Once Upon a Winter Wood

Local legends make thrilling bedtime stories, but what happens when the people you trust suggest those tales might save someone you love? Once Upon a Winter Wood is set in the present day in the village of Westhood, bordered by an ancient forest surrounded by old fairy tales. The legends say that anyone who enters the woods on a snowy evening will emerge changed. These stories have lingered for more than a century, though most residents have let them fade.

The novel follows a group of family and friends in the village, each carrying their own losses and hoping for second chances. All are drawn to the tales of the woods and their whisper of renewed beginnings. Once Upon a Winter Wood explores what it means to love, to lose and to hope, with a thread of magic woven throughout.

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‘A perfect winter's tale.’ Heidi Swain

‘Helen Fisher has delivered the rare gift of a contemporary fairytale that makes you feel deeply, think profoundly, and remember that we should never surrender our power to believe in something. With beautifully realised characters and a sense of old-fashioned charm, Once Upon a Winter Wood is captivating, compelling, and genuinely memorable.’ Julietta Henderson

‘I so enjoyed this enchanting page-turner. Once Upon a Winter Wood is a mysterious tale with a lovable cast of characters, a beautiful sense of place and plenty to ponder. Unique, moving and utterly magical.’ Hazel Prior

‘Helen Fisher marries the magical and the heartbreakingly real in this highly original story of a community that dares to believe in the impossible and a man struggling to accept his father's terminal diagnosis. A sensitively written and deeply compassionate meditation on hope, faith, love and loss that asks: if you had a second chance at life, would you take it?’ Caroline Bishop

‘Once Upon a Winter Wood is a gorgeously written, eerie and heartfelt book. Helen writes with such sensitivity and compassion about grief, mortality and love; she manages to break your heart and then put it back together just when you think there is nothing but darkness. I love the world she has crafted, the frosty forest which captivates the villagers of Westhood, its rugged landscape, the glow of light from Oak's farmhouse, how everything glints with a hint of the beyond, of something sublime. There is an exciting and compelling plot here, and at the heart of it is a wise truth. Enter the woods to find out.’ Sally Oliver

‘There is a special and beautiful magic in these pages, conjured by a writer who is at the very peak of her powers. Enchanting and brimming with love, each page is a spell that will linger in the heart and leave you longing for a return to that wild, winter wood.’ Matt Gaw