A Storm of Sisters

Bring the magic home with the Pinch of Magic Adventures

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Pub Date 2 Mar 2022 | Archive Date 1 Feb 2022
Simon and Schuster UK Children's | Simon & Schuster Children's UK

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Description

There are secrets hidden beneath the ice . . . bring the magic home in the frosty fourth instalment of the bestselling Pinch of Magic Adventures, from the award-winning author Michelle Harrison.
 
When the Widdershins sisters and Granny are called away in deepest winter to look after cousin Clarissa, it doesn’t take long for adventure – or trouble – to find them. The town of Wilderness has plenty to explore with its frozen lake and winter market, as well as being haunted by a doomed highwayman and his secret love. But the legends are true and seeing a ghostly figure one night, the girls realise that Granny is in terrible danger. As an icy storm rages, the race to save her begins – can the sisters lay Wilderness’s ghosts to rest before another soul is claimed?

Discover the fourth spellbinding Pinch of Magic adventure from Michelle Harrison, winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize.  Read all of the Widdershins sisters' adventures with A Pinch of Magic, A Sprinkle of Sorcery and A Tangle of Spells.

Praise for the Pinch of Magic Adventures
 
‘A spellbinding story, steeped in magic.  I adored it.’ Abi Elphinstone

‘Brilliant’ Emma Carroll

‘What a gorgeous, funny, creepy, page-turny story! If you’re yet to discover the Widdershins sisters books, you’re in for a TREAT!’ Lucy Strange

A stunner. Such great writing!’ Peter Bunzl 

‘I love Michelle Harrison - I hadn’t read much fantasy but this series hooked me! Brilliant writing, beautiful!’ Lisa Thompson

 ‘Simply phenomenal’ Sophie Anderson
 
‘The wry enchantment of an E. Nesbit classic’ Guardian
 
‘Fantasy and adventure appear on every page of this spellbinding tale’ Daily Mail
There are secrets hidden beneath the ice . . . bring the magic home in the frosty fourth instalment of the bestselling Pinch of Magic Adventures, from the award-winning author Michelle Harrison.
 
...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781471197659
PRICE £7.99 (GBP)
PAGES 368

Average rating from 60 members


Featured Reviews

I can never get enough of these characters. I love these sisters with my whole heart and Harrison does an outstanding job at bringing each of their personalities to the spotlight. This sample made me so excited to read the whole thing. It has the perfect Widdershin’s vibe that is present in each instalment. The sense of adventure at your fingertips, a mystery that you’re desperate to unfold. Cannot wait!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the sample ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The Widdershins sisters series by Michelle Harrison is one I absolutely adore, so when I saw this on Net Galley I immediately requested it, not realising it was a sampler.. Although disappointed not to have a sneaky peek at the whole thing, I very much enjoyed what I was permitted to read and it has made me all the more excited to read the whole book.
If you are already a fan, you will be familiar with the different characters of the three sisters and their grandmother who, having moved in Book 3, are now leaving home temporarily to visit a sick relative, supposedly to look after her. Arriving at cousin Clarissa's house, the girls listen keenly to her story of the theft of a mesmerising crystal ball which ended badly for the thief, before discovering that not only were they not expected, but there is no room for them to stay.
Luckily -or not - for them, Clarissa has an arrangement with the nearby Echo Hall, and the girls find them staying there, but the hall is not what it seems. Shown to their room, the girls are a little surprised to see that they are expected to make up the beds and when Betty follows the maid to try to talk to her, she appears to have vanished into thin air.
With the promise of magic and mystery, and hopefully a high scare factor, this is a title I cannot wait to read in full when it is released in February.

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When you open a book by Michelle Harrison you know you are in for an incredible journey & this sample of A Storm of Sisters did not disappoint. With an opening that is mesmerising, I could already sense that this is going to be hauntingly brilliant. Absolutely love this series. In this instalment, the Widdershin sister's are visiting cousin Clarissa in Wilderness - "a place where snow queens, wolves and ice dragons can easily be imagined." With no room at Clarissa's,  the sister's have to stay at Echo Hall. The sample finishes at the point where something spooky is going to happen. What follows will certainly involve a Pinch of Magic!
Thank you to @NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this early access to a sample.

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A great taster of the new book. 11 yr old boy desperate to read the whole book!
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

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It was great to be back with the Widdershins sisters again, even if it was only for the first few chapters! It’s definitely whetted my appetite for the rest of the book!

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I am a huge fan of the Widdershins sisters and this new adventure is not going to disappoint. After reading the sample, I am HOOKED and I can't wait to see what happens!
A Storm of Sisters sees the sisters accompany Granny to a chilly and slightly creepy little town to look after their Aunt who has fallen on the ice and hurt her leg. Within a few hours, the sisters have heard of the ghost of a Highwayman who haunts the roads and have checked into a creepy hotel. There is promise of adventure, excitement, spine-tingling mystery and a masked costume ball! I can't wait to get my hands on the full adventure in February!

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I was beyond excited when I managed to get my hands on an advanced sample of the next adventure of the Widdershin Sisters. Michelle Harrison has managed to bring the same excitement and magic within the first few chapters that I have come to love with her Pinch of Magic series. As the Widdershin sister venture into the frozen Wilderness, the enchanting landscape captures their imaginations but something sinister lurks in the snow. From a grand hall to frozen lakes, the sister will be tested, not just by the eerie legends but by the Wilderness itself. I can’t wait to see what will happen next as they race to unravel the mysteries in their next adventure..

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A fantastic ghostly tale of the echoes of love and highway robbery set in a snow-covered Wilderness and dark icy corridors haunted by the past.

Love, love, love this series, and this fourth book reaches the same high level of atmosphere and storytelling as the previous three. I love that all of these books contain stories within stories, it means that, as a reader, I'm not just getting two tales for the price of one, but that by having each setting tangled with some form of local lore, the places in the time of the Widdershins sisters are given a sense of history, and become much more vivid as a result.

Without overdoing it, Michelle Harrison conjurs up atmosphere so skilfully, I swear I felt a chill while reading this, absolutely love it! This fourth book doesn't have much in the way of character development, but now that this is the fourth adventure for the Widdershins sisters, it is great to see that they appreciate and use each others' strengths, while having independent agency, thoughts, and personalities of their own.

So pleased this lives up to the other three, and I'm amazed how the four books can feel so different, exploring shadowy legends from the misty, eerie, foreboding of Crowstone, to the cackly, witchy, creepy threat of Pendlewick, and now the ghostly chill of Wilderness, loved it!

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When the Widdershin sisters go with their granny to help cousin, Clarissa, in the cold place of Wilderness, little did they think they'd get anything other than a spot of sightseeing and a few chores to do. Oh my, how wrong they were. Skating on thin ice is just the start, with haunted rooms, a lost treasure and crystal ball with a mind not to be found. Oh and there is far more going on than just that.

This series strengths are in the breadth and depth of the adventure, if you'll excuse the pun.

What I also love about these stories is the scene setting. Michelle's plots are woven intricately and seemlessly through, bring just the right sense of place, the right amount of spine tingling chills, and tons of adventure suspense and wholly loveable or boo-able characters. A storm of Sisters is no exceptions. The plot is deliciously tingly and as as elegant and natural as the paterns on a frosted pane.

To say I was immersed is an understatement. I curled up with this on the sofa wrapped up with a hot drink. Then transfered to bed with the cat and finished it this morning with a tear in my eye. That, for me reviewing a book, is a good thing. It means I was hooked, the ending surpassed my wildest hopes, and I just dont want to say goodbye to the characters.

Definitely a must read for any young reader. A modern classic for winter and a great excuse to stay in with a hot drink and enjoy a roaring fire.

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I've loved this series since the start, and had been preordering all of them. So I was really excited to get an ARC of it!
Harrison did not dissappoint!
Another fantastic mystery for the girls to solve, set in the deep of winter. There are ghosts, love stories and mysteries abound.
I found it very hard to put this book down, as the story just gripped me the whole time. Harrison has an amazing way of describing the setting that makes it so vivid and real, if i hadn't been in a nice, warm room, i'd have been shivering away, imagining i was in the freezing cold along with the girls!
a brilliant addition to this series, and well worth a read. Could technically be read as a standalone, but it is better if you read the first 3 books in the series.

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A Storm of Sisters - the 4th book in the Pinch of Magic series - was an excellent sequel and everything I expected and wanted from the next book about the Widdershin sisters. Full of magic, adventure, mystery and suspense, the book kept me guessing until the end. I can’t wait to recommend it to children in my class, who I know will love it as much as I did.

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I NEED MORE!
I love everything Michelle Harrison writes and the Widdershins sisters hold a place in my heart so it was wonderful to be back with them again. The way Harrison describes the snowy little town sounds idyllic, although as we find out, it may not all be what it seems. I could definitely imagine myself in the story, following the sisters on yet another adventure. I loved that their personalities are still as strong as ever and that they've settled into their new house and town only to be off on another adventure and I cannot wait to see where this one leads.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this sample ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm so thankful to Netgalley for letting me read this before the publish date.

This is the 4th installment of the Widdershins sisters. I would definitely recommend reading the previous three first, even though the story is still fab without knowing their history.

The three sisters travel to help family and stumble across a magical mystery: involving ghosts, robbers, crystal balls and a deadly love.

What I love about these books is the subtle way magic is involved. This is not a world where a wave of a wand fixes everything, or muttering the right words. Their magic is just a little pinch that they use wisely to help get themselves out (and into) trouble.

I finish the book wanting to know what happens next, will there be a part 5?

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Gosh I do love this series…and this taster of book 4 promises another fabulous magical adventure for the sisters! I’m looking forward to finding out what they get up to. Lovely writing, yet again, from a very talented author.
I reviewed a sample of book 4; I will be buying the book to find out the ending!

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A Storm of Sisters is the fourth book in the A Pinch of Magic series which just keeps getting better and better. This is a deliciously eerie, exciting and intriguing adventure that kept me utterly captivated: an irresistible page-turner!

Now living in the village of Pendlewick, Betty Widdershins is craving another adventure so, when a letter arrives from cousin Clarissa telling them that she has broken her leg, Betty is only too keen to venture to Wilderness with her Granny and sisters, Fliss and Charlie to look after her.

With not enough room in her home, Clarissa assures the girls that they will be given a room at the local hotel, Echo Hall. Of course, the sisters are excited at the prospect of staying there unsupervised, attending the winter market and possibly even a masked ball. When a mistake occurs with room keys, Betty follows the maid only to see her disappear through a wall! Could the rumours of a ghost haunting Echo Hall be true?

It is not long before an adventure finds the sisters as they become entangled in discovering the truth behind a local legend which they are told by Clarissa. A legend of a highway robber, known as Jack Frost, who lost life, love and treasure on an ill-fated theft from a fortune teller. Does the legend live on in the ghostly sightings that tell of danger for loved ones?

This is such a brilliantly tense, eerie and exciting adventure that had me on the edge of my seat as I was completely caught up in the pulsating danger, tantalising twists and incredible revelations.

I loved how richly atmospheric this was with a cold wintery setting, winter markets, a frozen lake hiding secrets, hauntings: a perfect mix of eeriness and frozen beauty sprinkled with peril, intrigue and revenge. I just have to say that I also loved the place names from Wilderness to Frostbite Lodge, Echo Hall and especially, Shivershock Lake – they give a real sense of the spine-tinglingly spooky and wintery heart of the story.

The bond of sisterhood between the girls is such a strength of this series. It feels completely natural and full of love, support and camaraderie. The girls have such different personalities, but all are incredibly likeable, kind-hearted and courageous. Granny is such a brilliant character with her penchant for a tipple, her straight-talking manner, and her clear love for her grandchildren.

This is a dazzling addition to this incredible series brimming with wintery wonder, magical writing and heart-warming sisterhood. I absolutely cannot wait to join the Widdershins on another adventure.

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Michelle Harrison, take a bow! A Storm of Sisters is the latest in a series that just keeps getting better! From the beginning, the Pinch of Magic series has kept the reader utterly gripped. Each book has the same deliciously dark and intensely creepy feel and I was delighted to find that A Storm of Sisters is no exception.

When Betty and her sisters travel to the frozen Wilderness, they find themselves in a creepy town full of ghostly tales, unsolved mysteries and hidden dangers. Working together, the girls must fight against unseen foes in an adventure more perilous than any they have faced before. Will they survive or will Wilderness claim another icy victim?

A Storm of Sisters could possibly be the best yet in the Pinch of Magic series. I literally could not put it down: it was captivating, unpredictable and intricately woven. Harrison’s prowess as a master storyteller remains and her writing is a joy to read. I utterly adore this series and cannot wait to add the latest release to my classroom bookshelf. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

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Only a sample?? What a tease!

Goes to show though how much I'm DYING to read this next installment of the Widdershins Sisters' adventures that I’m epically disappointed this was only a sample. Michelle Harrison’s writing sings off the page, and already I’m hooked to read more. The magic and wonder of her storytelling will surely engage fans of the series, as well as new readers, with a new story packed with charm and magic.

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It was wonderful to read a sneak peak of the fourth book in Michelle Harrison’s brilliant A Pinch of Magic series – A Storm of Sisters!

The Widdershins sisters are back. It’s deepest winter. Betty, Fliss and Charlie are visiting their cousin, Clarissa, in far away Wilderness. This enchanted town has an eerie past with stories of a mysterious crystal ball and a ghostly highwayman. There’s no doubt something exciting is about to happen to our favourite trio.

This is the perfect book to burrow under a blanket with on a cold winter’s night. I can’t wait to read the rest of the book!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for this tempting teaser!

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So, I did not realise that this was just a sample of the new Widdershins book by Michelle Harrison. What a tease!
The girls and Grandma travel north to help Aunt Clarissa. A new adventure is about to start and I can't wait to read the whole book. This has been one of my favourite series and, if the start is anything to go by, we're in for another cracking adventure!

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This was just a sampler of the new Michelle Harrison novel, rather than the full book.
That being said, it gets off to a fantastic start! The Widdershins sisters are off on another adventure, into the mountains to an isolated little place called Wilderness. This already feels a world away from the piratical action of the first two books and the gentle village of book three. This change of environment is a great way to keep these books feeling fresh, different and exciting.

In just a few chapters, it's clear that Wilderness will have plenty of excitement of its own. We have a winter market, a great hall with mysterious people in it, and ghost tales of lost lovers. Wherever the Widdershins go they manage to find magical mystery and excitement, and this sampler has me eagerly anticipating what they find in Wilderness.

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The Widdershins sisters with their Granny take on the task of visiting cousin Clarissa (whom I am sure is going to be an interesting character). As soon as they arrive in the little town their senses are evoked, and they wonder if they can hear ghostly hooves. Upon finding that Clarissa has no room for the sisters in her house, the girls are sent to Echo Hall where they meet a disgruntled maid who seems to vanish entirely! This sampler has left me with many questions and I cannot wait to read the full story.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Following the others in the series this is going to be another cracking story. The first part I have been privileged enough to read has got me yearning for the book to be released.
I absolutely love the dynamics between the family, particularly the sisters.
This is truly one of those stories that sweeps you up and plonks you between it's pages and does not let you go until you have finished reading from cover to cover!!!

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Childrensbookssunday

Sunday afternoon in winter, the fire is lit, you’re holding onto a hot mug of tea, fatigued by the freshest of wintery air..and it is time for a story…

The Widdershin Sisters - Felicity, Charlie and Betty having survived 3 incredible adventures with witches and curses, high towers and pirates, are now living in a quiet little village and to be honest Betty is a bit bored..until they receive a letter from Clarissa, who has broken her leg and they must all travel to Wilderness to help their relative. Staying in the nearby hall they become aware of strange noises, stories of a highwayman and his love who disappeared in a frozen lake..and then a fortune teller arrives…

I have been absolutely spellbound by each of these books and Storm of Sisters was no exception. For me the magic lies in the wonderful characters - teenage Felicity who is in love with love; Betty who always manages to find adventure and Charlie who won’t go anywhere without her rat and Granny. It lies in the incredible settings with their amazing names - ‘Dead Man’s Curve’, ‘Wilderness’, and ‘Elora’s Tears’. It lies in the amazing descriptions of icy scenery. And it lies in the wonder of the story. This has magic; a costume ball; a missing girl; a frozen lake; ghostly goings on…

Each book in this series has a very different feel and atmosphere - Book 3 was definitely the scariest for me - this one feels so different partly because it takes place in the depths of winter. There is a winter market with wonderful stalls, hot chocolate and iced drinks but with snow falling ‘ thick and fast..The danger was all around building like the snow inside.’ Chilling!

This is a story which can be enjoyed by adults and middle grade readers. Children will just love the magic elements, the scary bits and the wonderful childish humour such as the delight in being invisible and watching people pick their nose or scratching places that aren’t polite because they don’t know you are there.

So enjoyable! I hope that there will be a fifth!!

With thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for a digital copy of this wonderful book. My special edition is on order!

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I have really enjoyed the previous books about the Widdershins sisters and this one did not disappoint.

Fliss, Betty and Charlie go with the granny to help look after their dad's cousin in the town of Willderness. It does not take them long to stumble upon a past mystery which still troubles the town.

Ghostly figures and a story of a secret love, can the sister find the truth?

I enjoyed the three chapter told from the perspective of the highwayman, his secret love and the fortune teller on which the mystery was based. It gave clues but very cleverly hidden.

The twist at the end with the highwayman was good and I did not see it coming.

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