What an absolutely gorgeous book! Filled with adventure, magic and dastardly plots, this book makes for a thrilling read. I can't wait for the next one!

Step into the world of the Makers, where cloaks, boots, gloves and hats can have an immediate effect on your emotions and attitude. The famed families of Makers are talented, magical and dedicated to their craft. They are also enemies of each other and cynical of their products, each family believing theirs are the best!

In Tamzin Merchant's debut novel we step into Hatmaker House on the eve of some devastating news for the family. The youngest Hatmaker, Cordelia is at the centre of the storm whirling through the house. The famed Maker families are renowned across the city and their work is incredibly important so creating hats must continue though grief fills the house.

The workshop, alchemy room and shop are filled with ribbons, feathers and everything a hatmaker needs to create wonderful hats. However, these items need to be treated with respect and plenty of training in how to balance the key ingredients to create just the right emotion, attitude or strength for the wearer.

All of the Maker families have been asked to create peacemaker clothes for the Princess ahead of peace talks with France but when all the items are stolen, there is a hunt for the thief across the city, and talk of war between the two nations. Cordelia, head strong, determined and full of hope, rises to the challenge of catching the thief, along with forbidden friend Goose, and new friend Sam.

As in every great adventure there is courage, hope and an unwavering trust in friendship and family. There are also twists, turns and surprises! I was completely enchanted by The Hatmaker family and their amazing hats. I loved the sense of family and love and the devotion to friends shown throughout the book.

The illustrations by Paola Escobar are perfect for the story and although I read the book via Netgalley, I could appreciate how brilliant they are and will await for the physical copy to enjoy them further

Just wow!!! I absolutely wolfed this book down!

This is Tamzin’s debut novel...I have high hopes for the rest of her novels if this is what she starts with.

The story rotates around Cordelia, the youngest in a family of Hatmakers who is desperate to become old enough to make her own hats. She’s so full of life, hope, exuberance, and a little bit rebellious. When her father and his boat are thought to be lost at sea, Cordelia does not accept this and sets out to find him. Whilst doing this she has....well...honesty, where do I start? Friendships to fix, crimes, hats, kings, a war to stop?!! Never mind her education!

I absolutely devoured this book, and I am devastated that I have to wait until 2022 to find out what happens next.

Just absolutely fabulous! I love it!

My thanks to Netgalley and
Penguin Random House Children’s UK for this copy in exchange for an honest review (please can I have the next one soon?!! PLEASE!!)

This is a delightfully quirky children's book. It will appeal to children between the ages of 6-8, particularly girls. The author has a lively imagination and great attention to detail. It looks like this is one of a series. The illustrations are beautiful.

The Hatmakers is an utterly delightful and charming laugh-out-loud adventure packed with whimsy, magic and friendship in a world that's as enchanting as its characters.

Spirited eleven year-old Cordelia Hatmaker is a passionate apprentice hatmaker, descended from a line of legendary Hatmakers. The Hats (and other clothes) in this world are altogether magical. The six legendary Maker families (Hatmakers, Bootmakers, Glovemakers etc) can, with the right combination of spelltastic ingredients, craft articles of clothing that inspire things in the wearers such as courage or peace, and 'Menancing' ingredients can be used for nefarious purposes (and so are rightly locked away). One day, Cordelia's father is lost at sea and as she sets out to find him, she finds herself needing to save her family and even the Princess of England when a villain seems intent on starting a war… 

"It was a wild and lightning-struck night. The kind of night that changes everything"

Stories featuring strong female hatmakers have captured my heart since meeting Sophie in Market Chipping and this one is no different. Although this isn't quite the next Howls Moving Castle<, it's an adorable younger sister to it and delighted my heart as much. Cordelia shares many of the same traits with Sophie: she's determined, loyal and unafraid of doing what's right. The escapades of Cordelia and her friends had me snort-laughing-out-loud, with some delightful twists and a gay romance subplot that melted my heart. The book is beautifully illustrated to boot, and although I read this as an eBook think it would be a stunning paperback to read tucked up in bed or under piles of blankets under a star dusted sky.

The target reading age is 9 - 12 years but this is a lovely escapist adventure for adults too. Put this on your early 2021 reading list. Noli Nocere, readers...

What an absolute treat! I adored this story of magical garments. In an alternative England, clothes are created to make their wearer be... different: more adventurous, more daring, etc. I loved the whimsical, unique world and the delightful characters. It's a story full of twists that both adults and kids will enjoy tremendously.

A fun, fresh and entertaining read, filled to the brim with imagination and creativity.

Cordelia comes from a long line of hatmakers, entrusted to create clothing with magical properties. When her father disappears and the country is on the brink of war, it is up to her to create a Peace hat to soothe troubled waters. With the help of a few friends, she embarks on an exciting adventure, filled with unexpected twists.

The Hatmakers is an imaginative fantasy adventure, with a very unusual storyline. The concept of creating clothes enchanted with mood altering properties is interesting and feels very fresh. I loved the little details about the house’s magic. I found the story a little long winded, but overall enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

An absolute joy from start to finish, I loved this. Wonderful characters, great plot and a vividly imagined world. Plus a generous sprinkling of humour - perfect! I wish I could give it 6 stars.

A world of many Makers—there are Hatmakers, Bootmakers, Glovemakers, Cloakmakers, Watchmakers and Cane makers. Hatmakers weave enchantments into the hats they produce allowing the wearer to be more focussed, brave, daring, violent, angry; anything! And the hats need unique ingredients—like feather of an owl for which you have to undertake a journey, storms in jars, moonbeams etc.

Cordelia's father, Prospero, a renowned Hatmaker is lost at sea. She lives with her Aunt and Uncle and is learning bits and pieces about their family trade hatmaking. BUT Commisioned hats go wrong. There's a robbery. There are chaos. This is a big probem because France is declaring war on England, and the Maker-families through their magic can actually bring about peace. The peace clothes for the princess apeears to be missing and a villain and a thief is in their midst.

Fun, enjoyable with lots of good stuff. I loved the imagination about clothes and hats giving qualities to people. I was a bit annoyed that in some portions Cordelia thinks out loud and tells us what to understand instead of showing it in the story. But this was a nice, fun read nevertheless.

This was a total cover request but it was one that served me well because this book was absolutely delightful and adorable. The world building is done well and I really enjoyed the premise of this book; I loved the features that went into the hats and the different properties that all the things had (I love the little glossary and comments at the end and felt they just added a real whimsical tone to the book).

The characters are delightful; this is the first book in what I hope will be a series and so hope that we get to explore the characters in the world more. I loved Cordelia, Goose, and Sam and thought they were such a good little troupe of characters. The princess was also a fabulous character and though she didn't appear throughout most of the book, she was still well established and you could understand her motivations.

Reading this as an adult it was still an enjoyable read and had such a magical tone to the book that you just couldn't not enjoy it!! The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and so i'm hoping that we will get a sequel to this book. This also looks to be the author's first book so i'm very impressed; the only thing that would have made this a 5* read for me is a little bit more depth in terms of the plotline - the twists were all quite straightforward, and whilst it's a children's book, i'd love there to be a bit more underhandedness going on!!

Thank you NetGalley for granting me this eARC.

A wonderfully magical adventure! The Hatmakers blends a creative magic system, a determined and loveable main character and gripping mysteries into a fast-paced and captivating story. This book is perfect for fans of Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend and I will definitely be purchasing copies for my libraries.

I was attracted to this book by the gorgeous cover, and by the idea of hatmakers that wield magic. It did not disappoint!

I really loved this book. I love the idea of weaving magic into the making of various items of apparel - most especially hats. The way that this is carried out in this story far exceeded my expectations. The footnotes/glossary of the magical ingredients is marvellous. The collecting of starlight, the house itself. It’s all just so magical and fun!

The characters themselves are excellent. I love Cordelia, Sam, and Goose especially, but the other characters of the Hatmaker family, even the cook, all seem their own people. I liked the princess too. She took on an awful lot of responsibility for a child, and did her very best.

The plot was exciting, and I never quite knew which way things were going to go next. The story fortunately ended happily for almost everyone (I’m a little worried about Jack, and hope he’ll crop up in the sequel), thank goodness.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the cover is absolutely stunning. The book also contains beautiful illustrations and chapter headings. Paola Escobar has done a truly excellent job with all this artwork.

Overall, this was an exciting, magical, and delightful tale. It’s absolutely packed with whimsy and charm. I highly recommend it.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

What an absolutely fantastic story, I really loved it. It is a quirky and original story that mixes an alternative version of England with magic and families that have the right to provide garments for the royal family; garments that can magically enhance the way the wearer acts. Definitely a big hit with a middle grade audience.

A phenomenal beginning to a gorgeously-written adventure, there is magic woven into every sentence and I am clamouring for the sequel.

Set in a world where there are Makers, such as the Hatmakers, who weave enchantments into the hats they produce, allowing the wearer to be more bold, daring... or even violent! Cordelia is a Hatmaker who lives with her Aunt and Uncle, and one day her father becomes lost at sea. Not only that, but France is declaring War on England, and it's up to the various families of Makers to produce peace clothes for the princess. Can Cordelia find her father and stop a looming battle with France?

Loved this, start to finish. I was immediately drawn into the beauty of this world through the storytelling, and with magic fizzing in every word, I got carried away and finished before I knew it. The great thing about this is that there is huge potential with this world moving forward, and as this is the first in a series, I am beyond excited to see the adventure Cordelia goes on next.

I loved the various twists in the story and the excitement that is produced from certain moments throughout (scenes of which I will not spoil). There is a lot that goes on with various mysteries and villains that'll keep you reading to find out the who, what, when, where and why. And I am just fascinated by the history of Makers and what they do, and there's even a glossary at the back that's just simply fascinating and gorgeous and oh I just want to shout out my love for this book forever and ever!

Also, there's a big gay moment in this that made my heart so happy, but my lips are sealed until you read it yourself. I simply LOVED IT!