play and compose together, but Nannerl yearns for the immortality of being remembered. What begins as a bedtime story, turns into a beautiful magical world that breaks into the real world and gives Nannerl a chance for everything she wishes, but she must ultimately face herself and choose what’s most important - her ambition or her brother.

This is part fairy tale, part a coming of age tale of confronting our deepest desires and the importance of family and love. The world is beautifully crafted, combining the magic of Peter Pan with some the whimsy of Alice, all written in elegant, magical prose reminiscent of Naomi Novik, Catherynne Valente, Erin Morgenstern, and Alix Harrow.

Throughout you find wonderful musical easter eggs that make you want to learn more about Mozart and speculate upon his inspirations. The magic, like most in most fairy tales, is not all explained, it simply is, and the story is more magical for it.

I will say that this story ended up being a little creepier than I expected, and there’s a rather disturbing (but not super graphic) scene near the end, so if that bothers you, be warned. There were a couple places where I felt like Lu overexplained a little bit, and I thought the subtext and suggestions made things clear enough without having to state things right out. But most of the story was so well crafted, and I would definitely read The Kingdom of Back again.