Genre: Fantasy Age Range: MG Star Rating: 4 stars Series: yes - book 4
*SPOILER ALERT: contains SPOILERS for A PINCH OF MAGIC, A SPRINKLE OF SORCERY, and A TANGLE OF SPELLS*
Synopsis:
When the Widdershins sisters and Granny are called away in deepest winter to look after cousin Clarissa, it doesn’t take long for adventure – or trouble – to find them.
The town of Wilderness has plenty to explore with its frozen lake and winter market, as well as being haunted by a doomed highwayman and his secret love. But the legends are true and seeing a ghostly figure one night, the girls realise that Granny is in terrible danger.
As an icy storm rages, the race to save her begins – can the sisters lay Wilderness’s ghosts to rest before another soul is claimed?
Synopsis taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
The Widdershins sisters’ fourth adventure is a icy, spooky one with ghosts haunting a mountain village, a snow storm, and a legend of a missing crystal ball.
I love a book that takes me to a new part of the world, and it works so well for this series. Each book is written pretty much as a standalone, so you can dive in at any point. There are a few references to previous adventures, but the plot is self-contained within this book.
A new location to explore really helps there, as the world building is new for everyone. It also means the mysteries of this new place doesn’t rely on understanding of the mysteries of others, making it easy to pick up regardless of which book you’re beginning with (and provides plenty of opportunities for new stories!)
The mystery at the heart of this book – what happened on that night and where is the crystal ball – is a literal cold case. The mystery is rooted in the past, as always, but this one felt a lot more immediate thanks to the frequent presence of ghosts – and the legend of death following. The ending is cleverly written so that, depending on whether you believed the ghosts were real or not, you were satisfied (though one way is certainly requires less mental gymnastics!)
Once more, there’s an old tale interspersed with the chapters narrating what’s happening, and I loved the twist in this one. It was very good and I did not see it coming – Michelle Harrison used my own expectations against me with masterful skill.
I have no idea if there will be another instalment – I though the previous book was the final one, after all! The ending is open enough for another book, given they’ve all been able to read as standalones so far. There’s also a cheeky little about how Betty expects it won’t be their final adventure right at the end, so fingers crossed…
Read my reviews of other books by Michelle Harrison:
The Widdershins Sisters (this series):
- A PINCH OF MAGIC (#1)
- A SPRINKLE OF SORCERY (#2)
- A TANGLE OF SPELLS (#3)
The Thirteen Treasures:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 
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