A fabulous book in the Widdershin family adventure which takes the reader on a gripping journey as the girls race against time to set things right. Highly recommended for anyone who likes an adventure!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster publishing for my advanced copy of A Tangle of Spells by Michelle Harrison which is the third book in the fantastic Widdershins series (which we all know, I love) so you can imagine I was delighted to get an advance copy.

A Tangle of Spells is the first book where the Widdershins are able to truly leave Crowstone and the Sorrow islands behind as events from the previous novel have allowed them to finally escape all that they have known and kept the family almost hostage for decades.

Like the previous two books it seems as though the Widdershins sisters are unable to escape trouble, but for once they are not alone - the entire family have trouble knocking on their door as they begin their new lives. The way Michelle Harrison is able to build such an incredible world and the atmospherics of trouble in this series is as always incredible but I truly believe A Tangle of Spells is by far the greatest of the three in drawing the reader right into the magical world (excuse the semi-pun there) and you know that the family are going to really be facing trouble like they haven't before. I know... for those who have read the previous two that seems preposterous but promise you will agree when you begin to read this tale.

I have loved reading this books and like others who have read them, there is an urge to want to be able to protect them and to tell Granny especially to just listen to the three girls at times but in A Tangle of Spells? The three sisters are growing apart as their ages set them apart, Fliss is working and her priorities aren't so much focused on sisterhood but her future and boys, Betty is still very much our fierce protector and warrior though she still doubts herself and Charlie is eager to experience a new sense of freedom away from Crowstone. It is this distance that leaves them vulnerable and doubt to creep in when things begin to go awry as they are oft to do when trouble comes calling.

With ghosts, magic and the fear of it leading their new friends (and foes) to weave a tale that leaves Betty fighting for survival and the Widdershins family coming adrift, Michelle Harrison has once again achieved a fantastic tale of family, sisterhood and adventure to leave the reader feeling adrift too when it comes to an end...

This is the third book in the A Pinch of Magic series and it is just as magical, exciting and full of adventure and daring as the first two.

The Widdershins sisters have finally left behind The Poacher’s Pocket Inn with their father and Granny, to move to the village of Pendlewick on the mainland. However, their new home, Blackbird Cottage, is not exactly what they are expecting being rather dilapidated and having had some rather superstitious items left behind. It is not long before Fliss, Betty and Charlie are exploring the area and are warned away from the rather sinister sounding Hungry Tree and Tick Tock Forest by the local shopkeeper.

They soon discover that idyllic-seeming Pendlewick has its own enigmatic and dangerous secrets. This is a deliciously dark, intriguing and tensely atmospheric read that kept me engrossed throughout as the sisters find themselves in a race against time to thwart some sinister villains, to break a curse, or risk losing someone very dear to them. I loved the interweaving of the village’s history into the story, the use of diary extracts and the dark fairy tale vibes.

As with the first two books, I adored the bond of sisterhood between the girls who have very different personalities but who clearly love and support each other. Charlie is the youngest and is gutsy, daring and curious with an adorable word-muddling tendency. Betty, the middle sister, is protective, determined and reassuring. Despite the dangers they face and their natural fear, all of them show great courage and resilience.

This incredible story weaved its magic over me and kept me enchanted throughout. I’m so looking forward to the Widdershins sisters’ next adventure.

“Hocus pocus, hubble bubble,
Magic always leads to trouble.
Three brave sisters, one fresh start,
How long till it falls apart?” - Prologue.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster Children U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Tangle of Spells’ by Michelle Harrison in exchange for an honest review. As I had enjoyed both previous books in the series on audio, I bought its Audible edition and did a dual read/listen for an immersive reading experience.

This is the third in her series that follows the adventures of the Widdershins sisters: Betty, Fliss, and Charlie. Their family is making a new start though almost from the moment that they move into Blackbird Cottage in the pretty village of Pendlewick strange things begin to happen leading to more magical adventures.

No further details to avoid spoilers but as with the two previous books this was a delight from its first page to the last. Michelle Harrison writes the kind of enchanting stories that are suitable for readers aged 8-99 (and beyond). They are full of humour, magic, adventures, surprises and fantastic characters both human and animal.

On a side note, the cover designs for this series have been just amazing. I hope to read more of Michelle Harrison’s books in the near future.

Very highly recommended.

A brilliant finale to one of my favourite series! While I loved the strange and mysterious settings of Crowstone and the Sorrow Isles, the move to a new location with its own hidden secrets and magic was a nice feature. With rumours of witches, a new house full of wards (to keep something in or out?) and a hidden room, this installment had plenty of familiar tropes with Harrison’s trademark folkloric magic woven throughout. The characters were as vibrant as ever, and I especially loved that Charlie had more of a role in this book. She’s been my favourite character throughout the trilogy and it was great to see her growing her confidence and testing her bravery, no longer being held back by the protection of her older sisters. I can’t say much about the plot as this is a final book in a trilogy, but it’s as fun, magical, and twisty-turny as the previous books, and explores new magical hazards and the threat of ancient witches. It’s a great finale, and I’m sad to say goodbye to these wonderful characters and this brilliantly imagined world.

Another utterly wonderful adventure with the Widdershin sisters, I think Michelle Harrison just gets better and better. I am a huge fan of the series and frequently recommend this to young people who like their magical adventures on the quirky, witty side. Fab.

We’ve been good friends with the Widdershins girls for two books now, so it was clear I was going to continue the series. This book was up on NetGalley, so I requested it, although I read the previous books as an audiobook. I liked the first part a little better, but they both have a really good atmosphere and I knew I would love this one, too.

CAWPIlE-score: 7.86/10

C - Character: 8/10
I love the characters in the series, I didn’t like Betty so much in the first book, but with this book, she finally grew to my heart. Fliss is just the opposite. At first, I thought she was growing up next to Betty, but now I felt she was too serious and really didn’t like that she didn’t care about her sisters. My favourite is Charlie of course. For Grandma and Dad’s character, I feel they are in the story to be parents, but they don’t add anything to the story. I am sorry for this.

A - Atmosphere: 9/10
I really like the atmosphere of the books. Dark, a little scary, but full of adventures. This is the strength of this series.

W - Writing: 8/10
I like the writer’s books, I love their atmosphere, but I feel like she still can’t give me something and I blame the writing. I liked the poems, but the diary excerpts were weird, more of a narration, as no one writes a diary like in this book. And in the middle of the story, the recollection was strangely resolved for me as well.

P - Plot: 8/10
It was a cute story, but a bit boring. But it was maybe because it was very predictable. I didn't like the end, that solution was weird for me.

I - Intrigue: 8/10
It’s always easier to maintain my interest if I just listen to the book and don’t read. Especially for English books. Here I found some parts quite interesting (the beginning was unfortunately pretty boring) so it didn’t cause any difficulty paying attention, but I still had to put down the tablet several times.

L - Logic: 7/10
There were a few things in it that I didn’t feel the logic of. In fact ... But I don't want to go into details because of spoilers, I'm sure this was the weakest part of the book.

E - Enjoyment: 7/10
This book also received 4 stars, which is 7 points.

I enjoyed this book too, but still, my favourite is the first one. I didn't know if it would be the conclusion or not, but it turned out that there will be more books, and I will definitely read it/them, too.

I loved everything about this one. The plot was engaging with a excellent balance of eerie atmosphere, action and character moments and the writing was beautifully enchanting, but it was the characters that really stole my heart, and I was sad when the book came to an end.

Another great instalment in the Pinch of Magic series. It was great to spend more time with the Widdershins sisters, and to grow into different aspects of their characters. They have moved to a new village and a new house, and all seems to be wonderful, until they hear stories of witchcraft and spells in local legend. A secret room is discovered, friends and enemies are made, and in all it is a thrilling, spooky and magical adventure, with genuinely creepy moments. I would recommend for readers ages 10+.

The third adventure of the three Widdershin sisters takes us to a completely new place located inland, away from the sea.

There they have to figure out their new surroundings. And all is not well as it becomes very quickly clear. Strange things start happening and Betty has got to rev up her game in order disentangle the spells that surround her family and the village they have come to live in.

This definitely is the darkest and most tangled story so far in the series and I love it for it. There is also lots of fairy tales peaking out through the pages and tropes from folklore to further explore.

Still waiting though for Charlie to have her day to shine and be brilliant all around.


I received an eARC from the publisher in return for an honest review.

A Tangle of Spells was such a exciting read! I was highly anticipating the third installment in the Widdershins sisters adventures. The first two were absolutely delightful and A Tangle of Spells lived up to the high expectations!

It was an adventure with a dash of horror thrown in. Pendlewick was a new setting and I'm not sure how I felt about it at the start. It definitely grew on me though! The story followed Betty, Floss and Charlie Widdershins in Pendlewick as they uncover secrets and save the town.

The plot was exciting and fun. I would have liked it to have a bit more of the adventurous feel that the first two books had rather than the eerie horror vibe I got. The writing was beautiful as always. It was gripping, fast paced and readable.

Overall it was a great read and I would recommend it to middle grade readers!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the E-arc!

Absolutely outstanding again from Michelle Harrison! I am in love with this series but the books just keep getting better as they go on.

This one brings us another refreshing take on a tale filled with magic and amazing characters! Let’s hope we can get another sequel because these are 10/10!

I love this series so so much. When I saw that it was available to request on Netgalley I just could not help myself.

A Tangle of Spells did not disappoint me. This might actually be my favourite book in the series? I really did love it. I love how dark and enchanting Michelle Harrison's writing style is. Whilst it is of a middle grade genre it definitely helps to appeal to its older audience. It certainly keeps me gripped throughout. As soon as I started this one I just did not want to put it down.

I really enjoyed the eerie plot within this book, I just found myself wanting more and more. The characters are by far my favourite. I absolutely love the three sisters and their Granny. They are just wonderful and I love seeing them develop in each and every book. Charlie has to be my favourite and always gets a special mention when I review these books. She is just absolutely wonderful, we all need a Charlie in my life.

I need more from this series please Michelle!

This is the third book about the Widdershins sisters and my favourite. This book introduced us to some new characters - some not very likeable! I enjoyed the magical/witch element to the story and look forward to reading about what the three sisters get up to in the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC of this book.

I expected this to be much like the first two books in the series where the three sisters go on an adventure and use their magical objects to help save the day, and it was but it was also so much creepier than the last two and I love the “dark” turn it took from the other books, and by dark I mean it’s still very much middle grade but it was just darker and creepier than the first two.

As always I absolutely loved the characters in this, Charlie will forever be my favourite of the sisters, she’s so adorable, but also tough and funny and just such a loveable character. Fliss wasn’t as big of the part of the adventure this time round but Betty really showed, once again, just how smart, and brave she is. The beginning of this book (and by beginning I mean the first few pages) were quite bittersweet because although they were planning on an adventure, it meant they were leaving the Poachers Pocket for good. But adventure they got, the three sisters find a secret room in their new house and it opens their eyes to their new town which is full of secrets and a history of witches, but as they dig deeper they see not everything is as it seems. I was actually really happy with how I was right about quite a few theories I had while reading this book, and I especially loved how the sisters uncovered the secrets and figured out ways to try and fix everything.

This is always going to be a middle grade series I recommend over and over again, the first two books were amazing but this instalment of the series just knocked it out of the park and was definitely the best one so far. I can’t wait to see what the Widdershins sister get up to in their next adventure.

The third instalment of Michelle Harrison's Pinch of Magic stories sees Widdershins trio, Betty, Fliss and Charlie, leave the trusty Poacher's Pocket on Crowstone and move to the village of Pendlewick. The village seems normal, magical, peaceful, but there's ominous warnings everywhere not to speak of magic and witches. Soon, the sisters find themselves entangled in a mysterious dark tale in which they could be in serious trouble!

As recommended by a friend, I quickly devoured the first two Widdershins’ stories and found a magical and fantastical world that I wished I’d discovered sooner. Michelle Harrison’s world of Crowstone (and beyond) with magical objects, curses, mystery and intriguing characters is simply fabulous and her description brings this world to life, making it seem so completely real. The author doesn’t shy away from complex description or patronise her target audience with language choices – making these stories so incredibly compelling to all who read them. The new setting of Pendlewick was so beautifully realised through this language and the description of the creepy new house was completely chilling.

The plot raced through without feeling rushed in any way – truly a read that made me want to keep turning pages and finding out more. The enchanting ‘oddness’ of Pendlewick and the mystery to solve will keep readers wanting and even needing to read more and more until they know what’s going on in this spooky tale! The sisters have grown throughout the trilogy and their maturity in handling what is probably their more serious situation is great to read. Betty, Fliss and Charlie’s relationship continues to develop and it feels so familiar, like coming home, to continue to read about them.

I honestly don’t know why I hadn’t picked up this book earlier. It has every single element of stories that I love: magic, adventure, mystery, sibling relationships and even an animal companion! Bizarrely, I’m pretty sure that I am Charlie Widdershins in every way apart from age – I just need to find a rat that I can turn invisible!

You should read all three books in this series right now. A definite 5 out of 5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s UK for providing an e-book review copy.

This is the third book following the Widdershins sisters – Fliss, Betty and Charlie – and we join them as they move out of The Poacher’s Pocket (family home and pub) with their father and Granny, and sail across to Pendlewick to set up home there.

However, despite its sunshine-and-light exterior, something’s wrong in Pendlewick.

Between their crooked new home (adorned with salt, silver coins and secrets), The Hungry Tree that no-one dares venture near, sinister-sounding Tick Tick Forest, whispers of witches and a blanket ban on talk of magic (after all, “magic and trouble go hand in hand”) the sisters find themselves once again caught up in a web of witchcraft and danger.

I love this series! If you’ve not yet read the others – start at the very beginning, I promise you won't regret it!

It’s lovely to see how the three sisters have grown and their relationship strengthened following their previous adventures, while at the same time they haven’t changed a bit and remain the chalk-and-cheese, ever-bickering, doggedly loyal trio they’ve always been.

Each reader will no doubt have their own favourite sister; I think though that pipe-smoking, whiskey-sipping (OK, whiskey-downing) Granny has to be my favourite character throughout this series though. Tough, real and utterly believable, she’s just such a comforting presence in her own no-nonsense way.

I also really like the way the three stories all draw on folktales, superstition and magic but in such very different ways. Each has a different setting, feel and twist to it… But I think this might just be my favourite yet – it is packed to the crooked rafters with witchcraft, charms, superstitions and spells.

Take the eeriest elements of your favourite fairy tales and you have the flavour of this book. It is wonderfully, darkly atmospheric and the imagination and realisation of the world and its magic are second to none; I can’t share my favourite things with you for risk of spoiling them for you, but I will just say that amongst many things here, a particularly cobweb-filled room will linger in my imagination for some time to come.

Magic aside (well, sort of, just momentarily), there is (as there is in all the books) a tangible sense of urgency, danger and tension too that will draw in the fantasy-fearing, adventure-lover and win them over too! The rescue attempt is so exciting and I loved how it took us back to the girls’ first adventure too.

The baddies are brilliant. And that is pretty much all I can say on the matter in order to avoid spoiling the story for you. But they’re malevolent and menacing in all the best ways, with a power and influence that’s terrifying.

This is a truly outstanding magical adventure. Overflowing with fairytale and folklore, hearsay and local legend, witchcraft and wiles, not to mention the fantastic Widdershins family, it had absolutely everything I could have wanted in a book and I completely devoured it.

I am BEYOND THRILLED to hear…there's going to be another Widdershins adventure and it cannot come soon enough!

I’ve followed the Widdershin’s sisters journey from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to delve into their world again. I was not disappointed! A truly gripping story from the very beginning, I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in one sitting. A true delight which I will be recommending to the children in my class.

Amazing!! This series gets better with every book. A Tangle of Spells is my fave. So good. It is more pacy, more thrilling with secret rooms, magical forests, disappearing girls, girls under spells. witches, charms, everything.

Utterly spectacular – by that I mean feverish reading and fear of turning the lights out at night…! I absolutely loved the sisters at the heart of the story. Betty, Charlie and Fliss were such fantastically well-written characters that they felt like friends. I’m going to miss the Widdershins! As a sister myself, I loved the way they all looked out for each other, sometimes annoyed each other, but ultimately would risk anything for each other. The world they inhabit was all-absorbing and reading about their adventures was pure escapism – incredible.