Welcome to Day 3 of #12booksofchristmas! In case you have missed any of the others, they are listed below:

Day One - Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber

Day Two - The White Priory Murders by Carter Dickson

There is something magical about Christmas time, you can almost taste it in the air. Whether it is the glittery whirl of snow, the magical flavour of kindness sprinkled by the Ghost of Christmas Present on argumentative revellers and a magical box of delights that allows you to go small, go fast or back in time.

And so it seems fitting that we come to this novel, a beauty of magical proportions by an author who has already featured in #12booksofchristmas. Let's find out how this fares.

The Plot

The parties always started the same way. When the night’s deepened, swallowing the daylight by the hour. When winter whispered its frozen song across the land. When the promise of snow could be tasted in the air.

The parties were a thing of legend. And sometimes an obsession

My Thoughts

In 2021, Midnight in Everwood featured on my #12booksofchristmas, and I am delighted that Upon a Frosted Star is going to be featured as well. The first thing to say is the book itself, the physical edition is beautiful. The artwork is glorious, the colours vibrant. It is a lovely thing to own and sits very nicely on the shelf with Midnight in Everwood.

The story is again that beautiful weaving of ballet into real life. Struggling Artist Forster, finds an invitation to a party, and on arrival is swept away by the magic of the event. There he becomes obsessed with learning more about his hostess, the mysterious Detta. As their love affair begins, Forster learns more about the terrible curse affecting Detta and seeks a way to break it, delving into Detta’s past as a ballerina.

This definitely felt slightly more adult than Midnight in Everwood, which I would have recommended to anyone young or old who had been to see The Nutcracker. This is darker, and if you are thinking of giving this to a child, definitely read it yourself first to see if suitable.

The magic of the storytelling is beautiful. The parties hosted by Detta are just dreamy, and there are hints of the kingdom of sweets from The Nutcracker. The same feast for the senses. Forster is a serious young artist, and we learn of his life with his two friends Rose and Marvin. Detta’s story is fascinating. I loved learning about her journey from orphan to prima ballerina. The love that grows between them is gentle, crisp and wistful. I could almost hear the sadness of Tschaikovsy’s music.

This would be a lovely book to read at Christmas or when the snow is falling and is a book to be savoured and lost in. Loved it.