From the publisher:
Can stopping time solve a murder . . . ? A delicious mystery adventure for fans of Robin Stevens and Cressida Cowell from the award-winning and bestselling author of the Pinch of Magic series.
When the Morrow twins, Merry and Spike, arrive at dusty old Fox House, they think spending their holidays there is going to be dull. But they soon discover that there are secrets to the old house. A missing woman, a baby left on the doorstep, a locked study . . . As the mysteries pile up, the girls begin to investigate, using their own secret to help them: they can stop time!
What happened in this old house? And can their strange powers help them solve a decades-old crime?
My Review:
I really enjoyed Michelle Harrison’s Pinch of Magic series so when I saw the title and cover of this story and read about twins’ time-stopping ability, I immediately requested a copy.
Merry and Spike are twins, born eleven minutes apart, one on either side on midnight on the last day of the year. This has led to an unusual experience with clocks and any kind of timepiece. If they touch clocks, strange things happen (such as people’s speech speeding up or birds flying backwards). Together they can freeze time for a minute, but using this ability brings consequences in form of a vision for the twins, of the future for Spike and of the past for Merry. Accompanying their art-restorer mother to the home of Lady Belmont (a recluse since her husband died), they meet the formidable Miss Burdock the housekeeper, Nanny Natter (not as crazy and incoherent as she seems), Ben, found on the doorstep as a baby and brought up in the house, as well as Alastair, the nephew of Lady Belmont. They also sniff out a mystery, with the disappearance of a maid (and her baby) who vanished thirteen years earlier. Merry and Spike are determined to find out what really happened to her.
I love the idea of the twins born on either side of a year changing over having the ability to manipulate time, and being able to freeze time for a minute was a fun element of the story. Speculative fiction fans beware, this story is a mystery rather than a time-bending story. The twins only freeze time to get out of trouble. The consequences actually are very useful visions that help them solve the mystery by either showing glimpses of the past or of the future. Convenience aside, I enjoyed this superpower, although I was surprised they didn’t use it in the face of a dangerous character in the story climax.
Merry and Spike are endearing characters, and I enjoyed their efforts to untangle the mystery. Ben is a good addition as is Nanny Natter. Alastair is a thorough villain, with zero redeeming features.
I couldn’t put my finger on what time period it was meant to be. It had an Edwardian melodrama vibe, but the mother had a car and wore dungarees and the twins clothes are quite modern. However there is no mention of any modern technology whatsoever (eg movies, tvs, mobiles, the internet, pop music, etc). It didn’t bother me, other than wondering if Twice Upon A Time was originally set in the past.
The story is well-written and I really enjoyed the twins’ investigation right up to the resolution. Unfortunately the backstory is so contrived that my experience was really marred. Children are unlikely to pick up on the sheer contrivance and implausibility of it, but in my view that is not a good enough reason not to put in a better end. It was a shame because it was an entertaining read up to that point.
Overall a really enjoyable read but with a hugely disappointing end. Twice upon a Time will be published on 31st July this year. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Simon and Schuster UK Children’s, for giving me n E-ARC of the book.
Valinora Troy 
21 responses to “Book Review: Twice Upon A Time by Michelle Harrison”
I love the idea of twins born on either side of midnight on the last day of the year too. (And how they can affect time.) It sounds like a fun story, but too bad about the ending.
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Yes, it was a shame to have such a poor backstory but other than that, it was a fun read. Thanks Priscilla!
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[…] Valinora Troy reviews TWICE UPON A TIME by Michelle Harrison. […]
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I loved Harrison’s 13 Treasures series, but it doesn’t look like this book is available in the US yet. Maybe in a year; that tends to be the pattern. Thank you for putting it on my radar!
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I look forward to hearing what you think next year! 🙂 Thanks for reading!
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Sorry about the ending! The plot leading up to that point sounds irresistible. I’ll be looking for this one when it becomes available in my area. Thanks for sharing and Happy MMGM!
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Yes, it’s a great premise and fun, and if you can ignore the backstory, it’s really good. Thanks for reading!
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I quite enjoyed A Pinch of Magic and Harrison’s 13 series. Sad about the ending it does sound like an enjoyable book. Especially twins manipulating time and being born on either side of midnight. Happy MMGM to you
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It is an enjoyable book! I was just hugely disappointed by the backstory! 🙂 Happy MMGM, Brenda!
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I’m sorry that the ending was disappointing. Otherwise, I’d say that I’d enjoy this story with the time freeze and the mystery to solve. I’m really getting into stories that combine some element of magic with a mystery.
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I think you’d enjoy it, I certainly did, it was just a shame that the back story lets it down (IMO), thanks for reading!
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Sorry to hear about the disappointing ending! That hard!
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Yes it is! Otherwise would have been a fantastic book! Thanks for reading! 🙂
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This sounds very creative. Love the twins being born on either side of midnight leading to time-magic-issues. Do you think I could borrow them to create more hours in my day so I can actually read this book? Ha ha. Great review.
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lol! Yes, definitely – but you’d get lots of visions too which might distract you from your huge to do list! 🙂 Thanks for reading, Carol!
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Great review. Thanks, Valinora.
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Thanks Iseult, glad you liked it! 🙂
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Sounds intriguing! I love the whole born-across-midnight theme. Makes me wonder what might have happened if one had been born in 1999 and the other in 2000… I’ll be looking for this one.
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I hadn’t though of that! A century apart!! 🙂 Yes, it’s a great read, albeit an unconvincing backstory. Thanks for reading! 🙂
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What a great concept. I love the idea of twins born in two different years and that giving them time-stopping power. Super idea. I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but I might look for this one. Too bad the ending is a disappointment. Thanks for the post.
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I’d love to hear what you think of it, if you get hold of a copy, Rosi! It’s really good and a fun read, the backstory was just a little contrived. Thanks for reading!
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