The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings
Age Group: Middle Grade
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Black Characters, Mental Health Representation, OwnVoices Representation, British Authors, Disabled and Neurodivergent Authors, Christmas, Coming of Age, Chronic Illness, Mental Health, Diverse Representation, Magic Users, Historical Fantasy, Victorian History, Illusion Magic, Various Magic, London
Series: The Miraculous Sweetmakers #1
My Rating:
Published on: 27th October 2022
Pages: 448
Disability Representation: Asthma, Grief, Mental Health
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones / BookBeat Audio
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The Great Frost of 1683 has London in its icy grip.

Thomasina and her best friend Anne sell sweets on the frozen Thames, amid rumours of the magical Frost Fair that awakens there at night. They say if you can find the fair, Father Winter himself will grant you any wish.

And Thomasina has an impossible wish: the return of her twin brother, Arthur.

But once they discover Father Winter’s kingdom, Thomasina and Anne quickly realize the Frost Fair is not what it seems – and that some wishes never come for free.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings came to my attention on Twitter when I saw Hastings talking about her debut novel and writing a book with asthma representation. I was finally diagnosed with asthma when I was ten after years of struggling with respiratory issues. Since then, the only representation I’ve seen in pop culture is people having asthma attacks, with them desperately grabbing for their inhaler (usually during a dramatic moment). The day-to-day moments of living with asthma are rarely ever shown, and until reading The Frost Fair, I had not come across a protagonist with asthma. 

Using her own lived-in experience, Hastings has created a story about a young girl, Thomasina, who lost her twin brother, Arthur, to an asthma attack one cold winter when they were out playing. She urges him on, telling him to keep running, not realising that the wheezing in his chest has become dangerous. The wheeze is something they were both born with, and at nine years old, she had no idea they both needed to be careful.

Arthur’s death affects Thomasina and her parents in different ways. She blames herself, her father becomes cold and distant, and her mother has a mental breakdown. When Thomasina is approached by a mysterious man who claims he can do magic and bring Arthur back from the dead within his talents, she’s not sure what to believe, even when he proves he can do magic by summoning monsters from beneath the frozen waters of the Thames. Gradually, she becomes swayed by her grief and the desire to see her parents back to how they were before his death.

All she has to do is go with the mysterious gentleman, Inigo, to visit a secret fair that is being hosted every night and give away some of her memories of Arthur, memories that she will get back when Arthur is returned to her. A small cost for what she will get in return, she decides. The Thames has frozen over, and during the day, a faire is being held on it, but at night, The Other Frost Fair is open only for special guests. At first, Thomasina is amazed by the grandeur and the magic, but she becomes wary of a strange figure called Father Winter, who seems to be changing every time she sees him.

As Thomasina continues to visit the Other Frost Fair, she helps her father sell their sweets and biscuits on the Thames Frost Fair, befriending Anne Hawke, a young woman who has just moved to London with her uncle to open an apothecary. Anne dreams of opening her own shop, and as their friendship grows, the girls develop a business plan which combines both their talents: Anne’s apothecary skills and knowledge of herbs and Thomasina’s sweet-making and baking. Together they make a range of medicinal sweets, which they receive permission from Thomasina’s father and Anne’s uncle to sell at the Frost Faire once their normal duties are done. Their sweets sell incredibly well, and they start to develop more products.

Eventually, Thomasina confides in Anne about Inigo, the Other Frost Fair, and her worries that something isn’t quite right about Father Winter. Their partnership becomes a trio when a mysterious young man appears out of nowhere and explains that he knows what is going on. Drawn into a mystery that goes back hundreds of years, the three youngsters fight ice monsters and terrifying odds to save all of London from a danger no one else sees coming.

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 for including it in a children’s book.

The Frost Fair is a lovely tale that tackles some difficult subjects and shows that while the loss of a loved one is difficult and grief is all-encompassing, there are people in our lives who will be there for us and support us. Even when things seem bleak and impossible, there is light and joy and new beginnings. That is the message of The Frost Fair, and it’s wrapped up in a beautiful story of magic and fantasy in the wintry London of the 17th Century. This is a perfect story for the whole family and will make a great gift this holiday season.

About Natasha Hastings

Natasha Hastings can usually be found with her head in a book or over a cooking pot. She wrote most of THE MIRACULOUS SWEETMAKERS & THE FROST FAIR on the bus to and from work, which would pass by the River Thames every day and leave her spellbound. In her spare time, she loves trying out new recipes, planning adventures, and attempting to make friends with any cat she meets. THE MIRACULOUS SWEETMAKERS & THE FROST FAIR is her first novel.

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Thank you for reading my review of The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings, the first book in The Miraculous Sweetmakers series! It is due out on November 1st 2022, and is available for pre-order from any of the links in this review.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my reviews if you’re looking for some more book recommendations 🙂 You can also now sign up for my newsletter to get an email each month with a list of my new reviews!

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