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Krampus
Krampus
Brom | 2012 | Horror
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A dark fairytale with occasional illustrations
Let's head into Christmas with something out of the ordinary, shall we? This was one heck of a dark fairytale, set in West Virginia, in a town where everyone knows everyone and the head of police is in cahoots with the local crime lord.

The story opens on Christmas Eve with Jesse Walker, failed husband and father, depressed, alone, and contemplating suicide, until he sees Santa Claus attacked and fleeing into the sky, leaving behind his magic sack. What he doesn't know is that Santa's attackers are mostly after the magic sack, and what he thinks is his salvation turns out to be what traps him into everything that follows.

And what follows is a thrillride! Jesse is roped into being one of Krampus' servants, along with his belsnickels, people Krampus has lent a portion of his magic to. The magic twists them into fur-covered monsters, but also grants them healing and near-immortality.

Between trying to rekindle the lost traditions of Yule and hunting down Santa Claus to end him for good, Jesse also struggles to save his wife and daughter from the possibly-murderous cop they're living with.

By the end of the book I wasn't sure who to cheer for, other than Jesse and one of the belsnickels, Isabel. But Krampus? He might be right, but is he good? I'm not sure. Similarly, except for his millennia-past misdeeds, Santa is good NOW. But I'm not sure he's right. In an ideal world, the two of them could come to some compromise and apologize to each other, but this is a dark fairytale, so of course that's not the case!

I enjoyed this book, even if there wasn't a lot of happiness in it. It definitely embodies the Appalachia Gothic idea.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
  
The Magic Square
The Magic Square
John Gaspard | 2020 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who Made the Body Appear at the Magic Convention?
Eli Marks and his uncle, Harry, are out of town at a magic convention. They’ll be spending a lot of time in the dealer’s room so they can sell Harry’s new two-volume book about his time as a magician, but they are hoping to catch a few of the panels, and the evening sessions. The entire convention is surprised when famed mentalist Gerhardt performs the first night. However, Harry’s friend Abe is less than happy since he’s had a running feud with Gerhardt for years. That feud is public knowledge, so when Abe returns to his hotel room that night to find Gerhardt’s body in the bathroom, the police consider him a strong suspect. Can Eli figure out what is really going on?

I always forget how much I enjoy these books until I am sitting down reading a new one. It was great to slip back into Eli’s world. Since we are out of town, I did miss some of the series regulars, but it did give us more time to get to know the new characters, who are quite strong. The story moves forward at a steady pace, with clues sprinkled into the talk of magic. I did finger the culprit a little early, but I wasn’t completely certain until we reached the suspenseful climax, and I was having such a good time I didn’t really care. While there is talk about magic, we don’t get any illusions spoiled here, but it might inspire you to try to learn a little on your own. If you are a fan of these books, you’ll be glad you picked up this volume. If you haven’t met Eli yet, you’ll be hooked faster than you can say “Abracadabra.”
  
The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)
The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)
Mary E. Pearson | 2014 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
A nice easy read
This was another book that I wanted to pick up when I got back into reading but I ended up reading The Name of the Wind instead. I should have picked this one up...


This was an easy and interesting read. We have a strong female main character and we see that through her actions and not just because the author tells us so.

Things that I liked:
-Lia. She is strong, stubborn and she cares a lot about her friends.
-The mystery of who is the assassin and who is the prince. I thought that was a nice idea, it kept me guessing for a little but if you pay attention to a couple of details you'll guess who is who.
-Love triangle. Yes, that's an unpopular opinion but well-done love triangles are my guilty pleasure.
-Lia's actions have consequences that she needs to deal with.

Things I didn't like:
-This is the first of a trilogy so this was mostly to get to know the characters. The majority of the book is Lia getting on with her new life in Terravin and getting to know Kaden and Rafe, and falling in love. So not too much action.

Worth mentioning:
-If you like complex magic systems in your fantasy book this is not it. There is not magic as see in epic fantasy. The gift that some people have in the book, is another way to say that they are some kind of psychic. They can see into the past and future, sometimes with the help of the dead. And that's all we get magic wise., so don't go in expecting complex magic systems.