I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

I don’t read a lot of books aimed at this age bracket, but this one was fantastic and absolutely suitable for adults as well as middle grade readers.

I loved the blending of fantasy and reality in this novel. We have a good exploration of folklore along with broader magical themes. An awful lot of set up and magic system is packed into quite a short space. We have a teenager who must go on a quest to seek out her sister who becomes lost in a strange event on the winter solstice, all whilst trying to balance her normal life.

This isn’t particularly scary but it has some darker elements. The characters do seem in real peril at times and have to make difficult choices. It’s hard to know who to trust at times and they’ve working off of limited information. There is a menace growing in power as they go through the book and there is a real race against time. This was exciting, magical and a great read!

Oh how I do love a Liz Hyder book. And I love kids/YA books. And fantasy books. So this had everything going for it.

It's so atmospheric and dreamy and surreal. It's fantasy but also adventure, fairy tale, thriller, and slight age-appropriate horror.

I loved the relationship between Kit and Libby. Brothers and sisters don't always have the best relationship, in real life or in stories, they fight, they argue. I imagine most siblings have experienced that king of thing, and it's only when looking back you realise there were good times, and no matter how annoying you found them, you did love them. And that's what I enjoyed in this book. There is clearly this irritating childhood sibling feeling about it, but it also explored that deeper love.

I also loved the friendship between Kit and Story. They're affectionate to each other, hugging and crying, showing their emotions etc. but they never feel uncool or less like boys because of it, and I think it's important for younger male readers to see that.

There are definitely elements of The Chronicles of Narnia about it, and also the Magic Faraway Tree series, but it also has this darkness that often underpins kids stories. It gives magic with an edge.

There are a few illustrations and whilst I didn't get the best view of them in my early digital copy, I think they've got great promise and I did see a sneak peak of the finished article and they really shine.

There is such a clear sense of space Liz has created. From the freshly fallen snow to the stormy clouds, the shadowy trees and the small village. You're really there and it helps add to the atmosphere.

I think it would appeal to children and adults. It's very easy and quick to read, I read it in a couple of hours. It's fun and spooky enough to get kids exciting but with enough story for adults to really enjoy it.

I mean, it is finished and it's concluded very nicely. But I do wonder, possibly, if a sequel or something within the world will appear one day. There's definitely scope.

Atmospheric time-shift fantasy adventure with beautiful descriptive writing and genuinely scary moments. Young teen/older MG only because of a bit of love interest that might repel younger readers (rather than being unsuitable, it’s very chaste). Great addition to the fantasy offering in any Library.

I made it about halfway through this one before I gave up. I never like to give up on books but I just wasn't interested at all.
The concept was interesting, though nothing new. But sometimes you get some really good stories out of it.
In this case...I was just so bored. The characters had little going for them, the story was dragging on. Even though the main event of the sister going missing happens almost right away, halfway through, almost nothing had happened to start finding her, other than talking a lot about needing to find her.
I decided that I just wasn't interested and decided not to waste any more time.

It was such a wonderful read that I decided to start it before bed, which was a mistake because I just couldn't put it down and now it is 3 a.m., this is how much I enjoyed it. I really like this kind of YA, not the overly complicated ones that seem to be all over the market in recent years. The way it read to me was like watching a Netflix limited series in my head. I loved the pacing as well. There were explanations about things that I felt were not needed, but apart from that, nothing felt prolonged or rushed.




------ Spolers -----
Adventure, some folklore and magic, a bit of YA live, and a pinch of romance make a recipe a pretty good book. I was pleasantly surprised by the 'romance' between Kit and Story because I didn't feel like it was forced down my throat, and although it has important impacts, it doesn't overtake the story. I am really not into romancy and romance in general, and sadly (for me) mist YA books have it quite predominantly.
The end also felt great to me, at one point I qas afrait that the 11 will do something, and Story will become one of them, but at the same time still get to be a boy and be with Kit, so I was thrilled when that didn't happen.

A fun and interesting YA novel for younger teens. Certainly one to suggest for KS3 to engage more reluctant readers. An interesting plot and great characters.

This was cute, adventurous and cosy and would appeal to young or old readers who like good old fashioned kids adventure books. Well written with good characters and plot this was a lot of fun