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softrosemint's review against another edition
3.5
Perfectly atmospheric! It was literally 17° and this still manage to transport me to snowy winter and Christmastime (from my childhood; this year we had 24° on Christmas day back home). Perhaps because of the focus on Christmas rather than winter, perhaps within newly gained confidence from the success of the first collection, the short stories in this one are much stronger. I think it could definitely made the perfect present for big readers who enjoy a cosy read.
Brief thoughts on each of the stories below; favourite ones marked with *.
"Host", Kiran Millwood Hargrave - While the story did not leave the strongest impression on me, I clearly remember starting it feeling a little discouraged and it slowly then getting me hooked. I was on the edge of my seat by the end.
"Inferno", Laura Shepherd-Robinson - A little heavy-handed at times but with a good strong concept regardless.
"The Old Play", Andrew Michael Hurley - Works off of quite a few cliches but I still found it deliciously scary and horrifying. Excellent build up of dread.
"A Double Thread", Imogen Hermes Gowar* - Straightfoward in premise and excellent in execution. It flowed so easily and kept my attention throughout, even though I knew what to expect.
"The Salt Miracles", Natasha Pulley* - I am always excited to read more from Pulley and she did not disappoint this time either. The story somehow reminded me of Ted Chiang's "Hell is the Absence of God" (which I loved), both sending chills down my spine. Something chilling about indiscriminate divine destruction.
"Banished", Elizabeth Macneal* - I cannot help but be bummed out by the fact that this based on a true story but I also enjoyed it immensely. A perfect balance of atmosphere and intrigue.
"The Gargoyle", Bridget Collins - This would be my perfect type of setting for cosy winter horror story, perhaps even my dream life (minus the horror). It certainly the one thing Collins always gets right and she manages to bring the narration to a satisfying conclusion, too.
"The Master of the House", Staurt Turton - Turton is excellent in building a mystery and making it seem like a game. I do not think this went quite in the direction I would have liked it to and it felt like its spark kind of fizzled out towards the end but it was still a perfectly serviceable story.
"Ada Lark", Jess Kidd - Perhaps the most straightforward entry. It was the one that felt the cosiest and most Christmassy to me and I would be happy to re-read it on a frosty night.
"Jenkin", Catriona Ward - This had an interesting premise but it felt too rushed; nearly would have benefitted from being a novella and swapped with something else by the same author, that fitted better within the word limit (which I assume was set to about 40 pages).
"Widow's Walk", Susan Stokes-Chapman* - Easily my favourite from the whole collection. Personally, I do not think Honoria did anything wrong but I liked the way Stokes-Chapman wove the narration, the gradual revelation and confirmation of the reader's suspicions. (I enjoyed "Pandora" quite a bit, she is an author to watch).
"Carol of the Bells and Chains", Laura Purcell - A really cool twist at the end and deliciously grisly by the end. It is always cool to see Krampus incorporated more into the Christmas lore, a legend basically made for collections like this one.
Brief thoughts on each of the stories below; favourite ones marked with *.
"Host", Kiran Millwood Hargrave - While the story did not leave the strongest impression on me, I clearly remember starting it feeling a little discouraged and it slowly then getting me hooked. I was on the edge of my seat by the end.
"Inferno", Laura Shepherd-Robinson - A little heavy-handed at times but with a good strong concept regardless.
"The Old Play", Andrew Michael Hurley - Works off of quite a few cliches but I still found it deliciously scary and horrifying. Excellent build up of dread.
"A Double Thread", Imogen Hermes Gowar* - Straightfoward in premise and excellent in execution. It flowed so easily and kept my attention throughout, even though I knew what to expect.
"The Salt Miracles", Natasha Pulley* - I am always excited to read more from Pulley and she did not disappoint this time either. The story somehow reminded me of Ted Chiang's "Hell is the Absence of God" (which I loved), both sending chills down my spine. Something chilling about indiscriminate divine destruction.
"Banished", Elizabeth Macneal* - I cannot help but be bummed out by the fact that this based on a true story but I also enjoyed it immensely. A perfect balance of atmosphere and intrigue.
"The Gargoyle", Bridget Collins - This would be my perfect type of setting for cosy winter horror story, perhaps even my dream life (minus the horror). It certainly the one thing Collins always gets right and she manages to bring the narration to a satisfying conclusion, too.
"The Master of the House", Staurt Turton - Turton is excellent in building a mystery and making it seem like a game. I do not think this went quite in the direction I would have liked it to and it felt like its spark kind of fizzled out towards the end but it was still a perfectly serviceable story.
"Ada Lark", Jess Kidd - Perhaps the most straightforward entry. It was the one that felt the cosiest and most Christmassy to me and I would be happy to re-read it on a frosty night.
"Jenkin", Catriona Ward - This had an interesting premise but it felt too rushed; nearly would have benefitted from being a novella and swapped with something else by the same author, that fitted better within the word limit (which I assume was set to about 40 pages).
"Widow's Walk", Susan Stokes-Chapman* - Easily my favourite from the whole collection. Personally, I do not think Honoria did anything wrong but I liked the way Stokes-Chapman wove the narration, the gradual revelation and confirmation of the reader's suspicions. (I enjoyed "Pandora" quite a bit, she is an author to watch).
"Carol of the Bells and Chains", Laura Purcell - A really cool twist at the end and deliciously grisly by the end. It is always cool to see Krampus incorporated more into the Christmas lore, a legend basically made for collections like this one.
noodleb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
there_and_book_again's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
write_read_rose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
drjoannehill's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Another good collection, like The Haunting Season, with some excellent and some not bad. Natasha Pulley excellent, Laura Purcell too, and Jess Kidd better than in the first collection.
eshalliday's review
3.0
I’ll sadly start by saying that ‘Host’ by [a:Kiran Millwood Hargrave|5868487|Kiran Millwood Hargrave|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1579440732p2/5868487.jpg] just isn’t a strong enough curtain-raiser for this collection, although I am a follower of her work. Something more atmospheric like ‘Carol of the Bells and Chains’ by [a:Laura Purcell|22701274|Laura Purcell|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] (an out-of-the-ordinary, totally creepfest-y retelling of the Krampus legend, which concludes the collection), would make more of an impact; would draw back the bolt on this collection with a bit more flair.
‘The Winter Spirits’ contains a number of stories by truly sensational authors whom I’d count as favourites, such as [a:Bridget Collins|14717647|Bridget Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1548771665p2/14717647.jpg], [a:Elizabeth Macneal|17715039|Elizabeth Macneal|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1540803664p2/17715039.jpg], and the abovementioned Laura Purcell, which elevate it above your ordinary literary Christmas Selection Box. There are a couple of contributions that I had to DNF (including ‘The Master of the House’ by Stuart Turton) because they just aren’t quite up to the standard of the rest. And even though I did listen to all of ‘Jenkin’ by [a:Catriona Ward|13801540|Catriona Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438105097p2/13801540.jpg], I kind of wish I’d DNF’ed it too, because, although it has an intriguing principal idea, it’s just as distasteful as [b:Looking Glass Sound|60784412|Looking Glass Sound|Catriona Ward|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667233877l/60784412._SY75_.jpg|93526489] in its awful misrepresentation of lesbian women.
The standout contributor is [a:Natasha Pulley|8446650|Natasha Pulley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1490274030p2/8446650.jpg] (whom I credit with getting me back into reading-for-pleasure with [b:The Silent Companions|35458733|The Silent Companions|Laura Purcell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500725504l/35458733._SY75_.jpg|55746774] in 2017, after a long period during my Ph.D and then lecturing&teaching, where reading was mostly ‘for work’). With ‘The Salt Miracles’, Pulley successfully achieves what [b:The Colony|57977494|The Colony|Audrey Magee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634231936l/57977494._SY75_.jpg|90846914] by Audrey Magee was reaching for last year in terms of conveying the otherness of the stranger new-arrived into the midst of an established community, as well as the touch of naïveté with regard to that community’s practices when seen through the other’s eyes. For me, this extraordinary short story also brought to mind last year’s similarly themed holy-pilgrimage-to-an-island novel [b:Haven|59801788|Haven|Emma Donoghue|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655070093l/59801788._SY75_.jpg|91026101] by the exceptional [a:Emma Donoghue|23613|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1591714728p2/23613.jpg], in terms of the tenor of the mood, in terms of the rewriting of religious tropes, and in terms of striking imagery. And ‘Ada Lark’ by [a:Jess Kidd|15044123|Jess Kidd|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1564173437p2/15044123.jpg] is just as unforgettable as ‘The Salt Miracles’! In fact, they both feature fully ornamented characters and each premise twinkles with all the colour and energy of a full-length novel. I'd highly recommend this collection as a treat, if only to collect the incredible seasonal stories by the five or so authors highlighted above.
‘The Winter Spirits’ contains a number of stories by truly sensational authors whom I’d count as favourites, such as [a:Bridget Collins|14717647|Bridget Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1548771665p2/14717647.jpg], [a:Elizabeth Macneal|17715039|Elizabeth Macneal|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1540803664p2/17715039.jpg], and the abovementioned Laura Purcell, which elevate it above your ordinary literary Christmas Selection Box. There are a couple of contributions that I had to DNF (including ‘The Master of the House’ by Stuart Turton) because they just aren’t quite up to the standard of the rest. And even though I did listen to all of ‘Jenkin’ by [a:Catriona Ward|13801540|Catriona Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438105097p2/13801540.jpg], I kind of wish I’d DNF’ed it too, because, although it has an intriguing principal idea, it’s just as distasteful as [b:Looking Glass Sound|60784412|Looking Glass Sound|Catriona Ward|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1667233877l/60784412._SY75_.jpg|93526489] in its awful misrepresentation of lesbian women.
The standout contributor is [a:Natasha Pulley|8446650|Natasha Pulley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1490274030p2/8446650.jpg] (whom I credit with getting me back into reading-for-pleasure with [b:The Silent Companions|35458733|The Silent Companions|Laura Purcell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500725504l/35458733._SY75_.jpg|55746774] in 2017, after a long period during my Ph.D and then lecturing&teaching, where reading was mostly ‘for work’). With ‘The Salt Miracles’, Pulley successfully achieves what [b:The Colony|57977494|The Colony|Audrey Magee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634231936l/57977494._SY75_.jpg|90846914] by Audrey Magee was reaching for last year in terms of conveying the otherness of the stranger new-arrived into the midst of an established community, as well as the touch of naïveté with regard to that community’s practices when seen through the other’s eyes. For me, this extraordinary short story also brought to mind last year’s similarly themed holy-pilgrimage-to-an-island novel [b:Haven|59801788|Haven|Emma Donoghue|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655070093l/59801788._SY75_.jpg|91026101] by the exceptional [a:Emma Donoghue|23613|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1591714728p2/23613.jpg], in terms of the tenor of the mood, in terms of the rewriting of religious tropes, and in terms of striking imagery. And ‘Ada Lark’ by [a:Jess Kidd|15044123|Jess Kidd|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1564173437p2/15044123.jpg] is just as unforgettable as ‘The Salt Miracles’! In fact, they both feature fully ornamented characters and each premise twinkles with all the colour and energy of a full-length novel. I'd highly recommend this collection as a treat, if only to collect the incredible seasonal stories by the five or so authors highlighted above.
annaelisabeth6's review
5.0
4.8⭐️
Top 5:
1. Banished - Elizabeth Macneal
2. Ada Lark - Jess Kidd
3. Host - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
4. The Master of the House - Stuart Turton
5. Widow’s Walk - Susan Stokes-Chapman
Top 5:
1. Banished - Elizabeth Macneal
2. Ada Lark - Jess Kidd
3. Host - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
4. The Master of the House - Stuart Turton
5. Widow’s Walk - Susan Stokes-Chapman
narwhal13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
barbs0822's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5