The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg

3.85 AVERAGE

kmford18's review

4.75
adventurous dark funny informative lighthearted fast-paced
olives781's profile picture

olives781's review

4.5
dark informative lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced
With how sugary sweet modern Christmas is, this introduces a welcome shot of darkness to the season.

heralatus's review against another edition

3.0
informative reflective sad fast-paced
courtagonist's profile picture

courtagonist's review against another edition

3.0
adventurous dark informative medium-paced

eleanorclare's review

3.5
informative mysterious fast-paced

fredosbrother's review against another edition

3.75
informative medium-paced
michaela_june's profile picture

michaela_june's review against another edition

3.0
informative slow-paced
Specifically reviewing the audiobook, I wish the author had read the whole book and not just the prologue and epilogue. I found the audio quality of the authors portion better than that of the audio artist. Also personal preference, I just liked Sarah Clegg’s voice better. 

aoife_10's review

3.75
fast-paced
trywii's profile picture

trywii's review

4.0
informative medium-paced

kahuggs's review against another edition

3.0
The Dead of Winter traces the history of a handful of spookier Christmas traditions, from the Krampus runs to St. Lucy to the various witches associated with Christmas folklore. I appreciated the attention to detail balanced with extremely readable prose. I loved hearing about the eerier myths and folktales around the midwinter season, plus some possible ties to earlier Christian and pagan traditions throughout Europe. I was especially delighted to read an opening chapter that traces the connections between Venice's Carnivale and Christmas revels.

As the author concludes, I agree that the frightful traditions make the light of Christmas season brighter and cozier without feeling too saccharine. This is a really good book for cozying up on a cold winter's night. A great read for fans of folklore, witchy vibes, and seasonal spookiness.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.