When I jumped on the blog tour for this folk and fairy tale anthology, I didn’t expect to spend the next week in bed with sinusitis. I couldn’t have asked for a better read though. Once Upon A Winter* has been delightful company as I lay up in bed with hot tea.
A shape-shifting spirit haunts a family in England during the depths of winter.
A woman must locate a snowflake for a magical trickster to save her frozen true love.
A witch knocks upon a young man’s door to take his life on Christmas day.
A small boy meets a faerie housed within a snow drop.
Once upon a time stories travelled from place to place on the tongues of merchants and thieves and kings alike. Under the blanket of night they were exchanged between children, and passed on to their children, and their children after them. Details were altered from one generation to the next until thousands of tales existed where once there were few.
In the spirit of these age-old stories comes Once Upon a Winter, a seasonal anthology of folk and fairy tales from 17 authors across the globe. It covers the Gothic, the romantic, the whimsical, the frightening and everything in-between, and features both intriguing twists on classic tales and exciting original stories.
The first of four planned seasonal anthologies from Macfarlane Lantern Publishing, Once Upon a Winter is sure to have a story for just about everyone. Grab your copy in time for Christmas today!
I really like that this anthology is seasonally focused. I love Winter but I do tend to view it as Christmas and done, which makes January and February lose their magic. Once Upon A Winter embraces all the chilly months and I can see it sitting on a bedside table, being dipped in and out of for months. Until the Spring anthology arrives!
The book has a little bit of everything! If you’re looking for an atmospheric read for a dark night when the wind is howling, The Biting Cold by Josie Jaffrey has you covered. If you want a story to read in front of the fire with a hot chocolate, You Can’t See Me by Kate Longstone will warm your heart. I’m probably bias in saying that my favourite so far is A Pea Ever After by Adie Hart, since I am friends with Adie, but two words: district witch. I would read a whole series of Elsie’s adventures.
If Once Upon A Winter sounds like your kind of thing, you can find it on Goodreads here, or buy it from Amazon or Waterstones! And don’t forget to check out my fellow blog tour hosts!
*I was sent a copy of Once Upon A Winter as part of the blog tour. This has not changed my opinion.
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