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. The other area where this book truly excels, and where it took me by surprise with the sheer amount of impact is that this story as full of magic and wonder and whimsy as it is, is also a complex, emotional exploration of grief and guilt, and how that experience can differ from person to person and how it can feed into other issues. Even from reading the blurb I hadn’t expected such a serious topic to be so central to the story, but I loved that it was, and I think it’s why this book will appeal to readers beyond the target middle grade audience. It’s also fantastic to see these topics being brought up for younger readers, and in such a way that it isn’t overwhelming and is balanced with warmth and understanding and acceptance.

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. Life and health willing I’m sure I could easily have read this in a single sitting. I also loved how it ended and how wholesome and heart-warming it was when everything came together.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.

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. 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. 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.Absolutely stunning . . . Real emotional depth alongside a fast-paced plot. Fantastic’ A F Steadman 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. 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. It isn’t unusual for authors to be inspired by their own experiences. For Natasha Hastings, writing as a means of escaping a traumatic period of hospitalisation not only encouraged her to be brave, but began a career that will surely establish her as a legendary storyteller.

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads. Special thanks to HarperCollinsChildren's Books for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book opens on a sad note with Thomasina’s twin brother dying. We then move forward a few years and see how life has dramatically changed for the young girl after his death, with her mother unable to speak or leave her bed and her father hardly saying more than a grunt, plus now Thomasina is needed to help out with the family’s sweetshop. 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. If you are looking for a magical tale to keep you warm and entertained this winter season, The Miraculous Sweetmakers is the book for you!Plus he is also so independent. Does his parents/caretakers really have that much trust towards him? We don't know, and I feel like we're supposed to just accept and move along. Natasha Hastings was selected to join The London Library’s Emerging Writers Programme in 2019. Currently working as a fundraiser, she started developing The Frost Fair while studying History at Cambridge University, where she focused on gender and mental illness. She became determined, while exploring these topics, to have the lives of working women form the heartbeat of The Frost Fair. 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. 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? The Miraculous Sweetmakers#1: The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings is a beautifully told historical fiction story set in the late 1600s, intended for the middle-grade reader.