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ophelia_so_sad's review against another edition
they were boring; i found myself wondering when a story would be over
treymw's review
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
4.5
la_libreria_chula's review
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I really enjoyed the first story, and then I wanted to read what Cassandra Khaw wrote as well. The other stories were okay too, some more than others. Probably wouldn't have this collection on my shelf, but it still an interesting read.
lunababybat's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
I liked some of this book. The last story "After Words" was probably my favorite, although I really enjoyed "The Importance of a Tidy Home" as well. This anthology was very diverse in its representation of various December holidays, which was a breath of fresh air when it comes to holiday theme books. However what really brought the rating down was how most of the stories were "okay" and there were some that I hated, notably "The Mawkin Field" and "Our Recent Unpleasantness." In fact, this anthology made me realize I really don't like Stephen Graham Jones's work in general. Overall, give it a read. It's entertaining.
kjboldon's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
As with any anthology, there are ups and downs. I really liked many of these stories. They do skew VERY dark, so do not read if you're not up for horror.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Child death, Sexual content, Death, and Body horror
Minor: Violence
nouveau's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amycrea's review
4.0
As with most anthologies, some of the stories aren't as good as the others. But the good ones far outnumbered the lesser in this book.
mikytone's review
2.0
this was a huge disappointment. what started out as a desire to read an atmospheric little book for the winter season as a reward for myself (i meant to read one story a day or something resembling that, a literary advent calendar, if you will ), very quickly turned into a chore and a need to finish this as fast as possible.
hoxma's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
Some fun stories but all in all a lot that were forgettable. None that truly stood out as something I would go back to in the future or remember come next winter solstice. Good holiday filler for horror fans but nothing very memorable.