Her friendships give her hope, and the story does really get quite bleak so it’s good that she has Henry, Anne, and their business idea, to cling to. The characters are beautifully represented and the themes such as death, deception, mental illness, and asthma are handled with care and understanding. It is a touching story and will pull at your heartstrings. This is a book you will be invested in and one you won’t want to put down. An amazing and captivating, curl-up-on-the-sofa debut about a magical frost fair and the lasting power of friendship, perfect for fans of Tamzin Merchant, Abi Elphinstone and Anna James. Thomasina must turn to Anne, her best friend, to stop this mysterious conjurer from taking more than just her memories of her brother should she ever truly wish to unburden herself and be able to move on from her past. Will she succeed or will the siren song of the other Frost Fair and the possible reconciliation with her brother prove too alluring to resist? Oh wow do I feel guilty for this rating. The story is pretty good at first and I did enjoy my time initially. However, as the story progresses, the children's behaviours started feeling too grown-up for their age, which brought me out of the story multiple times and by the end I was just waiting for the story to be over.

Hastings has the wisdom to realise that young children are more than capable of dealing with nuance and what some might call a 'mature' theme of grief, in a way that is not heavy handed nor evasive, but in the language that everyone has always known - good story. Can you feel rhythm? It's poetic, almost song-like. I'd wager a serious sum of money that within this book there is a broader vocabulary (that never feels out of place or done for the sake of it) than in most adult fiction titles. Hasting's descriptions in particular carry with them an elegance and easy sophistication that should set young minds alight. Here's an early example of a passage early on, setting the scene, that I found myself almost humming: You don’t have to be the same as you always were. People change when things happen to them. It isn’t a bad thing.” 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.

Age range(s)

It’s an age-appropriate but haunting tale of love, loss, friendship and grief. It’s multi-layered, with some quite adult themes such as death, depression and mental illness, but it’s executed very well. The balance makes it an interesting read as well as being fun and entertaining.

As the story continues things begin to change after Thomasina’s visits the other frost fair and we find out more about this strange magical place and the dark and creepy atmosphere emitted by some of the Frost Folk and Father Winter. After the second time we see Father Winter I did guess what was happening with him and Thomasina but I didn’t know anything else about how this story would go and it was so brilliant and I like how weird and eerie everything is along with Inigo’s character who is more interesting the further you read on. The story starts off with an achingly heartbreaking scene and it was actually horrifying to watch it unfold. I have to admit it wasn't the best first impression I got about our main character but she's a child who never meant any harm—plus, she definitely carried the guilt with her for all the years to come. When we reunite with Thomasina and her parents in the present day of the story, we see a broken family who's torn apart by their loss and who are each lost to their debilitating grief. I found the plot unique in how it utilises grief and sadness as a weapon wielded by the villain of the story. I don't think I've read an MG fantasy where sadness sates evil's hunger, so that was definitely cool. Not surprisingly, during Natasha’s childhood, she was encouraged to read and cites the Narnia series and anything by Jacqueline Wilson (‘I like the way she writes stories around powerful, emotional themes’) as some of her favourite books. Perhaps her own stories will one day be as revered.

ISBN

As the story moves on a lot happens and Thomasina ends up discovering some truths about what is happening during her nightly visits to the other Frost Fair. I also like the friendships she develops, with two characters, especially Anne and what the two girls end up creating together which I wish there was more of in this story as I love the idea of medicinal sweet treats. Another aspect of this book which made it more interesting to read is the asthma Thomasina suffers from and how it affects her in the story too. It’s interesting to see and I like how this was incorporated into the story, as is the obvious effects of dealing with bereavement and grief and also guilt. On its surface, The Miraculous Sweetmakers is perhaps set apart by its setting - it's a magical tale set in a historic frosty London - where the river Thames has frozen over. This in itself is a unique location. But as book readers - both young and old - know all too well, a setting does not make a story!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review. (Publish Date: November 1, 2022) The Frost Fair was a great historical element to this book, but the Other Frost Fair was a great fantasy element to add to it. I really enjoyed reading about this Other Frost Fair, the Frost Folk and Frost Beasts, even though I had a bad feeling about Father Winter from the start. However, I did really like the character of Inigo in the end. Jerman said: "I fell in love with Natasha Hastings’story. With classic fantasy elements that nod to beloved favorites, an incredibly imaginative magic system based on sorrow and memories, a delightfully brave main character, and a fantastic setting, The Miraculous Sweetmakers will be a great addition to our HarperCollins Children’s Books list."

One of my favourite aspects of the book was the writing, which treads the balance of readability especially for a younger audience, but also indulging in some truly fantastic descriptive prose. Hastings has absolutely got her finger on the pulse of winter, and all the different elements that we associate with that time of year, and the atmosphere she manages to conjure as a result feels like stepping out a cold winter’s day and into the warmth and light of a Christmas shop, with all the colours and smells, and nostalgia that comes with it. The author also uses all the senses throughout this book, particularly when exploring the sweetmaking aspect, and it got to the point where I could practically taste the creations that Anne and Thomasina were coming up (and I certainly want to try them). This skill with the description was also evident with all the fantastical elements, and it made it so easy to imagine the Other Frost Fair and the tendrils that were twining around the real one and Thomasina’s life; and the imagery for the Frost Folk and Father Winter was spectacular.

The theme of friendship features quite heavily in this book. Thomasina meets and befriends Anne Hawke, a young girl who recently moved to London and works at an apothecary shop. Together they form a friendship by baking and selling goods at the markets by the frozen Thames festival. Both characters have their own charms and quirks and I loved seeing how their friendship blossomed amidst Thomasina's own personal troubles. It's a gentle reminder that it is never too late to meet new friends, and in most cases, new friends come into our lives for a reason.It’s the 1680s and health information is limited at best and asthma is not the only disability representation present in The Frost Fair. No one understands what is happening with Thomasina’s mother and neighbours band together to have her institutionalised. I applaud Hastings for such a well written storyline about mental health and including it in a children’s book.