The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair: The perfect illustrated children’s fantasy adventure

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I gave The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair 5 stars and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I dearly hope it will turn into a series because I really want to continue reading about these characters whom I fell in love with. The narration is in the third person focusing on Thomasina's point of view. This helps the reader separate from the more challenging parts of the story, whereas the first person may have been just too personal and close to them. It also allows for a much broader understanding of the time and what it meant for different members of that society. The year is 1683, and the River Thames is transformed almost over night by the Great Frost which sees what is usually a route for trade, become something all the more magical, wondrous and perhaps with more than a hint of bite to the ice…. While I won't say that Thomasina was one of my favourite MG characters, I do think she's realistically flawed and she's a teenager who has to process her trauma and loss alone while taking care of herself, her parents, and the family business, so maybe it's okay that she doesn't always make the best decisions and gets a bit snappish at times. I don't think I connected with her character, or tbh with any of the other characters, as much as I hoped to but I could still root for her to solve the mystery of the Frost Folk and Father Winter, and to find happiness in whatever form that'd take. She does grow considerably throughout the story and she slowly comes to accept that despite her wish not coming true, there's a way forward towards healing and letting go of the guilt and grief that the family have been hanging on to.

This is such a brilliant book and what happens is so interesting. Thomasina’s family have never been able to get over the grief of losing Arthur and Thomasina finds herself talking to him everyday while her father hardly ever speaks to her except to tell her what to do, and her mother is so consumed by her grief that she’s moved into the attic room with Thomasina, never leaving the bed. Thomasina does her best to try and help her family with the business, even more so when a Frost Fair is set up on the frozen river Thames and she and her dad set up a stall there to sell gingerbread and other sweet treats. 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. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... Anne and Thomasina are such a powerful duo; together they are strong, brave, and very smart, even coming up with their own business idea to combine both of their talents! I kind of got some Anna and Elsa vibes from this (together with the wintry theme overall), and while I’m not the biggest fan of the movie Frozen, I did love this book a lot! The descriptions of this fantastical night-time spectacle are so richly imaginative; I particularly loved the Frost Beasts who only accept Thomasina's presence there on special terms. However, as captivating as it may be, there's a creeping sense of foreboding and this is a rather chilling book, in more ways than one. It's not just a tale about the impossible though, and as with all the best stories, there are more relatable subjects examined here too.The book's winter cold setting contrasts the warm, heartfelt message of this story. It's like a warm hug on a cold day. A winter-ful debut novel. Alex’s intricate, magical illustrations perfectly replicate Natasha’s sensitive story. There’s movement and depth in every stroke, adding grace laced with a smattering of magic as the story embraces sorrow and hope with plenty of action and emotion along the way. I reviewed this book as part of GeekDis 2022 an event discussing disability representation in pop culture from the perspective of the disabled and neurodivergent community. It is a challenging and poignant reading experience, even for an adult like me. Still, it is also so beautiful and impactful that it will resonate with me for a long time. The writing took my breath away, as did the world-building. The details pull you in and make everything easy to visualize and immerse yourself in. There are other instances as well but to keep my review as short as I can, I'm just going to highlight these two. My point, though, is that these small details definitely add up over time and there's only so much disbelief I can suspend in one story.

This is a story that is surrounded by magic and is so atmospheric with the cold and frozen Thames coming across perfectly making you shiver and requiring a nice fluffy blanket and a hot beverage whilst reading. 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. 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."

By Author / Illustrator

Despite the nice things though, there are also tragic and very sad elements to this story – as well as some very dark fantastical elements which is why, despite the rather fun and colourful looking cover, I wouldn’t recommend this book to too young readers. 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. Firstly, I have to say it’s a stunning book in terms of design. I love the cover design, but the interior design is charming, from the font and wintery ornamentation for the chapter headers, to the fantastic illustrations throughout the book. Alex T. Smith’s artwork really brings the characters and moments to life, and I particularly loved the illustration of Inigo.