Amy Wilson

Deep in the forest, magic is waiting . . . Sparkling with frost and magic, Shadows of Winterspell will sweep you up in a world of friendship and magic, to uncover family secrets and find out who you really are. Stella has been living behind the magic of the forest for most of her life. Lonely, she enrolls at the local school, and as she begins to make friends, she discovers that she is even more different than she thought. But as autumn turns to magical winter, Stella realizes that uncovering her own family secret is the only way to release the forest from the grip of a dark and old magic. A wintery magical adventure from the critically-acclaimed Amy Wilson, author of A Girl Called Owl.

Shadows of Winterspell

Candyce Kirk

Kerri McDonald

This was the Middle Grade Marvels pick for November. I had actually never heard of this book of the author before it won the poll! I decided to give it a go for two reasons.

1. I love discussing books with the MGM folks! It makes the whole reading experience that much more fun.
2. Dat cover 😍

This story follows young Stella, a girl who lives on the edge of a magical forest. She has been hidden away by her Nan for years, but a secret life gets lonely. In a rebellious streak, Stella decides to enroll in the local school so she can try and make some friends. What she discovers there starts to unravel secrets about the forest she lives near and her own past.

If you look up the definition of ‘whimsical’, I’m fairly certain there’s a picture of this book next to it. This was absolutely captivating! It was magical and beautiful and kept you intrigued from page one until you closed the book. I thought the author did an incredible job of describing this world, especially the beautiful yet sinister forest. It was so atmospheric that you almost felt you were walking alongside Stella! I loved the characters in this book, as well. It was definitely an eclectic cast and I found them all rather endearing. The ending felt a bit rushed to me and I kind of wish this was the start of a series and not a standalone, but it was still an enjoyable read!

Shadows of Winterspell

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