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Winter Magic
Winter Magic
Winter Magic
Ebook344 pages5 hours

Winter Magic

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

A beautiful and classic anthology of frosty, magical short stories from acclaimed children’s writers. 

The Dreamsnatcher’s Abi Elphinstone heads up this gorgeous collection of wintery stories, featuring snow queens, frost fairs, snow dragons and pied pipers . . . from classic children’s writers Michelle Magorian, Geraldine McCaughrean, Jamila Gavin, Berlie Doherty, Katherine Woodfine, Piers Torday, Lauren St John, Amy Alward, Michelle Harrison and Emma Carroll.

‘Captures all the excitement of the season’ The Guardian

An unmissable, enchanting treat of a collection that will be enjoyed for years to come, by readers of all ages.

Also by Abi Elphinstone:

The Dreamsnatcher
The Shadow Keeper
The Night Spinner
Sky Song 

Everdark (World Book Day)
Rumblestar
Jungledrop
The Crackledawn Dragon
Everdark
LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 3, 2016
ISBN9781471159817
Winter Magic
Author

Amy Alward

Amy Alward is a Canadian author living in London who fits writing in around her work as editorial director for one of the UK’s leading children’s publishers. The Oathbreaker’s Shadow and The Shadow’s Curse are her first two books, published under her maiden name, Amy McCulloch. She lives life in a continual search for adventure, coffee, and really great books. Visit her at AmyAlward.co.uk or on Twitter @Amy_Alward.

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Reviews for Winter Magic

Rating: 3.330708712598425 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

254 ratings11 reviews

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  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    2 stars b/c I actually kept reading. Perhaps I should give it three b/c it did hold my attention - but I felt like I was reading 50 Shades, Twilight, and Beautiful Disaster all rolled up into one. The "story" is nothing new but if you're a fan of tween reads, you'll make it through it. I, like most, was too curious not to read the fanfiction that was causing such a stir and it was much what I expected - a quick tween read. In my humble opinion, these types of books aren't written to win literary prizes - they are written to pull emotions out of people and I must say this was full of emotion. So for that I say "well done" to the author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not my typical reading genre at all. Grabbed it on audiobook at the library because I was in a hurry & it was the first unabridged book I pulled from the shelf. Was going to turn it off after about 5 minutes, but I didn't have a backup book...so I pushed on. Within minutes I was addicted & I even went back to the library to get the print copy so I could read it when I wasn't in the car.So after reading the book & before writing this review...I read the other reviews. Honestly, I have never heard of fan-fic & had no idea when I read this, this was what it started as on some writing website. I'm assuming the print & audio version have been edited enough that any reader of this version would not link the two. I certainly did not. The writing was definitely not the best. It did feel quite adolescent, especially in the beginning, but as the story developed, it fit with the character & her naivety. But for me, the book became impossible to put down. Several of the other reviews say this book promotes abusive relationships. Yes, this is definitely a book about a very unhealthy relationship, however, I wouldn't say it "promotes" abusive relationships. Sadly, this type of relationship is very common & in my opinion, there wouldn't be a story here if it was another predictable boy meets girl romance. Part of what kept me addicted was seeing the changes (good & bad) in both characters & wondering if Hardin was going to become the man he should be or if Tessa would give up before then! Even as predictable as the book became with the fight then sex scenes, there were enough twists to keep it interesting & an ending I didn't see coming.On a side note: I don't know how this relationship really compares to Pride & Prejudice, but with the many references to it in this book...it actually makes me want to read it now (I had no desire to do so previously, even though it's listed as one of the top books everyone should read before they die).
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This ENTIRE review might be a spoiler, I don't know. I read the entire series because I am a person who can't leave a series unread once started no matter what I feel about it - I always want to give the author the opportunity to finish (give them the benefit of chance).

    The epitome of a red flag relationship. Hint: You cannot change another person, you will never be able to fix their trauma. And.....just for reference they may think you are the calm to their storm but you will also be caught in the middle of their storm, blamed for the waves, and dragged under. Not sure how I really feel about this book. Girls (and boys) some people are broken and they just feel comfortable in their brokenness, you may make them feel better (like a drug) but in the long run they will destroy you. I am a trauma survivor, I have triggers that set me off, I am a survivor because despite my trauma and the triggers I function in a normal way. I faced my demons and I fight. This is the epitome, the absolute example of a broken person who needs serious help. The mother had it right when she warned that he needed to forgive or else he would ruin himself and those around him. Yes, the broken can love others but that love can also be destructive when it is paired with deep rooted trauma that is undealt with. Read this book and understand this is NOT what you want!

    Intensely emotional. Sucks the reader into a dysfunctional and many times abusive cycle. It may overly romanticize an abusive relationship cycle. Great physical chemistry is NOT, and I repeat, NOT a good enough reason to stay in a relationship!!!

    And....to add....I watched the Netflix movies - second one is so graphic in the scenes that one can't help but think that the only thing this relationship is based on is the bedroom. Ughhh......
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked how all the stories where different and I especially loved the last story: the snow dragon
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    بهترین آموزشگاه آرایشگری در اصفهان | خدمات تخصصی میکروبلیدینگ در اصفهان
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I can't believe I read this...
    If my daughters ever act like this then I will kick their butts.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am not sure what to say about this book, I started reading this book looking at a you tube video clip, and I thought :) if someone had the time making a video of their favorite book it must be something worth while reading, also apparently over a million people worldwide read it online. This book blew me away! Harry is a total jerk in most parts of this book, and one of the most alpha males characters I have read in a while, but he is also sweat and charming sometimes. Tessa my hart is breaking for you literally, I must say I am not sure I will be able to face love and friends afterwords. The cliffhanger at the end was cry worthy, wow again ;) this book is like taking a roller coaster ride. It is authors like this that make reading so much fun.

  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Wow. Wow. Okay. First, let me say that I do not enjoy giving a book one star. Nor do I enjoy giving a negative review. I am also not going to go off on everything wrong with the "problematic" elements of this book. I am positive that if they are this glaring, someone already covered it. Also, I don't believe we need to agree with everything we read. Reality isn't perfect people always making correct decisions, and morality isn't absolute. I feel a book is just as valid if it has disagreeable characters and character decisions, so I don't fly the problematic flag often. For this review I am just going to stick to critiquing the elements of this book (of which character portrayal is just a part).

    Summary: Tessa is a good girl with a boyfriend. She is starting a new college. She has a roomate named Steph with tattoos and piercings, which is shocking. She falls for the rude boy who is friends with said roomate, and he is also tattooed and pierced, which is shocking (it's is a big deal in this book to be tattooed/pierced). Oh, and he is British. His name is Hardin. She tosses her nice boyfriend aside because he is nice, which is boring. Hardin is mean to her, which is exciting. They fight. They have sex. They fight. They have sex. They fight. The end.

    Characters : These characters experienced no growth and were one dimensional. Friendships just happened, relationships weren't built, and they offered nothing. Peripheral characters were just that. They served no purpose but to move the story along.

    as for the characters of Hardin and Tessa, neither main character is likable. I'm not opposed to unlikable characters. I actually LOVE books that feature unlikable characters. However, in order for that to work there has to be some depth of emotion, and good characterization. This book and the characters were as deep as a puddle of beer on the frat house floor of regret. Hardin is the tattooed bad boy with mood swings and Tessa is self-centered and naive (so naive I question if her background included a Christian cult) college freshman. This is who they are from the beginning to the end of the book.

    World Building: The scenes and settings lacked description and were quickly thrown together offering barely any backdrop. Frat house, dorm room, Hardin's parents house- It's just different places to have sex or get drunk.

    Plot and Resolve: The plot didn't exist. This was just an incredibly long (Oh my God so looong) slag through two peoples relationship which was a wash, rinse, repeat series of fights followed badly described sex scenes. That is until the twist at the end that was just hasty and thrown out there to probably continue writing further incredibly long and tedious books. The twist also rendered the entire book up to that moment, pointless.

    If you want a brief summary of my reading experience I can say I felt like I was trapped for an uncomfortable amount of time in my ex best friends past relationships. This is a book about the kind of couple that has a shit ton of holes in their drywall, and whose every fight plays out on Facebook. It's that friend you have who constantly complains about how badly she is treated in a relationship, but shoots your attempts to empower her to leave down because, "you don't understand how sweet he can be." If it wasn't for the audiobook I wouldn't have made it through this, and no, I don't plan on continuing on with this series.

    I found out while researching this book that this was originally One Direction fan-fiction from Wattpad. I really truly feel that is probably where it should have stayed. I don't think this book was anywhere near ready for publication. I don't think the author is at fault for that. The editing for this book was just negligent at best. I really think with a better editor and some direction Anna Todd could have made a relatively good story with similar main characters. This just needed a lot more fleshing out.

    I apologize for coming off so harsh, but this is probably the worst experience I have had as a reader.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have seen so many negative reviews about this series, but still decided to give it a try. I actually listened to it on audiobook and read a little of the physical copy. I did not love it, but I also did not hate it. This is all about a romance. This focuses on two college age kids meeting and struggling with their feelings with each other. If you do not like “I love you, I hate you, I love you, I hate you” reads, then you will not like this at all.Yes, there is cheating. I also know some people are opposed to reading books with cheating, but it is real life situations (especially when a HS romance faces going to college). That was not a deal breaker for me personally (not that I agree with cheating, but it is just a book).This was way to long for what it was. I did not see the twist at the end. I did not plan on continuing on with the series, but now I have too! Overall, I enjoyed this way more than I expected.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I swore I wouldn’t read this book, but alas all the banter about Anna Todd in my classroom was enough to change my mind. My students were raving about After, but begged me NOT to read it. Said it was too bad and I’d yell at them for reading it, but they get all giggly when talking about it. Well, if you know me at all, you know that I’d do just what they didn’t want me to. One night it was very slow at the bookstore, so I picked up After to read. 60 pages in, I was hooked. It reminded me of when I started reading Jaime McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster. I remember meeting Travis for the first time. He’s one character that many wish were real! Lol!Always and Beautiful Disaster have two things in common; both books revolve around sexy, tattooed bad boys. And each is broken and sworn off relationships for good, but change their mind when a particular virginal girl comes into the picture. Now, I get that this is supposed to be fan-fiction starring Harry Styles, but I don’t get it. Without knowing this before reading Always, I’d never put the two together.As much as the story drew me in, I still found some issues with it. First of all, some of the dialogue was too clean. Very little contractions from college students means I question the validity of the characters, especially if they are as hip as those in the story.Second of all, Hardin treats Tessa like absolute shit. I love a bad boy like everyone else, but Hardin is just downright mean. There’s only so much good sex can deviate the attention away from a guy who is just being a jerk. I understand Hardin has some real issues, but not all sexy guys are verbally abusive. Of course I like Hardin…when he lets his guard down.Annnnnndddd then there is the whole ending. Of course there’s a sequel, of which I will probably read. Even with the negatives, I really enjoyed Todd’s writing. I think it’s fabulous that she became a big sensation on Wattpad and is now traditionally published. As a writer it’s a dream come true. I hope after this, she continues to write new stories.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Bad book ever had it is the baddest app

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Winter Magic - Abi Elphinstone

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