'Wrap up warm and don't go out...'
For me, Christmas means a host of traditions: putting up the tree, the smell of sausage meat stuffing cooking before the big day, wrapping presents and eating far too many chocolates. However, over the past few years, it has also become tradition for me to read the next in the Pinch of Magic series (I have a vivid memory of queueing up outside M&S for my turkey this time last year and reading A Tangle of Spells whilst I waited outside the store!). This last tradition is something I could happily continue every year (she says, smiling very sweetly at Michelle in the hopes there will be plenty more in the series!) and one I am happy to say I have been able to partake in again this year with the fourth book in the series.
A Storm of Sisters sees the girls (Fliss, Betty and Charlie) accompany their granny up north to the snowy town of Wilderness to help look after Cousin Clarissa who has broken her ankle. However, when they arrive unannounced, they discover that Clarissa doesn't have the space for them all to stay so the girls are shipped off down Chill Hill to Echo Hall where Clarissa assures them they will be given a room. Full of excitement at the thought of being on their own, coupled with thoughts of the winter market, a frozen lake and the possibility of a masked ball, the girls set off and meet Mrs Chambers who assigns them room 6, which isn't quite what they expected: the beds aren't made and there are no fresh towels but they decide it must have just been because the maid they saw leaving the room was too busy. As they settle in, they quickly learn more about the tales of Jack Frost the highwayman and of the ghostly sightings in the hotel. But when those ghostly sightings become all too real for the girls, they begin to realise that there may be more to the legends than they first thought, and that their family might be in danger.
I am and always will be a big fan of Michelle Harrison's books but I have a particular fondness of the Pinch of Magic series which I feel just gets better with every book, and A Storm of Sisters is no exception. The wintery setting of the small town of Wilderness, with its frozen lake and blizzards, coupled with the atmosphere the girls experience in the hotel, instantly create a mysterious tone to the book. However, there is more to it than in previous books as there is an added ghostly to feel to everything: icy blasts that seem to come from nowhere, clothes being messed-up and fresh flowers dying within a day... there's a positively spooky air that made me glad I was wrapped up under a blanket with a cushion to hug! (In fact, I went into the spare bedroom last night and the lightbulb blew - really made me jump as I had only just put the book down for the night!). This adds an extra element to things and kept me hooked.
Returning to be with the Widdershins sisters always feels like being back with old friends, and, once again, it's Betty who takes the lead, her curiosity sparked from the moment they arrive at Echo Hall. Her determination shines through, even in the darkest of times but her love for her family is the strongest things of all. We see Fliss' desire to find love and, although Charlie is clearly growing up, it was still lovely to see some of her unique phrases still slipping in ('I haven't got a very good remembery.')
A Storm of Sisters is a storming triumph of a book: all of the usual Widdershins excitement with an added sprinkle of spookiness mixed into the magic. Its tension will have you completely under its spell, but be warned: you may need a cushion to cuddle at times to keep you warm! The book is unputdownable but has left me with a huge desire to find a winter market to wander around (although I think I'll give any frozen lakes a wide berth for a while!). I can't wait for everyone else to read this as I know they will love it! My only question now is: what's install next for the Widdershins?
A Storm of Sisters is due for release on the 3rd February.
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