Really cozy, wintery fantasy read - no real gripping or scary bits so would be a great read for someone who likes fantasy without the fear, or YA - due to this, it did occasionally feel immature, but was a pleasant read

This is a cosy, magical story about a mortal tea shop owner trying to find her mother and an in disguise fae prince finding a way to stand up to his father and protect the people and town he loves.

I liked the atmosphere of this book and would love to read more about the magical lore of the world it's set in. I think the pacing isn't quite right, and it means some elements of the story feel underdeveloped such as the romance between Elsie and Kit.

The story gave me the feeling of watching films like Barbie & The Nutcracker from when I was kid, it had a fun cast of characters and premise but I'd have liked to see elements of the story expanded more

Overall I enjoyed this tale, and would give the book 3/5 stars, recommending it to anyone looking for a light and wintry cosy feeling read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc of this book.

~Romance, Fantasy, Cozy, Magic, and more!~

Winterfrost Market by Jenny Sandiford is a cozy romance fantasy following Elsie, who helps run her family's traveling tea shop with her sister and Mother in the town of Winterfrost. After Elise's mom doesn't return from her journey to Midwinter Haven, a dangerous place rumored to be overrun with magical creatures, Elise is willing to do anything to get her back, even traveling there herself. With the help of Kit, a tracker who is strangely knowledgeable about the town of Midwinter Haven, Elsie makes the journey to find her mother. But all is not as it seems as Elsie realizes maybe the rumors aren't all true and, there is beauty to magic, and there may be more to her traveling companion Kit than meets the eye.

3.5| This was a cozy and quick read I finished in one sitting. The story itself was good, a quick read that grabs your attention and keeps you reading more. Though I didn't find the story super memorable I did have a good time reading it. This book would have been rated higher if it included a few things. I was desperate for more world-building. It seems like we are just placed into this world without explaining why things are run the way they are. I would have loved some more backstory to explain everything. I hope things are described in more detail throughout the series. Another significant point I wanted more of was Elsie's relationship with her mom. We got little to no backstory of their dynamic, so it was hard to connect with the characters. I'm not usually a fan of flashback scenes, but they would have significantly enhanced the story here. The story is fast-paced, but sadly, that came at the expense of depth. I enjoyed Kit and Elsie's dynamic so much, but I did wish we had gotten more scenes when they were traveling to Midwinter Haven. It seemed like a lot of that relationship-building was skipped.

My main qualm is Elsie's mom's explanation. It seemed like an afterthought. I wanted a more prolonged reason. It was far too rushed for my liking and didn't seem realistic. One aspect I loved was the description of the scenery. I love a good atmospheric book, and this is delivered in that aspect. This is a series, so I won't judge harshly, but I did want a better tie-up towards the end. I look forward to that explanation in the next book. I enjoyed Elsie's character; she was optimistic but not naive, which is hard to pull off. I loved her wonder in exploring this new world she was taught to fear. She was smart, and I was amused by her and Kit's witty back and forth. I also enjoyed Elsie's relationship with her sister and wished I had seen more of them together.

Overall, this was a cozy and fast read. It was interesting and fun to read. My issue is how one-dimensional the book felt. It seemed far too rushed at specific points. I enjoyed the characters and the descriptions, and I definitely look forward to the next book in the series. I just hope things are fleshed out more. I did enjoy the writing and the concept and am excited for more!

3.5 ⭐️ Such a fun, cozy, adventurous read!!

The plot centers around Elsie, whose mom goes on a quest to find a secret ingredient for their tea shop but doesn’t return home. Elsie, worried about her mother’s disappearance, sets off to find her, which leads her on an unexpected adventure. Along the way, she meets a mysterious man who later turns out to be a fae prince—though, at first, she doesn’t know that he’s fae, let alone a prince. This part of the story was really engaging, with a nice blend of mystery, adventure, and magic. Overall, I thought this book was great, I just felt at times it lost my attention. This is the perfect cozy read for when it's cold and your nice and warm with a blanket and hot cocoa.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

"A very sweet winter fantasy adventure. I think this story is perfect for fans of Emily Wilde who want something lighthearted and romantic to put them in a festive, wintery mood. This was just the read I needed after a rather heavy and scary book. Almost like a warm cup of tea to keep me reading."

Winterfrost Market is a cute & cozy fantasy romance that I really enjoyed. Elsie & Kit worked well together as a couple, & I really loved the addition of Peppermint the magic dog (who loves sausages). I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series / universe!

Many thanks to Jenny Sandiford, Velikor Publishing, & Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4 based off the genre.

I am thankful to have gotten the eARC for free from Netgalley and Velikor Publishing so I can leave my voluntary review.

This was a sweet and cozy book that reads like a YA book but is technically NA due to the age of the characters. It was definitely a fluffy palette cleanser type of book like a legends and latte feel.

I didn’t fully connect with the FMC and the MMC but that was a me problem. I did enjoy the adventure they went on and the magical land/ fluffy world building. I actually think if adjusted a bit this would make for a great middle grade book for our younger readers as it would be a good entry point to fantasy.

It comes out October 24th 2024. Grab it as it’ll make for a cozy winter read.
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This was so much more than I was expecting. It is cute, and sweet and perfectly embodies Cosy fantasy. I love the characters and I was excited for the love interest. I will definitely be watching this author in the future. Also the tea theme, loved it! 🥰


I will also post on fable (the fable app is experiencing difficulties today I’ll try tomorrow) and TikTok

A cosy, easy read.

Jenny Sandiford has created a drop of magic with this story, the world building is beautiful, and the writing is perfect.

I loved the tea making descriptions.

As promised, this was such a cozy read! It had the coziness and kindness of Legends and Lattes with the adventure and romance of Assistant to the Villain.

I loved the way Sandiford describes the simple act of tea making - it’s calming and grounding in the middle of a stressful situation. And I wish I could visit the world she created in real life. It all sounds so lovely and magical.

I am looking forward to future installments of this series. It’s a perfect book to cozy up with this winter while enjoying a hot drink and snuggled in a fuzzy blanket.

Thank you for the ARC!

Such a fun cozy winter read!

The Plot:
Elsie's mother has been missing for three weeks after she left on a search for a super secret tea ingredient. Last Elsie knew, her mother was headed to the magical Winterfrost Market. In efforts to find her, Elsie enlists the help of a tracker, Kit, and his dog, Pepper. Together they travel to Winterfrost and embark on a few more adventures as Elsie learns more about Kit and why her mother has gone missing.

I destroyed this book. Started and finished it in one day and I loved it. Elsie is a lovely sunshine character and her excited curiosity made me smile. And we all love a stoic counterpart. I appreciated the dual POV so we as the reader could see Kit's softer side through his love of birdwatching and his silent commentary on his travel partner.

The pacing of this book was spot on. The traveling scenes didn't draw out so we could keep the story moving. The scenes throughout the book were described well and I want to go to Winterfrost Market.

I really hope there is a book two. My only complaint (and I forced myself to come up with one) is that it could have been cozier. There was a strong overarching conflict throughout BUT if we get a second book (pretty please?) I could see a Legends & Lattes-esque feel to it.

Oh, one last thing, GORGEOUS cover. I want to cross stitch it and hang it on my wall.

3.5/5

This was a fun and cozy fantasy. And the festive and wintery atmosphere really emphasized the coziness of this fantasy book, even when stakes got higher. But I would definitely categorize this as a cozy fantasy.

I did find the dialogue to be really simple and clunky at times. The characters tended to only speak one sentence at a time and that feels unnatural to me. But that could just be because I am a yapper, but it still felt weird and stunted.

The characters were sweet and endearing, with hidden identities and a magical land rumored to be full of all sorts of magical fairytale creatures.

There's a fun little adventure and a very loveable group of side characters that really made this book enjoyable. I LOVE a good side character. Will forever be a sucker for a good side character.

This book was very cute and definitely meant to be read in the winter time, all cozy under a fuzzy blanket.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This was ok! It was a cute and quick read. It seems like a knockoff of the crescent room. Cover is a little generic.

That was ADORABLE. It's a perfect cozy read for the holiday season, with a soft romance and interesting (but not excessively complex) plot that kept me wanting to read. The worldbuilding and magic were interesting enough to keep me going but not excessively complex.

I read the whole thing in a couple of hours, and it feels like the kind of book that would be perfect to read while wearing a sweater and drinking hot cocoa or coffee and wrapped in a blanket.

This was adorable, and I'm absolutely going to be keeping an eye out for more great reads by this author - in this series specifically.

If you're looking for soft, cozy winter romantasy reads for winter/Christmas time, this is the PERFECT story.

A simple yet sweet cozy fantasy read. What I enjoyed most was the atmosphere of the book. I love anything related to winter so this was the perfect read for that! The descriptions of the food and snow were to die for. I loved the different magical creatures (ex: the tree sprites.) This was a slower paced quest story. My one nit pick with the writing was the use of some modern in language in a not very modern setting. In the beginning it says that Elsie’s town had “cozy vibes.” I just found the use of the word “vibes” odd for the book. Especially considering it seemed to be a time where they used a horse and carriage.

This is such a fun, cute and cozy read! I really liked the way the author described the scenery and characters. It was a light read, and it was adorable! I would definitely read more stories from this author.


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Very excited for this beautiful magical and mystical romance. Perfect to cuddle up with with the cooler season upon us and get lost in this beautiful world of fantasy.