A review by babsreads18
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

 Nicholas “Coal” is the heir to Christmas, and a little bit of a hot mess. He’s fairly well known for being a screw up. When his father, Santa, publicly announces that Coal is engaged to marry his best friend, Iris, the princess of Easter, Coal is outraged. Iris is Coal’s brother’s crush, and Coal has no desire to marry her. He’s still swooning over a guy he drunkenly kissed in an alley over a year ago. Even more chaos ensues, when that guy, the Prince of Halloween, shows up to compete for Iris’ hand in marriage. 

This book was full of Christmas puns, hysterical banter, and fun. I loved that each holiday had their own royal family and that there were some politics involved too. The friendship between Coal, Kris, and Iris was absolutely adorable. While the romance between Hex and Coal felt a little bit insta-lovey, it was paced well enough that it wasn’t a turn off for me. There was so much tension between them! I also loved all of the Christmas vibes and magic sprinkled throughout this book. 

Ellis Evans did a fantastic job narrating the story and creating clear voices for each character. 

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy!