BOOK BITE
A powerful MG debut about a sinister magical frost fair, the pain of bereavement, entrepreneurship and the enduring power of friendship.
BOOK HAIKU
Fragile family
frozen in icicled grief
in deadly danger.
BLURB
It’s a cold winter during the Great Frost of 1683. Thomasina and Anne are the best of friends, one running her father’s sweet shop and the other the apprentice at the family apothecary – together they sell their goods on the frozen River Thames. When a family tragedy turns Thomasina’s world upside down, she is drawn to a mysterious conjuror and the enchanted frost fair.
But soon the world of Father Winter threatens to claim everything she holds dear. Will they be able to solve the magical mysteries that surround them . . . ?
BOOK TASTER
“As curious as the breath before song. As strange as the glimmer of moonlight on water…”
Extract from THE Miraculous SWEETMAKERS: THE FROST FAIR
BOOK BLOGGERS- SPOTLIGHT FROM READ TO RAMBLE
“The writing was beautiful and very fluid, giving the story a whimsical and cosy feel, which made me not want to put it down at all.”
https://readtoramble.com/book-review-ultimateblogtour-the-miraculous-sweetmakers-the-frost-fair-by-natasha-hastings/
“The Miraculous Sweetmakers is a gloriously beautiful and deep foray into the world of Fae under the guise of a dark night of the soul…”
https://lilyandthefae.wordpress.com/
“It has a fast-paced storyline which is gripping, atmospheric and very exciting and the quality of writing within this story is just sublime.”
https://emmasuffield.wordpress.com/2022/09/21/the-miraculous-sweetmakers-the-frost-fair-by-natasha-hastings/#more-1986
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY
‘Spooky and haunting – what struck me most about this historical fiction/fantasy story for children was the high quality of the writing’
Philippa Gregory, bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl
“This is a strange beast, all told – a well-wrought fantasy for a debut novel, but one that managed to engage and confound in almost equal measure. There is some good craft about this distinctive read, with a most unusual blend of dark, body-snatching PG horror with something of The Snow Queen.”
John Lloyd at The Book Bag
‘A gripping, atmospheric, fantastical tale of atonement’
Kirkus Magazine (USA)
“A gloriously told, wonderfully wintry debut, Hastings’ beautifully evocative historical novel is set during the Great Frost of 1683 and revolves around two girls drawn into the sinister world of a mysterious conjuror.”
Waterstones
Five Facts About the Author
- Studied History at Cambridge University.
- Special interests include the lives of working women and their experiences of mental illness.
- Wrote most of ‘The Frost Fair’ while travelling on the bus to work
- Enjoys cookery and concocting new recipes
- A fan of cats
Five Fun Facts About the Illustrator
- Alex owns “two very tiny, very naughty chihuahuas (Coco and Mr. Bongo) and an ancient and very bossy Yorkshire Terrier – Lucy Locket.”
- Had a dream of being an illustrator since the age of 5
- Graduated with a 1st Class Hons degree in Illustration in 2006, winning second place in the Macmillan Prize for Children’s Picture Book Illustration in his final year
- Creator of the Claude series
- Enjoys doodling in his sketchbook, reading, people watching and eavesdropping.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GENRE: MG Historical Fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780008496050
Number of pages: 448
Big thanks to @The_WriteReads/@WriteReadsTours) (@HarperCollinsCh) (@tashajhastings) for including Good Night To Read in their blog tour for this intriguing MG fantasy with Gothic style undertones. #TheMiraculousSweetmakers #TheFrostFair #TheWriteReads.
Good Night To Read Review to follow.
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