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

3.0

Christmas is a dark time, quite literally, and for millennia, Europeans have been contending with the darkest, coldest days of the year. This book is an exploration of the histories and myths of the dark creatures in European Yuletide folktales from Krampus in Germany, to Mari Lwyd in Wales, to La Befana in Italy and many more in between.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more had it been written less as a travelogue and more as a history. That said, it is a fun book of legends, most of which I’d either not heard of or had only heard of in passing, which will have me diving deeper to learn more. It was a good transitional book from spooky to holiday season reading and a great antidote to the saccharine sweet vision of the holidays that may ring false to many.

Thanks to Hachette Audio and Net Galley who provided early audiobook access in exchange for an honest review.